With your first page set up, it's time for the body of your paper, where the real writing happens. It's where you present your ideas and use research to support them. A later lesson covers how to cite your sources. For now, let's keep the body formatted correctly to the last page.
No new title on page 2
If you've written in APA, here's a difference: MLA doesn't repeat the title at the top of page 2. The title appears once, on page 1, and the body runs straight through from there.
The header
At the top of every page sits your last name and the page number, continuing from page 1. So the second page shows Sparkles 2 at the top right.
If you're using PERRLA, this is automatic: every page gets the right name and number in the right spot.
The main text
Here's what to keep in mind on every body page:
- Indent the first line of every paragraph half an inch.
- Double-space throughout.
- Leave no extra space before or after paragraphs.
- Keep the text left-aligned, never justified.
If you followed the page setup lesson, all of these are already set.
No "Introduction" heading
Your opening paragraphs, right under the title, are your introduction. They don't need a heading. In MLA, the title itself is the paper's first and most prominent heading.
In fact, many MLA papers have no headings at all, especially short essays and literary analyses. Lesson 7 covers when headings help and how to format them.
Tables and figures
If your paper uses a table or an image, place it as close as you can to the paragraph that discusses it.
- A table gets a label and title above it, each flush left on its own line: Table 1, then the title in title case. The source and any notes go in a caption right below the table.
- A figure (a photo, map, chart, or drawing) gets its label and caption below it, starting with Fig. 1.
A body page
Here is page 2 of the sample Bigfoot paper. There's no title at the top: the body simply continues from page 1.
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. Taken together, the two studies move the question from what people saw to what they misread.
- Page 2The numbering continues from page 1, with your last name in front.
- No repeated titleThe body simply continues from page 1.
- ParagraphsDouble-spaced, first line indented half an inch, no extra space between them.
Quick checklist
- Last name and page number at the top right of every page
- No repeated title on page 2
- No "Introduction" heading
- Double spacing throughout
- Half-inch first-line indent
- Left alignment, never justified
- No extra space before or after paragraphs
- Tables labeled above, figures captioned below
How PERRLA handles body pages
PERRLA sets up the body pages for you. The header continues, and the paragraph settings stay consistent as the paper grows.
PERRLA also has the MLA text and heading styles, block quotes included. In PERRLA Online, choose Text & Heading Style on the ribbon and pick the style you need. Tables and figures go in already formatted, with their labels and captions in the right place.