Real-World Examples of MLA Formatting for Research Papers

Before we get into rules, let’s start with what you actually want to see: what a real MLA paper looks like on the page.

Imagine a student paper for an 11th-grade English class. The first page (no separate title page) might look like this:

Jordan Lee
Ms. Ramirez
English 11
14 March 2025

The Power of Setting in The Great Gatsby

The text starts on the next line, double-spaced, with the whole paper in 12-point Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, and a header in the top-right corner that reads:

Lee 1

That tiny snapshot already gives you several examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers: the student information block, the centered title, the running header, and the double-spacing.

Example of an MLA-formatted first page

Let’s build a clean example of an MLA first page step by step. This is one of the best examples to copy when you’re setting up your own document.

Here’s what the top of the first page might look like in plain text:

Alex Martinez
Professor Nguyen
English Composition 102
3 February 2025

Social Media, Sleep, and Student Performance

Then your first paragraph starts directly under the title, left-aligned and indented:

Recent studies suggest that heavy social media use is associated with shorter sleep duration among teenagers (Wheaton et al. 142). For college students, the pattern appears similar, with late-night scrolling often pushing bedtimes well past midnight.

In this example of an MLA page:

• The student information is left-aligned, double-spaced.
• The title is centered, not bolded, not underlined, and in title case.
• The first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch.
• The whole page uses 1-inch margins and a readable font like Times New Roman 12.

For official guidance, you can compare your layout with the MLA Style Center sample papers from the Modern Language Association.

Header and page numbers: small details, big MLA impact

One of the most common examples of MLA formatting mistakes is forgetting the running header.

In MLA style, every page of your research paper (including the Works Cited page) has a header in the top-right corner:

LastName pageNumber

So if your name is Alex Martinez, your pages should look like:

Martinez 1
Martinez 2
Martinez 3

This header appears half an inch from the top and is aligned with the right margin. You don’t add extra words like “Page” or “Pg.” Just the last name and the number.

These tiny details may seem picky, but they’re some of the best examples of MLA formatting that teachers look for when grading.

Real examples of MLA in-text citations

In-text citations are where students usually get nervous, so let’s look at several real examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers when you quote, paraphrase, or summarize.

Example of MLA citation with an author and page number

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, short sleep duration is linked to a higher risk of obesity and depression in adolescents (Wheaton et al. 140).

Here’s what’s happening:

• The citation is in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
• It includes the author’s last name and page number with no comma.
• The period comes after the closing parenthesis.

The source might be listed on the Works Cited page like this (for a journal article):

Wheaton, Anne G., et al. “Short Sleep Duration Among Middle School and High School Students—United States, 2015.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 67, no. 3, 2018, pp. 131–137, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.

You can find real health-related research articles to practice with on CDC.gov or NIH.gov, then try writing your own MLA citations from them.

Example of MLA citation with author mentioned in the sentence

Wheaton and colleagues report that students who sleep less than eight hours per night show higher rates of daytime sleepiness (135).

Because the authors’ names appear in the sentence, the parenthetical citation only needs the page number.

Example of MLA citation for a source with no page numbers

Online articles often don’t have page numbers. In MLA, you simply leave the page number out:

Many universities now provide sleep hygiene education through student wellness centers (Harvard University Health Services).

On the Works Cited page, you’d give the full details of the web page, including the organization as the author, the title, date, and URL. You can practice this using a page from Harvard University’s resources or another .edu site.

Example of MLA citation for a source with no author

If no individual author is listed, MLA uses the title (or a shortened version of it):

College students who average fewer than six hours of sleep per night are more likely to report poor mental health ("Sleep and Mental Health").

On the Works Cited page, the entry would begin with the title “Sleep and Mental Health” instead of an author name.

These are all real-world examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers that you’ll use constantly, whether you’re writing about literature, psychology, or public health.

Examples of MLA headings and subheadings in a research paper

MLA doesn’t always require section headings, but they can make longer research papers easier to navigate. Here’s an example of how headings might look in a 10-page paper on social media and sleep:

Social Media, Sleep, and Student Performance

Effects of Screen Time on Sleep Cycles
Late-Night Scrolling and Academic Outcomes
Strategies for Healthier Technology Use

In MLA style:

• Headings are usually left-aligned.
• They use the same font and size as the rest of the paper.
• You can use title case (capitalize major words).

If you use multiple levels of headings, keep your formatting consistent. For example, main sections might be bold, and sub-sections might be italic, but you’d apply that pattern the same way throughout.

Examples of MLA Works Cited entries for common sources

The Works Cited page is where many students lose points, so let’s look at clear examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers when it comes to different source types.

Example of a book in MLA Works Cited

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015.

In the paper, an in-text citation might look like:

Coates argues that the American Dream is built on the exploitation of Black bodies (11).

Example of a journal article from a database

Wheaton, Anne G., et al. “Short Sleep Duration Among Middle School and High School Students—United States, 2015.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 67, no. 3, 2018, pp. 131–137. CDC Stacks, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/508712.

In-text:

Short sleep duration is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including lower academic performance (Wheaton et al. 133).

Example of a web page from an organization

“Healthy Sleep Habits.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency.

In-text:

The National Institutes of Health recommends maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends ("Healthy Sleep Habits").

Example of an online article from a news site

Richtel, Matt. “Why We Sleep on It: The Science of Decision-Making.” The New York Times, 5 May 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/.

In-text:

Sleep appears to support complex decision-making and emotional regulation (Richtel).

These examples include current years (2024–2025) and real types of sources you’re likely to use in modern research papers.

Putting it together: a mini MLA research paragraph with citations

To see how all of this flows in a real paragraph, here’s a short example of MLA formatting examples for research papers on sleep and academic performance:

Recent research suggests that many high school and college students are not getting the recommended amount of sleep each night. In a national survey of U.S. adolescents, Wheaton et al. found that most middle and high school students reported fewer than eight hours of sleep on school nights (132). The National Institutes of Health warns that chronic sleep deprivation can affect mood, memory, and the ability to learn new information ("Healthy Sleep Habits"). For college students, screen time and social media use often contribute to late bedtimes and irregular sleep schedules (Richtel). When students attempt to study while sleep-deprived, they may feel as if they are putting in effort, but their brains are less able to consolidate information effectively (Wheaton et al. 135).

This short passage shows multiple examples of MLA formatting: signal phrases, parenthetical citations, shortened titles, and matching Works Cited entries.

2024–2025 trends that affect MLA formatting examples

A few recent trends are changing the kinds of examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers that teachers now use in class:

• More online sources: With more research articles and books available digitally, you’ll see more MLA examples that include DOIs, stable URLs, and access dates when needed.
• AI and citation tools: Many students now use citation generators. These can be helpful, but you still need to check the output against official MLA guidelines, such as those at the MLA Style Center.
• Multimodal sources: Teachers are assigning podcasts, videos, and online lectures more often, which means modern MLA examples include time stamps instead of page numbers.

When you look for the best examples of MLA formatting for your own research papers, try to find ones updated for the 9th edition of the MLA Handbook, which reflects current digital research habits.

FAQ: Common questions about MLA formatting examples

What are some good examples of MLA formatting for the first page of a research paper?

A strong example of an MLA first page includes your name, your instructor’s name, the course, and the date (in day-month-year format) in the top-left corner, all double-spaced. The title is centered on the next line, with the text beginning directly below it. A header with your last name and page number appears in the top-right corner of every page.

Where can I find reliable examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers?

Your best bet is the official MLA Style Center sample papers. Many university writing centers, such as Purdue OWL and large public universities, also provide updated sample MLA papers. When in doubt, look for .edu sites, which usually follow current MLA guidelines.

Can you give an example of an MLA in-text citation for a website with no author?

Yes. Let’s say you’re using a page titled “Healthy Sleep Habits” from a government site with no named author. In-text, you might write:

Consistent sleep schedules help regulate the body’s internal clock ("Healthy Sleep Habits").

On the Works Cited page, the entry would begin with the title “Healthy Sleep Habits” and then list the organization, date, and URL.

Do MLA formatting examples change for science or health research papers?

The basic MLA rules stay the same, but the sources change. In a health or science paper, your Works Cited list might feature more journal articles from sites like NIH.gov or CDC.gov, and your in-text citations might rely heavily on multiple authors and et al. The format itself—author, title, container, publisher, date, location—still follows MLA rules.

Is there an example of MLA formatting that shows how to cite a PDF from a database?

Yes. A typical example would look like this in the Works Cited:

Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal, vol. xx, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. Name of Database, URL or DOI.

In-text, you’d still use the author’s last name and page number, just as you would for a print article.

If you keep a few strong examples of MLA formatting examples for research papers open while you write—especially one sample paper and one list of Works Cited entries—you’ll find that the style starts to feel less like a maze of rules and more like a familiar pattern you can follow every time.