MLA Format
MLA format combines manuscript presentation with source documentation. Start with the current ninth-edition rules, then apply the specific assignment or publication requirements. Keep paper layout, in-text citations, and Works Cited entries consistent, and avoid copying APA, Chicago, or another style system into an MLA paper.
For current MLA format, use the MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition, and the requirements of your instructor or venue. A typical MLA research paper uses consistent double spacing, readable type, one-inch margins, paragraph indentation, a running head with surname and page number when required, parenthetical in-text citations, and a separate Works Cited list; assignment instructions take priority when they differ.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Do not treat every classroom handout as a replacement for the current handbook. When an instructor or publisher gives explicit submission rules, follow those rules for that document.
Further guidance
First Page And Heading
Follow the assignment’s first-page and title-page instructions. MLA commonly uses first-page identifying information rather than a separate title page unless one is requested or the project requires it.
Paper Setup
For a standard student paper, use the current MLA/Purdue guidance for readable type, double spacing, one-inch margins, paragraph indentation, and a consistent page header unless the assignment specifies otherwise.
Source Documentation
MLA documentation links in-text citations to the Works Cited list. Build each entry from the source information required by the current MLA framework rather than copying a citation pattern from another style.
Worked Example
If the assignment requires MLA 9 but also asks for a separate title page, keep MLA-style citations and Works Cited formatting while following the instructor’s explicit title-page requirement.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- MLA Handbook, Ninth Edition (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · The official MLA Style Center continues to identify the ninth edition as the current MLA Handbook and as the governing source for MLA format, works cited, in-text citations, notes and related documentation.
- MLA General Format (opens in a new tab)Purdue Online Writing Lab · MLA-style guidance for formatting the title of the writer’s own paper