The first step in an MLA paper is getting the blank document set up correctly. If you're using PERRLA, this is done for you: the paper is set up correctly from the start. This lesson uses a PERRLA-created paper to show exactly how an MLA document should look.
Here are the seven things to check or change before you begin.
The seven settings
1. Page size
This one's easy. MLA uses standard 8.5 by 11 inch paper (US Letter). That's the default in nearly every word processor, so unless you've changed it, you're good to go.
2. Margins
MLA calls for one-inch margins on all four sides of the page. The only thing that sits outside them is the header with your name and page number. You'll find margins in your document or page layout settings.
If you see an option for a gutter, leave it at 0 inches. That setting is for printing bound books, not research papers.
3 to 6. Font, spacing, indents, and alignment
MLA has a few requirements for how your text looks:
- Font: MLA doesn't require one font. It asks for an easily readable typeface, where the italics look clearly different from regular text, at a standard size such as 12 points. Times New Roman at 12 points is the most common choice. Whichever you choose, use it for the whole paper.
- Line spacing: double-spaced throughout the entire paper, including the heading, the title, quotations, and the Works Cited page.
- Paragraph indents: the first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch.
- Alignment: left-aligned, never justified. MLA also asks you to turn off automatic hyphenation, so words aren't split at the end of a line.
You can make the half-inch paragraph indent with the Tab key, but it's better to set it in your paragraph settings so it stays consistent.
Leave one space after a period, unless your instructor prefers two.
7. The header
Last up is the header, the line at the top of every page.
In MLA, the header holds your last name, a space, and the page number, at the top right, half an inch from the top of the page:
Sparkles 1
Don't add a comma, a hyphen, or "p." between them. Insert the page number from your word processor's header settings so it counts up on its own, and make sure it's in the same font as the rest of the paper. It goes on every page, including the first. A few instructors prefer no header on page 1; if yours does, follow their preference.
What a set-up page looks like
Here is the top of page 2 of a PERRLA-created paper. The dashed line marks the one-inch margins; nothing on the page crosses it except the header.
The hair tells the same story by a different route. Rather than map where people say they saw the creature, Sykes and his colleagues tested the hair itself, cleaning each sample so that stray human DNA would not mislead them.
- The headerYour last name and the page number, top right, half an inch from the top, in the same font as the paper.
- One-inch margins, one font12-point Times New Roman inside one-inch margins on every side.
- Double spacing and the half-inch indentEvery line is double-spaced, and each paragraph's first line starts half an inch in. No extra space between paragraphs.
- Left-alignedThe left edge is straight and the right edge is ragged. Never justified.
Quick checklist
- 8.5 by 11 inch page size
- One-inch margins on all sides
- A readable font at a standard size, used throughout (for example, 12-point Times New Roman)
- Double spacing everywhere
- Half-inch first-line indent
- Left-aligned text, never justified, no automatic hyphenation
- Last name and page number at the top right of every page
That's it. With those seven settings, your page is ready for MLA. Next, the very first page of your paper: the heading and title.
How PERRLA handles page setup
You can skip all of this setup. When PERRLA creates your MLA paper, every setting above is already in place, from the first page to the last.
Page size8.5 × 11 in
Margins1 in
FontTimes New Roman 12
Line spacingDouble
First-line indent0.5 in
HeaderLast name and page number, top right
Set when you create the paper in PERRLA Online or Word. In Google Docs, PERRLA walks you through adding the page number, the one step Google keeps for itself.