MLA formatting is one of those essential academic skills that seems simple, until you actually sit down to apply it. For many students, the hardest part is knowing exactly how each section should appear. That's where a well-structured MLA sample paper can make all the difference. In this guide, I’ll take you through formatting your entire paper, using visual structure and practical tips along the way to help you get every detail right.
What Is an MLA Sample Paper and Why Use It?
A sample MLA paper is more than just a formatted document, it’s a reference point that shows you what your paper should look like from start to finish. It helps you see how each section, from your title to your works cited page, should be styled and spaced. If you've ever wondered where to put your header or how long a block quote needs to be, this template gives you the answer at a glance. It’s especially helpful when working on assignments with strict formatting requirements.
You can find official MLA sample papers on academic library sites like Columbia College or citation platforms such as EasyBib, but in this guide, I’ll break down every section using my own examples to keep it practical and relatable.
A Section-by-Section Guide to Format an MLA Paper
MLA formatting focuses on consistency and clean structure. In this section, I’ll guide you through setting up margins, fonts, spacing, and citations based on MLA 9 guidelines. Even if you're using Word, Google Docs, or WPS Office, these steps are easy to follow. I’ll also include tips that helped me avoid common formatting errors, like incorrect indents or header placement. A well-formatted paper not only looks better but also meets academic standards.
General Formatting Rules
These formatting rules apply to your entire document, not just one section or the Works Cited page. That includes everything from the title page to the final citation. Proper font size, spacing, and margins should be consistent throughout the entire paper. Following these guidelines helps maintain a clean, professional appearance and meets MLA 9 standards.
Step 1: Set your margins to 1 inch on all sides. You’ll find this under "Layout" or "Page Setup" in most word processors. A small tip here: double-check that your printer settings match, especially if you're submitting a hard copy.
Step 2: Use Times New Roman, 12pt font. This might seem basic, but some professors are strict about font type. I’ve had points docked for using Calibri by mistake.
Step 3: Double-space everything, even titles, block quotes, and citations. Make sure the "Line Spacing" is 2.0 and “Hanging Indents”
Step 4: Add a running head with your last name and page number. Go to “Insert”, “Header”, then manually type your last name followed by a space and insert the page number field.
I’ve found that setting these defaults before I start writing helps me stay consistent throughout the process.
The First Page of Your Paper
The first page of your paper is important, it sets the tone for the rest of your work. In MLA style, you typically don’t need a separate title page unless your professor specifically requires one. Instead, your name, instructor’s name, course, and date should appear at the top left of the page, followed by the paper’s title centered on the next line. Keeping it simple and properly formatted helps make a strong first impression.
Step 1: In the top left corner, list your name, instructor’s name, course name, and date. Each should be on a new line and double-spaced.
Step 2: Center your paper’s title on the next line. Avoid bold or italics unless it includes a title of another work.
Step 3: Start your introduction immediately below the title with the half-inch indent for the first line.
I like to fill in the header details and title before I begin writing. It saves time later and makes the page look finished right away.
Body Paragraphs and In-Text Citations
Each body paragraph in your MLA paper should begin with a 0.5-inch indent to signal a new thought or section. The easiest way to do this is by using the “Tab” key, rather than inserting spaces manually. This keeps your formatting consistent and clean across the entire document. Also, be sure to include proper in-text citations after any quoted or paraphrased material to credit your sources correctly.
In-Text Citations:
For quotes in mla generator tools, you'd typically get this format: (Author's Last Name Page Number). If the author's name is already mentioned in the sentence, you can just include the page number in parentheses. Here are some step and mla in text citation examples
Step 1: Identify the author/s or editor’s/s last name from the source you are citing.
Step 2: If you are using a direct quote, include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses directly after the quote.
Step 3: If the author's name is already mentioned in the sentence, only the page number goes in parentheses
I’ve noticed that using a consistent style in quotes, whether direct or paraphrased, really helps maintain clarity. You can also review mla in text citation examples in guides if you're unsure how to do mla in text citation for no/multiple authors
Crafting a Works Cited Page
This page deserves attention. Every source you cited in-text must appear here.
Step 1: Place your cursor at the very end of your document, Go to the Insert tab, Click on Page Break to create a new page for your Works Cited.
Step 2: Center the title "Works Cited" at the top.
Step 3: Highlight the full citation entry, then right-click and choose “Paragraph” and in the Paragraph window, set up the formatting like this:
Under Line spacing, choose “Multiple” from the dropdown, and type 2 in the box next to it.
Under Indentation, set “Special” to Hanging and enter 0.5 inches in the “By” box.
Step 4: Manually Enter Citations, Carefully type each citation following the MLA citation style:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Source. Title of Container, Other contributors, Version, Numbers, Publisher, Publication date, Location.
Use italics for book titles and container titles.
Alphabetize all entries by the author’s last name
Here’s a breakdown of common source formats:
Book: Last Name, First Name. Title. Publisher, Year.
Website: “Title of Page.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Article: Last Name, First Name. “Title.” Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. ##–##.
What helped me most here was building my citations as I wrote, rather than waiting until the end. It ensured I never forgot to include a source I used.
Use WPS Office to Format MLA Papers Easily
After learning the basics of MLA formatting, I found WPS Office incredibly helpful for getting papers done faster. It’s a free, lightweight word processor that covers everything you need, proper margins, font choices, line spacing, without the extra complexity of other software. The built-in MLA templates make setup easy and are definitely worth bookmarking for future use.Here are some tools I found useful when building MLA documents:
Writer: Perfect for setting headers, indents, and running heads without manually adjusting each time. I liked how easy it was to apply styles to the whole document.
AI Editor Tools: These helped me reword awkward sentences or fix grammar on the fly.
Templates: There’s a basic MLA paper layout built in, which I used when I didn’t want to start from scratch.
PDF Export: I often had to upload final drafts to school platforms, and WPS converted everything without messing up the formatting.
The software runs smoothly even on older laptops and Chromebooks, which made it a reliable choice when my system resources were low.
FAQs
Q1: What’s the fastest way to apply MLA formatting in WPS Office?
Start a blank document and go to “Layout” then set margins to 1 inch. Then under “Home,” choose Times New Roman, 12pt font, and double spacing.
Q2: How do I set a hanging indent in WPS Writer?
Highlight your citation. Right-click and go to “Paragraph.” Under “Indentation,” choose “Hanging” from the dropdown and set it to 0.5 inches.
Q3: Do I need to cite a source even if I paraphrase it?
Yes. Paraphrasing still requires a citation to give credit to the original author.
Q4: Where can I find reliable MLA citation examples online?
EasyBib and Purdue OWL are both solid references. They also offer quotes in MLA generator tools that make formatting easier.
