MLA style gives writers a few general parameters for formatting their documents. It suggests that documents be computer-produced, printed on 8.5 by 11-inch white paper, have 12-point font and be double-spaced. One space should be set after periods or other punctuation marks, margins should be set at 1-inch on all sides and the first line of paragraphs should be indented one half-inch from the left margin. The MLA guide also recommends that you use headers with page numbers printed in the upper right corner and italics throughout for the titles of longer works and when providing emphasis in necessary cases.
MLA style recommends that when you reference the works of others, you use parenthetical citation, which involves placing the sourced material in parentheses after a quotation or paraphrase. If you know the author of the sourced material, the in-text citation will first include the author's name followed by the page number of the cited material. That page number must correspond to the source listed in your works cited page. If you don't know the author's name, you can include the name of the document followed by the page number on which the quotation or paraphrase appears.
MLA style does permit footnotes and endnotes, but only when they are absolutely necessary as in cases when you need to refer readers to other related publications or when you need to offer explanatory notes that are too digressive for the main text. To format footnotes or endnotes, you simply insert a superscript number after the period or comma that corresponds to the note and include the note sequentially below the text at the bottom of the page or at the end of the document.
MLA style also includes parameters for citing works at the end of your document. The works cited page must be on a separate page and all entries must correspond to all of the in-text citations you used and any other works you consulted when writing the paper. When listing an entry, begin with the author's last name followed by a comma and his first name and a period. Then include the name of the cited material in italics if it is a book or in quotations if it isn't, followed by the publisher of the material, the year of publication and the medium of publication (e.g. print). There are specific guidelines for formatting different types of reference mediums, so students should be sure to consult the MLA style guide for correct formatting rules.