Lastname 1
First Name Last Name
Instructor’s Name
Quartermester number
16 February 2024
Center Title, Do Not Bold or Underline
Created by Kirby Rideout of Collin County Community College, this is a
template for formatting a research paper in MLA format. The paper has one-inch margins
all around. Each page has a header of last name and page number. The paper will be
double-spaced throughout, no extra space between sections or paragraphs. The entire
paper, including the heading and title, needs to be in the same type and size of font. This
template uses Times New Roman 12pt font. Because it is easy to read, this font is
definitely appropriate for college essays. Make sure that the essay is left aligned, not fully
justified. One space between sentences is standard; however, double-spacing between
sentences is okay. Follow your instructor’s preference in spacing and be consistent. Hit
the enter key only once at the end of each paragraph.
In the MLA format, you document your research in parenthetical citations. This
allows you to “acknowledge your sources by keying brief parenthetical citations in your
text to an alphabetical list of works that appears at the end of the paper” (Gibaldi 142).
Notice that in this brief citation the period goes after the parenthesis. The information in
parenthesis should be as brief as possible. You will use the author’s last name or a
shortened title for unsigned works. If you used the key information (author’s last name or
the title of an unsigned work) in your text, do not repeat it in the parenthesis. Gibaldi
explains:
Lastname 2
The information in your parenthetical references in the text must match
the corresponding information in the entries in your list of works cited.
For a typical works-cited-list entry, which begins with the name of the
author (or editor, translator, or narrator), the parenthetical reference begins
with the same name. . . . If the work is listed by title, use the title,
shortened or in full. . . . (238-239)
Notice how the long quote was set off by an extra one-inch margin rather than quotations
marks, and in this case, the period goes before the parenthetical citation. Chapters 5 and 6
of the MLA Handbook give more information on works cited and parenthetical citation.
After the last paragraph in an MLA style essay, force the document to begin a
new page for the Works Cited page. The Works Cited page will still have the one-inch
margins all the way around and have the heading of last name and page number. This
page will also be double-spaced throughout with no extra space between entries. Items in
a Works Cited page will be alphabetized by the first word of each entry (author’s last
name or title of work). Each entry will use a hanging indent, in which lines after the first
indent half an inch. Because the URLs in a Works Cited page are not underlined, remove
the hyperlinks so that URLs will be formatted correctly. To do this, right click on the
hyperlink and select remove hyperlink. The sample Works Cited page that follows has
the entry for the MLA Handbook and then templates for some of the most common types
of sources used. For more information, refer to chapters 5 and 6 of the MLA Handbook,
Bedford/St. Martin’s guide to using internet sources
(http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html), and Purdue University’s Online
Writing Lab (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html).
