MLA 9th Edition Guide: General Formatting

Formatting Your Research Project

The following guidelines have been adopted to standardize manuscript formatting so that instructors can evaluate papers and students can focus on conveying their ideas, research, and prose. Follow your instructor's guidelines if any variance exists between those and this guide. 

Margins

Margins should be set at one inch on all sides. Most modern word processing programs (MS Word and Google Docs) default to one-inch margins, so no alterations need to be made if using one of these programs to create your document. 

Text Formatting 

MLA 9th allows students to choose an easily readable font. The Times New Roman font is one example and one of the most commonly used fonts. Students may use font sizes between 11 and 13 points. 

Consult with your faculty member to determine which font and font size should be used. 

Text Line Formatting

Do not justify the lines of the text on the right margin. Instead, allow the lines of text to run ragged on the right-hand side of the page (See below). Use the align left button to ensure that the lines in each paragraph are aligned properly.

From: Kaile Chu (New York University, Shanghai) “Miles Apart: An Investigation into Dedicated Online Communities’ Impact on Cultural Bias”

Line Spacing 

• Double-space the entire research paper, including the works cited page. 
• Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Use the tab key (in most modern word processors tab key defaults to half an inch).
• Indent the first line of block quotations by half an inch.

• Leave one space after each sentence ending punctuation mark. 

For more information see MLA Handbook Ninth Edition - Chapter 1 Formating Your Research Project pages 1-2.