MLA Essay Format | Step-by-Step Guide, Examples & Template

If you’ve ever opened a writing assignment and wondered, “What’s an MLA essay?” you’re not alone. MLA format isn’t about what you write in your essay but rather how your essay looks on the page. Even though MLA style involves lots of little details, it gets easier with practice.

An MLA format essay follows specific guidelines for everything from 1-inch margins and double spacing to a document header, running head, and citations. All of these guidelines are based on the MLA Handbook (ninth edition). Once you’re familiar with these requirements, setting up an MLA paper becomes a straightforward process.

Whether you write your essays in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, this guide shows you exactly what steps to follow, with sample MLA pages and a free MLA template.

And when you’re ready to cite sources, Quillbot’s free Citation Generator helps you create a flawless works cited page in just a few clicks.

MLA essay format example

MLA essay format at a glance

MLA format is a set of guidelines developed by the Modern Language Association for formatting academic papers and citing sources. It standardizes elements such as margins, font, spacing, headings, in-text citations, and works cited entries. MLA style is most common in composition, literature, and other humanities courses.

Before you explore the finer details of MLA formatting, here’s a quick overview.

MLA essay formatting requirements

How to format an MLA essay step by step

The steps below cover everything you need to know to follow MLA essay format, using Google Docs or MS Word.

Step 1: Set the paper size, margins, font, and line spacing

Start by using these settings for the paper size, margins, font, and line spacing:

• Letter paper size (8.5 x 11 inches)
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Double spacing for the whole document, including the title and works cited list
• A professional font, like Arial or Times New Roman (with clear contrast between italics and plain styles), in 11–12 point size

The chart below shows how to adjust these settings in Google Docs and MS Word.

MLA paper size, margins, font, and line spacing

Step 2: Add a running head

An MLA essay also needs a running head with your last name and a page number in the top right margin of every page. Here’s a breakdown of how to set that up using Google Docs or MS Word.

• Google Docs: 
  • Double click at the top of the page.
  • Change the alignment to Right.
  • Go to Options → Page numbers, and start numbering at 1.
  • Double click to the left of the number 1 on the first page, and type your last name.
  • Change the font of the page number to match the rest of the paper.

• MS Word:
  • Open the Insert menu in the top toolbar.
  • Select Page Number → Top of Page → Plain Number 3 (or whichever option shows the page number in the top right corner).
  • Type your last name before the number 1.
  • Change the font and size to match the rest of the paper.

Step 3: Create a document header

An MLA document header includes details about who wrote the essay, which instructor and class it’s for, and when it’s due. At the top left of the page, type each of these details on a separate double-spaced line:

• Your full name
• Your instructor’s title and last name, like “Dr. Fratelli” or “Professor Powell”
• Course name, like “English 101,” with words spelled out in full
• Date in day-month-year format with the month spelled out in full (e.g., “28 February 2026”)

MLA header example

Step 4: Type your essay title in MLA format

The title of your essay goes on the next double-spaced line after your document header.

• Use Ctrl + Shift + E or the center align icon to center your title on the line.
• Type the title in plain font (no bold or underlining).
• Capitalize the first word and all of the other words except articles (“a,” “an,” or “the”), coordinating conjunctions (like “and” or “but”), and prepositions (like “through” or “with”).

Step 5: Indent paragraphs 0.5 inches

Start your introduction on the next double-spaced line after your essay title, and indent each paragraph 0.5 inches. You can manually indent each paragraph with the tab key, but there’s also a way to set up paragraph indentations before you write the essay.

How to set up 0.5-inch indentations in Google Docs and MS Word

Step 6: Format the works cited page

If you used outside sources in your essay, include a works cited list on the next page after your essay’s conclusion. Include a separate works cited entry for each source that you cited in your paragraphs. To format your works cited page correctly:

• On the center of the first line, type the heading “Works Cited” in plain font.
• Move to the next line, and switch the text alignment to Left.
• Your works cited entries begin here, with one entry per source, in alphabetical order. Each entry needs a hanging indent. The details that go in each entry vary for each type of source.

How to set up hanging indentation in Google Docs and MS Word

MLA works cited example

MLA citation format

MLA has special formatting guidelines for in-text citations and works cited entries. Each sentence that summarizes, paraphrases, or quotes an outside source needs an in-text citation, and each source you cite goes on the works cited list.

MLA in-text citation format

MLA in-text citations always include an author’s name, and they usually include a page number, unless the source doesn’t have numbered pages. The two main types of in-text citations are narrative citations and parenthetical citations.

MLA in-text citation examples

Works cited entry format

A works cited entry usually begins with an author’s last name, first name and the source title. The details that go after that vary, depending on what type of source you’re citing (e.g., journal article or poem). Separate each element with a period, and use the same MLA title format as your essay title.

MLA works cited examples

MLA essay template

To start using MLA essay format, customize this free MLA essay template by adding your own details to the running head, document header, and works cited.

Frequently asked questions about MLA format essays

Is MLA double spaced?

Yes, everything in an MLA format essay is double spaced. This includes the document header, the text of your paper, and the works cited entries.

Quillbot’s free Citation Generator automatically double spaces works cited entries to help you follow MLA essay format.

What’s the date format for an MLA header?

The date format for an MLA header on the first page of your paper is day-month-year. MLA date format also requires you to spell out the full name of the month in your document header (e.g., “September,” not “Sept.”).

Saanvi Mehta

Professor Bennett

Composition I

30 September 2024

If you include dates in the main text of an MLA format essay, you can use either day-month-year or month-day year order as long as you use the same format throughout. If any of the works cited entries include full dates, use day-month-year (like the document header), but abbreviate months that are more than four letters long (e.g., 20 Oct. 2022). Quillbot’s free Citation Generator can help you with correct MLA date format on the works cited page.

Does MLA require a title page?

MLA doesn’t require a title page for documents with one author. When you’re writing an MLA format essay, put your name, your instructor’s name, the course number, and the date in a header in the top left corner of the first page.

MLA only requires a title page for group projects with multiple authors. The title page has the same information as the document header in the top left corner, but there’s a separate line for each author, like this example:

Shay Weng

Michael Berblia

Dustin Flay

Rick Bargatti

Dr. Tomlin

Art History 212

30 May 2026

The title of the paper is in the middle of the title page and centered on the line.

Whether your MLA format essay is an individual or group project, Quillbot’s Grammar Checker can help you proofread it for free.

What’s the format for an MLA header with multiple authors?

An MLA header with multiple authors has a separate double-spaced line for each author, and it goes on a title page instead of the first page of the essay. This is the only situation where MLA requires a title page. The header also includes the instructor, course, and date, like this example:

Diana Foss

Patricia Klein

Instructor Singh

English 350

20 April 2026

The title goes in the center of the title page, and the text of the introduction starts on the next page.

MLA essay format involves lots of little rules. Quillbot’s MLA Citation Generator gives you one less thing to worry about.

How do you write a title in MLA format?

To write a title in MLA format, you need to know which words to capitalize and which words to keep lowercase.

• Capitalize all of these words:
  • The first word
  • Verbs (even short ones like “Do”)
  • Nouns and pronouns (e.g., “They”)
  • Adjectives and adverbs (e.g., “Tall” and “Quickly”)
  • Subordinating conjunctions (e.g., “Because”)
• Don’t capitalize these words, unless they’re the first word or the first word after a colon:
  • Prepositions (e.g., “with” and “through”)
  • Articles (“a,” “an,” “the”)
  • Coordinating conjunctions (“for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” and “so”)

When you’re writing an MLA format essay, Quillbot’s Citation Generator can help you format titles correctly on your works cited page.

Other interesting articles