MLA format template (MLA 9)

Quick answer

MLA 9 format uses 1 inch margins, 12 pt Times New Roman, double spacing, a header with your last name and the page number, a four line heading at the top of page 1, a centered title, and a Works Cited page with a hanging indent. A title page is only needed if your instructor asks.

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Most class papers. Heading block on page 1.

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Free. No sign-up. Updated October 2026. Google Docs opens the blank template.

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Template preview

[Last Name] 1
[Your Full Name]
[Instructor Name]
[Course Name and Number]
[Day Month Year]
[Title of Your Paper in Title Case]
[First paragraph. Indent the first line 0.5 inch. Introduce the topic and give your thesis. Cite sources with the author and page, for example (Author 45), with no comma and no "p."]
[Body paragraph. Make one point and support it with quoted or paraphrased evidence and a citation.]
[Body paragraph.]
[Conclusion paragraph.]
Works Cited
[Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.]
[Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, Year, pp. 45-60. DOI or URL.]
[Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Publisher or Site Name, Day Month Year, URL.]

Before you submit

Starting from a blank document? Set it up yourself

In Microsoft Word

  1. Open a new document. Set margins to 1 inch (Layout, Margins, Normal).
  2. Set the font to Times New Roman, 12 pt. Select all and set line spacing to 2.0 with 0 pt before and after.
  3. Double click the top margin to open the header. Right align, type your last name, a space, then go to Insert, Page Number, Current Position, Plain Number.
  4. On page 1, type your name, the instructor, the course and the date on four separate lines, left aligned.
  5. Type the title on the next line, centered. Start the body on the next line and indent each paragraph 0.5 inch.
  6. For Works Cited, insert a page break, type Works Cited (centered), paste the entries, select them, and set a Hanging indent of 0.5 inch.

In Google Docs

  1. Open a new document and check File, Page setup for 1 inch margins.
  2. Set the font to Times New Roman, 12 pt. Select all and choose Format, Line and paragraph spacing, Double.
  3. Go to Insert, Headers and footers, Header. Right align, type your last name and a space, then go to Insert, Page numbers and choose the option in the header.
  4. On page 1, type your name, instructor, course and date on four separate lines, left aligned.
  5. Type the centered title, then the body. Press Tab at the start of each paragraph for the 0.5 inch indent.
  6. For Works Cited, insert a page break, type Works Cited (centered), paste the entries, then use Format, Align and indent, Indentation options, Special indent: Hanging, 0.5”.

Filled-in example

Sample content for illustration. Do not cite.
Filled-in example

a short sample paper with the four line heading, a centered title, in-text citations with page numbers and a Works Cited page. The sources are invented.

Download the example
Rivera 1
Jordan Rivera
Professor Dana Whitfield
ENG 102: Writing and Rhetoric
14 October 2026
Why Cities Should Treat Street Trees as Infrastructure
Cities spend millions each year on roads and buildings, yet one of the cheapest upgrades to city life grows on its own. Street trees cool sidewalks, clean the air, and make neighborhoods feel safer. This essay argues that city councils should treat tree planting as basic infrastructure rather than decoration.
The most direct benefit of street trees is shade. Lindqvist reports that tree-lined blocks in her study were "several degrees cooler" than blocks without trees on summer afternoons (41). Cooler streets matter most for older residents and for children walking to school, who have the fewest ways to escape the heat.
Trees also change how people use public space. According to Okoye and Brandt, residents of greener streets walk more often and spend longer outside (112). More people on the sidewalk means more eyes on the street, which supports small shops and, in turn, a safer neighborhood.
Street trees are cheap compared with most city projects and they pay back in comfort, health, and activity. Councils that fund them with the same seriousness as roads will see the return for decades.
Works Cited
Lindqvist, Maria. Urban Canopies: Trees and the Modern City. Harbor Academic Press, 2019.
Okoye, Chidi, and Anna Brandt. "Green Streets and Daily Walking." Journal of Urban Life, vol. 9, no. 2, 2021, pp. 105-18.
Note: the sources above are invented for illustration. Do not cite them.

How to use this template

  1. Download the Word file or choose Copy to Google Docs to get your own editable copy.

  2. Replace the four heading lines with your name, your instructor’s name, your course, and the due date written as day, month, year.

  3. Type your title on the next line, centered, in the same font as the rest of the paper.

  4. Write your paper, indenting the first line of each paragraph 0.5 inch.

  5. Cite each source in the text with the author’s last name and the page number in brackets, then add a full entry to the Works Cited page.

  6. Check the header shows your last name and the page number on every page, including the first.

Rules at a glance

Element

MLA 9

Margins

1 inch on all sides

Font

Any readable font, usually Times New Roman 12 pt

Spacing

Double spaced throughout, including Works Cited

Heading block

Name, instructor, course, date, flush left, on the first page

Date format

Day Month Year

Title

Centered, standard formatting (no bold, italics or underline)

Header

Last name and page number, top right, on every page

Title page

Not used unless your instructor asks

In-text citation

(Author page), for example (Marsh 88). Two authors: (Marsh and Lee 88). Three or more: (Marsh et al. 88)

Reference list

“Works Cited,” new page, centered, alphabetical, 0.5 inch hanging indent

Block quote

More than four lines of prose: start on a new line, indent 0.5 inch, no quotation marks, citation after the final punctuation

Common mistakes

  • Adding a title page when the instructor did not ask for one. MLA puts the heading block at the top of page one.

  • Writing the date as “October 14, 2026”. MLA uses 14 October 2026.

  • Bolding or underlining the title. The title is centered in plain text.

  • Writing “p.” or a comma in citations. Use (Marsh 88), not (Marsh, p. 88).

  • Leaving the page number off the first page. MLA numbers every page, page one included.

  • Calling the last page “Bibliography” or “References”. In MLA it is Works Cited.

  • Italicising article titles. Article and chapter titles go in quotation marks; book and website titles are in italics.

Frequently asked questions

What is MLA format?

MLA format is the style from the Modern Language Association, used mainly in English, languages and other humanities classes. It sets the paper layout, in-text citations by author and page, and a Works Cited list. This template follows the 9th edition.

Does an MLA paper need a title page?

No, not by default. The first page starts with a four-line heading block, then the centered title. Add a title page only if your instructor asks for one, and ask what it should include.

How do I set up the MLA header in Google Docs?

Click in the header area, type your last name, then go to Insert, Page numbers, and choose the top right option. Make sure the page number shows on page one too. Adjust the header margin to 0.5 inch under File, Page setup if needed.

What font should I use for MLA?

MLA asks for a readable font and recommends one where italics are clearly different from regular text. Times New Roman 12 pt is the most common choice. Check your instructor’s instructions.

How do I format a Works Cited entry?

List the author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date and location, in that order, skipping elements that do not apply. Each entry ends with a period and uses a 0.5 inch hanging indent.

Is MLA 9 still the current edition?

MLA 9 was published in 2021. Check the MLA Style Center for the current edition before publishing and update the edition line on this page if it changes.

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Follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition. Last reviewed October 2026.

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