The following points should be kept in mind while formatting a research paper:
PAPER: you should try to use clean and good quality white paper which should measure around 8 1/2" x 11", and the printing should be done on one side only.
MARGINS: the paper should have margins of about 1" inch each from all sides. The only exception is the page number which should be placed half an inch from the top right corner.
TITLE PAGE: usually a title page is not required while writing a research paper, unless of course your teacher has asked you to include. If you decide not to include a title page, you can start your paper one inch from the top of the 1st page with your name against the left side margin. After you have written down your name, in the same format on a separate line comes the name of your teacher, followed by the course code and the date respectively. Care should be taken not to type the title completely in capital letters, not to put quotation marks on either side of the title, and finally not to underline the title of your research paper.
NUMBERING OF PAGES: the pages of your research paper should be numbered consecutively on the upper right hand corner, and aligned with the right side margin half an inch from the top. LINE SPACING: the entire essay must be double spaced between the lines, it doesn’t matter if its handwritten or printed, all the lines should have double spacing and a one inch margin on all the sides so that the teacher can write comments.
WORDS SPACING: it is standard to leave 1 space between words, every comma, semi-colon, or colon.
INDENTATION: if you are handing over a typewritten paper, then indent about half and inch at the start of each paragraph. Quotations should be indented one inch from the left hand side margin. If you are not required to do any indenting, each paragraph should start flush to the left margin.
RIGHT JUSTIFICATION: if you use a word processor to type your essay, don’t right justify your essay and also do not format the hyphens automatically. The hyphens should be typed in you, and the entire essay should either be left justified or justified depending on what the requirement is.
USE OF BOOKS, MAGAZINES, and NEWSPAPERS: the titles of all the books, plays, novels that you have used in your research paper, should be underlined. On the other hand, titles of newspapers, journals, magazines should be put in quotation marks if they have been referred to in your research paper.
CAPITAL LETTERS: even though writing in capital letters might save time and effort for you, the entire essay should not by typed in capital letters. They should only be used for headings, start of sentences, or if there is a grammatical need to do so.
TABLE OF CONTENTS: usually a short research paper does not need a Table of Contents. However, if the research paper written by you is extremely long, it is advisable to use a table of contents which shows the page numbers where each section begins. The suggested order for the table of contents of a long research paper is: Acknowledgements, Foreword, Introduction, Body, Conclusion, Appendices, Glossary, Endnotes, and Bibliography.
END: there is no need to use any special word, symbol or a phrase to end your essay. The only thing required is simply a period at the end of the last sentence of your research paper.
KEEPING ESSAY TOGETHER: the different pages of the research paper should be stapled at the upper left corner. Care should be taken not to use a pin or to fold the paper, the paper should also not be handed over in a binder or a folder, and giving loose sheets is unacceptable.
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