Farrand 1

Sam Farrand

Mr. Stephenson

Pre-AP English II

25 September 2013

MLA with Ease: Word 2003 & 2007

Have you figured out how to format your papers in MLA format? It’s quite simple when you know what to do.Begin by typing the header in the top left-hand corner: your name, the teacher’s name, the class’s name, and the date. For the date, the actual day comes first, followed by the month and year; you do not need to use a comma in the date. The date you type should be the date the assignment is due—hopefully not the day you are typing it. 

Next, make the entire paper double-spaced. In Word 2003, select all the text (Ctrl + A) and then click Format, then Paragraph, and then choose Double under the Line Spacing dropdown menu.

In Word 2007, the spacing button is on the Home Tab in the Paragraph box. Make sure to select all the text, and then choose double (2.0).Students with Word 2007 need to change the spacing between paragraphs. Click on Page Layout tab, and look on the Spacing box. Select the entire text (Ctrl + A), and change After from 10 pt to 0 pt.

There are a few things to keep in mind when formatting the title of your paper. First of all, give your paper an actual title. Never turn in a paper with the name of the assignment, such as Snapshot Moment, Research Paper, or Paper that I Wrote in Twenty Minutes. Give the title some thought. Secondly, center your title. Don’t use tabs or spaces; simply click the Center button or press Ctrl + E. Finally, don’t add anything extra to the title. It does not need to be bolded, italicized, or enlarged.

The entire paper should be consistent in font and font size. Some teachers and professors allow you to have some freedom in choosing these formatting options, as long as the paper is readable. In this class, I want you to always use 12-point Times New Roman font.

Another aspect of MLA formatting is using consistent one-inch margins. In Word 2003, click on File, then Page Setup. The Margins menu will appear. Top and Bottom will probably already be one-inch. Left and Right should be changed to one-inch, though. When all the margins are one-inch, click on the Default button in the bottom left-hand corner. A window will appear, asking you if you want to change the default settings. Click yes. Now all your future papers will automatically have one-inch margins.

In Word 2007, click the Page Layout tab and then click Margins in the Page Setup box. Choose the Normal setting, which should be 1 inch margins all around.

Finally, include a header for your paper. In Word 2003, go to View, then Header and Footer. Type your last name and then right-align it by hitting the Align Right button or Ctrl + R. Then add a space and the page number. Don’t just write the actual number; instead, press the Insert Page Number button on the Header and Footer tool bar. The button is a white square that contains a number sign (#).

In Word 2007, click the Insert tab and then the Header button. Choose Blank and type your last name. To add page numbers, click Page Number (make sure the cursor is after your name), and click the Current Position Plain Number button. Remember to change the header from 11-point Calibri to 12-point Times New Roman. Once your header is finished, click the Close Header and Footer button in the top right corner.

There are other elements to formatting a paper by MLA standards, but I have outlined the most important ones for you to know. When we begin to incorporate research into our writing, we will have a new lesson on how to do that. For now, follow the directions in this document when formatting your papers. You can also compare the appearance of your papers to this one, as it is also formatted by MLA standards.