MLA 9 guide

Section headings in an MLA paper.

MLA papers usually run without headings. A long research paper can use them to mark sections, and MLA asks only that they are short, consistent and in title case. This is different from the MLA heading, the four lines at the top of page 1.

Write in MLA now

Free. You can start without signing in.

On this page
  1. Heading or headings?
  2. The rules
  3. Numbered headings
  4. Setting them in Google Docs or Word
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Questions

Updated

Heading or headings?

  • The MLA headingYour name, instructor, course and date at the top left of page 1. Every MLA paper has it. See MLA heading.
  • Section headingsShort titles over the parts of a longer paper, such as Methods or Early Reviews. Optional; most short essays do without them.

The rules

  • Title case, like the paper’s title: capitalize the major words.
  • No period at the end.
  • The same style for every heading at the same level, all through the paper.
  • Double-spaced like the text, with no extra space above or below.
  • Short: a word or a phrase, not a sentence.

MLA does not fix one design. The MLA Handbook suggests distinguishing levels by type, and Purdue OWL’s MLA guide gives this order:

Level 1: Bold, Flush Left

Level 2: Italic, Flush Left

Level 3: Bold, Centered

Level 4: Italic, Centered

Level 5: Underlined, Flush Left

Most papers need one level. Use a second only when a section really divides into parts, and never a level on its own: a section with one subsection does not need it.

Numbered headings

Headings may be numbered: an arabic numeral and a period, then the heading. Number every heading at that level, or none.

1. Early Reviews

2. The Film Adaptation

3. Reading the Novel Now

Setting them in Google Docs or Word

  1. Type the heading on its own line.
  2. Apply Heading 1 from the styles menu (Google Docs: the menu that says Normal text; Word: the Styles group on the Home tab), so the outline and any table of contents pick it up.
  3. Change that style to match the paper: same font and size as the text, black, bold, no extra space before or after. In Google Docs choose Update Heading 1 to match; in Word right-click the style and choose Update Heading 1 to Match Selection.

The built-in heading styles are larger, colored and spaced out. Left as they are, they break the double spacing MLA asks for.

Common mistakes

  1. Headings in a three-page essay. Short papers rarely need them; ask before adding them.
  2. An “Introduction” heading on page 1. The title already opens the paper.
  3. Mixed styles at one level. If one Level 1 heading is bold, all of them are.
  4. Word’s default heading look. Blue, larger type with extra space is not MLA. Restyle the heading to match the text.

Questions

Does MLA require headings?

No. They are optional, and most essays do without them. Use them in long papers when your instructor allows it.

Are MLA headings bold?

MLA does not require bold. The Handbook’s suggested first level is bold and flush left; any consistent style is acceptable.

Is “Works Cited” a heading?

It is the title of its own page, centered at the top, not a section heading in the paper.