Begin the bibliography on a separate page at the end of the research paper. The new page must have a header that includes your last name and the paper's page number. The header should be positioned in the upper right-hand corner, 1/2 inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
Set the margins of the document to 1 inch on all sides, the font to 12 point and the spacing to double. If the document will be printed, use white 8-1/2-by-11 paper.
Type "Works Cited" at the top of the page but below the header. Center the text.
Alphabetize citations by the author's last name.
Align the first line of each reference with the left margin. Indent the second and subsequent lines of each reference five spaces. This creates a hanging indent for each citation. The MLA recommends using the tab key for consistent spacing.
Capitalize, using proper case, the words in the titles of articles, books and other publications for each citation. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions or conjunctions unless it is the first word of the title.
Document each citation using the layouts specified by the MLA.
The standard format for books: Author's last name, first name. Book title. Additional information. City of publication: Publishing company, publication date.
The standard format for encyclopedias and dictionaries: Author's last name, first name. "Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. Date.
The standard format for magazines and newspapers: Author's last name, first name. "Article title." Periodical title Volume # Date: inclusive pages.
The standard format for Internet citations: Author's last name, first name (if available). "Title of work within a project or database." Title of site, project or database. Editor (if available). Electronic publication information (date of publication or of the latest update and name of any sponsoring institution or organization). Date of access and <full URL>.
Use italics for titles of larger works, such as books. Use quotation marks for titles of shorter works, such as articles.