PERRLA/Blog/MLA/MLA Heading Format: First-Page Heading and…
Most students expect MLA to have a specific heading format like APA does. Other than a first-page heading, it doesn’t. MLA 9 provides guiding principles – descending prominence, consistent styling, flush-left internal headings – and leaves the specifics to the writer or instructor. This post covers what MLA actually says, a practical format to follow, and the most common mistakes.
The MLA heading is the four-line block at the top of the first page of your paper: your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date. It goes in the top left, before your centered title.
MLA 9 also allows optional section headings inside the paper for longer work. This guide covers both.
The first-page heading appears at the top left of page 1, double-spaced, before your centered title. It has four lines:
Your full name
Your instructor's name (use their title and last name: Professor Kim, Dr. Martin)
The course name and number (English 101, AP Literature)
The date – in day-month-year format: 19 November 2026
MLA uses day-month-year format for the date, which is different from APA's Month Day, Year format. In MLA, there is no comma between the month and year.
After the four-line heading, your title is centered on the next line, in plain text – no bold, no italics, no underlining, no quotation marks (unless the title includes a work title that would normally be italicized).
For more on how to set up MLA page formatting in full, see our MLA 9 First Page lesson.
MLA 9 has no fixed format for section headings inside the paper. The style guide offers a few principles and leaves the specifics to you and your instructor. If your paper is long or complex enough to benefit from internal navigation, here's a system that works:
The paper title is the top level and is centered.
Internal headings are flush left.
Use font styling (bold, italic, font size) to show hierarchy – larger or bolder for higher levels.
Apply the same style consistently to all headings at the same level.
Use at least two headings at any level – if a section has only one subdivision, fold that content into the parent section.
Title Case throughout – capitalize the first and last words and all major words. Articles, coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions under five letters stay lowercase unless they open the heading.
Here's a simple system for papers that need two or three heading levels:
Level 1: Bold, 14 pt, Title Case, flush left
Level 2: Bold italic, 14 pt, Title Case, flush left
Level 3: Regular, 14 pt, Title Case, flush left
Most student papers don't need more than two levels. Check your instructor's requirements before adding any section headings – some courses don't allow them.
Centering internal headings – only the paper title is centered; internal headings are flush left.
Using sentence case – MLA uses Title Case for headings.
Using only one subheading in a section – add a second or remove it.
Inconsistent styling across the same level.
Numbering headings when the assignment doesn't call for it.
PERRLA sets up the first-page heading automatically when you create a new MLA paper – your name, instructor, course, and date go in the right place with the right formatting. For section headings, you can apply any of the heading styles from the Text & Heading Styles panel with one click.
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The four-line block at the top left of your first page: your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date. It comes before your centered title. This is distinct from section headings, which are optional labels inside the body of a longer paper.
Four things, one per line: (1) your full name, (2) your instructor's name, (3) the course name and number, (4) the date in day-month-year format (19 November 2026).
No. The four-line heading appears only on the first page, top left. The page header – the line at the top of every page – has just your last name and the page number, flush right.
Not a fixed one. MLA 9 says internal headings should be flush left, styled to show hierarchy, and applied consistently. The specifics are up to you and your instructor.
Title Case – capitalize the first and last words and all major words. Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), and short prepositions stay lowercase unless they open the heading.
Yes. The MLA heading is the four-line block on your first page (name, instructor, course, date). The MLA header is the line at the very top of every page – your last name and the page number, flush right.
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