The Modern Language Association (MLA) is a group of approximately 30,000 scholars. Their goal is to "strengthen the study and teaching of language and literature". To better accomplish this purpose, the MLA has developed a guide to standardize research methods and the style of academic publications, providing instructions on, among other things, document formatting, citation of sources and how to submit a paper by means electronic. To follow the MLA style you need to create an appropriate page header using the correct format. A page header is that text placed on each page above the main text body. This guide explains how to create a header in MLA format. The images show the English version of Microsoft Word, while the guide is in Italian. The location of the buttons and controls is the same in both the English and Italian versions, so you can use the figures as a reference and read the guide carefully.
Steps
Step 1. Create a new document in a word processing program
Microsoft Word is particularly suitable because it allows you to customize page headers easily, but there are many others.
Step 2. Set the margins and other characteristics of your document before you start writing text or creating a header
- Set the margins about 2.5cm. Set them through the "Page settings" submenu of the "Options" menu.
- Select a commonly used font, such as 12-point Times New Roman. This can be changed from the "Format" toolbar menu, located in the menu bar above the document.
- Select double line spacing through the "Line spacing options" menu.
Step 3. Open the Header menu
The header is not always visible in a blank document, but you have to select the appropriate option from the toolbar. In Microsoft Word the "Header and Footer" options are found under the "View" menu. The header is the space that appears just above the top margin, where the page number or other graphic elements are reported. For the MLA format you will only have to enter text and page number.
Step 4. When it appears on the sheet, click on the Header section
Set the header to appear at the top right, about 1.3 cm from the top of the page and against the right margin. You can select these settings from the "Options" menu that appears when you select the header, or by using the formatting buttons to right align the text.
Step 5. Write your surname, then type a space and leave the cursor there
Step 6. Select the "Insert" menu and then "Page Numbers"
Select the position, format and alignment from the menu.
Some teachers prefer that the number is not indicated on the first page. In the "Page Numbers" menu there should be a selectable option not to have the number appear on the first page
Step 7. Save your header settings by clicking "Enter"
Then move your cursor out of the header space. At this point you should be able to continue with the rest of the document.
Step 8. Save the changes to the document using the "File" menu
Your last name and page number should now appear on every page of the document.
Advice
- To add a page header if you are using a Mac, click on the "View" menu in the toolbar. Select "Show Layout" - you should see a header and footer in the document. Enter your surname and go to the "Insert" menu. Select "Automatic Page Numbers". Click on "Hide Layout" when done.
- If you need to write a number of articles, save the document as an academic article template. Start each new article by opening this document and clicking "Save as" instead of "Save". This will leave the model intact.
- While it is possible to create a page header with Apple's TextEdit, it creates a default header, which does not reflect the MLA format. To print a header in TextEdit, click on "File" and "Show properties", enter your surname as the title. When you are ready to print, click on "File" and then "Print". Look for the "Print header and footer" option in the drop-down menu.
