 This video explains how to format your paper according to the seventh edition of the MLA Handbook and is aimed at university students, not researchers submitting papers for publication. I'll go over the basic information students need to know if your instructor has asked you to format your paper in MLA style, including margins, font, spacing, page numbering, title page, what to do with any tables or figures, and how to format your work's cited list. These are just general guidelines. If your instructor has given you specific instructions that differ from the MLA guidelines, always go with what your instructor has asked you to do. And if you're on shore, it's best to check with them. For citing sources in the text of your paper, check out our video, Citing Sources in MLA Style – A Basic Introduction. Let's start with the basics of formatting. MLA recommends using 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, left and right of each page. And also recommends using Times New Roman 12-point font. Your entire paper should be double-spaced. Page numbers should appear in the top right-hand corner. Your last name should go before the page number on every page. This header should be in the same font and size as the rest of your paper. And all pages should be numbered, including your work's cited list. MLA does not require a title page. However, if your instructor requested one, follow their guidelines. Instead of a separate title page, MLA advises you to write your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date at the top-left of the first page of your paper. If your instructor has specified that you add any additional information, make sure to follow their directions. This should be double-spaced in the same font as the rest of your paper. The title goes next. It should be centered and resists the urge to put the title in larger, colored, bold or italicized font. MLA advises you to place any tables or figures as close as possible to the part of your text that they relate to. Don't simply place all tables or figures at the end of your paper. Tables should be numbered, and directly below that, give the table a title. Underneath your table, write source, and give the citation information required for that type of source. Whether it's a book, an article, or a website, for example, will determine what information is required. It's not formatted exactly the same as an entry in your works cited list. Notice each bit of information is separated by a semicolon. And just like the rest of your paper, this should all be double-spaced and in 12-point times New Roman font. Any other kind of visual material, photos, graphs, charts, maps, or other illustrations, should be labeled as figures, and also should be numbered. Following the figure number is a caption that should identify the source. And this again should be in double-spaced 12-point times New Roman font. Unlike a table, the figure number and caption go below the figure. Finally, at the end of your paper, you will have a works cited list that includes full citations for all of the sources you quoted or referred to in your paper. If you've included complete information about the source below your table or figure, and the source isn't listed anywhere else in your text, then no entry for that source is needed in your works cited list. Like the rest of your paper, your works cited should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins using 12-point times New Roman font. Resist the temptation to put works cited in larger, colored, bold, or italicized font. References should be in alphabetical order by authors last name. The first line of each reference is aligned left. Additional lines are indented. How you format your citations for your works cited list and what type of information you need to include will depend on the type of source you're citing. For more information, check out our videos on how to cite a book, e-book, journal article, newspaper or magazine, graphic novel or web page. Or visit the Munn Libraries web page for our MLA style guide and chat live with library staff. Thanks for watching.