Your Essential Guide to MLA White Paper Formatting

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in the humanities, and when applied to white papers, it requires a structured approach. Typically, an MLA white paper begins with a title page, though some instructors may waive this requirement. If included, the title page should feature your paper's title, your name, the course name, the instructor's name, and the date, all double-spaced and centered.

Following the title page, the main body of your white paper commences on a new page. Ensure your name and the page number are in the header, right-aligned, with your name preceding the page number (e.g., Smith 1). The entire document, including the body paragraphs, block quotes, and the Works Cited list, must be double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. Use a standard, readable font like Times New Roman, 12-point.

In-text citations are a cornerstone of MLA formatting. When you reference a source within your text, you must provide the author's last name and the page number in parentheses, like (Smith 42). For sources without page numbers, use the author's name or a shortened version of the title if no author is listed. Block quotes, which are longer than four typed lines, should be indented one inch from the left margin and do not require quotation marks.

Finally, the Works Cited page is an alphabetical list of all the sources you've cited in your paper. Each entry should include detailed bibliographic information specific to the source type (book, journal article, website, etc.). The heading 'Works Cited' should be centered at the top of a new page. Proper MLA white paper formatting ensures your research is presented professionally and credibly.