The MLA heading, line by line.

The four lines

Start one inch from the top of page 1, at the left margin, in the same font and size as the paper. Each line is double-spaced, with nothing extra between them:

Line 1

Your full name, as your instructor knows it.

Line 2

Your instructor’s name, the way they prefer it: Professor Okafor, Dr. Okafor.

Line 3

The course name or number: ENGL 101.

Line 4

The date, day month year with the month spelled out: 2 November 2026.

The heading is different from the header, the last name and page number at the top right of every page. The heading appears once, on page 1. See MLA header and page numbers.

The title under it

On the line after the date, center the title. Use title case: capitalize the first and last words and every major word, and leave articles, short prepositions and coordinating conjunctions lowercase in the middle (a, of, and, in). Do not bold, italicize, underline, enlarge or quote it.

A title that names another work styles that title as usual: Beloved in italics, “The Raven” in quotation marks. The first paragraph starts on the next line, indented half an inch. No blank lines above or below the title.

Group projects and other cases

• Group project: list every writer’s name on its own line, then the instructor, course and date (MLA Style Center). The header can say the group’s last names or just the page number; ask your instructor.
• Your instructor wants a title page: follow their layout, and ask whether page 1 should still carry the heading. See MLA title page.
• Month first: some instructors accept November 2, 2026. MLA writes day month year; whichever you use, keep it the same in Works Cited.

Common mistakes

1. Single spacing. The heading is double-spaced like the rest of the paper.
2. A heading in the header area. The four lines go in the body of page 1, not in the page header that repeats on every page.
3. Extra blank lines. Word and Google Docs add space after paragraphs by default; set it to 0 so the heading, title and first paragraph sit evenly. See double spacing.
4. A styled title. Plain text, centered, title case.

Questions