A guide to writing good MLA style papers

If you have to write a paper in the MLA style, you should always check for specific things with the MLA Handbook for Writers. This article will give you an overview of how you can use the MLA style for your paper, but just make sure you double check it with an official source before you hand it in. There are many students that get frustrated with styles and formatting, because of their rigid rules or particular ways of formatting your writing. Because of this, you can get stressed out and unable to work through the problems. Once you go through the tips and ideas on this page, you’ll be better equipped to writing your paper and nailing the MLA style guidelines.

General Style Rules

In MLA style, which is a common formatting style for your teacher to request, there are certain guidelines you have to follow. When you use these tips, you’ll get a great mark for following the correct style. Here are some of the basic ones your essay or paper needs to have:

• Make sure your paper is printed on standard white paper, 8.5 x 11 inches
• All the text of your paper (excluding cover page, if required) should be double spaced and a legible 12 point font such as Times New Roman. The regular and italic versions of the font you choose need to be different enough from each other to be recognizable
• Only leave one space after periods and all punctuation
• The margins should be set to 1 inch all around your document
• The header needs to include page numbers in the upper right corner, but always follow your teacher’s guidelines if he wants something more specific than this
• Each paragraph needs to be indented a half inch from the left margin. Use the tab key instead of pushing the space bar multiple times
• Only use italics when you’re quoting the names of your sources
• Title pages or cover pages are not normally required, but your teacher may want one depending on the assignment and specific instructions
• On the first page there needs to be your name, the teachers name, the class name, and the date, each on a new line
• After the title of your MLA style paper, center it and do not bold or underline it; there needs to be no other differentiation from the rest of your work

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