Italicizing is also allowable, but only if your paper monitor specified it.Īlso, note that you shouldn't use excessive spaces after full points and various punctuation marks unless the professor provided you with other requirements. The required font size almost always is 12-point. It is required to choose an easy-to-read and professional font (Times New Roman, Arial, Century Gothic or Garamond). Throughout the entire work, you should use double spacing and 1-inch margins (apply it for all the sides). When writing a research paper in MLA format, you need to follow general rules designed with the aim to encourage quality research and clear academic writing based on uniform requirements.Īccording to these requirements, you need to present your work in a type-written form on standard-sized paper (8.5x11 inches). The Guide on How to Write a Research Paper Using MLA Format And now we are going to explore how to write a research paper in MLA format step by step. These rules include formatting (margins, font, peculiar spacing and headers/footers) and styling (quotations, in-text citations, voice and so on). In 2016, the 'MLA Handbook' (8th edition) was presented, providing an all-purpose set of instructions, which authors can apply to sources of various types. Generally, MLA style research paper format covers not only student works, but also various kinds of scientific, academic and commercial publications in the field of humanities, including English/foreign languages or fields related to literature, as well as communication, media, and cultural studies. This peculiar format is designed by the well-known MLA (Modern Language Association), and it has gained widespread acceptance in the US and other English-speaking countries for academic papers written by students of various educational establishments.

If you are a student of liberal arts or humanities courses, you are almost sure to be assigned to prepare your research paper in MLA format.

Steps to writing a research paper