Format of a Research Paper
Guidelines
Follow these guidelines to format your research paper. See examples on the following pages.
Margins Use one-inch margins for the text of your paper. Do not justify the right margin.
Line Spacing Double space throughout the paper.
Indentations Indent paragraphs five spaces. Indent long direct quotes ten spaces from the left margin. Use a hanging indent for Bibliography or Works Cited, indenting the second and any additional lines ½ inch.
Typeface Use a fixed or proportional typeface comparable to the examples shown below: fancy fonts and extreme sizes are not acceptable.
Courier 12 point
Header For
papers longer than one page, use a header which includes your last name and the
page number, beginning with page 2. The
header is placed in the upper right corner ½ inch form the top of the page.
Italics Use italics for titles of works published independently, such as books, magazines, movies, musical compositions, and artwork.
Underlines Use solid underlining in titles if you cannot print italics.
Corrections Use the spell checker in your word processing program to help locate and correct errors. Proofread and correct errors not found by your spell checker.
Paper Use one kind of good quality 8 ½” x 11” white bond paper. Use the same print for the entire project, and print on only one side of the paper.
Paper Arrange the paper in the following order:
Arrangement Title page (if required)
Outline (if required)
Body or text of the paper
Endnotes (if used)
Work Cited - Bibliography
Appendices (if appropriate, such as charts, graphs, illustrations)