10 Tips for Formatting Your Paper

Formatting your paper can be tricky, especially when you are using different formatting styles. The way you choose to format your paper can have an impact on your grade and even the reader’s ability to understand what you are trying to say! While there are many different ways to do it, here are 10 simple tips that will help you format your paper efficiently and effectively every time.

1) Learning the basics

MLA, APA, and Chicago style are the three most common citation formats and determine the way in-text citations or footnotes should be used, as well as the order of information in your paper. Here are some tips to help you format your paper correctly:

1. Read the assignment carefully to find out which style is required.
2. Download a style guide or consult a reference book to make sure you’re using the correct format.

3. Use a citation generator to format your citations and references automatically. This can save you time and avoid simple mistakes that can ruin your paper grade.
4. Remember to double space after periods and other punctuation marks.
5. Remember to use italics, not underlining, for titles of books, magazines, movies etc.
6. Be consistent with spacing – do not mix double spaces with single spaces!
7. Know how many margins are required on each side of the page – depending on whether you are printing one- or two-sided pages.
8. If you are writing a research paper, always cite where your information came from so it can be verified by others later on if necessary.
9. Check the writing guidelines to see what referencing system (MLA, APA, Chicago) is being used so you know what kind of in-text citations or footnotes are appropriate.
10. Do not forget to include an abstract at the beginning of your paper so it will look professional when submitting it for grading!

2) Double space your writing

It’s important to double-space your writing when you are formatting a paper because it makes the text more readable. Plus, it leaves room for comments and edits from your teacher or professor. Here are a few other tips to keep in mind when formatting your paper

1) Use headings to organize your work: Headings make reading easier by organizing your work into sections. They also provide an overview of what is included in each part of the paper so that readers can quickly scan through it.

2) Start with an introduction paragraph: An introduction should introduce what you will be discussing, how you will be doing so, and why this topic is worth studying.

3) Use Times New Roman font

Times New Roman is a classic serif font that is easy to read and looks professional. It is the standard font for most academic papers, so using it will make your paper look more like a traditional research paper. Plus, it is a widely available font, so you should not have any trouble finding it on your computer. Here are some tips for formatting your paper in Times New Roman

1) Choose a 12-point type size. Generally, the 12-point type size is large enough for readers to be able to read without straining their eyes too much. However, depending on the reading distance of your audience, you may want to use smaller fonts such as 10- or 11-point sizes for short sections of text.

2) Double space after periods or other punctuation marks and before paragraphs or other indentations in the text.

3) Indent five spaces at the beginning of each paragraph.

4) Use only one space between sentences and within sentences (avoid double spacing).

5) Use italics for titles of books, journals, articles, chapters, songs, etc.

6) Avoid underlining words or phrases; instead, place them in italics if needed.

4) Times New Roman 12 pt. font is standard

Use a standard font like Times New Roman in 12 pt. size. This is the most common and easy-to-read font style. Avoid using decorative fonts that can be hard to read.

Set 1 margin on all sides of your paper (five sentences): One-inch margins are standard for paper formatting. This gives your reader enough white space to easily read your document.

5) Subheadings & bold and italic formatting

1. Use 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font for the body of your paper.
2. Set 1-inch margins on all sides of your document.
3. Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
4. Use double spacing throughout your paper, including between lines of text and in the space between paragraphs.
5. To format a section heading, center the text on the page and use bold font.

6) Endnotes & Footnotes (if needed)

Endnotes and footnotes are important to use in a paper when citing sources, providing additional information, or giving credit to someone. Here are 10 tips on how to format your paper with endnotes and footnotes.

If you have to include multiple citations in a sentence, then you should separate them by semicolons. For example:

When writing a paper, use three spaces instead of one space after a period. Using three spaces rather than one will ensure that your footnotes and endnotes are properly aligned with your body text. For example

1) When writing a paper, use three spaces instead of one space after a period.

2) Using three spaces rather than one will ensure that your footnotes and endnotes are properly aligned with your body text.

3) 1) Footnotes can be used to provide additional information or detail about the topic at hand without interrupting the flow of ideas in the main text.

4) They also serve as reference points so readers know where to find supporting evidence.

Footnotes typically appear either below the line where they are referenced or at the bottom of a page, depending on whether they follow the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), or Chicago Manual of Style (CMS).

In MLA style, footnotes are numbered consecutively throughout the text; in APA style, the footnote number is placed at the beginning of each new footnote; and in CMS style, footnote numbers start anew on each page. In-text citations refer to relevant material that has already been cited in parentheses. Include the author’s last name and publication year. For example:

In-text citation: Paragraph two (Smith 2017).

In-text citation: paragraph two (Smith, 2017). When adding footnotes to your paper, there are many styles that can be chosen from.

The other popular styles that you may want to consider are the Chicago Manual of Style and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Both of these styles include numeric footnotes.

A sample from the Chicago Manual of Style would look like this: 15. Reference the specific location in the document using a lowercase letter, followed by the word footnote and a sequential number, such as 15. To cite more than one source in a single footnote, separate them with semicolons.

And finally, if you need to provide information about a resource that does not come from an outside source, then put it in square brackets following the date range and title. For example:

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington DC: Author. Date of publication. Title of work. Place of publication: Publisher. Edition if you need to cite the edition of a book or another source, list the first edition only unless otherwise specified.

Once all information is gathered, type up your notes in a Word document, Google Docs file, or notebook according to formatting guidelines. You might also want to print out what you have written because it will allow you to see errors better and make sure everything looks correct before submitting it electronically.

7) Do not use excessive graphics or images

It can be tempting to jazz up your paper with a lot of graphics or images, but resist the urge! Too many visuals can actually make your paper harder to read and understand. Stick to a few key images or graphics that support your main points.

8) Cite References in a Reference Page

1. All references must be double-spaced and have a hanging indent. This means that the first line of each reference is flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented 1/2 inch.
2. All references should be in a 12-point font.
3. The title of the reference page should be References (without quotation marks), centered at the top of the page.
4. On the reference page, list your references alphabetically by the last name of the first author.

9) Proofread!

Before you submit your paper, be sure to proofread it thoroughly. This includes checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Additionally, make sure that your paper is formatted correctly according to the guidelines of your chosen style guide. Doing all of this will help ensure that your paper is polished and professional.