Basic Formatting for Works Cited Pages -  Print & Web Sources 

Essay Formatting Guidelines

• Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). The font size should be 12 pt.

• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise prompted by your instructor).

• Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.

• Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. 

• Use italics throughout your essay to indicate the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, provide emphasis (Purdue University).

In-Text Citations

Works Cited Page

• Begin your Works Cited page on a separate page at the end of your research paper. 

• Label the page Works Cited (do not italicize the words Works Cited or put them in quotation marks) and center the words Works Cited at the top of the page.

• Only the title should be centered. The citation entries themselves should be aligned with the left margin.

• Double space all citations, but do not skip spaces between entries.

• Indent the second and subsequent lines of citations by 0.5 inches to create a hanging indent.

• List all sources alphabetically by the author's last name, or the name of the website (Purdue University). 

Not sure what your citation should look like? Check the images at the top of this page for information on what order to put the information in!