MLA formatting and citation style

The MLA (Modern Language Association) style manual specifies that the paper must be double-spaced on 8½" by 11" paper and all four margins should be 1". Your paper must have a heading in the upper right corner of each page flush with the right margin and ½" below the top margin. You do not necessarily need a title page, but you do need to list your name, your instructor’s name, the course name and number and the date, each on one line and double-spaced. Your instructor should specify what she wants. The title of the paper will be centered one double-space below the header. The guidelines for citations are very specific. They are to be inserted within the text and should include the author’s name and the page number of the citation in brackets. The reader can then go to Sources Cited, which comes on its own page at the end of the paper, find the author in the alphabetized list, and go to the source. The Sources Cited page (or pages) will be double-spaced. If your school requires this style, it is best to own a manual of your own rather than relying on the reference section in the library. Take time to become acquainted with it before you write your paper. Many sources nowadays are digital, and there are specific guidelines for using those sources.