1 Guidelines for General Formatting Throughout the body of the work, MLA style requires 12-point font and double-spacing. On both sides of the page, margins should be set to one inch. By pressing the "tab" key once, each paragraph of your document is indented five spaces. Use no more than six paragraphs per page. 2 Headings - Title and Subtitle - Should be present on every page. They provide identification where it is needed most - in the text. A title or subtitle can be as short or long as you like; they do not have to be written in any particular typeface or size. However, if you are going to use them to search for articles in academic databases, it is advisable to give them some thought and include some relevant keywords within them. This will help others find your paper later. 3 Text - The main body of the paper should be in a clear, readable font such as Times New Roman or Courier New. Do not use small print or non-standard fonts without first asking yourself if these elements will actually help readers understand the paper's content. Remember that people read at different speeds, so try to keep sentences between 150 and 250 words. 4 Footnotes - These are notes referenced by asterisks (*) placed at the end of sentences or paragraphs. They provide a way for you to cite sources that cannot be included in the main body of the paper.