Heading

Margins
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Smith 1

John Smith

Professor Adam Jones

English 101
29 August 2011
Title

How to Format an Essay/Research Paper

Double
-spaced
Font

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used most often in the humanities
and

arts. It is a style of formatting for research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the

Works Cited page. When formatting your paper, there are specific rules that you need to follow.

These rules include the size and margins of your paper, the font, spacing and indentation, and the

headings and header.

Indentation
MLA requires that you use a letter-size (8.5 x 11) paper with one-inch margins all
around. By including these margins, you give your teachers ample room to make comments,

corrections, and notes about your paper without having to make all notations directly over the

text of your paper. Also, the one-inch margins all around your paper provide a uniform, neat

look.

Font Use a legible font in which the regular and italics font are distinguishable. Times New
Roman is the most widely-used font. It must be size 12. You should use black ink, but if that is
not available, use another dark ink, such as navy blue. In Word, click on the Home tab and look
under the Font tab. You can change font size, style, and color here.

Heading The heading should include your name, your teachers name, your course, and the
date.
Header The header is the last name of the author (you) and the page number. Go under the
Insert tab and then look under the Header & Footer tab. Click on Header and then Click on
Blank. (This allows you to create your own header.) This will open up a header box on your
document with a type text box. Look under Header & Footer tab (now moved to the far left)
and click Page Number, Top of Page, and Page Number 3. This will align your page number to
the right. Then type in your last name so that your last name appears with the page number after
it. All pages will now have a header with subsequent page numbers.

Indentation You must use an indentation at the start of every paragraph. Your indentation
should be five spaces. Instead of using the space bar, simply press Tab once.

Margins There should be a one inch margin around the entire 8.5 x 11 paper. In Word, click
the Page Layout tab. Then you will find Margins under the Page Setup Tab. Settings should be on
normal, which provides a one inch margin around the entire paper.

Spacing Your entire paper (heading included) should be double-spaced. In Word, click on the
Home tab and go under the Paragraph Tab. The spacing button has an upward and downward
pointing arrow with lines. (Default settings will be at 1.15 spacing and will Add a Space After
Paragraph. You must change the spacing to 2.0 and click Remove Space After Paragraph.)
When spacing between paragraphs, only hit Enter once. Readers will be able to identify it as a
new paragraph because of your indentation.

Title Only make a title for your paper if you are specifically requested to do so. Your title
should be double-spaced and centered. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation
marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
Created by Allyson Villegas/2011