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Citation Styles

APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian

The MLA Handbook is used in humanities disciplines. It provides a common structure for academic work, helping writers give proper credit to the sources they've used and assisting the reader in exploring further. 

If you’re unable to find the help you need on this page, email the Library or check the MLA Style Center website.

MLA Formatting

MLA papers have one-inch margins and are double-spaced and left-aligned. Use an accessible  font (e.g., 11-pt. Calibri or Arial, 12-pt. Times New Roman) and headings. Paragraphs are indented 0.5". Page numbers are at the top-right.

There is no cover page. Name, instructor’s name, course, and date appear in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Page headers, in the upper-right corner, include just your last name and a space followed by the page number. 

In-text citations are required for all cited information (quotes, paraphrases, or summaries). A Works Cited page at the end of the paper provides full bibliographic information for each source.

For more information, see the Excelsior College MLA Formatting Guide or this MLA sample paper.

MLA Template