size of margin in research paper

13.1 Formatting a Research Paper

Learning objectives.

• Identify the major components of a research paper written using American Psychological Association (APA) style.
• Apply general APA style and formatting conventions in a research paper.

In this chapter, you will learn how to use APA style , the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, as well as MLA style , from the Modern Language Association. There are a few major formatting styles used in academic texts, including AMA, Chicago, and Turabian:

• AMA (American Medical Association) for medicine, health, and biological sciences
• APA (American Psychological Association) for education, psychology, and the social sciences
• Chicago—a common style used in everyday publications like magazines, newspapers, and books
• MLA (Modern Language Association) for English, literature, arts, and humanities
• Turabian—another common style designed for its universal application across all subjects and disciplines

While all the formatting and citation styles have their own use and applications, in this chapter we focus our attention on the two styles you are most likely to use in your academic studies: APA and MLA.

If you find that the rules of proper source documentation are difficult to keep straight, you are not alone. Writing a good research paper is, in and of itself, a major intellectual challenge. Having to follow detailed citation and formatting guidelines as well may seem like just one more task to add to an already-too-long list of requirements.

Following these guidelines, however, serves several important purposes. First, it signals to your readers that your paper should be taken seriously as a student’s contribution to a given academic or professional field; it is the literary equivalent of wearing a tailored suit to a job interview. Second, it shows that you respect other people’s work enough to give them proper credit for it. Finally, it helps your reader find additional materials if he or she wishes to learn more about your topic.

Furthermore, producing a letter-perfect APA-style paper need not be burdensome. Yes, it requires careful attention to detail. However, you can simplify the process if you keep these broad guidelines in mind:

• Work ahead whenever you can. Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” includes tips for keeping track of your sources early in the research process, which will save time later on.
• Get it right the first time. Apply APA guidelines as you write, so you will not have much to correct during the editing stage. Again, putting in a little extra time early on can save time later.
• Use the resources available to you. In addition to the guidelines provided in this chapter, you may wish to consult the APA website at http://www.apa.org or the Purdue University Online Writing lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu , which regularly updates its online style guidelines.

General Formatting Guidelines

This chapter provides detailed guidelines for using the citation and formatting conventions developed by the American Psychological Association, or APA. Writers in disciplines as diverse as astrophysics, biology, psychology, and education follow APA style. The major components of a paper written in APA style are listed in the following box.

These are the major components of an APA-style paper:

Body, which includes the following:

• Headings and, if necessary, subheadings to organize the content
• In-text citations of research sources
• References page

All these components must be saved in one document, not as separate documents.

The title page of your paper includes the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Author’s name
• Name of the institution with which the author is affiliated
• Header at the top of the page with the paper title (in capital letters) and the page number (If the title is lengthy, you may use a shortened form of it in the header.)

List the first three elements in the order given in the previous list, centered about one third of the way down from the top of the page. Use the headers and footers tool of your word-processing program to add the header, with the title text at the left and the page number in the upper-right corner. Your title page should look like the following example.

The next page of your paper provides an abstract , or brief summary of your findings. An abstract does not need to be provided in every paper, but an abstract should be used in papers that include a hypothesis. A good abstract is concise—about one hundred fifty to two hundred fifty words—and is written in an objective, impersonal style. Your writing voice will not be as apparent here as in the body of your paper. When writing the abstract, take a just-the-facts approach, and summarize your research question and your findings in a few sentences.

In Chapter 12 “Writing a Research Paper” , you read a paper written by a student named Jorge, who researched the effectiveness of low-carbohydrate diets. Read Jorge’s abstract. Note how it sums up the major ideas in his paper without going into excessive detail.

Write an abstract summarizing your paper. Briefly introduce the topic, state your findings, and sum up what conclusions you can draw from your research. Use the word count feature of your word-processing program to make sure your abstract does not exceed one hundred fifty words.

Depending on your field of study, you may sometimes write research papers that present extensive primary research, such as your own experiment or survey. In your abstract, summarize your research question and your findings, and briefly indicate how your study relates to prior research in the field.

Margins, Pagination, and Headings

APA style requirements also address specific formatting concerns, such as margins, pagination, and heading styles, within the body of the paper. Review the following APA guidelines.

Use these general guidelines to format the paper:

• Set the top, bottom, and side margins of your paper at 1 inch.
• Use double-spaced text throughout your paper.
• Use a standard font, such as Times New Roman or Arial, in a legible size (10- to 12-point).
• Use continuous pagination throughout the paper, including the title page and the references section. Page numbers appear flush right within your header.
• Section headings and subsection headings within the body of your paper use different types of formatting depending on the level of information you are presenting. Additional details from Jorge’s paper are provided.

Begin formatting the final draft of your paper according to APA guidelines. You may work with an existing document or set up a new document if you choose. Include the following:

• Your title page
• The abstract you created in Note 13.8 “Exercise 1”
• Correct headers and page numbers for your title page and abstract

APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:

• Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
• Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
• The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
• The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are boldfaced and italicized.
• The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are italicized and not boldfaced.

Visually, the hierarchy of information is organized as indicated in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” .

Table 13.1 Section Headings

A college research paper may not use all the heading levels shown in Table 13.1 “Section Headings” , but you are likely to encounter them in academic journal articles that use APA style. For a brief paper, you may find that level 1 headings suffice. Longer or more complex papers may need level 2 headings or other lower-level headings to organize information clearly. Use your outline to craft your major section headings and determine whether any subtopics are substantial enough to require additional levels of headings.

Working with the document you developed in Note 13.11 “Exercise 2” , begin setting up the heading structure of the final draft of your research paper according to APA guidelines. Include your title and at least two to three major section headings, and follow the formatting guidelines provided above. If your major sections should be broken into subsections, add those headings as well. Use your outline to help you.

Because Jorge used only level 1 headings, his Exercise 3 would look like the following:

Citation Guidelines

In-text citations.

Throughout the body of your paper, include a citation whenever you quote or paraphrase material from your research sources. As you learned in Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , the purpose of citations is twofold: to give credit to others for their ideas and to allow your reader to follow up and learn more about the topic if desired. Your in-text citations provide basic information about your source; each source you cite will have a longer entry in the references section that provides more detailed information.

In-text citations must provide the name of the author or authors and the year the source was published. (When a given source does not list an individual author, you may provide the source title or the name of the organization that published the material instead.) When directly quoting a source, it is also required that you include the page number where the quote appears in your citation.

This information may be included within the sentence or in a parenthetical reference at the end of the sentence, as in these examples.

Epstein (2010) points out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Here, the writer names the source author when introducing the quote and provides the publication date in parentheses after the author’s name. The page number appears in parentheses after the closing quotation marks and before the period that ends the sentence.

Addiction researchers caution that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (Epstein, 2010, p. 137).

Here, the writer provides a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence that includes the author’s name, the year of publication, and the page number separated by commas. Again, the parenthetical citation is placed after the closing quotation marks and before the period at the end of the sentence.

As noted in the book Junk Food, Junk Science (Epstein, 2010, p. 137), “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive.”

Here, the writer chose to mention the source title in the sentence (an optional piece of information to include) and followed the title with a parenthetical citation. Note that the parenthetical citation is placed before the comma that signals the end of the introductory phrase.

David Epstein’s book Junk Food, Junk Science (2010) pointed out that “junk food cannot be considered addictive in the same way that we think of psychoactive drugs as addictive” (p. 137).

Another variation is to introduce the author and the source title in your sentence and include the publication date and page number in parentheses within the sentence or at the end of the sentence. As long as you have included the essential information, you can choose the option that works best for that particular sentence and source.

Citing a book with a single author is usually a straightforward task. Of course, your research may require that you cite many other types of sources, such as books or articles with more than one author or sources with no individual author listed. You may also need to cite sources available in both print and online and nonprint sources, such as websites and personal interviews. Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.2 “Citing and Referencing Techniques” and Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provide extensive guidelines for citing a variety of source types.

Writing at Work

APA is just one of several different styles with its own guidelines for documentation, formatting, and language usage. Depending on your field of interest, you may be exposed to additional styles, such as the following:

• MLA style. Determined by the Modern Languages Association and used for papers in literature, languages, and other disciplines in the humanities.
• Chicago style. Outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style and sometimes used for papers in the humanities and the sciences; many professional organizations use this style for publications as well.
• Associated Press (AP) style. Used by professional journalists.

References List

The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information. Again, this information allows your reader to follow up on the sources you cited and do additional reading about the topic if desired.

The specific format of entries in the list of references varies slightly for different source types, but the entries generally include the following information:

• The name(s) of the author(s) or institution that wrote the source
• The year of publication and, where applicable, the exact date of publication
• The full title of the source
• For books, the city of publication
• For articles or essays, the name of the periodical or book in which the article or essay appears
• For magazine and journal articles, the volume number, issue number, and pages where the article appears
• For sources on the web, the URL where the source is located

The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces. Review the following example. ( Chapter 13 “APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting” , Section 13.3 “Creating a References Section” provides extensive guidelines for formatting reference entries for different types of sources.)

In APA style, book and article titles are formatted in sentence case, not title case. Sentence case means that only the first word is capitalized, along with any proper nouns.

Key Takeaways

• Following proper citation and formatting guidelines helps writers ensure that their work will be taken seriously, give proper credit to other authors for their work, and provide valuable information to readers.
• Working ahead and taking care to cite sources correctly the first time are ways writers can save time during the editing stage of writing a research paper.
• APA papers usually include an abstract that concisely summarizes the paper.
• APA papers use a specific headings structure to provide a clear hierarchy of information.
• In APA papers, in-text citations usually include the name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication.
• In-text citations correspond to entries in the references section, which provide detailed bibliographical information about a source.

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Formatting Requirements

Page layout, margins and numbering, workday student support.

Graduate students can find "how to" guides and support information on our Workday support page .

Your scholarly approach may call for a different presentational method. These are the requirements and recommendations for text-based theses.

For a text-based thesis, or the text portions of a thesis, the page size must be 8.5" x 11", and the text must be in a single, page-wide column. Do not use two or more columns in your thesis.

The text of the thesis is written in paragraph form.

• the first line of each paragraph should be indented, OR
• there should be a larger space between paragraphs than there is between lines.

Each chapter should generally start at the top of a new page.

Left: 1.25 inches (32 mm) is recommended if you intend to bind copies of your thesis; 1 inch minimum.

Right, top, and bottom: 1 inch recommended; 0.75 inches (19 mm) minimum

Page Numbering

Preliminary pages:.

• must be numbered in lower case Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.)
• the title page is "i" but this number must not appear on the page
• numbering begins at "ii" on the committee page
• the first page of the abstract is page iii

Body of thesis:

• must be numbered in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.)
• the first page of the text is "1"
• subsequent pages are numbered continuously throughout, including pages with tables and figures, bibliographies, appendices, and index

Whole thesis:

• every page except the title page must have a number on it
• there must be no blank pages in the thesis.

Page numberS:

• must be placed at least .5 inches (12 mm) from the edge of the page
• may be either in the lower centre or on the top or lower right of the page, when the page is viewed in portrait view. Lower right is preferred.

Landscape Pages

Landscape pages must be orientated in your PDF so that they are readable without rotation. You do not need to change the location or orientation of the page number, but may if you wish.

Facing Pages

Facing pages are not acceptable; you must use one-sided layout and pagination. If the caption for a figure, table, etc., cannot appear on the same page as its accompanying illustration, place the illustration on a separate page after the caption.

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APA 7th ed. Style Guide

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Formatting guidelines and sample papers are found in chapter 2 of the APA 7th edition Publication Manual

Sample papers.

You can find sample papers from Purdue OWL's website, APA 7th edition Publication Manual, or APA style website.

• APA Style Student Paper with Annotations in the Comments A Word Document featuring an APA 7th edition Style Student Paper that includes annotations as comments.
• APA Style Professional Paper with Annotations in Comments A Word Document featuring an APA 7th edition Style Professional Paper that includes annotations as comments.
• Purdue OWL Sample Papers

General Formatting Guidelines

Follow these guidelines throughout your paper:

• Double space text
• Header for student and professional papers includes the page number in the upper right hand corner
• Single space after ending punctuation
• Font size and style: Times New Roman 12 pt, Arial 11 pt, Calibri 11 pt, or Georgia 11 pt
• Use the same font type and size throughout the paper (exceptions for figure images, computer code, and footnotes - see 2.19 in APA Manual)
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Left align paragraphs and leave ragged (uneven) margins on the right
• Indention: use 0.5 inch indention for the first line of every paragraph (use tab key for consistency)

Formatting Title Page

The 7th edition Publication Manual for APA introduced the student and professional papers. The major difference between these two types of papers is found on the title page. Please, see the guidelines below for formatting the title page of your document. Also note, follow your professors' guidelines for formatting the title page.

General Title Page Guidelines:

• Double space
• The title should summarize the main idea and be focused/succinct (avoid unnecessary words)
• Title written in title case (the first letter of each word is capitalized), bold, centered, and positioned in the upper half of the title page
• Use the author(s) first name, middle initial, and last name as the author's byline

Student Papers:

• title of the paper
• name of the author(s)
• author affiliation (department and institution name)
• course number and name 
• instructor name
• assignment due date (i.e. November 4, 2020)
• page number (in the header)

Professional Papers:

• author affiliation
• author note
• running head (abbreviated title) - Flush with left margin and written in all capital letters

Formatting Headings

Follow this format for headings (see 2.27 of the Publication Manual for additional details):

Level 1 headings are written in bold title case and aligned to the center. The text begins as a new paragraph.

Level 2 headings are written in bold title case and aligned flush to the left. The text begins as a new paragraph.

Level 3 headings are written in bold, italicized title case, and aligned flush to the left. The text begins as a new paragraph.

Level 4 headings are written in bold title case, indented from the left, and end with a period. The text begins after the period and continues like a regular paragraph.

Level 5 headings are written in bold, italicized title case, indented from the left, and end with a period. The text begins after the period and continues like a regular paragraph.

Formatting Reference List

The following are guidelines for formatting your reference list:

• Start on a new page after the last page of text
• Label the page Reference(s) with a capitalized R, written in bold and centered
• Double space all entries
• Use hanging indent for reference entries (first line of the reference is flush with left margin, subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches)
• Order alphabetically (see chapter 9 section 44-49 for additional instructions on entry order)
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• Research Paper Format | APA, MLA, & Chicago Templates

Research Paper Format | APA, MLA, & Chicago Templates

Published on November 19, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 20, 2023.

The formatting of a research paper is different depending on which style guide you’re following. In addition to citations , APA, MLA, and Chicago provide format guidelines for things like font choices, page layout, format of headings and the format of the reference page.

Scribbr offers free Microsoft Word templates for the most common formats. Simply download and get started on your paper.

APA |  MLA | Chicago author-date | Chicago notes & bibliography

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Table of contents

Formatting an apa paper, formatting an mla paper, formatting a chicago paper, frequently asked questions about research paper formatting.

The main guidelines for formatting a paper in APA Style are as follows:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial.
• Set 1 inch page margins.
• Apply double line spacing.
• If submitting for publication, insert a APA running head on every page.
• Indent every new paragraph ½ inch.

Watch the video below for a quick guide to setting up the format in Google Docs.

The image below shows how to format an APA Style title page for a student paper.

Running head

If you are submitting a paper for publication, APA requires you to include a running head on each page. The image below shows you how this should be formatted.

For student papers, no running head is required unless you have been instructed to include one.

APA provides guidelines for formatting up to five levels of heading within your paper. Level 1 headings are the most general, level 5 the most specific.

Reference page

APA Style citation requires (author-date) APA in-text citations throughout the text and an APA Style reference page at the end. The image below shows how the reference page should be formatted.

Note that the format of reference entries is different depending on the source type. You can easily create your citations and reference list using the free APA Citation Generator.

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The main guidelines for writing an MLA style paper are as follows:

• Use an easily readable font like 12 pt Times New Roman.
• Use title case capitalization for headings .

Check out the video below to see how to set up the format in Google Docs.

On the first page of an MLA paper, a heading appears above your title, featuring some key information:

• Your full name
• Your instructor’s or supervisor’s name
• The course name or number
• The due date of the assignment

Page header

A header appears at the top of each page in your paper, including your surname and the page number.

Works Cited page

MLA in-text citations appear wherever you refer to a source in your text. The MLA Works Cited page appears at the end of your text, listing all the sources used. It is formatted as shown below.

You can easily create your MLA citations and save your Works Cited list with the free MLA Citation Generator.

Generate MLA citations for free

The main guidelines for writing a paper in Chicago style (also known as Turabian style) are:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman.
• Use 1 inch margins or larger.
• Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center.

Chicago doesn’t require a title page , but if you want to include one, Turabian (based on Chicago) presents some guidelines. Lay out the title page as shown below.

Bibliography or reference list

Chicago offers two citation styles : author-date citations plus a reference list, or footnote citations plus a bibliography. Choose one style or the other and use it consistently.

The reference list or bibliography appears at the end of the paper. Both styles present this page similarly in terms of formatting, as shown below.

To format a paper in APA Style , follow these guidelines:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman or 11 pt Arial
• Set 1 inch page margins
• Apply double line spacing
• Include a title page
• If submitting for publication, insert a running head on every page
• Indent every new paragraph ½ inch
• Apply APA heading styles
• Cite your sources with APA in-text citations
• List all sources cited on a reference page at the end

The main guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style are as follows:

• Use an easily readable font like 12 pt Times New Roman
• Include a four-line MLA heading on the first page
• Center the paper’s title
• Use title case capitalization for headings
• Cite your sources with MLA in-text citations
• List all sources cited on a Works Cited page at the end

The main guidelines for formatting a paper in Chicago style are to:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt Times New Roman
• Use 1 inch margins or larger
• Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center
• Cite your sources with author-date citations or Chicago footnotes
• Include a bibliography or reference list

To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, January 20). Research Paper Format | APA, MLA, & Chicago Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved July 30, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/research-paper-format/

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Format Your Paper

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Order of Sections

• Introduction/Thesis
• Body (includes tables, figures, and illustrations)
• Works Cited (starts on new page)

Paper Size, Margins, & Page Numbers

• Use letter-sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper.
• 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
• Indent first line of each paragraph 1/2 inch from left margin.
• In the upper right-hand corner of the margin, insert page numbers and add your last name (ex. Smith 1).

Text Format

• Use easy-to-read font so that regular and italicized text is easy to distinguish (ex. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri).
• Use a standard size (ex. Times New Roman 12, Arial 11, Calibri 11 or 12).
• Left-align text and start paragraphs with a half-inch indent. Do not justify text.
• Turn off automatic hyphenation.
• Double-space everything.
• Leave one space after concluding punctuation marks, not two.

Heading & Title

• At the top left of the page, type your name, instructor's name, course number, and date.
• Include any information your instructor requires.
• Center title. Do not italicize, underline, or bold. No quotation marks, all caps, or periods.
• Capitalize the first word, principle words, and each part of a hyphenated word. Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), prepositions, conjunctions, and to-infinitives.

Tables, Figures, & Illustrations

• Put them close to the related text and align them on the left.
• Above tables: capitalize the title of the table like other titles and number it (ex. Table 1).
• Below the table: give the source of the table and any notes with lower-case letters. Double-space it and use dividing lines.
• Below a figure or illustration: label it as "Figure" or "Fig." and number it (ex. Figure 1).

Quotations (p. 75-76, 81*)

• Short quotations (less than four lines) or those without special emphasis are included in the text with quotation marks
• Longer quotations (four lines or more) or those with special emphasis are indented 1/2 inch from left margin and double-spaced with no quotation marks.
• Use an ellipsis with spaces ( . . . ) when omitting sections from a quote. When the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, use four periods ( . . . . ).
• For poetry, use slashes (/) to show line breaks and double slashes (//) for stanza breaks and keep all punctuation as it appears in the poem.
• Cite your quotes using in-text citation.

Works Cited List (p. 102*)

Begin your Works Cited list on a separate page and put the entries in alphabetical order. Double-space and give entries a hanging indent (i.e the first line is on the left margin and the following lines are indented a half inch from the left).

Annotated Bibliography

Double-space the entire bibliography. give each entry a hanging indent. in the following annotation, indent the entire paragraph a half inch from the left margin and give the first line of each paragraph a half inch indent..

Check with your professor for the length of the annotation and which elements you should evaluate.

*Page numbers refer to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, available in the UW-Whitewater libraries in print .

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Thesis and Dissertation Guide

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II. Formatting Guidelines

All copies of a thesis or dissertation must have the following uniform margins throughout the entire document:

• Left: 1″ (or 1 1/4" to ensure sufficient room for binding the work if desired)
• Right: 1″
• Bottom: 1″ (with allowances for page numbers; see section on Pagination )
• Top: 1″

Exceptions : The first page of each chapter (including the introduction, if any) begins 2″ from the top of the page. Also, the headings on the title page, abstract, first page of the dedication/ acknowledgements/preface (if any), and first page of the table of contents begin 2″ from the top of the page.

Non-traditional theses or dissertations such as whole works comprised of digital, artistic, video, or performance materials (i.e., no written text, chapters, or articles) are acceptable if approved by your committee and graduate program. A PDF document with a title page, copyright page, and abstract at minimum are required to be submitted along with any relevant supplemental files.

Fonts must be 10, 11, or 12 points in size. Superscripts and subscripts (e.g., formulas, or footnote or endnote numbers) should be no more than 2 points smaller than the font size used for the body of the text.

Space and indent your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

• The text must appear in a single column on each page and be double-spaced throughout the document. Do not arrange chapter text in multiple columns.
• New paragraphs must be indicated by a consistent tab indentation throughout the entire document.
• The document text must be left-justified, not centered or right-justified.
• For blocked quotations, indent the entire text of the quotation consistently from the left margin.
• Ensure headings are not left hanging alone on the bottom of a prior page. The text following should be moved up or the heading should be moved down. This is something to check near the end of formatting, as other adjustments to text and spacing may change where headings appear on the page.

Exceptions : Blocked quotations, notes, captions, legends, and long headings must be single-spaced throughout the document and double-spaced between items.

Paginate your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

• Use lower case Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) on all pages preceding the first page of chapter one. The title page counts as page i, but the number does not appear. Therefore, the first page showing a number will be the copyright page with ii at the bottom.
• Arabic numerals (beginning with 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) start at chapter one or the introduction, if applicable. Arabic numbers must be included on all pages of the text, illustrations, notes, and any other materials that follow. Thus, the first page of chapter one will show an Arabic numeral 1, and numbering of all subsequent pages will follow in order.
• Do not use page numbers accompanied by letters, hyphens, periods, or parentheses (e.g., 1., 1-2, -1-, (1), or 1a).
• Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page, 1/2″ from the bottom edge.
• Pages must not contain running headers or footers, aside from page numbers.
• If your document contains landscape pages (pages in which the top of the page is the long side of a sheet of paper), make sure that your page numbers still appear in the same position and direction as they do on pages with standard portrait orientation for consistency. This likely means the page number will be centered on the short side of the paper and the number will be sideways relative to the landscape page text. See these additional instructions for assistance with pagination on landscape pages in Microsoft Word .

Format footnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

• Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long.
• Begin at the left page margin, directly below the solid line.
• Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long.
• Include one double-spaced line between each note.
• Most software packages automatically space footnotes at the bottom of the page depending on their length. It is acceptable if the note breaks within a sentence and carries the remainder into the footnote area of the next page. Do not indicate the continuation of a footnote.
• Number all footnotes with Arabic numerals. You may number notes consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or you may number notes consecutively throughout the entire document.
• Footnote numbers must precede the note and be placed slightly above the line (superscripted). Leave no space between the number and the note.
• While footnotes should be located at the bottom of the page, do not place footnotes in a running page footer, as they must remain within the page margins.

Endnotes are an acceptable alternative to footnotes. Format endnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines:

• Always begin endnotes on a separate page either immediately following the end of each chapter, or at the end of your entire document. If you place all endnotes at the end of the entire document, they must appear after the appendices and before the references.
• Include the heading “ENDNOTES” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the first page of your endnotes section(s).
• Single-space endnotes that are more than one line long.
• Number all endnotes with Arabic numerals. You may number notes consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in each chapter, or you may number notes consecutively throughout the entire document.
• Endnote numbers must precede the note and be placed slightly above the line (superscripted). Leave no space between the number and the note.

Tables, figures, and illustrations vary widely by discipline. Therefore, formatting of these components is largely at the discretion of the author.

For example, headings and captions may appear above or below each of these components.

These components may each be placed within the main text of the document or grouped together in a separate section.

Space permitting, headings and captions for the associated table, figure, or illustration must be on the same page.

The use of color is permitted as long as it is consistently applied as part of the finished component (e.g., a color-coded pie chart) and not extraneous or unprofessional (e.g., highlighting intended solely to draw a reader's attention to a key phrase). The use of color should be reserved primarily for tables, figures, illustrations, and active website or document links throughout your thesis or dissertation.

The format you choose for these components must be consistent throughout the thesis or dissertation.

Ensure each component complies with margin and pagination requirements.

Refer to the List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations section for additional information.

If your thesis or dissertation has appendices, they must be prepared following these guidelines:

• Appendices must appear at the end of the document (before references) and not the chapter to which they pertain.
• When there is more than one appendix, assign each appendix a number or a letter heading (e.g., “APPENDIX 1” or “APPENDIX A”) and a descriptive title. You may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., 1, 2 or A, B), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number or letter to indicate its consecutive placement (e.g., “APPENDIX 3.2” is the second appendix referred to in Chapter Three).
• Include the chosen headings in all capital letters, and center them 1″ below the top of the page.
• All appendix headings and titles must be included in the table of contents.
• Page numbering must continue throughout your appendix or appendices. Ensure each appendix complies with margin and pagination requirements.

You are required to list all the references you consulted. For specific details on formatting your references, consult and follow a style manual or professional journal that is used for formatting publications and citations in your discipline.

Your reference pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

• If you place references after each chapter, the references for the last chapter must be placed immediately following the chapter and before the appendices.
• If you place all references at the end of the thesis or dissertation, they must appear after the appendices as the final component in the document.
• Select an appropriate heading for this section based on the style manual you are using (e.g., “REFERENCES”, “BIBLIOGRAPHY”, or “WORKS CITED”).
• Include the chosen heading in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.
• References must be single-spaced within each entry.
• Include one double-spaced line between each reference.
• Page numbering must continue throughout your references section. Ensure references comply with margin and pagination requirements.

In some cases, students gain approval from their academic program to include in their thesis or dissertation previously published (or submitted, in press, or under review) journal articles or similar materials that they have authored. For more information about including previously published works in your thesis or dissertation, see the section on Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials and the section on Copyrighting.

If your academic program has approved inclusion of such materials, please note that these materials must match the formatting guidelines set forth in this Guide regardless of how the material was formatted for publication.

Some specific formatting guidelines to consider include:

• Fonts, margins, chapter headings, citations, and references must all match the formatting and placement used within the rest of the thesis or dissertation.
• If appropriate, published articles can be included as separate individual chapters within the thesis or dissertation.
• A separate abstract to each chapter should not be included.
• The citation for previously published work must be included as the first footnote (or endnote) on the first page of the chapter.
• Do not include typesetting notations often used when submitting manuscripts to a publisher (i.e., insert table x here).
• The date on the title page should be the year in which your committee approves the thesis or dissertation, regardless of the date of completion or publication of individual chapters.
• If you would like to include additional details about the previously published work, this information can be included in the preface for the thesis or dissertation.

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Margin (Composition Format) Definition

• An Introduction to Punctuation
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The part of a page that's outside the main body of text  is a margin .  Word processors let us set margins so that they're either aligned ( justified ) or ragged ( unjustified ). For most school or college writing assignments (including articles , essays , and reports ), only the left-hand margin should be justified. (This glossary entry, for instance, is left justified only.)

As a general rule, margins of at least one inch should appear on all four sides of a hard copy. The specific guidelines below have been drawn from the most commonly used style guides . Also, see:

• Block Quotation
• Indentation
• Justification

From the Latin, "border"

• APA Guidelines on Margins "Leave uniform margins of at least 1 in. (2.54 cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page. Combined with a uniform typeface and font size, uniform margins enhance readability and provide a consistent gauge for estimating article length." ( Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 6th ed. APA. 2010)
• MLA Guidelines on Margins "Except for page numbers, leave margins  of one inch at the top and bottom and on both sides of the text. . . . If you lack 8½-by-11-inch paper and use a larger size, do not print the text in an area greater than 6½ by 9 inches. Indent the first word of a paragraph one-half inch from the left margin. Indent set-off quotations one inch from the left margin." ( MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th ed. The Modern Language Association of America, 2009)
• Turabian's Chicago-Style Guidelines on Margins "Nearly all papers in the United States are produced on standard pages of 8½ x 11 inches. Leave a margin of at least one inch on all four edges of the page. For a thesis or dissertation intended to be bound, you may need to leave a bigger margin on the left side--usually 1½ inches. "Be sure that any material placed in headers or footers, including page numbers and other identifiers . . ., falls within the margins specified in your local guidelines." (Kate L. Turabian et al., A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers , 8th ed. University of Chicago Press, 2013)
• Guidelines on Margins in Business Letters and Reports "Use a 2-inch top margin for the first page of a business letter printed on letterhead stationery. Any second and succeeding pages of a business letter have 1-inch top margins. Use left justification. "Select the side margins according to the number of words in the letter and the size of the font used to prepare the letter. Set the margins after keying the letter and using the word count feature of your word processing program. . . . " Reports and manuscripts may be prepared with either 1.25-inch left and right margins or 1-inch left and right margins, depending upon the preference of the originator. If the report or manuscript is to be bound on the left, allow an additional 0.25 inch for the left margin. "The first page of major parts (title page, table of contents, bibliography, etc.) and the opening page of sections or chapters require a 2-inch top margin, 2.25 inches for top-bound documents." (James L. Clark and Lyn R. Clark, How 10: A Handbook for Office Workers , 10th ed. Thomson/South-Western, 2003)
• The New Typography "In the New Typography margins often almost entirely disappear. Of course, type cannot in most cases be set right up to the edge of the paper, which would hinder legibility. In small items of printed matter, 12 to 24 points are the minimum margin required; in posters 48 points. On the other hand, borders of solid red or black can be taken right up to the edge, since unlike type they do not require a white margin to achieve their best effect." (Jan Tschichold, "The Principles of the New Typography," in Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography , ed. by Steven Heller and Philip B. Meggs. Allworth Communications, 2001)

Pronunciation: MAR-jen

• Justification (Typesetting and Composition)
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• Basic Writing
• A Critical Analysis of George Orwell's 'A Hanging'
• Padding and Composition
• A Look at the Roles Characters Play in Literature
• How Do You Edit an Essay?
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• The Meaning of Home, by John Berger

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APA Page Format

• Finding and Evaluating Sources (Critical Analysis)
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• MLA Documentation
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• Acceptable fonts and sizes: Size 12-point Times New Roman;11-point Arial, Calibri, and Georgia; or 10-point Lucida.
• Body of paper is aligned left
• Running head (by instructor preference) in header, left aligned
• Page number in header right aligned
• Line Spacing – double throughout
• Tab in the first line of a paragraph ½” or .5
• Title is bolded, centered with proper capitalization
• Level 1 heading on 2nd page of paper, centered and bolded and is usually the title of the paper, never the word Introduction.
• References is the last page of the paper
• 1” margins – top, bottom, left, right.
• Word margins are set in Layout or in File/Page Setup/Margins.
• Acceptable fonts and sizes: Size 12-point Times New Roman; 11-point Arial, Calibri, and Georgia;10-point Lucida; or other legible font as approved by instructor.
• Font and font size are important for readability.
• Do not use bold except for section headings if section headings are used.
• Do not use all caps except for the title of the paper in the Header or an acronym (NATO, AIDS).
• Do not use italics or underlining unless there is a rule that says to use them.
• Left align – this is the usual default setting.
• Do not block or justify where the right margin is uneven.
• Alignment can be set in the Paragraph box if the icon is not visible.

Line Spacing

• Double space –throughout the entire document.
• Check default settings in the Paragraph box and reset per instructions under Paragraph setting (see below).

Paragraph Settings

Some programs such as Word 2007 and later have defaults in the Paragraph box which interferes with proper double spacing. The settings in the Paragraph dialogue box should be as follows to have proper double spacing.

• Indentation (on top) should be set at 0 left and 0 right.
• Spacing (on the lower left) should be set to 0 Before and 0 After.
• Line Spacing (on the lower right) should be set to double.
• Check the box that says “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”
• Click Default (at the bottom) and select Yes to change defaults.

In Google docs , you can change Paragraph settings under Spacing to 0 next to Before and 0 next to After by going into the double spacing tool and clicking Custom Settings.  You will have to select (highlight) the entire paper including the heading in the upper left before making the change once the paper is typed.

In Pages , you can change the Paragraph settings by clicking on Format on the top navigation bar and then Paragraph. Remember that you have to highlight (select) the entire paper including the heading in the upper left before making change in Paragraph once the paper is typed.

First Line of a Paragraph

• Indent the first word of a paragraph 1/2” or .5 from the left margin.
• The Tab default is usually at this setting.  If not, reset defaults.

Spacing after a Period or Other End Punctuation

In the 7th edition of APA, only one space is used after the end of a sentence.

Page Number and Running Head

• In Word, click on the Insert tab and then click on Page Number in the menu bar. It will give you the option of where to insert the page number.
• Choose to insert the page number at the top of the page, right aligned.
• The page number appears on every page of the document, including the title page.
• Place the cursor left of the number and type in the running head.
• Total length of the running head is 50 characters and spaces.
• The running head is in all caps.
• After you typed click tab until the running head is left aligned in the header.
• Use a plain header format.
• Do not use bold, underlining, quotation marks, or a different font or color for the title.
• Do not use the word page or any abbreviation of the word page such as pg. or p. between the running head and the actual page number.

Heading Levels

There are five possible heading levels in APA style.

• Level 1 headings are used for top-level or main sections – they are bolded and in the center of the page.
• Level 2 and Level 3 headings are subsections of Level 1 – they are also bolded, but they are left aligned.
• Levels 4 and 5 headings are bolded, italicized, indented, and followed by a period.

APA does not use the word Introduction. The Level 1 heading at the beginning of an APA paper is the bolded and centered title of the paper, typed on the first page of the paper after the title page.

See pages 47 - 49 in the APA Publication Manual for more detailed information.

The student paper must include a title page. The following items are included on the student title page unless otherwise indicated by the instructor:

• The running head is an abbreviation of the title, written in all-caps, left aligned in the header up to 50 character and spaces long (if less than 50 character and spaces long then the entire title can be in the header)
• Page number is right aligned in the header
• The running head and page numbers appear on every page of the paper.
• All the text on the title page is centered and double spaced with proper capitalization (except for the header)
• Title is a maximum of three to four spaces below the header
• Directly below the title is the student author’s first and last name
• On the next line is the college/institution’s name, fully spelled out with proper capitalization
• Below the institution name is the course number and course name, ex:  COU 1234: Introduction to APA Usage
• On the next line is the instructor name, ex: Prof. I. Knowalot
• On the last line is the assignment due date, ex: February 29, 2028

If you are asked to prepare an abstract for your research paper, click Insert/Page Break to get to the top of a new page, and center the word Abstract in bold on the first line. Abstracts are typically no more than 250 words. They are usually a single paragraph with no indentation at the start of the paragraph. Otherwise, they follow the same formatting rules including double spacing.

Reference Page

• After the last section of your paper insert a page break.
• Type the word References, bolded, centered with proper capitalization
• The References page is double spaced.
• Each reference entry is left-aligned and formatted with a hanging indent.
• To create the hanging indent, highlight the reference entries and go into the Paragraph box.
• Under Special, select Hanging from the drop down menu. Once selected, the default under By should be .5’.
• Remember that your list has to be alphabetized by author. If there is no author or group author, use the title.
• There are no extra spaces in between entries.
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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgments
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

Every page in your manuscript (except the Title and Copyright pages) must be numbered.

All page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each manuscript page.

See specific Pagination guidelines for the Preliminary Pages and the Text and Reference (Body) Pages .

Page size and margins

The final version of your thesis/dissertation must be on an  8.5" x 11" (letter size)  page.

All manuscript text, excluding manuscript page numbers, must fit within these specified margin requirements:

Minimum 1-inch margins  from the top, left, right, and bottom edges of each page

Tables, figures, graphs, photographs, and appendices are also included in these margin requirements. Materials may be reduced or enlarged, if necessary, to fit within the required margins. Pages may be rotated to landscape orientation to accommodate tables or illustrations .

Your manuscript must be  double-spaced,  with the exception of footnotes/endnotes, bibliographic entries, long quotations, data in lists and tables, lists in appendices and figure/table captions, all of which should be single-spaced.

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What are the margin requirements for manuscript submission?

and templates for use with . The style files and templates provided here have been created to ensure that the margin requirements are adequately met. . Even if you recently downloaded the style file or template for a previous conference, this does not mean that it will meet the requirements for the next conference. If, for some reason, you are not able to use the provided templates or style files, please observe the following margins and font settings strictly. : may result in removal of the paper from the conference proceedings without warning.   (8.5x11.0)in (21.59x27.94)cm (8.27x11.69)in (21x29.7)cm 1.0in 2.54cm 1.0in 2.54cm .75in 1.9cm 0.75in 1.9cm 0.75in 1.9cm 0.75in 1.9cm 0.75in 1.9cm 0.52in 1.32cm 0.75in 1.9cm 1.44in 3.67cm 7.0in 17.78cm 7.0in 17.78cm 9.5in 24.13cm 9.5in 24.13cm 3.4in 8.63cm 3.4in 8.63cm 0.2in 0.5cm 0.2in 0.5cm 16pt 11pt 10pt 10pt 10pt 8pt 7pt 8pt All Formats Table of Contents Research paper sizes standard, research paper sizes for print, research paper sizes for ms word, research paper sizes for apple pages, research paper sizes for google docs, research paper sizes faqs, research paper sizes. A number of learning institutions are quite particular with their requirements regarding research paper sizes and formats. This is to ensure uniformity and consistency not just in its content but writers should also use the right orientation, margin size, and layout. Letter Size What paper size should a research paper be? What is the structure of a research paper, what is the layout of a research paper, what is the average length of a research paper, what are the dimensions of a research paper, what is the proper margin for a research paper, what font size is used for a research paper, how long is a mini-research paper, what is the spacing for a research paper, what font style is best for a research paper, what is the minimum page of a research paper, how many pages should a research paper have, what is an apa format, how long should the introduction section be in a research paper, more in documents. 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Dissertation Research Paper Testimonials Research Papers Dissertations Term Papers February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 December 2012 February 2012 January 2012 September 2011 August 2011 February 2011 January 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 APA Research Paper Margins, Spacing and Typing Guide Knowing the secrets of writing apa research papers. An APA style research paper (American Psychological Association) is the most prevalently used format for writing research papers and is approved by most institutions. However there are various details which writers need to keep in mind while writing a paper in this particular format, the APA research paper margins , spacing and typing play an essential role in the proper formulation of such a paper and is also important in the final presentation of the paper. The custom essay writers of ProfEssays.com have mentioned below the specifications of the APA research paper margins and certain other essential points for writing a good research paper in this style. 1. APA research paper margins a. Writers require keeping a 1 inch margin on all the 4 corners of the paper. b. The uniformity of the margin has to be maintained throughout the paper c. The header and footer of an APA format research paper ought to have a ½ inch margin from all corners. 2. Typing and Spacing specifications a. A font size of 10 or 12 requires being used for scripting of the entire paper. b. The text of an APA style paper needs to have double spacing. c. A consistent font size has to be used for writing the entire paper. d. A maximum of 27 lines of text should be contained on each page of the paper. 3. Page numbers a. Every page of the APA paper has to be numbered including the title page of the paper. b. The pages should be numbered on the top right hand corner and should contain a margin of 1 inch from right hand edge of the paper. 4. The main contents of an APA style paper should contain a. An Introduction of the paper b. A research paper abstract, of about 120 words c. The contents page d. The main body of the paper e. The research paper conclusion f. And a research paper bibliography page. These are the basic essentials of an APA research paper margins , spacing and typing, one requires to closely follow all of these mentioned specifications for the flawless scripting of a paper in this style. In addition to providing writers with these specifications the custom essay writers of ProfEssays.com can also assist students and researchers in writing of a research paper. ProfEssays.com has a team of expert and experienced academic writers who have the skill and ability to write on various types of essays and papers ranging from medical research papers, literature papers to IT research papers. In addition to this ProfEssays.com also brings forth a host of other facilities and services to all their clients at extremely reasonable prices, some of these facilities include: Flexible pricing and easy payment options. Guaranteed timely delivery of all papers and assignments. 24 hours customer service assistance to all customers. 100 % privacy of customer identity and details. 24 hours after sales support assistance. Besides this we also assure all clients the finest and best quality of services. Looking for an exceptional company to do some custom writing for you? Look no further than ProfEssays.com! You simply place an order with the writing instructions you have been given, and before you know it, your essay or term paper, completely finished and unique, will be completed and sent back to you. At ProfEssays.com, we have over 500 highly educated, professional writers standing by waiting to help you with any writing needs you may have! We understand students have plenty on their plates, which is why we love to help them out. Let us do the work for you, so you have time to do what you want to do! Customers' Testimonials Custom Book Report Help with Case Studies Personal Essays Custom Movie Review Narrative Essays Argumentative Essays Homework Help Essay Format Essay Outline Essay Topics Essay Questions How to Write a Research Paper Research Paper Format Research Paper Introduction Research Paper Outline Research Paper Abstract Research Paper Topics Client Lounge Deadline approaching. 246 IMAGES Research Paper Essay Basics: Format a Paper in APA Style Format of the page of the paper: top margin (5.2 cm), bottom margin Research Paper Margins in Essays and Reports Utm thesis format (margin) VIDEO Explaining Margin and Size Specification Options in Invent Advanced Grouping How to Setting Margin, Paper Size, and Orientation Microsoft Word 2010 How to crop out the margins of a PDF document how to change margins in microsoft word Forex Terms: Lot Size Paper Margin & Personality COMMENTS Margins Margins. Use 1-inch margins on every side of the page for an APA Style paper. However, if you are writing a dissertation or thesis, your advisor or institution may specify different margins (e.g., a 1.5-inch left margin to accommodate binding). Publication Manual Concise Guide. How to Format Your Research Paper On every page, in the upper right margin, 1/2" from the top and flush with the right margin put your last name followed by the page number. On every page (except Figures), in the upper right margin, 1/2" from the top and flush with the right margin, two or three words of the paper title (this is called the running head) appear five spaces to ... 13.1 Formatting a Research Paper Learn how to use APA style, the documentation and formatting style followed by the American Psychological Association, for your research paper. Find out the margins, pagination, headings, and other requirements for APA style. PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page. PDF Formatting a Research Paper Do not use a period after your title or after any heading in the paper (e.g., Works Cited). Begin your text on a new, double-spaced line after the title, indenting the first line of the paragraph half an inch from the left margin. Fig. 1. The top of the first page of a research paper. Page Layout, Margins and Numbering Your scholarly approach may call for a different presentational method. These are the requirements and recommendations for text-based theses. Page Size For a text-based thesis, or the text portions of a thesis, the page size must be 8.5" x 11", and the text must be in a single, page-wide column. Do not use two or more columns in your thesis. Paragraphs The text of the thesis is written in ... Research Guides: APA 7th ed. Style Guide: Formatting Your Paper Use the same font type and size throughout the paper (exceptions for figure images, computer code, and footnotes - see 2.19 in APA Manual) Margins: 1 inch on all sides. Left align paragraphs and leave ragged (uneven) margins on the right. Indention: use 0.5 inch indention for the first line of every paragraph (use tab key for consistency) Research Paper Format Learn how to format your research paper according to APA, MLA, or Chicago style. Find out the page margins, font choices, headings, and reference page requirements for each style. APA Style and Formatting Guide for Academic Papers Margins All margins — top, bottom, left, and right — are set to 1" throughout the paper. • Main Body Text: APA style requires an abstract, though your professor may not. If an abstract is required, it is put on page two of the paper, with the main body starting on page three. An abstract is a brief summary of your paper. Title Research, Citation, & Class Guides: MLA Style: Format Your Paper Paper Size, Margins, & Page Numbers. Use letter-sized (8.5 x 11 inch) paper. 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Indent first line of each paragraph 1/2 inch from left margin. In the upper right-hand corner of the margin, insert page numbers and add your last name (ex. Smith 1). Formatting Guidelines Footnotes. Format footnotes for your thesis or dissertation following these guidelines: Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page separated from the text by a solid line one to two inches long. Begin at the left page margin, directly below the solid line. Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long. Research Paper Format The first line of each paragraph should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. MLA Research Paper Template. MLA Research Paper Format Template is as follows: Page Setup. Use 8.5 x 11 inch white paper. ... Paper Size and Margins: Use standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper with 1-inch margins on all sides. Font: Use a 12-point serif font (such as ... MLA Formatting Formatting a Research Paper. The following formatting rules can be found in the MLA Style Center. Format your paper with 1 inch margins on all sides. Select an easily readable font (e.g. 12 point, Times New Roman) Double-space the entire paper. This should include text and the list of works cited. Margins in Essays and Reports If you lack 8½-by-11-inch paper and use a larger size, do not print the text in an area greater than 6½ by 9 inches. Indent the first word of a paragraph one-half inch from the left margin. Indent set-off quotations one inch from the left margin." (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. The Modern Language Association of America ... Formatting Research Papers Papers should have at least 1-in. margins on all sides. 1 All text should be double spaced. 1; Times New Roman, 12 point font is preferred. 1 All lines of text should be flush-left and should not be justified, except where noted in the Manual. 1 The first line of every paragraph should be indented. APA Page Format References is the last page of the paper; Margins. 1" margins - top, bottom, left, right. Word margins are set in Layout or in File/Page Setup/Margins. Font. Acceptable fonts and sizes: Size 12-point Times New Roman; 11-point Arial, Calibri, and Georgia;10-point Lucida; or other legible font as approved by instructor. Pagination, Margins, Spacing The final version of your thesis/dissertation must be on an 8.5" x 11" (letter size) page. All manuscript text, excluding manuscript page numbers, must fit within these specified margin requirements: Minimum 1-inch margins from the top, left, right, and bottom edges of each page Page settings and margin requirements Page Settings : Letter Paper: A4 Paper: Paper size (8.5x11.0)in (21.59x27.94)cm (8.27x11.69)in (21x29.7)cm: Top margin (1st page) 1.0in The Format of the Research Paper Format Information. Paper. Use white paper, 8 1/2 x 11 inches. If you lack this paper, you can use the closest available size. Print on single side only. Margins. - 1 inch {top, bottom, left, and right} (1 inch = 2.5cm) - for page numbers, set at 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) from the top upper-right hand corner, flushed to the right margin. Text ... PDF Guidelines for the Format of the Final Research Paper Guidelines for the Format of the Final Research Report. Type of paper: Print on 8.5 X 11 inches bond paper. Margins: 1.5-inch margin on the left side, 1-inch on the top, right, and bottom sides. Font: Times New Roman, Font size 12 Spacing: Figures and Double-spaced Abstract except for the Title Page, Table of Contents, List of Tables, PDF Conference Manuscript Format Definition Table Margins A4 paper size: side = 13 mm; top = 19 mm; bottom = 43 mm; columns-single = 184-mm width, -double = each 88.9-mm width with 6.2 mm between Text Type ... left-justified aligned along the left side of the column or margin. left- and right-justified aligned along both sides of a column, as in a typical conference manuscript column. Research Paper The dimensions of a research paper are 8.5 × 11 inches (Letter Paper Size), 8.5 × 14 inches (Legal Paper Size), and 8.27 × 11.69 (A4 Paper Size). What is the proper margin for a research paper? APA format is ideal when constructing academic documents such as research papers, that said the margins should be set at 1 inch from the top, bottom ... APA Research Paper Margins, Spacing and Typing Guide a. A font size of 10 or 12 requires being used for scripting of the entire paper. b. The text of an APA style paper needs to have double spacing. c. A consistent font size has to be used for writing the entire paper. d. A maximum of 27 lines of text should be contained on each page of the paper. 3. essay homework paper phd project resume review speech study thesis