Formatting
MLA format for essays (MLA 9).
By the EssayMate team · Updated November 4, 2026
MLA format, from the Modern Language Association, is the standard for essays in English, literature, languages and much of the humanities. The current version is the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021).
MLA essays have no title page: everything starts on page one with a short heading block. This guide sets out every rule, with an example of a correctly formatted first page and Works Cited entries.
Page setup
| Setting | MLA rule |
|---|---|
| Margins | 1 inch on all sides |
| Font | A legible font, such as Times New Roman, at 11 to 13 pt (12 pt is usual) |
| Spacing | Double-spaced throughout, including the heading, quotations and Works Cited, with no extra space between paragraphs |
| Indent | First line of each paragraph indented 0.5 inch (one Tab) |
| Alignment | Left-aligned, not justified |
| Header | Your surname and the page number, flush right, 0.5 inch from the top of every page |
The first page: heading block and title
On the first page, at the top left and double-spaced, type four lines:
- Your full name
- Your instructor's name
- The course name or number
- The date, day month year: 4 November 2026
Then centre the title on the next line, in title case, with no bold, italics, underlining or quotation marks (except for titles of other works inside it). The essay begins on the line after the title. Don't add a title page unless your instructor asks for one.
Okafor 1
Ada Okafor
Professor Grant
English 102
4 November 2026
Silence and Power in Pride and Prejudice
Elizabeth Bennet is often remembered for what she says, but Austen gives some of her sharpest moments to what she chooses not to say...
Headings and section titles
Short essays don't need headings. If a long paper uses them, MLA leaves the format to you, as long as it is consistent and the levels are distinct, for example bold for level 1 and italics for level 2, all in title case and flush left.
Quotations
- Short quotations (four lines of prose or fewer) go in double quotation marks, with the citation before the full stop: Austen calls it "a truth universally acknowledged" (1).
- Long quotations (more than four lines) become a block: start a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch, keep it double-spaced, drop the quotation marks, and put the citation after the final full stop.
- Poetry: up to three lines in the text with slashes between lines (/); more than three as a block.
- Mark changes with square brackets and omissions with an ellipsis (…).
In-text citations
MLA uses the author's surname and the page number, with no comma and no "p.": (Austen 112). If you name the author in the sentence, give just the page: Austen describes the scene as "tolerable" (12).
| Source | In-text citation |
|---|---|
| One author | (Austen 112) |
| Two authors | (Akbari and Kolokotsa 836) |
| Three or more authors | (LeCun et al. 437) |
| No author | ("Depressive Disorder") |
| No page numbers | (Austen) or, if numbered, (Austen, par. 4) |
The Works Cited page
- Start it on a new page after the essay, with the same header.
- Centre the title Works Cited at the top, in plain text (not bold).
- List entries alphabetically by the first word (usually the author's surname).
- Double-space, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent: the first line of each entry is flush left and the rest are indented.
- Use full first names, title case for titles, quotation marks for articles and italics for books and journals.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Penguin Books, 2003.
LeCun, Yann, et al. "Deep Learning." Nature, vol. 521, no. 7553, 27 May 2015, pp. 436-44. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14539.
The free MLA citation generator builds these entries from a DOI, link, ISBN or title, and keeps the italics when you paste them into Word or Google Docs.
Numbers, abbreviations and other details
- Spell out numbers that take one or two words (twenty-five, three hundred); use numerals for others (126), and for dates, page numbers and data.
- Write dates as day month year in the Works Cited (4 Nov. 2026) and in the heading block (4 November 2026).
- Label tables Table 1 above the table, and figures Fig. 1 below, with a caption and source.
- Italicise titles of long works (books, films, journals) and put short works (articles, poems, chapters) in quotation marks.
MLA format checklist
- 1-inch margins, 12-pt legible font, double-spaced everywhere.
- Surname and page number, top right on every page.
- Heading block: name, instructor, course, date (day month year).
- Title centred, title case, no bold; no title page.
- Paragraphs indented 0.5 inch, no extra spacing.
- Citations as (Surname page), before the full stop.
- Works Cited on a new page: centred title, alphabetical, hanging indent.
Example papers
Sample papers written with EssayMate, to read for structure and citations, not to copy.
Frequently asked questions
Does an MLA essay need a title page?
No. MLA essays start with a heading block on the first page: your name, instructor, course and date. Add a title page only if your instructor asks for one.
What font should I use for MLA?
Any legible font in which regular and italic type look clearly different, at 11 to 13 points. Times New Roman 12 pt is the usual choice.
How do I write the date in MLA?
Day month year: 4 November 2026 in the heading block, and with abbreviated months (4 Nov. 2026) in the Works Cited, except May, June and July, which are written in full.
Is the Works Cited page double-spaced?
Yes, like the rest of the essay, with a 0.5-inch hanging indent and no extra blank lines between entries.
What's the difference between MLA 8 and MLA 9?
MLA 9 keeps MLA 8's core elements for Works Cited entries and adds guidance, for example on inclusive language, notes and formatting papers. Most citations look the same in both.
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