Open a word processing document and set your page format to12-point using a legible font, set the margins to one inch on all sides, and indent the first line of paragraphs one-half inch from the left margin. Create a header consisting of your last name followed by the page number (use Arabic numbers) in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
Write an outline for your research paper. Even if you do not hand in your outline, it will help you organize your paper and allow you to quickly assess areas of your paper that need more work. If your instructor requires you to submit an outline, it is important that if you refer to an author's viewpoint in your outline that you name the author along with the page number of the reference in your outline.
Write your paper following MLA guidelines, double-spacing all text and indenting the first line of paragraphs one-half inch from the left margin. MLA does not require a separate title page, so it is best not to use one unless the instructor asks for it. For the first page, you should list your name on the first line, your professor's name on the second line, the course title on the third line and the date on the fourth line. If using only one level of section heading, meaning that each section is distinct with no subsections, MLA style recommends that the headings are grammatically parallel. For example, if your section headings are typically short phrases, you need to make them all short phrases. You are free to use whatever numbering style you choose as long as you use it consistently throughout the paper.
Cite references in your paper both within the text of the paper and in the Works Cited page. Source information that you provide in-text must correspond precisely to what appears on the Works Cited page. For example, the signal word or phrase that you provide in-text must be the first thing appearing in the Works Cited page. Include endnotes on a separate page at the end of your paper before the Works Cited page.