MLA Style Formatting Guidelines: Complete Style Guide for Header, Headings, In-text Citations, and References

Are you planning a research career in literature, language studies, art history, etc.? Get familiar with the requirements of the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide [1], because it’s one of the most popular style guides in these fields. You’ll especially need a good working knowledge of MLA citation style. 

What is MLA Format?

MLA Header and Title Page

MLA Headings and Subheadings

Formatting Citations in MLA Style

Works Cited Page in MLA

General MLA Formatting Style: Key Aspects

Frequently Asked Questions on MLA Citation Style

What is MLA Format?

The MLA style guide includes a set of rules for formatting research papers a certain way, specifically in the Humanities field, to maintain uniformity in presentation. The 9th edition of the MLA style guide, introduced in 2021, outlines detailed instructions for authors on formatting headers, citations, references, tables, and figures, among other elements of a research paper. 

MLA Header and Title Page

There is no need for a separate title page in MLA. The main paper typically starts with an MLA header which also contains the title of the paper.  

The header starts with four important details:  

• your full name 
• the name of your supervisor or instructor 
• the course name 
• the date of submission  

All these details must be left aligned and written on separate lines on the header page. Do not forget to include a running head at the top right-hand side corner, which contains your surname and the page number. 

The title should be centered below the line indicating the due date for the assignment submission. Some supervisors might instruct you to create a separate title page; in such cases, follow the guidelines outlined by them. 

MLA Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings help you organize and structure the content of your paper better, making it easy for readers to follow your research. In the MLA format, headings should be written in title case and left-aligned with the page margin. The font and size can be the same as that of the main text, but don’t add a period after the heading. 

The guidelines are not that strict for headings and subheadings in MLA, so you may use boldface for the main headings and italicize the subheadings to differentiate between the two. The key requirement is that you remain consistent when writing headings at all levels. For example, all level 1 headings must be in the same font, size, and style and the same must be maintained for the subsequent heading levels (level 2, level 3, etc.) as well. 

Formatting Citations in MLA Style

Formatting citations in MLA style is quite straightforward. The purpose is simply to direct the readers to the Works Cited list and the locator, i.e., the page number, in the cited source. The in-text citation should include the author’s surname (or last name) and page number in parentheses. 

The citation style varies depending on the number of authors for a work.  

• For a single author, the author’s surname and page number should be mentioned 
• For two authors, specify the last names of both authors separated by “and” and then include the page number 
• For three or more authors, mention the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” 

When it comes to page numbers in MLA format, you need to provide the specific page number or a page range based on the information you are citing. Also, if you want to cite two non-consecutive page numbers from the same source, both page numbers should be specified and separated by a comma. Basically, the purpose is to let readers know exactly what details you have covered from the source.  

What if you want to cite works as part of the sentence and not in parentheses? Yes, MLA allows this. But don’t include the page number in the middle of the sentence; it should be mentioned in parentheses at the end of it. See below example for clarity. 

You can write it as 

From a psychologist’s perspective, the so called “red flags” in relationships appear attractive rather than repulsive (Gandalf, 32). 

OR 

When talking about “red flags” in relationships, Gandalf notes that they attract people instead of repelling (32). 

There can also be instances where the page numbers are not available or the source you are citing does not have an author. How do you deal with these? Read our FAQs section at the end to know more! 

Works Cited Page in MLA

Next, let’s see how the Works Cited page should be written in the MLA format [2]. This page is for readers to know all the works and sources you referred during your research. Every in-text citation included in the main manuscript should have a corresponding source listed here. 

Basic Rules for the MLA Works Cited Page

• The Works Cited list must begin on a new page at the end of your manuscript. The page should be formatted similar to the rest of the manuscript, i.e., use one-inch margins, running head, and double-line spacing. 
• The title Works Cited must be placed at the center of the page at the top. There’s no need to highlight this title in any unique manner, so don’t italicize or underline or write it in boldface. 
• Arrange the works in the list alphabetically based on the first item in each entry, which is usually the last name of the author. If your source does not have an author, then arrange it alphabetically with the rest of the works as per the first letter of its title. 
• If your work listed spans multiple lines, the second and subsequent lines of the citations must be indented by 0.5 inch to create a hanging indent. 
• End all entries with a period. 

Format and Examples of Works Cited Page Entries

The following table summarizes the MLA format for different types of entries in a Works Cited page along with examples. 

General MLA Formatting Style: Key Aspects

When you format essays or academic papers in the MLA format, here are some basic guidelines to follow: 

• Use one-inch margins on all four sides of the page. 
• The first line in all paragraphs must be indented by half an inch from the left margin. 
• Maintain double line spacing throughout the text. 
• Any standard font (e.g., Times New Roman and Arial) can be used with a font size of 12 point or 11 point. 
• The manuscript title should be centered and written in title case in the MLA Header page. 
• Include a running head at the top right corner of all pages, mentioning the author’s surname and page number in Arabic numerals. 
• The Works Cited page should contain a list of all references that are cited in the main text. 

Frequently Asked Questions on MLA Citation Style

1. Do I use page numbers in MLA citation style? 

Yes, page numbers are a must in in-text citations as per MLA style. In fields like literature, you’re often referencing lengthy books and without a page number, your reader will simply not know what part of Anna Karenina you’re referring to! That’s why MLA follows the author-page number style of citations, like this: 

                (Austen 178) 

Or like this 

                Austen (178) makes it clear that Elizabeth Bennet has her own sense of humor. 

2. How can I cite multiple works by the same author in MLA style? 

When you’re referring to different books, poems, etc., by one author, use the title in your in-text citation, along with the page number. If the work you’re citing is short (like a poem), you’ve to enclose the title in quotation marks. If it’s a full book, the title has to be italicized. 

An example to help you out: 

Words not worth’s idealization of marital life is obvious in Chestnuts (75) and to a lesser degree in Ringmere Street (98). 

If the title is longer, you can use a shortened version of the title. So you would say 

                Northanger Abbey (45) 

But 

                Baskervilles (78) 

3. How can I cite a work that doesn’t have page numbers in MLA style? 

Obviously, poems and songs are unlikely to have page numbers, and many plays don’t either. And if you’re citing an online-only source, you won’t find page numbers too. In such cases, you’ve to use line numbers, scene numbers, or paragraph numbers. Abbreviate “paragraph” and “scene” as “par.” and “sc.” respectively. 

This sense of pathos is renewed toward the end of the poem (Shelfey, lines 26–32). 

Zhang argues that such imagery can be misleading (par. 16). 

But a word of caution: you might access a work online (like through Project Gutenberg or a similar website) when that work has previously been published in print. In these cases, your citation should contain page numbers as per the print version. You shouldn’t use paragraph numbers or page numbers as per your browser’s print preview function. 

4. How can I cite a work with no author in MLA style? 

If there’s no identified author, your in-text citation would consist of the title (either abbreviated or in full, depending on its length) and the page number. Your citation would look like 

It can be argued that arachnophobia is not a recent phenomenon, as evidenced by 19th century English nursery rhymes (“Little Miss Muffet” line 6). 

In “Little Miss Muffet” (line 6), there is a clear mention of fear of spiders. 

5. Can I use “et al.” in MLA citation style? 

MLA style requires that you list the last names of the authors if the work has one or two authors. If there are 3 or more authors, use the last name of the first author and then “et al.” if in parentheses or “and colleagues” if in the main text. 

Greyson and colleagues (72) have exhaustively examined the influence of Pantheism on Wordsworth’s later works. 

The influence of Pali literature on Buddhist architecture has been well documented (Anantaraman et al. 65). 

6. How do I cite a movie or web series in MLA style? 

MLA keeps up with the times! If you’re citing an audiovisual source like a movie, a video hosted on YouTube or a Netflix series, you use timestamps in the in-text citation. 

Example: (Titanic 01:20:45-01:34:10) 

7. Is it okay to use online sources when following MLA citation style? 

Of course it is! MLA style allows you to refer to a variety of online sources, from online-only journal articles to listservs and tweets (now called just “posts” on X). Follow the guidelines we’ve described above. In an in-text citation, you can use an abbreviated version of the website name, such as “bbc.com” and skip the “www.” or “https://.” 

References 

1. Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide https://style.mla.org/ 

2. MLA works cited page: Basic format https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_page_basic_format.html