MLA recommends that you type your paper on a computer, and print it out on standard white paper (8.5 by 11 inch). The text of the paper should be double-spaced, while leaving only one space after all punctuation marks. The font should be legible to the viewer, with a size of 12 pt. The margins of each document should be 1 inch on all sides. When writing, the first line of the paragraph is to be indented (achieved by pressing the "Tab" button once).
Unless requested by the professor, MLA recommends you not make a title page. On the upper-left portion of the page, writers are to list their first and last name, their professor's name, the name of the course and the date. Make sure each section of the header is double-spaced. After the header, enter the title of the written work in the middle of the page, using Title Case capitalization. If your title refers to another work, ensure that the work is italicized or placed in quotation marks. Create a header on the upper-right section of each page, that includes your last name and the current page number. For the first page, it will appear like this: Last 1.
Visual aids such as tables, figures and illustrations can be used to reinforce the information in your work. MLA recommends several things in regards to embedding visual materials into written assignments. Sources for the data used in the illustration are required for documentation later in the works cited page. Visual aids are not to be used to boost page length. Professors do not have to recognize the space taken up by illustrations as a part of the required page limit. MLA also recommends to use illustrations of the highest quality, and to use them sparingly.
MLA style requires a Works Cited page at the end of essays and other written works. All entries in the Works Cited page must correspond to the works that are cited throughout the main text. Common sources used in an essay such as books, articles, magazines and web pages will all be documented in the Works Cited page. The Works Cited page will begin on a separate page at the end of the research paper. At the top of the page, a label entitled "Works Cited" will be placed in the center.