General Format For An Essay Using MLA

By Trinity L. Sokol

Here are the basics that you'll need to know in order to write a paper you teacher can't complain about!

Let's start off with what you have to tell your computer to do before you let your fingers do their thing. Unless your teacher specifies other wise, you'll need to set one inch margins on all sides of each page. You'll also have to number each page with your last name next to Arabic numerals (1,2,3...) it in the upper right hand corner. This where they get picky. Your name followed by the page number has to be one inch from the right and one half-inch below the top edge. Yes, you really have to do it that way, you never know if your teacher is going to have a ruler handy... Unless your teacher specifies differently, MLA format usually doesn't require a title page (you luck out here). However, there are some special things you need to do with the first page of your essay.

On page one of your essay, start at the left margin, one inch from the top and put in the following information, each starting on a new line. Remember to double space!

1. Your name - Lilly Late
2. Your instructor's name - Mrs. Betty Butt-horn
3. The course number or name - Evil English
4. The date - really late on a Sunday night

After you put in all the information you and everyone else knows, double space again and type the title in the center of the page. Don't underline or use quotation marks. After you double space one more time you're ready to start the hard part ... actually writing the essay! Ahhh!

Here's a few directions to remember while writing the actual body of the essay:

1. Remember to indent the first word of the each paragraph half an inch from the left (that's what the tab key is for!)
2. The entire text must be double spaced unless your teacher says differently, this includes the works cited.
3. The references you use for your paper should be on their own happy little separate page, called "Works Cited."

Here's an example so you'll actually have an idea what I'm talking about!

Here are some sites for further reference:

The Owl at Purdue
Gallaudet University

Good luck and happy writing!