MLA 8th Style Guide: How should I start?

Step 1 – Set up the paper’s format for an MLA paper before you start to write. Word can help set your paper up in the MLA format. To do this:

1. Click “File”
2. Click “New”
3. Type “MLA” in the Office.com templates search box and hit Enter.

Step 2 – Before you begin to write the essay, make a list of all the sources you have found through research that you will use in the essay. This page is called the Works Cited page. See the link below to view an example works cited page.

Step 3 – Write a rough draft of the essay and mark where you used information (ideas, quotations, or paraphrasing) from a source. This is called in-text citation. See examples on the next page.