Clear, Real-World Examples of 3 Examples of MLA Formatting Example

Three Core Examples of MLA Formatting You’ll Actually Use

Let’s start with what you probably came here for: clear, practical examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example that match what teachers assign in 2024–2025. When people ask for the best examples of MLA format, they’re usually looking for three things:

• A sample MLA student paper
• A sample Works Cited page
• A sample of in-text citations inside real paragraphs

So those are the three big examples we’ll walk through, with extra mini-examples tucked inside each one.

Example 1: MLA-Formatted Student Paper (Heading, Title, and First Page)

When students search for examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example, the first thing they usually want to see is what the first page should look like.

Here’s a realistic example of an MLA first page for a college literature class. I’ll describe it in words so you can recreate it in any word processor:

• Font: Times New Roman, 12-point
• Line spacing: Double throughout (no extra space before/after paragraphs)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Alignment: Left-aligned text, with the first line of each paragraph indented half an inch
• Header: Your last name and page number in the upper-right corner, half an inch from the top

Now imagine the top left of the first page:

Jordan Lee
Professor Ramirez
ENG 102
15 February 2025

Then, centered on the next double-spaced line:

The Power of Silence in The Great Gatsby

Then, on the next line, left-aligned again, you start your introduction paragraph, indented half an inch.

This is one of the simplest but most common examples of MLA formatting you’ll use. The heading (your name, instructor, course, date) is a classic detail professors look for. If you want a visual model, the Modern Language Association itself provides current sample papers here:

• MLA Sample Papers: https://style.mla.org/sample-papers/

Those are some of the best examples to compare your work against, especially if you’re worried about spacing and headers.

Example 2: In-Text Citations in Real Sentences

The second of our three main examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example focuses on in-text citations—the quick parenthetical notes you drop into your sentences.

MLA in-text citations usually follow this pattern:

(Author’s Last Name page number)

No comma between the name and the page. Here are several real examples in context.

Example of a basic book citation in a paragraph

Fitzgerald’s narrator often uses silence to heighten emotional tension, especially in scenes between Gatsby and Daisy (Fitzgerald 48).

Here, Fitzgerald is the author’s last name, and 48 is the page number.

Example of using the author’s name in the sentence

If you mention the author in the sentence itself, you only need the page number in parentheses:

As Fitzgerald suggests, silence can say more than spoken dialogue when characters are hiding their true feelings (48).

Example of two authors

Some researchers argue that silence in dialogue forces readers to participate more actively in interpreting the scene (Clark and Nguyen 112).

Example of three or more authors

Readers often infer emotional subtext from what characters do not say (Miller et al. 76).

Example of a source with no page numbers (like many websites)

MLA 9th edition allows you to leave out page numbers when a source has none:

Recent guidance on academic integrity emphasizes citing all borrowed ideas, not just direct quotes (Harvard College Writing Center).

Here, Harvard College Writing Center is the corporate or group author. You can find current MLA guidance on this kind of citation in the MLA Style Center’s quick guides:

• MLA In-Text Citations Overview: https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/

These are some of the best examples of how MLA in-text citations actually look inside real paragraphs, not just in rule summaries.

Example 3: Works Cited Page With Multiple Source Types

The third of our three main examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example is the Works Cited page. This is where students lose the most points, usually over small punctuation issues.

On a separate page at the end of your paper:

• Center the title: Works Cited (no bold, no underline)
• Keep everything double-spaced
• Use a hanging indent for each entry (first line flush left, following lines indented half an inch)
• Alphabetize entries by the first word (usually the author’s last name)

Here are several concrete examples of Works Cited entries you might actually need.

Book by a single author

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.

Chapter in an edited book

hooks, bell. “Choosing the Margin as a Space of Radical Openness.” Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics, South End Press, 1990, pp. 145–153.

Journal article from a database

Clark, Megan, and Daniel Nguyen. “Narrative Silence and Reader Engagement.” Journal of Modern Narratives, vol. 18, no. 2, 2023, pp. 101–123. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1234567.

Web article with individual author

Sullivan, Mark. “How to Read a Novel More Closely.” Harvard College Writing Center, Harvard University, 2024, writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/how-to-read-novel-closely.

Web page with organization as author

Modern Language Association. “Formatting a Research Paper.” MLA Style Center, 2024, style.mla.org/formatting-papers/.

Online government or health source

Maybe you’re writing about public health or social issues instead of literature. Here’s how a government site might look:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2023.” CDC, 2024, www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm.

For medical or health-focused papers, you might also cite:

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity.” Mayo Clinic, 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389.

These real examples include different source types you’re likely to use in 2024–2025: print books, online journals, university resources, and trusted .gov or .edu sites.

For an updated quick guide to Works Cited rules, the MLA Style Center is your best starting point:

• Works Cited Quick Guide: https://style.mla.org/works-cited/

Putting It Together: How the Three Examples Work in One Paper

So far, we’ve walked through three big examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example: the first page, in-text citations, and the Works Cited page. In a real assignment, these three live together in one document.

Imagine you’re writing a 5-page paper on how silence is used in modern fiction and public health messaging.

• Your first page follows the MLA heading and title format we discussed.
• Throughout your body paragraphs, you use in-text citations for novels, journal articles, and health websites.
• At the end, you build a Works Cited page that lists every source you cited.

Here’s how a short paragraph from that hypothetical paper might look, pulling all three examples into one:

Public health campaigns often rely on what is left unsaid to prompt reflection, in a way that mirrors literary uses of silence. For example, a CDC report on youth risk behavior presents statistics without heavy commentary, leaving readers to confront the numbers themselves (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In literature, Fitzgerald uses pauses in dialogue to force readers to imagine what Gatsby and Daisy cannot say aloud (Fitzgerald 48). Both strategies depend on readers to fill in emotional or moral meaning, making them active participants rather than passive observers.

Then, on your Works Cited page, you’d list:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2023.” CDC, 2024, www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.

That’s exactly how the three main examples of MLA formatting work together in a real paper.

Updated MLA Trends for 2024–2025 You Should Know

MLA style doesn’t change every year, but expectations around digital sources and academic integrity do. When you’re thinking about the best examples of MLA formatting in 2024–2025, keep these points in mind:

URLs are usually included

Current MLA guidance says to include URLs for online sources unless your instructor tells you not to. You can usually omit https://, but keep www. when it helps.

Stable links are preferred

For articles you find through databases, use stable URLs or DOIs when they’re available. Many university libraries, like Purdue and Harvard, recommend this practice because links are less likely to break.

Access dates are flexible

MLA treats access dates as optional for most online sources, but some instructors still want them. When in doubt, ask your professor or follow your department’s handbook.

AI tools and academic integrity

By 2024–2025, many schools have added policies about AI tools. MLA has begun publishing guidance on citing AI-generated content, but your instructor’s policy matters more. If you use AI to brainstorm or organize, check your syllabus or school’s academic integrity page. Many universities now post AI policies alongside their writing guides, often hosted on .edu domains.

Quick Reference: More Real Examples You Can Borrow

To give you even more real-world support, here are additional examples of MLA-style entries and citations you can adapt.

Example of a YouTube video citation (Works Cited)

CrashCourse. “MLA Format and Citation Style.” YouTube, 3 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example.

In-text:

The video emphasizes consistency as the most important part of MLA style (CrashCourse).

Example of an online newspaper article

Green, Alicia. “Why Students Still Struggle With Citation Styles.” The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024, www.nytimes.com/example-article.

In-text:

Many students report that learning one citation style well makes it easier to learn others later (Green).

Example of an organization factsheet (health or science)

National Institutes of Health. “NIH and Mental Health Research.” NIH, 2025, www.nih.gov/health-information/mental-health.

In-text:

Recent NIH reports highlight an increase in mental health research funding (National Institutes of Health).

These additional real examples round out our set, giving you well over three examples of MLA formatting you can pattern your own work after.

FAQ: Short Answers With Extra Examples

What are some common examples of MLA formatting students get graded on?

Teachers often grade you on:

• The MLA heading and page header (name, instructor, course, date; last name and page number at the top right)
• Double-spacing and font choice
• Proper in-text citations like (Fitzgerald 48)
• A correctly formatted Works Cited page with hanging indents

Those are the everyday examples of MLA formatting that usually show up on rubrics.

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

Yes. Start with the title of the page:

“Understanding Plagiarism.” University Writing Center, 2024, writingcenter.university.edu/understanding-plagiarism.

In-text, you’d cite it as:

(“Understanding Plagiarism”)

Where can I find more official examples of MLA formatting?

The MLA Style Center is the best official source for real examples of MLA formatting, including sample papers and Works Cited entries:

• https://style.mla.org/

Many university writing centers, like those at Harvard and Purdue, also share updated MLA examples, and government or health sites like CDC and NIH offer high-quality sources you can plug into MLA format.

If you keep these examples of 3 examples of MLA formatting example handy—first page layout, in-text citations, and Works Cited entries—you’ll have a reliable model for almost any humanities assignment your instructor throws at you.