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MLA headings & header

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Headings

Headings help you to design, arrange, and classify your content. However, do not use too many headings for your paper, as the headings may, sometimes, distract the readers. In particular, do not use headings for works that are very short or of essay type. If you use headings, ensure that you have a clear idea and content to present under the headings. Double-check that you have relevant concepts and sufficient content before creating a heading. Below are rules to format different levels of headings according to MLA style.

Heading levels

Headings in your project should be styled consistently. They should be styled according to the descending order of prominence. Prominence is decided by the formatting and size you assign to different levels of headings. In general, three levels of headings are allowed in MLA style.

First-level heading

Each top-level heading in a work is treated as a first-level heading. Any subordinate under a first-level heading should be styled as a second-level heading.

Capitalization: Title case

Formatting: Bold

Alignment: Left

Example:

Creativity Is Domain Specific

Second-level heading

Any heading you provide as a sublevel to a first-level heading is a second-level heading. You can add one or more sublevels to a first-level heading. Avoid using a third-level heading directly under a first-level heading.

Capitalization: Title case

Formatting: No formatting

Alignment: Left

Example:

Beyond the Individual

Third-level heading

A third-level heading appears after a second-level heading. You can add one or more sublevels to a second-level heading.

Capitalization: Title case

Formatting: Italics

Alignment: Left

Example:

Community Study

General rules for creating headings

Headings of the same level should be styled similarly.

Avoid headings in all capitals.

Keep your headings short.

There should not be only one instance of any level. For example, there should not be just one first-level heading. There should be a minimum of two first-level headings.

Leave a line space both above and below a heading.

Do not use any label (i.e., numbers or letters) to number your headings.

Do not center the heading to the left-right margin.

Example paper outline with headings

Overview

Understanding forage quality

Influence of Forage Quality on Livestock Productivity

Diversity in Forage Resources of the Himalayan Region

Insight of livestock production and productivity

Livestock Development

Cattle

Poultry

Production Strategies

Growing More Crops

Increasing Animal Feed

Indian perspective

Himalayan perspective

Conclusion

Header

There is no specific style in MLA style to format a header; however, you can follow the below guidelines.

Page margins

Top, bottom, left, and right margins are set at 1 inch.

Font

Use a font that is clear to read. MLA recommends using Times New Roman font. You can use font size 12 for clarity.

Line space

Double-space the components present in the header.

Components of a header

The following components are included in the header. The components should follow the order mentioned below:

Your name

Names of your co-authors (add each author’s name on a separate line)

Name of your Instructor

Your course name and its number

Date of submission

Title of your work

Add blank lines before you write your title. Center the title and write it in title case.

Example title page

Kevin Kellog

Professor King Butcher

Psychology 124

24 September 2021

Developing Creativity in Children


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