Creating an MLA title folio

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Published October 26, 2020. Updated December 28, 2021.

If you are writing a research paper in MLA style 9th edition for a class, then y'all may demand to include an MLA format title folio. An MLA title page is the cover of your paper, and they aren't always required. And then, how practise you make a title folio that adheres to the MLA formatting guidelines, and how do you know when y'all need ane?

This page contains all the data you lot demand to know to make the perfect MLA title page, so that you can prove that y'all are an expert researcher and become the best possible course.

Here's a run-through of everything this page includes:

  • Title page vs. MLA heading on first folio
  • Title folio / Cover folio
  • First page: MLA heading (no championship folio)
  • Troubleshooting

Title folio vs. MLA heading on first folio

The electric current edition of the Modern Language Association (MLA) handbook does non require a championship page, but your teacher, professor, or other reader may crave one. In this case, you lot will need to know the differences between a title folio and an MLA heading, and which one to use depending on your reader'southward preferences.

Title page

A title folio, or a cover page, is a single page that comes before your paper. Information technology introduces your paper and apace shows a reader the following data about your paper:

  • title
  • author name (your proper name, since you wrote the newspaper)
  • date
  • grade data (if applicable)

Information technology does not include any of the research paper itself.

First page with MLA heading

MLA format recommends calculation an MLA heading to the first folio of your paper. This contains the aforementioned information as a title page, but the information is formatted differently and is on the aforementioned page on which your actual research paper begins.

Unless otherwise specified by your instructor or instructor, this should be how you format your first page.

Overview

MLA championship folio

MLA heading on the start page
  • No official guidelines
  • Shows the paper'south title, writer name, and course information (if applicative)
  • The start page just shows the information listed in a higher place.
  • Recommended by the MLA
  • Shows the paper'south title, author name, and form data (if applicable)
  • The main text of the newspaper comes direct later on the MLA heading and is included on the first page.

Title page / Embrace page

Before you lot offset typing your MLA research paper title page, yous will demand to gather some information.

What y'all will demand

If you lot are creating an MLA heading on the first folio of your essay instead of a championship page, you will need most of the same information, simply you will format it differently.

To create a title page, y'all need to include:

  • The name of your high school, college, or university (if applicable)
  • The title of your paper
  • The subtitle of your newspaper (if you lot have one)
  • Your first and last proper noun
  • Your instructor or professor'southward name (if applicable)
  • The class name or course number (if applicable)
  • The date the paper is due (in "day month year" format)

Formatting guidelines

Follow these formatting guidelines when typing your MLA title page:

  • Double-spaced
  • Centered
  • Times New Roman font
  • Size 12 font
  • The commencement letter of each word should be capitalized, with the exception of very short words such as the, and, of, or, a, an, for, in, etc.  However, the first discussion should e'er be capitalized.
  • Do not include a page number heading on your title folio

Footstep-by-step instructions

Here are the steps you lot need to take to create the perfect MLA title page:

  1. At the top of the page, type the name of your high school, college, or university (if applicative).
  2. Skip downwardly approximately one-3rd of the folio and blazon the title of your research paper using title case.
  3. If you take a subtitle, type it on the line post-obit the paper title.
  4. Skip downward to the bottom 3rd of the page and blazon your first and concluding name.
  5. On the post-obit line, blazon the course proper name and number (if applicable).
  6. On the post-obit line, type your instructor's name (if applicable).
  7. On the following and final line, type the due appointment of your paper in "day calendar month year" format.

MLA title page example

Starting time folio: MLA heading (no title page)

Although it'southward important to know how to create an MLA essay title page in case your instructor requires it, in most cases you will use an MLA heading on the starting time page of your paper instead.

Retrieve, you should only create a title page if your teacher requests it.

Otherwise, utilise these guidelines to create an MLA heading. If you create a title page, then yous ordinarily won't demand an MLA heading on your offset page, merely you should ask your instructor for their specific requirements.

What you volition need

To create an MLA heading on your starting time page, yous will need to include some of the same information yous would use for a championship folio, including:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your teacher or professor'southward proper noun (if applicable)
  • The class name or form number (if applicable)
  • The date the newspaper is due (in "mean solar day month yr" format)

Formatting guidelines

  • Double-spaced
  • Left-justified text for MLA header
  • Centered text for title
  • Right-justified text for page number header
  • Times New Roman font
  • Size 12 font

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In the elevation left corner of the starting time page of your essay, type your first and last proper name.
  2. On the following line, type your instructor's name (if applicable).
  3. On the post-obit line, type the form name and number (if applicable).
  4. On the post-obit line, type the due date of your newspaper in "24-hour interval month year" format.
  5. On the following line, switch from left-justified text to centered text and type the championship (and the subtitle on the same line, if you have i) of your paper in title example. Do not italicize, underline, or identify your essay title in quotation marks. Do not utilize quotation marks unless y'all are referring to other works in your title and need to enclose the referenced works in quotation marks.
  6. Your inquiry paper should begin on the following double-spaced line.
  7. Create a right-justified text header i-half inch from the pinnacle of your paper that includes your last name and the folio number.
  8. All pages of your newspaper should be numbered with your last proper noun and the numerical folio number. The page including your MLA header, title, and the beginning of your essay is page one (1).
  9. Your teacher may specify not to include a last name and page number header on your outset page. Always follow your teacher'due south guidelines.

MLA heading first page example

Troubleshooting

Solution #1: What should I do if my paper is a group project?

If you have written a collaborative paper with multiple authors, list each author on your MLA title page or in your MLA heading in alphabetical lodge, with line breaks between each.

If your paper has multiple authors, omit the name from your page numbers in the upper-right corner of your MLA-format paper.

Instance MLA heading for a group paper:

Group-paper-MLA-heading-example

Example MLA title page for a group paper:

Group-paper-MLA-title-page-example

Solution #ii: What should I do if my paper isn't for a specific class?

If your paper is a thesis project for your degree, for example, or not for a specific class, you can omit that information from your MLA title page or MLA header.

Solution #iii: Does my paper need a subtitle if I utilize a total MLA title page?

While an MLA title page allows for a subtitle beneath the championship of your paper, it is Not required to have a subtitle or make one up for your MLA title page.

If you lot didn't intend to have a subtitle for your newspaper, there is no need to add a subtitle. Just exit that area of your MLA title page blank.

Solution #iv: Will my MLA title page be part of my final folio count?

A title folio is not typically included in a newspaper'due south final word count. Bank check with the teacher or professor assigning the paper to be sure, but it is highly unlikely a title folio volition count every bit a full page of your final paper.

Published October 25, 2020. Updated June 4, 2021

Written by Grace Turney, freelance writer and artist. Grace is a former librarian and has a Master's degree in Library Science and Information Technology.

MLA Formatting Guide

What is an MLA championship page?

The title page in MLA fashion gives bones information such as the name, the instructor'southward name, the course name and number, the title of the paper, and the submission date. MLA style does non recommend using a title page unless specifically requested past your instructor; instead, it suggests creating a header.

The deviation between a title page and a header in MLA fashion is that a title page appears every bit a folio on its own before the principal paper copy. A header, on the other hand, appears on the same folio where paper copy begins.

Include the following elements on a title page. Follow the society as given below.

The university name

The title and subtitle of the paper

Your name

The course proper noun and number

The instructor's name

The submission/due date

If yous are not required to create a championship page, and only need a header, the following elements should exist included in the header, in the lodge as listed:

Your proper noun

The teacher's proper noun

The course name and number

The submission/due date

How do I format a MLA title page?

While MLA does non generally recommend the use of a championship page, some courses or professors may require it. The title folio should include the university name, title of the paper, your name, the instructor's name, the class name, and the submission or due appointment.

Formatting title page

MLA style does not have any specific guidelines for formatting a title folio. Notwithstanding, yous can employ the below suggestions to format your title page if you are required to create one for your paper.

Page margins

All margins (peak, lesser, left, and right) should exist set up at 1 inch.

Font

The font should exist clear and piece of cake to read. A adept option is Times New Roman font in size 12 pt.

Line space

Text on the title folio should be double-spaced.

Elements of a title page

Include the post-obit elements on the title page. Follow the order as given below.

The university name

The title and subtitle of the paper

Your name

The class name and number

The teacher's proper noun

The submission/due date

Add a few blank lines before and after the title of the piece of work. The championship should be in title example and centered.

Starting time on the title page, the newspaper should also include a running head. The running head includes the your last proper name and the page number. This should be placed in the "header" area of the paper and then that information technology is present on each folio. Use the folio number characteristic in your word processor so that the page number is generated automatically.

Example title page

Gopi i

Chegg University

Human relationship Betwixt Students and Their Teachers

Ishithaa Gopi

Psychology 127

Professor John Smith

21 September 2021