45+ FREE MLA Format Templates
The MLA of America introduces the MLA format to improve the readability of your document. The primary purpose of MLA format or MLA style is to provide a standard way to format the document. If you want to format your document according to the MLA format, download free MLA format templates available in Word or PDF and format your document in MLA style.
Below we share a complete guide about MLA format that you use to format different types of writing.
- Accounting Templates
- Art & Media
- Budget Templates
- Business Templates
- Calendar Templates
- Certificates
- Charts
- Education Templates
- Inventory Templates
- Invoice Templates
- Letter Templates
- Medical Templates
- Personal Templates
- Project Plan Templates
- Timesheet Templates
What Is MLA Format?
MLA stands for Modern Language Association; it is used to format the paper by following the MLA formatting rules. It is commonly used in the fields of literature, liberal arts, and language to format research papers, essays, and assignments uniformly.
Download Free MLA Format Templates
Nowadays, the MLA format is a standard way to write any paper. A list of rules and guidelines is provided by the MLA organization to make documents according to MLA style. Often college professors only accept papers or assignments, which are written in the MLA style. Now, it is used in every field of life where the formatting of the paper and document is essential.
MLA released several editions of the MLA handbook which provide all the rules, standards, and instructions to make your paper follow MLA format and cite your resources in MLA format. For some people, it isn’t very easy to write a paper in MLA style; we share a vast collection of templates in different formats. Below we share some tips for formatting your essay or article in MLA format. MLA offers a complete guide for formatting a paper, text citation, quotation guide, footnotes or endnotes, and abbreviations.
Why Use MLA
Sometimes, writers follow improper formats of letters, which creates some difficulty to read and use. Then, the Modern Language Association (MLA) of America introduced a uniform way to format a paper, essay, and assignments. You can find here the MLA format essay and research templates to write your paper according to the MLA style. It’s better to follow a standard way of formatting, and this formatting style is used in every field. Nowadays, MLA format is used in every area, such as literature, liberal arts, and subject language.
MLA is used to:
- It helps the reader to read and understand the written stuff easily.
- Reader distracts by complicated formatting, MLA style provides a uniform way of format.
- Efficiently cite your sources.
- Help to avoid plagiarism
MLA Formatting And Style Guidelines
MLA of America offers the 8th edition of the MLA handbook, which you can use to understand its guidelines, formatting style, page citation, and abbreviations. It provides a clear description of the paper’s formatting style. You can also see the MLA formatting samples to understand it more clearly. Below we share a general guideline to format your page. These formatting styles are commonly used for every type of writing:
General formatting
In the general formatting of any paper, there are many things you should apply. These formattings are:
Margin
The formatting looks complicated without any appropriate margin. If you are writing your paper according to MLA format, then you should use a one-inch margin around the page. In many applications, the default margin is one inch of the entire page. Check the margin and make sure it should be 1 inch.
Text formatting
If you want to make your document easily understandable and readable, always choose a legible font style that is easy to read. In the MLA guide, they prefer to use regular and italic-type font styles. It is standard to use 12-point font size for your paper text. The primary purpose of all these guidelines is to make your document readable.
Paper size
To follow the standard rules of MLA format, then use only white paper for a hard copy. The size of the page must be 8.5 x 11-inch white paper for printing. This size of white paper is the recommended size from MLA. MLA provides a clear description to format your paper. MLA format paper template is available in different formats that you prefer.
Running head and page number.
Running head is the heading of every page at the upper right-hand corner that is printed throughout your essay or research pages. MLA requires you to publish your last name or anything that you want to print through the document as head with the page number. Do not use the “page” or pg before the page number. Always use the project title name or something else as your running head.
Paragraph
Always use the one-half-inch left margin before starting a new article. The MLA recommends it to use the first word in every paragraph.
Paraphrases
In MLA format, it is essential to give credit to the source whose text you have included in your document. Sometimes, writers use phrases from other writers. It is crucial to give credit for your paraphrases to that writer or source.
Space
MLA format recommends using double-spaced lines in the entire document. It must be used in the heading, reference page, and on the first page of the paper.
Punctuation
To make your document understandable, it is vital to use different punctuation marks. Use commas when you write multiple things or to make the reader pause for a while. When you use commas or full stops, it is standard to begin word after space.
Numbers
MLA format recommends using measurement with numeric values if they have: ex. 67 ml or 50 pounds. If one word is used, then use the Arabic number, and using a fraction number write as it is like 12.8.
Lists
When you make a list in your project using MLA format, it is important to list the item horizontally, not vertically. It must be separated with commas.
Quotations, abbreviations, and footnotes
Quotations are the phrases that you use in your project from other sources. According to the MLA format, it is necessary to use the phrase within the double quotation marks. If the quotation is four lines long, then you use these double quotation marks, but when the reference is longer than four lines, then make a block of these lines and use the name of the author or source at the end of the quotation.
Footnotes that appear at the bottom of the pages and endnotes present on the last page of your document. Endnotes or footnotes are used to refer to the other publication, MLA recommends using fewer footnotes or endnotes because sometimes it makes your paper complicated. These notes are bibliographic notes of different publications that are for your reader.
There are a few standard rules of abbreviation introduced by the MLA. If abbreviations end in lowercase, it is usual to use the period. Do not use periods while using upper-case abbreviations. Use a period between the lowercase letter when each letter represents a word, e.g., describes example gratia.
Heading section
Sometimes, an editor or instructor requires the heading section because it improves the readability of your paper. The heading section may be of essay, research paper, or book. It is vital to use the part of your article as a heading list it with the numeric number and place a period between the heading and the numeric value.
It is a convenient way to provide an outline of your document with MLA format outline templates. For books, you can also divide them into different sections and make the heading of all these sections. It provides a guide about the different parts of your paper. MLA recommends placing headings like:
- Heading
1.1 heading
1.2 heading
2. Heading
It is easy to track different sections of your book or essay by creating different levels of headings in MLA format. In an academic or professional area, you need to prepare a cover page for your assignment and paper. For that purpose, the MLA format cover page template helps you to make your article attractive.
What Is MLA Page Citation?
If you want to become more familiar with MLA format, then follow the standard that is defined by the MLA handbook. MLA introduced the 8th edition of the directory in which all the things are defined that you can apply to make your document according to the MLA style.
MLA provides a proper format that you can follow for the in-text citation. Place the name of the source in the parenthesis and the phrase written in the double quotation according to the MLA in-text citation rule. The in-text citation is used when a writer refers to the work of another writer or source; then, it is standard to give credit to the source.
MLA offers a proper format of in-text citation in their handbook with extensive examples to understand it. It is good to consult that writer before using their work in your project; this thing protects you from any legal issues. You can find here MLA format citation templates available in Word, PDF, and Excel formats. Before using these templates, you should understand them clearly. MLA format is used in humanities subjects, literature, and liberal arts, and now it is commonly used in all the other fields where document formatting is considered necessary.
Component of MLA citation
- Author’s name last name, first name
- Title of the source
- Title of the container
- Publisher Name
- Date of the publication
- The location where the source find
Book with one Author
Author’s last name, first name. The book title, location: Publication Company, Year. Print.
Book with two Authors
First Author’s last name, first name, Second Author’s last name, first name. The book title, location: Publication Company, Year. Print.
Translate book
Translator’s last name, first name, translator. Title. By original Author’s first name last name, Publisher, and Year.
Citation of newspaper
Author’s last name, first name. “Article Name.” “Newspaper title,” Publication date, URL.
It is standard to remove “https” or “https” from the URL when you use newspaper information from the websites.
Guidelines To Format The First Page Of Your Document
Below we share some guidelines for formatting the first page of your document:
- Sometimes, the editor or professor asks you to create the first page of your paper. It is not standard to make the first page of your document. You can write your name, project name, and date of submission of the paper in the right corner of the first page, and right below, write your main document.
- If you want to create a separate page to place your name and project name with the date, make sure with double-spaced text.
- Use the standard capitalized form for your title.
- Select an appropriate font style. According to MLA format, use regular or italic font style with a 12-point font size.
- It is standard to use the project title or your last time as the running head on every page with the page number.
