How long is a mla research paper

Everything is centered on your cover page. The school name or university is at the top, and the title in the middle. Your name, course, professor, and due date are toward the bottom. Rather than a cover page, your paper typically has a heading and title on the first page of your work.

Your MLA heading and title include your name, instructor, course, and date aligned to the left. The title is centered before you start the body of your paper. Additionally, each page of your paper has a running header with your name and the page number, including the works cited.

In the body of your paper, MLA offers recommendations for you when it comes to fonts, spacing, formatting, numbers, and abbreviations. When it comes to writing your paper, you need a readable font.

And to make sure of that, MLA recommends a font that is easy to read and distinguishes regular and italicized text like Arial or Times New Roman. Additionally, use a standard font size like 11 or 12 point. When it comes to the spacing and formatting of your paper, stick with double spacing throughout the entire body and works cited and make sure your text is left-justified, so the right margin has a ragged edge.

To keep everything neat and tidy, follow the standard punctuation rules for commas and periods. MLA clarifies when to use Arabic and Roman numerals and when to spell out numbers or just use the Arabic form.

For example, if you can spell a number out in a few words, go for it. Headings should be styled in descending order of prominence. After the first level, the other headings are subheadings—that is, they are subordinate. Font styling and size are used to signal prominence. In general, a boldface, larger font indicates prominence; a smaller font, italics, and lack of bold can be used to signal subordination. Consistency in the styling of headings and subheadings is key to signaling to readers the structure of a research project.

That is, each level 1 heading should appear in the same style and size, as should each level 2 heading, and so on. Generally, avoid numbers and letters to designate heads unless you are working in a discipline where doing so is conventional.

In a project that is not professionally designed and published, headings should be flush with the left margin, to avoid confusion with block quotations.

The exception is the paper or chapter title, which is centered in MLA style. For readability, it is helpful to include a line space above and below a heading, as shown in this post. No internal heading level should have only one instance. For example, if you have one level 1 heading, you need to have a second level 1 heading. The exceptions are the paper or chapter title and the headings for notes and the list of works cited. You should also generally have text under each heading.

If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. M52 You can find written and video instructions with examples on how to format your citations. Click on the title above to see more New to the ninth edition are hundreds of additional example citations and visuals; expanded guidance on formatting papers, citing sources, quoting and paraphrasing, and avoiding plagiarism; and entirely new sections on inclusive language, annotated bibliographies, and notes.

Font Size: point Margins: 1 inch Paragraphs: All paragraphs should be indented. Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced.

Google Docs : To make a copy of this template you must first sign in to your Google account. Make a copy of this Google Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own. Your life will be easier and your grades will improve. Understanding the changes from the writing high school English essays to academic papers is the first step to college success.

Reading articles, practicing creating citations and organizing sources brings you up to speed. Average rating 2. Vote count: No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post. Organizing a Five-Paragraph Essay When you write a five-paragraph essay , you follow these steps: Introductory paragraph including your thesis statement Three body paragraphs Concluding paragraph You will follow basic rules for writing the essay.

Writing College Papers However, one problem with writing five-paragraph essays is that when you start college , you are faced with writing five to ten-page papers. Learning Skills What is the best way to transition from the five-paragraph essay to an MLA ten-page academic paper?