mla format for essays pdf

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Student Guide to AI Literacy

Sample essays: writing with mla style.

Congratulations to the students whose essays were selected for the 2024 edition of Writing with MLA Style! Essays were selected as examples of excellent student… Read More

Formatting Your Research Project

To learn how to set up your research project in MLA format, visit our free sample chapter on MLA Handbook Plus , the only authorized subscription-based digital… Read More

How do I format a quotation of song lyrics?

Format a quotation of song lyrics the same way you would format a quotation of poetry. Read More

Latina/o , Latinx , Latine

by Anne Freeland

Read about the evolving usage of the terms Latino/a , Latinx , and Latine . Read More

Teaching Resources

A Century of Queer Korean Fiction : An Interview with Samuel Perry

Toward Educational Justice: An Interview with the Editors of Teaching Literature and Writing in Prisons

Henrique Maximiano Coelho Neto’s Sphinx: A Neo-Gothic Novel from Brazil : An Interview with M. Elizabeth Ginway

A Reflection on Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities on Its Twentieth Anniversary

MLA Guide to Digital Literacy , 2nd Edition: An Interview with the Author

Teaching Claire de Duras’s Ourika

Teaching Nineteenth-Century Activist Rhetorics Today: An Interview

How and Why to Teach Late-Twentieth-Century Mexicana and Chicana Writers: An Interview

Advice from the Editors

Bear versus Bare

Your and You’re : How to Tell Them Apart

Similar but Different: Using Compare with and Compare to

Forego versus Forgo

Was and Were with the Subjunctive

Their , There , and They’re : Learn the Difference

Attributive Nouns; or, Why There Is Sometimes No Apostrophe in Terms Such As Teachers Union

Ask the MLA

When do i capitalize the first letter of a quotation.

Whether you capitalize the first letter of a quotation depends on how the quotation fits into your sentence. Capitalize the first letter of a quotation,… Read More

How do I cite quotations from different pages of a work?

This post explains how to cite quotations from different pages of a work. Read More

How do I cite a playlist?

Cite a playlist by following the MLA template of core elements. In the Title of Container element, include the name of the playlist surrounded in… Read More

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Surry Community College

MLA 9th Edition

Paper Templates & Examples

Sample papers

MLA 9th edition sample papers The SCC Library & Academic Support Center teach students to follow 9th edition student formatting rules, unless the instructor states otherwise.

Paper Template

Student Paper Template, MLA 9 (PDF) Download this template before you begin writing to make sure your paper is formatted correctly in MLA 9th edition format.
Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 2:30 PM
URL: https://library.surry.edu/MLAstyle

Generate accurate MLA citations for free

Knowledge Base

Student's Guide to MLA Style (2021) | Citation & Format

To cite sources in MLA style, you need

In-text citations that give the author’s last name and a page number.
A list of Works Cited that gives full details of every source.

Make sure your paper also adheres to MLA format : one-inch margins, double spacing, and indented paragraphs, with an MLA style heading on the first page.

You can create citations automatically with our free MLA Citation Generator . Enter a URL, DOI , or ISBN, and the generator will retrieve the necessary information.

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Mla works cited list, the nine core elements of mla citations, mla in-text citations, free lecture slides, frequently asked questions about mla style.

The Works Cited list is where you give full details of all sources you have cited in the text. Other citation styles sometimes call this the “reference list” or “bibliography.” An annotated bibliography is slightly different.

Author . “Source Title.” Container Title , Other contributors , Version , Number , Publisher , Publication date , Location .

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Begin each source entry with the name of the author(s) or creator(s). The name of the first author is always inverted (Last name, First name).

When a source has two authors, the second author’s name is shown in the normal order (First name Last name).

For sources with three or more authors, state only the first author’s name, followed by “ et al. ”

1 author	Johnson, David.
2 authors	Johnson, David, and Valerie Smith
3+ authors	Johnson, David, et al.

The author of a source is not necessarily a person; it can also be an organization. If so, simply use the name of the organization.

However, if the organization is both the author and publisher , start with the title of the source instead.

MLA author element

Always include the full title of the source, including subtitles (separated by a colon and space).

Use title case —capitalize all words apart from conjunctions , prepositions , and articles . If there is no title, give a short description of the source, with normal sentence case capitalization.

The styling of the title depends on the type of source:

Italics when the source is self-contained (e.g. a whole book, movie or website).
Quotation marks when the source is part of a larger whole (e.g. a chapter of a book , a page on a website, or an article in a journal).
No styling when describing a source without a title.

3. Container

A container is the larger work that the source you’re citing appears in. For example, a chapter is part of a book, a page is part of a website, and an article is part of a journal.

If the source you’re citing is a self-contained whole (e.g. a whole book), leave out this element.

The container title is always italicized.

Containers in MLA
Source type	Source title	Container title
Journal article	“An Applied Service Marketing Theory.”
Short story	“The Clean Slate.”
TV episode	“Crawl Space.”
Online article	“Evolutionary History of Life.”

Elements 3 (container title) to 9 (location) all provide information about the container.

Sources with two containers

A source can also have two containers. If you watched an episode of a TV show on Netflix, the show title is the first container and Netflix is the second container. If you accessed a journal article through the database JSTOR, the journal name is the first container and JSTOR is the second container.

In most cases, only the title and location (often the URL or DOI ) of the second container are included in the source entry. This is because databases like JSTOR don’t have relevant contributors, versions, publishers, or publication dates.

Datta, Hannes, et al. “The Challenge of Retaining Customers Acquired with Free Trials”. Journal of Marketing Research , vol. 52, no. 2, Apr. 2015, pp. 217–234. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/43832354.

Pay attention to the punctuation. The author and source title elements each end with a period. Elements within a container are separated by commas, and a period is used to close the container.

4. Other contributors

Contributors are added right after the container title and always end with a comma. Use a description like “translated by,” “directed by,” or “illustrated by” to indicate the role of the contributor. For example:

Latour, Bruno. Politics of Nature: How to Bring the Sciences into Democracy . Translated by Catherine Porter, Harvard UP, 2004.

When a source has three or more contributors with the same role, include the name of the first contributor followed by “et al.”

If there are no other relevant contributors, leave out this element.

When there is more than one version of a source, you should include the version you used. For example, a second-edition book , an expanded version of a collection, or a director’s cut of a movie would require the version to be included:

Porter, Michael E. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors . 2nd ed. , Simon and Schuster, 1998.
Columbus, Chris, director. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . director’s cut, Warner Bros., 2002.

Sources such as journal articles (“vol. 18”), magazines (“no. 25”) and TV shows (“season 3, episode 5”) are often numbered. If your source has numbered parts, include this in the source entry:

Wieseke, Jan, et al. “Willing to Pay More, Eager to Pay Less: The Role of Customer Loyalty in Price Negotiations.” Journal of Marketing , vol. 68, no. 6, 2014, pp. 17–37.

It is also possible for a source to have an edition, volume, and number. Just separate them using commas.

7. Publisher

Book and movie citations always include the publisher element. The publisher is the company responsible for producing and distributing the source—usually a book publisher (e.g. Macmillan or Oxford UP ) or a movie production company (e.g. Paramount Pictures or Warner Bros ).

Note that “University Press” is abbreviated to “UP” in a Works Cited entry. For example, the University of Minnesota Press becomes “U of Minnesota P”; Oxford University Press becomes “Oxford UP.”

When not to add a publisher Sometimes the publisher is already included elsewhere in the source entry, such as in the container title or author element. For example, the publisher of a website is often the same as the website name. In this case, omit the publisher element.

You generally don’t need to include a publisher for the following source types:

Newspapers and magazines
Platforms like YouTube, Netflix, or JSTOR

8. Publication date

When available, always include the publication year . If you also know the month, day, or even time of publication, you can include this if it helps the reader to locate the source. Date ranges are also possible. For example:

25 Jan. 2019
14 Aug. 2017, 4:45 p.m.
Jan. 2017–Apr. 2018

Multiple publication dates If there is more than one publication date, use the one that is most relevant to your research and take the date of the edition that you have used.

No date When a source does not state a publication date, add the date on which you accessed the information. For example: Accessed 22 Sep. 2018 .

9. Location

What you include in the location element depends on the type of source you are citing:

Book chapter : Page range of the chapter (e.g. pp. 164–180. )
Web page : URL, without “https://” (e.g. www.scribbr.com/mla-style/quick-guide/. )
Journal article : DOI , with “https://”—or stable URL, without: (e.g. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1560449. or www.jstor.org/stable/43832354. )
Physical object or live event : Name of the location and city (e.g. Moscone Center, San Francisco. or The Museum of Modern Art, New York. )

MLA in-text citations are brief references in the body of your document which direct your reader to the full reference in the Works Cited list. You must include an in-text citation whenever you quote or paraphrase a source.

A standard MLA in-text citation includes the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses. The page number refers to the exact location of the quote or information that you are citing:

66% of voters disagree with the policy (Smith 13) .

If the author is already named in the sentence, you only need to include the page number in parentheses:

According to Smith , 66% of voters disagree with the policy (13) .

Multiple authors

For a source with two authors, include the last names of both authors. If a source has three or more authors, only include the last name of the first author, followed by “et al.” if in parentheses or “and colleagues” if in the text.

Smith and Morrison claim that “MLA is the second most popular citation style” (17) .
According to Reynolds and colleagues , social and demographic circumstances still have a major effect on job prospects (17–19) .

If a source does not state a specific author, the in-text citation should match the first word(s) of the Works Cited entry, whether that’s an organization name or the source title.

Format titles the same as they appear in the Works Cited, with italics or quotation marks. Use the full title if mentioned in the text itself, but an abbreviated title if included in parentheses.

The article “New Ways to Slow Down Global Warming” claims that . . . (4).
Reducing carbon emissions slows down climate change (“New Ways” 4) .

No page number

If a source has no page numbers, but is divided into numbered sections (e.g. chapters or numbered paragraphs), use these instead:

Morrison has shown that there is a great need for . . . (par. 38) .
Reynolds devotes a chapter to the rise of poverty in some states in the US (ch. 6) .

For audiovisual sources (such as YouTube videos ), use a timestamp:

In his recent video, Smith argues that climate change should be the main political priority of all governments today (03:15–05:21) .

If there is no numbering system in the original source, include only the author’s name in your citation.

Are you a teacher or professor looking to introduce your students to MLA style? Download our free introductory lecture slides, available for Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open Google Slides Download PowerPoint

MLA Style is the second most used citation style (after APA ). It is mainly used by students and researchers in humanities fields such as literature, languages, and philosophy.

The MLA Handbook is currently in its 9th edition , published in 2021.

This quick guide to MLA style explains the latest guidelines for citing sources and formatting papers according to MLA.

A standard MLA Works Cited entry is structured as follows:

Only include information that is available for and relevant to your source.

The fastest and most accurate way to create MLA citations is by using Scribbr’s MLA Citation Generator .

Search by book title, page URL, or journal DOI to automatically generate flawless citations, or cite manually using the simple citation forms.

If information about your source is not available, you can either leave it out of the MLA citation or replace it with something else, depending on the type of information.

No author : Start with the source title.
No title : Provide a description of the source.
No date : Provide an access date for online sources; omit for other sources.

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MLA format for academic papers and essays
Block quoting in MLA style

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Home / MLA Sample Paper

MLA Sample Paper

Mla sample paper #1.

If you’ve been wondering how to produce a research paper that is strong in both formatting and writing, you’ve come to the right place.

Check out our first sample paper below. It is a helpful and clearly labeled visual aid to refer to. Note that while these sample papers do not include MLA abstracts , you should check with your instructor to see if an abstract should be included.

Visual Sample Paper

The example research paper below is one that was written in college for a course on the Inklings. The Inklings were a group of writers in England before WWII, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The abbreviated MLA paper below (linked here without annotations) is about J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and how the author used myth, story, and song to link all of his works together. Tolkien is famous for creating a fantasy universe called Middle-earth, which readers can’t truly understand until they read all of the books about Middle-earth ( The Silmarillian, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings ).

Since we’re here to learn how to format an essay, we’ve pointed out some important things about the paper to help you write a correctly formatted essay.

For starters, the essay is in MLA format. That means it follows the style manual of the Modern Language Association, which tells you how to format the paper itself and every source you cite. You’ll also see notes like how long a paragraph should be, how to use commas properly, and how to correctly punctuate a title. Some of these guidelines are different from those in APA format , so be sure to confirm you are using the correct style in your paper.

Pay special attention to the MLA format works cited. We only used one type of source (books), but both citations are correct according to the 9th edition of MLA, published in 2021. When you’re writing your own paper, you need to make sure you always use the most recent edition of the style manual. You’ll also want to check with your instructor to see if you need to include an MLA annotated bibliography with your paper, which contains additional information summarizing and evaluating each source after the regular citation.

Whether you need MLA, APA citations , or Chicago style notes, look up the latest edition before turning in a paper.

MLA Sample Paper #2

See below for an example paper or click below to download it as a Word Document.

The MLA header should be one inch from the top and left margins. The heading and the entire paper should be double spaced.

Eli YaffarabeProfessor Rapheor

28 August 2018

Privatization of Prisons in Texas

The privatization of governmental services has increased dramatically in the past decade as local, state, and federal agencies have searched for ways to cut costs while still meeting their mandated responsibility to provide various public services. This privatizing trend has particularly affected the criminal justice system. Since the early 1990s, privatized correctional facilities have increased significantly, nationally and statewide. This policy has far-ranging consequences not only within the criminal justice system, but as an instructive example for government officials when considering the costs and benefits of privatization as a public policy option. By 2001, thirty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had privately-operated correctional facilities (Austin and Coventry 4). This movement has incited considerable debate and controversy, mainly because prison privatization calls for giving the private sector direct control over the lives of a captive human population.

Surprisingly, there has been little objective and concrete analysis of the privatization of prisons in the United States. This is probably for two reasons: first, ideological arguments on the matter have pushed out substantive research, and second, because this trend has only recently accelerated in the U.S. and mainly on a state level. However, case studies and statistics at the state level are more accessible. With capacity for over 30,000 prisoners in 43 facilities, the state of Texas has privatized more of its prison system than any state in the nation (McDonald and Patten Jr. iv).

Yaffarabe 2

Public policy concerning the criminal justice system has become more daunting and important in the last decade. The problems in the system are twofold: an overcrowding prison population, mainly due to “three strikes” legislation and reducing early parole; and the costs of operating prisons with this growing population (Austin and Coventry). According to the most recent U.S. Department of Justice survey, slightly over 2.2 million people were incarcerated in correctional facilities in this country in 2003. In comparison, in 1993, 1.37 million people were imprisoned in this country (Beck and Harrison 1).

At the same time, the growth of privately operated correctional facilities has increased significantly in this country. Private prisons now hold 95,522 inmates in this country, which is 6.5 percent of total prisoners (Beck and Harrison 5). In Texas, 16,570 inmates (10 percent of its prison population) are held in private facilities, about 10,000 more than the next highest state. Furthermore, six states had at least 25 percent of their prison population housed in private prisons, led by New Mexico (44%), Alaska (31%), and Montana (29%). These current statistics show that while state governments have been forced to manage and operate overcrowded and over-capacity prisons at considerable costs, many have turned to the private sector to operate prisons (McDonald and Patten Jr.). According to the General Accounting Office, prison operating costs have grown steadily since 1980, increasing almost 550 percent since 1980 based on inflation-adjusted dollars (Austin and Coventry 1).

Prison privatization started in the early 1980s, ostensibly to ease the burden on taxpayers by offering financial relief to private companies to run state prisons. Thomas Beasley founded Corrections Corporation of America in 1983, “the nation’s leader in the construction and management of private prisons” (Darling). That year, Corrections Corporation of America set up the first privately-operated prison in Tennessee. Since then, the number of private

Yaffarabe 3

correctional facility firms has grown to 14 (Austin and Coventry 3). The privatization of prisons occurs in two ways. First, state government can contract out (or outsource) specific services in a correctional facility to a private company after a bidding process. Second, and more radically, private companies build their own privately-managed prisons and contract with state governments to house their inmates. This latter approach, giving private correctional facility firms wide latitude over inmates, is taken in the Texas criminal justice system. In fact, many of these privately operated facilities “have no relationship at all with the state governments in these states, other than an obligation to pay corporate income taxes” (McDonald and Patten Jr. v).

(Due to its length, the remainder of this sample paper is omitted).

Yaffarabe 4

Works Cited Page

Austin, James, and Garry Coventry. Emerging Issues on Privatized Prisons . Bureau of Justice Assistance, Feb. 2001, www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/181249.pdf.

Beck, Allen J., and Paige Harrison. Prisoners in 2003 . Bureau of Justice Statistics, Nov. 2004, www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p03.pdf.

McDonald, Douglas, and Carl Patten Jr. Governments’ Management of Private Prisons . Abt Associates, 15 Sept. 2003, www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/203968.pdf.

Darling, Michael. “Pitt News: University of Pittsburgh Shouldn’t Lend Its Name to Prison Privatization.” CorpWatch , 15 Nov. 2004, corpwatch.org/article/pitt-news-univeristy-pittsburgh-shouldnt-lend-its-name-prison-privatization.

MLA Formatting Guide

MLA Formatting

Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography
Block Quotes
et al Usage
In-text Citations
Paraphrasing
Page Numbers
Sample Paper
Works Cited
MLA 8 Updates
MLA 9 Updates
View MLA Guide

Citation Examples

Book Chapter
Journal Article
Magazine Article
Newspaper Article
Website (no author)
View all MLA Examples

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An in-text citation is a short citation that is placed next to the text being cited. The basic element needed for an in-text citation is the author’s name . The publication year is not required in in-text citations. Sometimes, page numbers or line numbers are also included, especially when text is quoted from the source being cited. In-text citations are mentioned in the text in two ways: as a citation in prose or a parenthetical citation.

Citation in prose

Citations in prose are incorporated into the text and act as a part of the sentence. Usually, citations in prose use the author’s full name when cited the first time in the text. Thereafter, only the surname is used. Avoid including the middle initial even if it is present in the works-cited-list entry. An example of the first citation in prose for a source with one author is given below:

Doug Barry explains the status of the UK.

Parenthetical

Parenthetical citations add only the author’s surname at the end of the sentence in parentheses. An example of a parenthetical citation is given below:

The status of the UK is explained (Barry).

Examples of in-text citations

Here are a few examples of in-text citations for works with various numbers and types of authors:

Use both the first name and surname of the author if you are mentioning the author for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the author’s surname. Always use only the author’s surname in parenthetical citations.

Citation in prose:

First mention: Stephen George asserts …. (17).

Subsequent occurrences: George argues …. (17).

Parenthetical:

…. (George 17).

Two authors

Use the first name and surname of both authors if you are mentioning the work for the first time in the prose. In subsequent occurrences, use only the surnames of the two authors. Always use only the authors’ surnames in parenthetical citations. Use “and” to separate the two authors in parenthetical citations.

First mention: Kane Williams and Clark Ronald ….

Subsequent occurrences: Williams and Ronald ….

…. (Williams and Ronald).

Three or more authors

For citations in prose, use the first name and surname of the first author followed by “and others” or “and colleagues.” For parenthetical citations, use only the surname of the first author followed by “et al.”

Krishnan Sethu and colleagues…. or Krishnan Sethu and others ….

…. (Sethu et al.).

Corporate author

For citations in prose, treat the corporate author like you would treat the author’s name. For parenthetical citations, shorten the organization name to the shortest noun phrase. For example, shorten the Modern Language Association of America to Modern Language Association.

The Language Literary Association of Canada….

…. (Language Literary Association).

If there is no author for the source, use the source’s title in place of the author’s name for both citations in prose and parenthetical citations.

When you add such in-text citations, italicize the text of the title. If the source title is longer than a noun phrase, use a shortened version of the title. For example, shorten the title Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to Fantastic Beasts .

Endgame explains …. (121).

…. ( Endgame 121).

In MLA style, two types of citations are used to cite a source: a short citation used within the text (called the in-text citation) and a full citation (called the works cited list entry) within the works cited list, which appears at the end of a paper.

The works cited list entry provides the complete details of a source. An in-text citation is a short citation that is placed next to the text being cited. The in-text citation lets the reader know that the information is derived from the cited source, and helps the reader find the full citation within the works cited list.

In order to properly cite a source in MLA style, you must have both citation types in your paper. Every in-text citation has a works cited list entry. Every works cited list entry has at least one (maybe more) corresponding in-text citation.

In-text citations

The basic element needed for an in-text citation is the author’s surname . The publication year is not required in in-text citations. Sometimes, page numbers or line numbers are also included, especially when text is quoted from the source being cited.

First mention: Sian Anderson studies ….

Subsequent occurrences: Anderson analyzes ….

….(Anderson)

or if quoting directly:

…(Anderson 9)

First mention: Paul Fin and Anna Gabriel ….

Subsequent occurrences: Fin and Gabriel ….

….(Fin and Gabriel)

…(Fin and Gabriel 27)

Paul Hill and colleagues…. or Paul Hill and others ….

….(Hill et al.)

…(Hill et al. 138)

Examples of works cited list entries

Below are a few examples of different types of works cited list entries. The examples given are for one author.

Steinman, Louise. The Knowing Body: Elements of Contemporary Performance and Dance . Shambhala Publications, 1986.

Journal article

Barad, K. “Nature’s Queer Performativity.” Qui Parle , vol. 19, no. 2, 2011, pp. 121–58.

Webpage of a website

Midgelow, Vida L. “Experiences and Perceptions of the Artistic Doctorate: A Survey Report.” Artistic Doctorates in Europe, 5 Feb. 2018, www.artisticdoctorates.com/2017/12/28/experiences-and-perceptions-of-the-artistic-doctorate-survey-report/ .

YouTube video

“Behind the Scenes Chili’s Baby Back Ribs Spot.” YouTube , uploaded by Alvin Chea, 11 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTDLh7gNRYA .

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18 Free MLA Format Templates (Word & PDF)

When writing a paper, there is no end to the number of resources you can find to back up your arguments. One of the guiding principles of writing is that you have to cite all the sources you use as references to your work. An MLA Format Template is a document that helps you do this by pointing out where to place author names, title pages, text citations, footnotes, and the like.

Using the MLA format to cite your work helps build your credibility and convinces readers of your accountability. It also protects you from plagiarism claims. Let’s review this system, how it applies to your writing, and how you can use it.

What Is MLA Format?

MLA is an acronym for Modern Language Association, and MLA format is a citing system typically used when writing a humanities or liberal arts paper. The system has been in place for over 5 decades and is mostly used by journalists, scholars, and other writers in the educational field.

Updates to the system are made regularly to address problems faced by users. The most recent version of the MLA format was released on April 2021 and is slightly different from other versions. Essentially, this format is built on giving credit where it is due, that is, citing all your sources in writing.

What Is an MLA Format Template?

An MLA Format Template is a fillable guideline that is formatted in the MLA style to help you remember the correct placements, order, fonts, headings, margins, etc., for citing purposes.

MLA Format Templates & Examples

MLA Format Resources

As mentioned, the core concept of the MLA format is citing all your resources in writing. If you have been tasked with writing an MLA format paper, you can learn more about the system through:

MLA Handbook

The MLA handbook is currently in its 8th edition and is designed to cater to writers of all levels, although it was created with teaching students in mind. This book explains the principles of citing sources, provides instructions on using the system, and gives guidelines on plagiarism and dishonesty in writing.

MLA Style Center

The MLA Style Center is a companion to the handbook and is the system’s official website. Through it, you can submit questions or share insights about the system, review sample templates, and read formatting guidelines about the style.

When to Use the MLA Format

As mentioned in the premise, the MLA style is typically used by students of the humanities or liberal arts. If you are a teacher or student in one of these fields, then you will likely use the format to write most of your papers. Specific disciplines that could require the format include:

Foreign language and literature
Literary criticism
English studies in language and literature
Comparative literary analysis
Cultural studies

This list is exhaustive, and there are many other disciplines that could make use of MLA guidelines. Regardless of what you are writing, for instance, you could be specifically requested to use this style.

Types of Papers that Require MLA Citing

There are many forms of writing that require research and, in turn, source citing. Here are the common types of papers that could require MLA style formatting:

Argumentative: These papers require a lot of resources to back up your arguments for or against a certain thesis.
Cause and effect: Since cause and effect papers are built on believable facts, they also involve a significant amount of citing.
Expository: You can use MLA citations to back up the background information on your Expository paper.
Persuasive papers
Literary papers

Guide for Making MLA Format Templates

The MLA format is regulated by several guidelines designed to ensure uniformity in citing sources. Here are the style rules you should know to use this style:

Heading: The heading, which is usually double spaced and left-aligned, includes your name, your instructor’s name, the course name, and the date in order. The date should be written in the DD/MM/YY format.
Body: The text in the body must be double-spaced, aligned to the left, and every new paragraph should begin with a half-an-inch indentation.
Header: The headers include your last name and the page number placed a half-inch from the top of the page and in the left top-right corner of each page.
Title: The paper title should be centered with no additional formatting styles.
Margins: Always create 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides of your standard US letter-size pages.
Text: Use a legible font like Times New Roman in the 12pt size and double-space the document.
Blockquotes: Block any quotes that exceed four lines, don’t use quotation marks except when quoting dialogue, and double space and 1-inch indent your block quotes.

Formatting Guide for MLA Format Template

Now that you know how to format the individual parts of an MLA format document, let us review some general formatting guidelines:

General Guidelines

Use the standard US letter size for your paper (8.5 x 11-inches) and print on normal white paper.
Double-space all the text in your document.
Choose a font where the regular and italics styles can be differentiated.
Leave single spaces after punctuation marks.
Use italic for long titles. Otherwise, only use italics for emphasis.
Create a separate ‘Notes’ page for your endnotes and place it before the ‘Works Cited’ page.
Unless your instructor says otherwise, you should always follow these guidelines.

Formatting the First Page

Don’t create a title page unless your instructor tells you to.
Place the heading in the upper left corner of the first page and ensure it is double-spaced.
Place the title in the center of the page in standard capitalization. Don’t add any formatting styles.
Use quotation marks or italics when referring to other works.
Add a double space between the title and the first line of text.
Use Arabic numerals for page numbers.
Use section headings to make your document more scannable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i set up mla format.

Setting up an MLA format involves the following steps:

From the tabs and command functions, click Insert, then Page Number, and select Plain Number 3 from the Top of Page window. This creates page numbers.
Go to fonts and set it to Times New Roman and size point 12.
Enter and center your title.
Use the tab key to ½ -inch indent the first line of every paragraph.
On a new page, set up the Works Cited page.
Go to Paragraph, click on Special under Indention, and select Hanging to create a hanging indention for this page.

What is the MLA website format?

An MLA website format is a citation that includes the name of the author, page title in the quotation makes, website name, its publication date, and the URL minus the “HTTPS://.”

How do I format a paper in MLA style?

Write on 8 ½ x 11″ paper.
Create 1-inch margins on the sides, top, and bottom.
Indent the first word in every paragraph ½ an inch.
Indent block quotations ½ an inch from the left margins.
Use an easy-to-read font, like Times New Roman, in 12-point size.
Double-space your paper, including the citations page.

Do I need a title page for my MLA paper?

MLA-formatted research papers don’t usually need a title page, but you can add one if your instructor asks you to do so.

Final Thoughts

Using an MLA Format Template when writing your paper will help protect you from all the trouble that could arise from a plagiarism claim. It might seem like a lot of work for nothing, but it actually boosts your credibility as a writer and lends an air of professionalism to your paper. What’s more, you don’t have to start citing from scratch every time you write a paper as long as you have a template!

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MLA Format Templates

38 free mla format templates (+mla essay format).

MLA stands for Modern Language Association. The MLA format is typically used when you need to cite liberal arts and humanities sources. You cite your resources when writing a paper.

There’s a specific style that you can follow while using the MLA format template. There are a lot of available resources online for you to use as a reference. Use these resources if you need to write a research paper template .

Table of Contents

1 MLA Format Templates
2 What is the MLA style?
3 MLA Format Papers
4 Parts and styling guide for making MLA format templates
5 Research Paper Templates
6.1 Some general guidelines
6.2 Formatting tips for the first page of your MLA style paper
6.3 Essays and books
7 MLA Style Papers
8 When to use the MLA format

Or you can even download an MLA template here. Usually, this format would contain footnotes, in-text citations, and more.

The MLA format has specific guidelines for presenting the paper. When you write using this style, you always have to use the English language. An MLA format paper would also give you, as a writer, a system for referencing all your sources.

If you use this style of writing correctly, it will help in building your credibility. It shows accountability in terms of the sources you use for your paper. Following this style can also protect you from charges of plagiarism.

If you need to write an MLA style paper, you need to consult with the most recent MLA Handbook . This is the best possible reference for you to use when writing a paper. In this article, we’ll provide you with some guides to help you out while writing.

What is the MLA style?

Before you start writing an MLA essay format, you should first learn about the MLA style. This is a system for documenting all the sources you’ve used in scholarly writing. This writing style has been around for more than half a century.

It’s widely used in the educational setting. It’s also used by scholars, journalists, and other types of writers all over the world. Nowadays, writers publish their works using different types of formats.

These formats are being constantly updated and the MLA style is no different. The MLA format was last updated in 2016. It needed an update in order to keep up with all the challenges that writers and researchers today have to face.

This style has a specific set of universal guidelines which the writers need to apply when they use it. Writers have to cite all their resources . This is the core concept which surrounds the MLA style of writing.

The works they cite in the text also come with short parenthetical citations. These brief citations are also very important. The best resources to use when you need to write an MLA format paper are:

The MLA Handbook This handbook is now in its 8th edition. It’s suitable for writers with different levels. But the writers designed the guidelines with teaching students in their minds. The handbook gives an explanation of the principles behind citing sources. It gives instructions of the system of the MLA style. It explains how to document sources correctly. It also includes guidelines for writing scholarly prose. Aside from this, the handbook also contains guidelines on academic dishonesty and plagiarism. You will also see tips for evaluating your sources and creating entries in your “works cited” list.
The MLA Style Center This is a companion to the MLA Handbook. It’s the official website dedicated to the MLA style of writing. On it, you can get the chance to submit questions of your own. You can share your insights about the MLA style. You can also view some sample research paper templates. Aside from this, you can also read the instructions on formatting MLA style papers. It has teaching resources and some tools to help you create entries for your “works cited” list.

MLA Format Papers

Parts and styling guide for making MLA format templates

If you need to follow an MLA essay format, you need to follow the guidelines for it. This writing style has a number of style rules which don’t change. To help you out, let’s take a look at the different parts of the format.

We will also go through some styling guides which will prove helpful as you write your paper:

Body text The body text should also be double-spaced. Align the body text to the left. Each time you have a new paragraph, you should start it with a half-an-inch indentation.
Header For the MLA style, the headers should contain your last name followed by the number of the page. You can find this header in the top-right corner of your pages. The placement of the header is half an inch from the top of the page.
Heading Remembering all the headings can be quite challenging. This is because they include 4 different parts in order. You have to include your name and the name of your instructor on the heading. Also, include the name of your course and the date. Even the date has a specific format – Day Month Year. Your heading should also be double-spaced. Also, align it to the left side of the very first page.
Margins When you use an MLA template, you should have 1-inch margins on all sides of your document. The paper size to use is the standard US letter size. Even if you’ll submit your paper online or digitally, you should still use this paper size.
Text When you type the text, you need to use 12pt font size and the Times New Roman font style. Your document should also be double-spaced.
Title You should place the title of your paper in the center of the page. You shouldn’t add any other formatting styles to the title.
Block quotes If your quotes exceed four lines, you have to block them. You should also double-space the block quotes but the indentation would be one inch. You don’t need to use quotation marks for block quotes. That is unless you’re quoting dialogue.

These are some basic styling guides for you. Remember, there are rules for when you write an MLA format template. Now let’s discuss some formatting guidelines. These can help you understand the writing style better.

Research Paper Templates

Formatting guidelines for making your MLA format template

Preparing an MLA format paper, you need to stick with the set formatting guidelines. If you don’t follow them, you won’t be able to come up with a correctly-constructed paper.

Aside from using the MLA Handbook, you can also download an MLA format template from here and work on it. But it’s still important to know the guidelines if you write the paper on your own.

Some general guidelines

Your paper size should be 8.5 x 11-inches, the standard US letter paper size. Set your margins to 1-inch on all the sides of the document. When you print it out, make sure to use white paper.
All the text on your paper should be double-spaced. You should also use the Times New Roman font or any legible font style. When choosing a font, make sure that when you use the regular and italics styles, you’ll be able to recognize them. But for the font size, you should only use 12pt.
Only leave a single space after any punctuation marks. That is unless your instructor says otherwise.
When starting a paragraph, indent the very first line a half-inch from the margin on the left. To do this, it’s easier to use the Tab key. Do this instead of placing 5 spaces between the margin and the first word of the paragraph.
On the upper right-hand corner of your pages, add a header. This header should number all the pages of your document consecutively. Place this header half-an-inch from the top of the page.
If there are any titles of longer works in your document, use the italics style. But you should only do this to provide emphasis, only if necessary.
Create a separate page for your endnotes if any and entitle it “Notes.” Place this page right before your Works Cited page.
Follow all these general guidelines unless your instructor says otherwise. This is especially true if you’re a student who needs to complete a paper for the course.

Formatting tips for the first page of your MLA style paper

Unless your instructor tells you to, you don’t need to make a title page.
Type the heading in the upper left-hand corner of your first page. Make sure your text is double-spaced.
Then type the title in the center of the page. Use standard capitalization for your title without any additional formatting styles. Also, don’t use all uppercase letters for your title.
When you’re referring to other works, use the italics style. Either that or use quotation marks to emphasize them.
Double space between your title and the very first line of your text.
Create your header in the upper right-hand corner of your pages. Also, include the page numbers using Arabic numerals.
To make your document more readable, you can use section headings. These sections may contain named parts of the essay or even individual chapters.

Essays and books

You can also include essays in your paper . But when you divide it into sections, you need to numbers them using Arabic numbers. Then you end the section with a period, a space, and then the name of the section.
When it comes to books, there’s no set system of headings. You can also format the text as you want. Just make sure to use a consistent formatting all throughout your document.

These are some general guidelines for you to follow. By now, you can start making your own template from scratch. But if you want to make things easier for you, you can simply download an MLA template from here.

MLA Style Papers

When to use the MLA format

The MLA style is typically used for works that apply to liberal arts or humanities. You may be a writer or a student who focuses on these 2 areas.

If so, you might have to write different papers using the MLA guidelines. Usually, these disciplines would require this type of format:

Literary criticism
Foreign language and literature
English studies in language and literature
Cultural studies
Comparative literary analysis

Of course, there are other areas and disciplines of writing which use MLA guidelines. Whether you’re a student or a professional writer, you may receive a task to write a paper with an MLA essay format.

In this case, you need to follow the MLA rules we discussed earlier.

There are specific types of papers which would involve research. In this case, you’d also have to document and cite all the resources you used. Here are the types of papers where you may need to use the MLA style:

Argumentative When you have to write an argumentative paper, you need to do research a lot. Because of this, you may have to get your information from different resources. After writing the paper, you also have to give credit to those sources to avoid any issues.
Cause and effect This is another type of paper which you can apply the MLA format too. When making a cause and effect paper, you should stick to believable facts. So you have to do research and again, you need to document and cite them all in your paper.
Expository When you write this type of paper, it would entail a lot of background information. In order to get all this information, you need to do research. Before wrapping up your paper, make sure you’ve included all your resources to give credit to them.
Literary A literary paper is another type of essay you can write using the MLA style. This type of paper also requires a lot of research. While you’re researching, you need to write down all your resources. Remember, you have to give credit to those who deserve it.
Persuasive When you make a persuasive essay using the MLA style, you’ll build your case to support one side of an argument. Also, you can present the viewpoint of the opposite side. This means that you need to present facts on both sides of the issue. To do this, you need to gather a lot of information. Again, you also need to cite your sources to follow the MLA style of writing.

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MLA Formatting and Style Guide

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In-Text Citations

Resources on using in-text citations in MLA style