MLA 9 Works Cited Page Format With Hanging Indent Examples
An MLA 9 Works Cited page begins on a new page at the end of your essay. Put the words Works Cited centered at the top without bold or italics, then list the cited sources in alphabetical order. Double-space everything, align each entry's first line to the left margin, and indent every wrapped line by 0.5 inch (1.27 cm).
Those are the page-formatting basics. Getting the sources themselves right also matters: books, journal articles, webpages and videos have different pieces of bibliographic information. This guide explains both parts and shows how to set up the final page in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, using the Purdue Online Writing Lab's MLA 9 Works Cited instructions as a detailed reference.
MLA 9 Works Cited Formatting Rules
| Feature | Correct MLA 9 format | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Position | New page after the essay | Putting the citations below the last paragraph |
| Page title | Works Cited centered, normal font weight | Bold, italics or quotation marks around heading |
| Page margins | Usually 1 inch all around | Extra-wide citation margins |
| Header | Continue surname and page number at top right unless instructor directs otherwise | Restarting pagination |
| Entries | First line at left margin | Centering each source |
| Hanging indent | 0.5 inch for second and subsequent lines | Indenting the first line instead |
| Spacing | Double-spaced throughout, no added empty lines between entries | Separate giant gaps between citations |
| Order | Alphabetical by author or title if no author | Sorting sources by date or first appearance |
| Entry content | Appropriate MLA core elements and containers | Reusing APA's author–date reference format |
The heading itself should not be bold. This is an easy but important contrast with APA, where the word References is typically bold. MLA's heading is centered, while the actual bibliographic paragraphs remain left-aligned. The running surname/page-number header continues the same sequence from the paper.
MLA Works Cited Example: What the Final Page Contains
A Works Cited page normally includes only works that are quoted, paraphrased or otherwise cited in your essay. Suppose a student uses a fictional book, a fictional academic article and a fictional website. The following example illustrates formatting only: the names, publications and web address are invented and are not research sources.
Works Cited (center in your editor; use normal—not bold—font weight)
Bennett, Olivia. Reading Cities in the Digital Age. Northbridge Press, 2022.
Hassan, Mira, and Daniel Cole. “Stories and Public Memory.” Journal of Cultural Reading, vol. 12, no. 2, 2023, pp. 41–59.
“Library Access for Students.” Example Education Resource, 15 Aug. 2024, example.org/library-access.
These sample entries are alphabetized by Bennett, Hassan and the significant first word Library. Their construction demonstrates MLA's different treatments of book titles (italic), article/page titles (quotation marks) and larger containing publications (italic).
Important layout limitation: Markdown lines do not accurately display double spacing or a physical half-inch hanging indent. In your word processor, remove the extra blank lines shown for easy reading here, enable actual double-line spacing, and use the proper hanging-indent control on the complete reference paragraphs.
How a hanging indent changes a wrapped citation
A hanging indent applies to a single reference paragraph. The first line remains flush with the left margin and later lines move right.
Left margin
|
| Bennett, Olivia. Reading Cities in the Digital Age:
| Research and Learning. Northbridge Press, 2022.
|
This diagram uses spaces merely to show the direction of the indent; it is not a print-accurate half-inch measurement. In the real document, your editor handles wrapping automatically. If you add three words to the book title, the indent should still work without manual repair.
How to Make an MLA Works Cited Page in Google Docs
Google Docs allows you to format all references together instead of manually positioning each line.
- Place the cursor after the essay's final text and insert a page break.
- Type Works Cited and center the heading; do not apply bold or italics.
- On the next line, type the complete citation entries in alphabetical order, with each entry as one paragraph.
- Select only the citation paragraphs, not the heading.
- Navigate to Format → Align & indent → Indentation options.
- Under Special indent, choose Hanging and set 0.5 inch or the equivalent 1.27 cm.
- Apply double line spacing to the heading and entries, and remove extra paragraph-before/after spacing.
- Check the page preview, particularly one source that wraps to multiple lines.
Depending on your version and language, Google may slightly change where those controls appear. If you are using Pageless mode, switch to a paginated document so the new-page requirement and surname/page-number header can be checked properly. The hanging-indent behavior itself is the essential part of the step.
Why the Tab key does not solve it
Pressing Tab at the start of a citation indents the first line, which is the opposite of the required hanging indent. Pressing Tab on every wrapped line is also unreliable because the lines change when you edit. Format the paragraph instead and let the program indent later lines automatically.
How to Set a Hanging Indent in Microsoft Word
In Microsoft Word, use the paragraph dialog rather than a row of spaces:
- Select the bibliographic entries; leave the Works Cited heading out of the selection.
- Open Home → Paragraph settings or the equivalent Paragraph dialog on your version of Word.
- Find Indentation → Special, then choose Hanging.
- Set By: 0.5 inch (1.27 cm).
- Use double line spacing and make sure paragraph spacing after each reference is not creating extra blank space.
- Check the top-right running header and the continuation of page numbers.
The position of controls can differ on Word for Mac and Word for Windows. Microsoft's official hanging-indent instructions show the feature across supported versions.
If the heading appears off-center after you format the entries, it may have been included in the hanging-indent selection. Re-select the title by itself, set its alignment to center and restore its regular paragraph indentation.
How to Put MLA Works Cited Entries in Alphabetical Order
Most sources start with a personal author's surname. Alphabetize those by the first author's last name, not by first name, publication date or the order the sources appear in your essay.
When no author is supplied, the entry usually begins with the title. Put that title in the same alphabetical sequence, ignoring leading articles such as A, An and The when determining the position.
For example, an unattributed webpage called The Future of University Libraries would be sorted under F, not under T. A book by Patel goes under P. A work by Chen comes before both.
What if I cite two works by the same author?
MLA has a special rule for repeated author names. When appropriate, entries for the same author may be ordered by title, with three hyphens (---) replacing the author name in subsequent entries. Don't use the three hyphens casually if the coauthor combinations differ; refer to the Purdue MLA Works Cited guide for the full pattern.
Does “Work Cited” work for just one entry?
Yes. Some MLA 9 university guidance permits Work Cited as the singular heading when the paper cites only one source. For a normal multi-source essay, use Works Cited. If an instructor provides a specific institutional template, follow that assignment's directions.
Understanding the MLA 9 Core-Element System
MLA 9 is built around a flexible core-elements template and the idea of a container—a larger work that holds a smaller one. A journal contains an article; a website contains a specific page; an edited book may contain a chapter.
The potential elements are author, title of source, title of container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, publication date and location. A particular source may not need all nine. In addition, a source may be inside more than one container, such as an article found through a database.
| Source type | A key detail to recognize | Typical title treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Entire book | The whole book is the cited source | Book title in italics |
| Journal article | The journal is the container | “Article Title” in quotation marks; Journal Name italic |
| Website article | The site is the container | “Page Title” in quotation marks; Website Name italic |
| Chapter in an edited book | Book holds the chapter | “Chapter Title” in quotation marks; Book Title italic |
| Video on a hosting platform | Identify actual creator and containing platform | Title treatment depends on how work is identified |
MLA-style entry punctuation differs from APA references. For example, MLA often places the article title in quotation marks, writes full author given names when available, and includes vol., no. and pp. labels. Avoid copying an APA journal citation unchanged into an MLA bibliography.
How to Connect In-Text Citations to Works Cited
The Works Cited page isn't an unrelated reading list. Its purpose is to let someone follow the reference from an in-text citation to the complete record.
Suppose you write a hypothetical MLA citation (Bennett 27) in the body. The reader should find the entry beginning Bennett, Olivia on the Works Cited page. The number 27 is the actual cited page, not the year of publication. In MLA, the publication year generally is not included in ordinary author–page in-text citations.
For an online source with no page numbers, do not invent a page number to make the citation look more formal. Use the appropriate author or shortened-title format instead. A useful final check is to compare the first element of every in-text citation against its matching Works Cited entry.
Common MLA Works Cited Errors and Quick Fixes
| Problem | Explanation | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Heading is bold or italic | APA-style or decorative formatting carried over | Use plain centered Works Cited text (not bold in the document) |
| First line is indented | First-line indent chosen instead of hanging | Use Special → Hanging: 0.5 inch |
| Every line is flush left | No hanging-indent control | Select entries and apply hanging indent |
| Extra blank line between entries | Paragraph spacing or manual Enter | Double space, remove extra paragraph spacing |
Entries numbered [1], [2] | IEEE pattern mixed into MLA | Remove numbers; alphabetize |
| Titles all italicized | Containers and small works confused | Italicize books/journals; use quotation marks for article/page titles |
| Author name missing in Works Cited | Entry inconsistent with text | Confirm actual authorship and match citation to entry |
| Website citation has a fake page number | A screen position was treated as pagination | Omit an unavailable page locator |
Unlike an annotated bibliography, a Works Cited page does not usually include an explanatory paragraph after each source. If your assignment asks for annotations, use the MLA-specific annotated bibliography instructions rather than assuming the standard reference-list layout is sufficient.
A Final Checklist Before You Submit
Review the final page in Print Preview or an exported PDF. Make sure it begins on a separate page, has the correct centered heading in plain type, continues the running page number, and keeps all references double-spaced. Verify half-inch hanging indents on every entry that wraps over multiple lines and check alphabetical sorting. Finally, compare your in-text citations with the Works Cited page one by one.
Checking the exported version matters because a very long URL or a change in fonts can cause unexpected wrapping. An actual paragraph hanging indent will survive those changes far better than a manually spaced citation.
Conclusion
MLA 9 Works Cited formatting is easier when you separate page layout from bibliographic accuracy. First build the right page: plain centered heading, continued header, double spacing, alphabetization and half-inch hanging indents. Then check whether each book, webpage or article contains the correct MLA source elements and whether it matches an in-text citation. Using your editor's formatting controls—not tabs or spaces—will make the last page look consistent even after several rounds of revision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the MLA Works Cited heading bold in 9th edition?
No. Center Works Cited at the top of the new page in ordinary text, without bold, italics, quotation marks or underlining. The entries below should be aligned to the left margin. APA's bold References heading is a different style rule.
Does MLA require a hanging indent for every Works Cited entry?
Yes. Set each entry to a half-inch hanging-indent paragraph. You will see the indent only when a citation wraps to a second or later line; a short one-line reference has no visible second-line indentation. Format the entire reference list together so all entries behave consistently.
Should I double-space between MLA Works Cited entries?
Double-space the whole list, including within entries and between them. Do not add a separate extra blank line between entries under the standard Purdue OWL and commonly taught MLA formatting conventions. If your institution provides a conflicting template, clarify which local requirements apply.
Does MLA 9 Works Cited have to start on a new page?
Yes. Place it after the body text on a separate page with the same paper margin and running header conventions. Page numbers should continue rather than restart at one. A page break is more reliable than repeatedly pressing Enter until the next page appears.
How do I alphabetize a Works Cited entry with no author?
Use the work's title as the initial element and alphabetize by its first significant word, ignoring leading A, An or The. In the essay's in-text citation, you normally use a shortened version of the same title so the reader can locate the entry unambiguously.