Create a hanging indent of 0.5 in (1.27 cm) on the second and each additional line of a Works Cited entry.
What’s happening
A hanging indent isn’t just some random formatting choice—it’s the standard for Works Cited pages. The first line of each citation sits flush at the left margin while every extra line gets pushed 0.5 in (1.27 cm) to the right. (Honestly, this makes citations way easier to scan.) It also keeps your document consistent with MLA and APA guidelines as of 2026.
How to set it up in Word
- Open your document in Microsoft Word (Windows or macOS, versions 2024–2026).
- Highlight the citation block you want to format.
- On the Home ribbon, click the Paragraph dialog launcher—that’s the tiny arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph group.
- In the Paragraph window, under Indentation, open the Special drop-down and pick Hanging.
- Make sure the By field shows 0.5" (1.27 cm).
- Hit OK. The second and subsequent lines will now indent exactly 0.5 in.
Still not working?
- Google Docs: Select the citation, then go to Format → Align & indent → Indentation options. Choose Hanging, set it to 0.5 in, and click Apply.
- LibreOffice Writer: Highlight the text, then head to Format → Paragraph. Under Indents & spacing, pick Hanging, set the indent to 0.5 in, and click OK.
- Manual ruler: With the citation selected, drag the Hanging Indent marker (that’s the top triangle on the ruler) to the 0.5 in mark.
Keep this from becoming a headache next time
- Create a Works Cited template with the hanging indent already baked in. Every new entry will automatically follow the same style.
- Try a reference manager like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley. These tools auto-format citations with the correct 0.5 in hanging indent.
- Set your default paragraph style in Word: Home → Styles → right-click “Works Cited” → Modify → Format → Paragraph → Special: Hanging 0.5 in.
