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MLA Format Heading

This page contains guidelines on how to properly format the headings of your research paper using the MLA format.

1. The Opening Page:

On the opening page or the first page, you would include the whole heading and your paper’s title. The whole heading would include the following information:

  • Your Instructor’s Name
  • Your Class Information
  • Your Paper’s Due Date
  • Font: choose an easy to read font such as Times New Roman.
  • Font Size: set the font size to be twelve (12) throughout your research paper, including your paper’s title. Never set the font site larger than 12.
  • Margins: 1-inch for top/bottom/right/left throughout your paper.
  • Double-space: double-space throughout your paper. Don’t add extra spaces (besides double-space) between your headings, your title and your paragraphs.

Sample of the Opening Page:

header for research paper mla

A sample of the first page of your paper.

2. The Inner Pages:

For the pages that follow the first page, set the heading like this: instead of the whole heading, you would use the header feature on your word processing program and including the following information: Your Last Name and the Page Number.

Sample of the Inner Page:

header for research paper mla

Example of the heading for inner pages.

3. The Works Cited Page:

Every research paper must include a works cited page.

  • The works cited list is placed at the end of your paper, on a new page.
  • The heading for your works cited pages should be the same as the heading for your inner pages, which include your name and the page number at the top.
  • Enter the title as “ Works Cited ” and place this title 1-inch from the top of the page, see more details in the example illustration picture below.

Sample of the Works Cited Page:

MLA Format Works Cited

Example of the works cited page.

– MLA Handbook, 8th edition

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This page is helpful to a new student.

this is great!

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I have the following level 3 heading in my thesis:

Project management office and (pmo) metrics team.

Should the abbreviation pmo be in lower case as it is or should it be in upper case?

Please Advise. Thanks.

So for the works cited page, you don’t need the name, teacher, date, and period heading at all?

No. It should only be on the first page of the essay.

This is some good stuff to know.

I have to write a paper for an application and they want it to be in MLA format. I don’t know how to do the heading because it’s not going to one teacher in particular and it is not for one class.

I don’t think you need a heading besides the “Last name-1” on the inner pages.

Hey Shannon. You might try “To Whom it may concern” or something like that. Don’t trust me on this because I am not for sure on that and if you did do this you might get it wrong and whoever might not accept your application. I hope you figure out how to do it and do great on that application! 😀 – Christopher

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Previous post: MLA Format Cover Page

  • The Format of the Research Paper
  • MLA Format Cover Page
  • MLA Format Headings
  • MLA Citations
  • MLA Format Works Cited
  • MLA Format FAQs
  • MLA Format Sample Paper
  • MLA Sample Paper w/ Cover and Outline Pages

HOW TO SETUP YOUR SOFTWARE

  • MLA Format using Google Docs
  • MLA Format Microsoft Word 2016
  • MLA Format using Pages on Mac

Copyright © 2011–2024 • MLA Format • All rights reserved. Currently, MLA is at its 8th edition. This website has no official relationship with the Modern Language Association and is not endorsed by the MLA.

IMAGES

  1. MLA Heading and Header Formats (With Examples)

    header for research paper mla

  2. MLA Paper Format: Simple Guidelines to Follow

    header for research paper mla

  3. MLA Citation Style Overview

    header for research paper mla

  4. Sample MLA Research Paper

    header for research paper mla

  5. How to Write an Exemplary MLA Style Heading on a Literature Essay

    header for research paper mla

  6. MLA heading and MLA header

    header for research paper mla