Skip to Main Content

MLA Guide

-MLA stands for Modern Language Association. The Modern Language Association is the governing body for the MLA handbook/MLA style. MLA is the standard citation and style guide for the humanities, especially languages and literature. 

-The resources on this page will show you how to format a paper and cite your sources in MLA format. The template below is a good starting point for writing papers in MLA.

-A good resource to consult if you have any questions about MLA is the Purdue Online Writing Lab or the Purdue OWL.
     -Purdue OWL MLA Style

-A note on citation generators:
     -Citation generators can be helpful, but they aren't always correct. It's best to create your own citations. If you need help creating any citations, come to the library and we can help. 


Basic Rules

  • Header (Last Name and Page # right justified on every page)
  • Double spaced
  • 12 point font 
  • Times New Roman
  • Heading: name, instructor's name, course, date (dd mm yyyy)
  • Title (centered)

Basic MLA Front Page:


Examples of MLA Formatted Papers