MLA Formatting Quick Guide

Follow these steps to set up your paper in Modern Language Association Format

1. Go to the Paragraph tab and click the small arrow to release the menu.

2. Set the line spacing to “Double.” Click ok.

3. Make sure your font is either Times New Roman or Arial and it is 12 point. Type your heading. Don’t forget to Center (Ctrl+E) your title and after it is centered, realign your cursor to the left (Ctrl+L).

4. Go to the “Insert” tab (between “Home” and “Page Layout”). Click on the “Header” button and select the first choice “Blank.”

5. Align your cursor to the right (Crtl+R). Type your last name. Hit the space bar once.

6. Then in the same menu, click the “Page Number” dropdown menu. Click “Current Position” and choose the option “Plain Number”.

7. Once you have a number beside your heading, double click on the margin or press the “Close Header And Footer” button.

8. Don’t forget to: Start a new paragraph every time someone new speaks! Indent your paragraphs by hitting the “Tab” button once. Space bar once after commas and twice after ending punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation

points).