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MLA Style: Basics

This guide is meant to be a brief introduction to MLA and to provide general formatting and citation guidelines for this manual of style.

General Formatting Rules


  • Your works cited entries should start on a new page with the words, "Works Cited" centered at the top.
  • Each resource cited in your paper should be represented in the works cited list (with some exceptions)
  • Text should be 12 pt. easily readable font (e.g. Times New Roman)
  • References should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author
  • References which wrap to two or more lines should have the subsequent lines indented one tab space, a.k.a., the hanging indent
  • Double-space the works cited page
  • The works cited page will have the same running head as the rest of the paper
  • The page numbers will continue from the previous section 
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