Format a Word Online Document in MLA Style

This tutorial provides the basic steps to setting up a Word document in MLA style.

Doublecheck Margins
Change Font
Add Last Name and Page Numbers
Enable Double-Spacing, Create a MLA heading, and Title
Indent Paragraphs
Create and Title Citation Page

One-on-One Support

Follow-up Tutorials

Submit to Canvas

Doublecheck Margins

MLA documents have 1 inch margins, let's double check your word document has this.

Step 1:

Click "Layout" in the Toolbar below the name of your Word documents.
Click "Margins" in the toolbar below "Layout" and make sure it is set to "Normal."

Done! You know know you have the correct margins for MLA. ✔️

Change Font

Choose the font required from your instructor. MLA style does not require a specific font, only that it is easy to read.

Step 1:

Click "Home" in the toolbar in the upper left corner. (If you have already started writing your essay, highlight what you added. We can now change the font.)
Click the rectangular box below the "Layout" toolbar option. It will say the current font type.
A menu will appear listing different fonts. Scroll and click the font requested by your teacher. They commonly request "Times New Roman".

Done! You have changed the font of your document. ✔️

Add Last Name and Page Numbers

You only have to do this step once to add your last name and page numbers to all pages in your document.

Step 1:

Double click the top of the document. You will enter the page header area.

Step 2:

A long rectangle will appear made of 3 boxes. Click the right box and type in your last name and a space at the end.
In the upper left corner, click the box with the # sign inside. This is to add page numbers.
A menu with page number options will appear. Click the upper right corner box. A page number will appear after your name.

Step 3:

Highlight what you added, the box will turn light blue. We can now change the font.
Click "Home" in the toolbar in the upper left corner.
Click the rectangular box below the "Layout" toolbar options. It will say the current font set for the document.
A menu will appear listing different fonts. Click the font requested by your teacher. They commonly request "Times New Roman".

Step 4:

Click below your name to close the header and save your name and page number set up.

Done! You have numbered and added your name to all current and future pages.✔️

Enable Double-Spacing, Create a MLA heading, and Title

Step1:

Click in your document at the top but below your last name and page number. You should see a blinking line indicating where you are in the document.
In the Upper right corner, click the 3 dots.
A menu will appear, click the "Line Spacing" option.
A small submenu will appear click on "2". Repeat 1. and click back to the first line.

Step 2:

Line 1: Write your first and last name, and create a new line by clicking "Enter" on your Keyboard.
Line 2: Write your instructor’s name (or instructors’ names, if there is more than one instructor), and create a new line by clicking "Enter" on your Keyboard.
Line 3: Write the course name and number, and create a new line by clicking "Enter" on your Keyboard.
Line 4: Write the date and create 2 new lines by clicking "Enter" twice on your Keyboard.
Line 5: Click on the first blank line you just made.
Click on the 3 line icon in the toolbar. This is the "Alignment" button.
Click the "Align Center" icon. This will center align the line we are one. This is perfect writing a title.
Make sure you are on the correct line and write your title.
Line 6: Now click on the 2nd line you made. This is where you will start writing your essay paragraphs. It should not be center aligned like the title line above it (line 5). If it is, you can click the alignment button again and choose "Align Left" to correct it.

Done! You have created your MLA heading specific to your course, enabled double spacing, and wrote your title. If your heading does not look double spaced. ✔️

Indent Paragraphs

This method will indent every paragraph automatically as you make new lines.

Step 1:

The line below your title is the start of the first paragraph. The first sentence of every paragraph is indented.

At the beginning of the sentence.
Click the 3 dots in the upper right corner of the toolbar.
A menu will appear, scroll through the options and click on "Paragraph Options."

Step 2:

The line below your title is the start of the first paragraph. The first sentence of every paragraph is indented. Do this tutorial once and every paragraph will automatically indent.

A menu will pop up. Click the drop down menu to the right of "Special:" and choose "First line". After you will see the menu below it say 0.5".
Click "Ok" to save your changes.

Done! You have set your document to always indent the first line of your paragraphs. ✔️

Create and Title Citation Page

Step 1:

In the first toolbar click "Insert"
Click "Page Break" in second toolbar below it.
This will create a new empty page in your document. You can recognize this by the change in page number in the upper right corner and where you were click on in the page had moved to this new page.

Step 2:

Hit the backspace key on your keyboard once to remove the paragraph indentation. The first line of the Work Cited page should not be indented like a paragraph.
Next, click "Home" in the toolbar and then the "Alignment" button.

Done! You have created and titled a Word Cited Page. ✔️