Proper formatting is key when writing a research paper. The guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA, APA, Chicago or other style are strictly adhered to ensure credibility and consistency. Here are the main formatting aspects to keep in mind:
Paper setup: For MLA, use white 8.5×11 inch paper, 1 inch margins on all sides, and 12 point Times New Roman font. For APA, margins should be 1 inch and font size 12 point Times New Roman. Page numbers go in the top right header in all styles.
Title page: Include your paper title, your name, the class and date in the center of the page. The title should not be bolded or underlined. It is only required on the title page unless your instructor states otherwise.
Sections: The paper is organized using level headings. Main sections use centered, boldface level one headings. Subsections use left-aligned, boldface level two headings. For MLA, no heading should be bolded or underlined.
In-text citations: References to sources should be cited parenthetically using the author’s last name and page number. MLA uses author-page (Smith 156) format while APA uses last name year (Brown, 2020).
References page: List all sources cited in alphabetical order by author’s last name on a separate page titled “References” for APA or “Works Cited” for MLA. Include all required bibliographic information.
Block quotes: Use for quotes over four lines. Indent the entire quote half an inch from the left margin and do not use quotation marks. Introduce the quote before and provide an author-page citation after.
Titles: Book titles, journal titles, etc. should be italicized while articles and chapters are in quotation marks. Capitalize all words except articles, prepositions and conjunctions shorter than five letters in titles.
Numbers: Spell out numbers zero through one hundred and use numerals for hundred and above in the body text unless relating to amounts of money, times, or measurements. Scientific studies always use numerals.
Abbreviations: Spell out United States, Jr., Sr., etc. the first time mentioned and abbreviate subsequent uses. No period is used for common abbreviations such as etc., ft., or in references such as p. for page.
Formatting papers consistently helps establish credibility. Proper use of MLA, APA, Chicago or other style guidelines demonstrates attention to detail and follows best practices in research writing. Key elements to focus on include paper setup, title page, headings, citations, the reference list, block quotes, capitalization of titles, and treatment of numbers and abbreviations. Careful adherence to formatting facilitates ease of reading and understanding for academic work.