MLA 9 guide

The MLA header, in three apps.

Every page of an MLA paper carries your last name and the page number in the top right corner, half an inch from the top: Reyes 3. Here is how to set it up so the number counts up by itself.

Write in MLA now

Free. You can start without signing in.

On this page
  1. What the header holds
  2. Google Docs
  3. Microsoft Word
  4. Apple Pages
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Questions

Updated

What the header holds

  • Your last name, one space, and the page number. Nothing else: no “p.”, no “Page”, no comma.
  • Top right, half an inch from the top edge, lined up with the one-inch right margin.
  • On every page, including page 1 and Works Cited, unless your instructor asks you to leave it off page 1.
  • In the same font and size as the paper. Word processors often set headers in their own default.

Reyes 3

Google Docs

  1. Open Insert, then Page numbers, and choose the option with numbers at the top right of every page.
  2. Click just before the number in the header, type your last name, and press the space bar once.
  3. Select the header text and set the font and size to match the paper.
  4. To check the distance, open Format, then Headers & footers. Header should be 0.5 inches, the Docs default.

Docs on a phone or tablet has Insert, then Page number, with the same choices; the header margin is set on the web.

Microsoft Word

  1. On the Insert tab, choose Page Number, then Top of Page, then Plain Number 3 (the right-aligned one).
  2. With the cursor before the number, type your last name and a space.
  3. Select the header and set the font and size to match the paper (Word often uses its own header style).
  4. On the Header & Footer tab, check that Header from Top is 0.5". Close the header.

On a Mac, the same commands are on the Insert tab of the ribbon, or under the Insert menu: Page Numbers, with Position set to Top of page (Header) and Alignment set to Right.

Apple Pages

  1. Open the Document sidebar (the page icon at the top right) and turn on Header.
  2. Move the pointer to the top of the page and click in the right header field.
  3. Type your last name and a space, then choose Insert, then Page Number.
  4. Set the header’s font and size to match, and in the Document sidebar set the header to 0.5 in from the top.

Common mistakes

  1. Typing the number by hand. Typed numbers do not count up. Use the page number tool.
  2. Your full name in the header. Last name only. Your full name is in the heading on page 1.
  3. A different font in the header. Change it to match the paper.
  4. The header on the left. MLA puts it flush right.

Questions

Does page 1 have a header in MLA?

Yes. MLA puts your last name and the page number on every page, including the first, unless your instructor says otherwise.

How far from the top is the MLA header?

Half an inch, which is the default header distance in Google Docs and Word.

What if two writers share the paper?

Ask your instructor. Common choices are both last names or the page number alone.