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MLA 9 paper

MLA Format (9th Edition): Heading, Spacing & Works Cited

The layout rules from the MLA Handbook, 9th edition: first-page heading, header, spacing, quotations and the Works Cited page, shown on an annotated sample.

Annotated sample pageChecklistReference list rules

The page, annotated

Tap a numbered marker to see the rule for that part of the page.

Alvarez 1
Sofia Alvarez
Professor Hart
English 102
3 March 2026
Memory and Silence in Toni Morrison’s Beloved
Morrison’s novel treats memory as something the characters must both guard against and return to. Sethe calls it “rememory,” a past that waits in place for anyone who walks into it, and the book is built around that idea of a past that refuses to stay behind (Morrison 43). Each chapter circles back…

Rule 1 of 5

Running header

Your surname and the page number, half an inch from the top and flush with the right margin, on every page: Alvarez 1.

MLA paper format, step by step

These rules come from the MLA Handbook (9th edition, 2021). Instructors often adjust them, so check your assignment sheet first.

Margins, font and spacing

1-inch margins on all sides, a legible 12-point font such as Times New Roman, and double spacing everywhere, with no extra space before or after paragraphs.

First page

No title page. Type your name, instructor, course and date at the top left, then the title centred on the next line. The header with your surname and page number sits at the top right of every page.

Quotations

Short quotations run into your sentence in quotation marks. Prose quotations longer than four lines, and poetry longer than three lines, become block quotes indented half an inch, without quotation marks, with the citation after the final full stop.

Works Cited

Start a new page titled Works Cited, centred. List every source you cite, alphabetically by the first word of the entry, with a half-inch hanging indent and double spacing.

Pre-submission checklist

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Need the references? The MLA citation generator formats each entry, and the citation checker reviews a list you already have.

Questions students ask

Is MLA format double-spaced?
Yes. Everything is double-spaced: the heading, the title, the body, block quotes and the Works Cited page. Don’t add extra space between paragraphs.
Does MLA need a title page?
No. MLA puts a four-line heading on the first page instead. Only use a separate title page if your instructor asks for one.
What font and size should I use?
Any readable font in which regular and italic type are easy to tell apart, usually 12-point Times New Roman.
How do I format the Works Cited page?
Start a new page, centre the title “Works Cited” (no bold or underline), keep the header with your surname and page number, double-space, use a 0.5-inch hanging indent and alphabetise.