The Format of a Research Paper – Know Your Options
When researching and writing a paper for a high school, college or graduate level course, the format that you use to structure your paper is extremely important. The format provides guidelines for how your paper should be organized and presented. Several of the most common formats for research papers include MLA, APA, Chicago and Turabian formats. Understanding the key differences between these formats and which one is appropriate for your specific subject area and assignment is essential for completing your research paper successfully.
MLA (Modern Language Association) Format
MLA format is typically used for research papers in the liberal arts and humanities disciplines such as English, history, languages, philosophy, and religion. It’s generally used by middle school, high school and first-year college/university classes. The main characteristics of MLA format include:
The title of the paper should be centered near the top of the page without bolding, underlining or italicizing.
Page numbers are placed in the top right corner, 1/2 inch from the edge of the paper.
Double spaced text throughout with 1-inch margins all around.
Your last name and page number are placed in the top right corner on every page.
In-text citations use the author’s last name and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
Works cited page immediately follows the paper listing sources alphabetically by author’s last name.
APA (American Psychological Association) Format
The APA format is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences disciplines like psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing and criminology. Key aspects of APA format include:
Page headers with the title of the paper in all caps flush left and page numbers flush right.
Double spaced throughout with 1-inch margins.
References page is titled “References” centered at the top without bolding, underlining or italicizing.
In-text citations consist of the author’s last name and publication year in parentheses.
References are listed alphabetically by author’s last name and use the author-date method of in-text citation.
Chicago/Turabian Formats
The Chicago Manual of Style and Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers are both widely used for papers in history, business, and some sciences, especially at the university level. There are actually two variations – Chicago style which is the more comprehensive version used in published works and Turabian style which was created as a simplified version for student works. Features include:
Title page with paper title centered, author name, institutional affiliation, course info, and the date.
Page numbers at the top or bottom centered, plain arabic numerals.
Notes system used for in-text citations with footnotes or endnotes.
Bibliography lists all sources cited, generally in footnote or endnote order.
Choosing the Appropriate Format
When selecting the appropriate format for your research paper, consider the subject/discipline you are writing in and the preferences of your instructor or publication guidelines. Colleges will often specify a default format based on department and most will ask students to use either MLA, APA or Chicago style unless otherwise stated. Knowing the key differences in organization, citations and reference pages between formats will ensure that your paper follows the proper structure and meets assignment requirements. With practice, adherence to formatting guidelines will eventually become second nature when writing research papers.