One of the key success factors of your assignments is your research paper format. Bringing your research paper format in compliance with the standard requirements testifies for your academic competence and earns you extra points. Below you can find some advice on how to format a research paper.
Research Paper Format: Margins, Font, Spacing
- 1-inch margins on all sides.
- 12-pt. easily readable font (e.g. Times New Roman, Courier, Arial).
- Double spacing.
Research Paper Format: Text Alignment, Paragraph Indentation, and Pagination
- Flush left the text, leaving an uneven right margin.
- Indent the first paragraph line half-inch (or 5 spaces).
- Number every page in the upper right margin, half-inch from the top and flush with the right margin;
- in APA style the student’s name is put before the page number;
- in MLA style a shortened title of the paper is put before the page number.
Research Paper Format: Title Page
- MLA style does no require any. In the top left-hand corner of the first page type your name, professor’s name, course title, and submission date on separate lines. Proceed further with the title and the text.
- APA style presupposes the following design of the title page:
- below the page number type the running head in capital letters, flush left and precede by the words “Running head:”;
- below type the centered paper title, your name, school name, all on separate lines in upper and lower case letters.
Research Paper Format: Tables and Illustrations
- MLA style requires tables and illustrations immediately in the text they refer to.
- APA style allows putting tables and illustrations at the end of the paper.
Research Paper Format: Major Sections
The major sections appear in the following order: Title page, Abstract, Body, Footnotes, References, Appendixes.
Consult your instructors for any possible individual research paper format requirements!
