Creating a cover page for a research paper is an important step in properly formatting your paper according to MLA style guidelines. For students who use Google Docs to write papers, creating an MLA cover page can seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Using Google Docs’ formatting and layout tools makes building an MLA cover page simple.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) provides strict guidelines for formatting research papers and other works cited in the humanities. One key element is including a cover page with specific header information to allow readers to easily identify key details about the paper without flipping through multiple pages. An MLA cover page contains three main elements: the title of the paper, your name, and your instructor or school’s name.
To start, open a new Google Doc and give it a title at the top such as “MLA Cover Page.” Go to File > Page Setup to configure margins, orientation, and size. Select Letter paper size and ensure margins are set to 1 inch on all sides. Go to Insert > Page Break to start a new page for the cover.
The title of your research paper should be centered in the upper half of the page. Type your title in Times New Roman 12 point font. Do not include quotation marks, underlining, or bold formatting. Simply center the text. Skip one double space below the title.
Next, type your name, also centered, in the same formatting as the title. Skip another double space below your name. On the last line, type the name of your instructor or the name of your school, centered. Double check that all three elements are spaced with exactly one blank line between each element and two spaces after punctuation at the end of each line.
To neatly format the lines, select the title, your name, and your instructor/school name text boxes. Go to Format > Align Center and ensure the Lines Spacing option is set to Double. This properly spaces and aligns all three cover page elements according to MLA style.
Once the cover page content is entered and formatted, go to View > Headers and Footers. Select the option to Add Page Numbers > Starts with and enter 1. Then, on the right side footer, type your last name with a space before the inserted page number variable. This will automatically add your last name followed by the page number on the upper right corner of every page. Click Close to save these footer settings.
Now your MLA cover page in Google Docs is complete and ready to use. When typing your paper content, ensure each new page maintains 1 inch margins and the correct font and font size. To easily insert a new cover page if revising or resubmitting your paper, go back to the original MLA cover page file and click File > Make a copy. Rename the copy appropriately and insert it at the start of your updated paper document.
Following MLA guidelines for a research paper cover page allows readers to quickly identify the thesis, author, and context of the written work. Building the cover page in Google Docs takes only a few minutes and ensures your formatting is consistent throughout the paper. Taking the time to create a neatly laid out cover page is an important part of presenting your research in a clear, organized manner. Students can feel confident their MLA style formatting is correct when using this step-by-step Google Docs method for generating their cover page.