
You should also italicize (rather than underline) words or phrases you want to lend particular emphasis-though you should do this rarely. Use of Italics: In MLA style, you should italicize (rather than underline) the titles of books, plays, or other standalone works.Most word-processing programs have the ability to automatically add the correct page number to each page so you don’t have to do this by hand.
Your pages should be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…) and should start with the number 1 on your title page. This header should include your last name, followed by a space and the page number.
Page Numbers: Create a right-justified header 0.5 inches from the top edge of every page. Indentation: The first line of every paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches. Margins: All page margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should be 1 inch. Line Spacing: All text in your paper should be double-spaced. Times and Times New Roman are often recommended. Whichever font you choose, MLA requires that regular and italicized text be easily distinguishable from each other. Font: Your paper should be written in 12-point text. Don’t misspell your professor’s name-you would be surprised at how many students make this mistake! General MLA Formatting Rules Remember, the heading appears only on page 1 and includes your name, the professor’s name, the name of the class, and the date in military-style format: day month year. You can use this MLA formatted template to help you get started.