Formatting Guidelines
Set all margins to 1 inch
Select a font that is easy to read and contrasts clearly with it's italic, and use a font size between 11 and 13 points unless instructed otherwise by your instructor (eg. Times New Roman, 12 point)
Include your last name and the page number on each page in the top right corner of the header
The entire document must be double spaced (including quotations, notes, and the list of works cited)
The first sentence of each paragraph must be indented 0.5 inches
Block quotations should be indented 0.5 inches
The works cited list begins on a new page at the end of the document
The works cited list must be in alphabetical order by the author's last name
Use a hanging indent for any works cited entries longer than one line
Do not include a title page unless the paper is a group project
URLs or DOIs included in the Works Cited may be active links for electronic submissions
Formatting Figures
Example:
The following is an example of how to format a figure included in the body of your paper. MLA style guidelines state that you should align the figure to the same 1" margins as the rest of your paper, include a label with a caption directly below the figure. It is also good practice to insert the figure immediately following the paragraph where it has been referred to in text (fig. 1). Follow these guidelines any time you include an image, chart, photograph, map, or other illustrative matter in a paper that is formatted according to MLA style.
Formatting Tables
Example:
The following is an example of how to format a table included in the body of your paper. MLA style guidelines state that you should align the table to the same 1" margins as the rest of your paper, include a label directly above the table, and include the source and any notes directly below the table. It is also good practice to insert the table immediately following the paragraph where is has been referred top in text (see table 1). Follow these guidelines any time you include a table in a paper that formatted according to MLA style.
Table 1
Degrees in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Conferred by Degree-Granting Institutions of Higher Education in the United States
| Year | Bachelor's Degrees | Master's Degrees | Doctor's Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 13,053 | 2,470 | 793 |
| 1997-98 | 13,618 | 2,367 | 819 |
| 1998-99 | 14,163 | 2,267 | 757 |
| 1999-2000 | 14,186 | 2,228 | 804 |
| 2000-01 | 14,292 | 2,244 | 818 |
| 2001-02 | 14,236 | 2,284 | 780 |
| 2002-03 | 14,854 | 2,256 | 749 |
| 2003-04 | 15,408 | 2,307 | 743 |
| 2004-05 | 16,008 | 2,517 | 762 |
| 2005-06 | 16,762 | 2,637 | 777 |
Source: table 297 in Digest of Education Statistics; 2007 ed., United States Dept. of Education, Institute of Educational Studies, Nation Center for Educational Statistics, June 2007, nces.ed.goc/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_297.asp
a. These figures include degrees conferred in a single language or a combination of modern foreign languages and exclude degrees in linguistics, Latin, classics, ancient and Middle and Near Eastern biblical and Semitic languages, ancient and classic Greek, Sanskrit and classical Indian languages, and sign language and sign language interpretation.
If your paper is a group project create a title page and list all authors on it. Do not include an author name in the running head.
There are different ways to set your document to double space.
These short instructions will show you one way of accomplishing the task:
1- From the "Insert" tab, in the "Header and Footer" group , click on "Page Number" to expand the drop down menu.
2- Select the top right corner option from the "Top of Page" drop down menu.
3- Type your last name followed by a comma before the page number
4- Done!
1- Insert a Page Break between the body of your paper and the References page:
Click on the "Insert" tab.
In the "Pages" group (located on the far right on the ribbon) click on "Page Break".
2- From the "Home" tab, in the "Paragraph" group, click on the arrow located in the bottom right corner to open a dialogue box.
3- In the "Indentation" section, go to "Special" and select "Hanging". The default setting for a hanging indent is 0.5 inches or 1.27 cm which meets the APA citation style requirements.
Et voilà!