Steps to Format an MLA paper on Microsoft Word:

  1. Header & Page Numbers
  2. Go to “View” on the top toolbar
  3. Click “Header and Footer”
  4. In the header, press “Control R”, or choose the “Align Right” button on the toolbar (next to Bold, Italics, and Underline buttons)
  5. Type in your last name and press the space bar once
  6. Go to “Insert” on the top toolbar
  7. Click “Page Numbers”
  8. Choose “Top of Page (Header)” in the drop down menu
  9. Choose Right alignment
  10. Make sure the box is checked that will show your page number on the first page and click OK.
  11. The page number should appear. Double click outside of the header to exit or click “Close”
  12. Margins
  13. Go to “File” and select “Page Setup”
  14. Under the “Margins” tab, make sure that the top, bottom, left, and right margins are set to 1”.
  15. Click OK. A screen may pop up that tells you it is outside the printable area. Click IGNORE.
  16. Double Spacing
  17. Make sure all of your text is single spaced FIRST (text on every line). Select “No Spacing.”
  18. Highlight all of your text and press “Control 2” to double space. Make sure your Works Cited page is also double spaced. Your text (including your heading and title) should be every other line.
  19. Citation Alignment in Works Cited
  20. If your citation is longer than one line… After typing the citation in your Works Cited, put your cursor at the end of the first line of the citation.
  21. Press “Enter” and your cursor should appear at the beginning of the second line of your citation.
  22. Press “Tab” to indent the line. Do this for all lines after the first line.
  23. General Reminders
  24. For titles, type them like normal, and then highlight and press “Control E” or click the Center Alignment button in the toolbar. DO NOT bold, underline, make the font size bigger, or make your title in italics. Everything should look clean and consistent.
  25. Headings should contain your name, Miss Mayfield, your period, and the date (in that order). MLA dates do not have commas. Day Month Year (24 April 2013). Your date should be the due date of the assignment
  26. For all new paragraphs, indent (tab) the first line.
  27. When you are done with your paper, click “Save As” and save it to TWO DIFFERENT PLACES (flash-drive, your computer, email it to yourself, your One Drive, etc).