Standard
Document Format
(This document is also available in .pdf format: click
here)
Below are guidelines that tend to apply to most college papers. Individual
instructors will have alternate or additional requirements. Check with
your instructor regarding the format of your papers.
General
Guidelines
Drafts and final versions
of papers should be typed on computer.
Paper should be white,
8 1/2 X 11”.
Type only on one side of each sheet.
Margins should be standard (1 inch top & bottom, 1 inch or 1.25 inch
left/right). Your writing should fill the entire page. Do not make margins
wider or hit return to create page breaks at the bottom of a page.
Text should be aligned or justified to the left margin, so that the right
side of the text is ragged. Do not justify the right margin. (Justifying
the right margin makes the document look nice, but it creates irregular
spacing between words, which can be distracting to a reader.)
Paragraphs should be indented five spaces (or one tab). Do not create
extra spaces between paragraphs.
Use standard font. (In most word processing programs, the default font
will be standard: Times or Times New Roman, 12 pt.)
Double space all text.
Long quotations (more than four lines) should be blocked: indented with
two tabs and double spaced. (Note: Some instructors do not consider long
quotations to be part of the overall length of the paper.)
Your last name and the page number should appear in the upper right corner
of every page except the first page. For example: Smith 5. Use the “header”
or “insert page numbers” function so that this heading appears
within the one inch margin.
Format
for the First Page
The heading should appear in the upper left, consisting of the following
four lines of information. These four lines should be double spaced.
your name
course and section
instructor’s name
date
The title appears
next, double spaced from the heading, centered. If the title takes more
than one line, it should be single spaced. The title should not be in
a larger font, and extra spaces should not appear above or below it. Do
not underline your title or enclose it in quotes.
The text of your essay should start double spaced after the title.
Submitting
Your Paper
Papers should be stapled or paper clipped, depending upon the instructor.
Do not put the paper in a folder or any other container unless the instructor
requires it. Some instructors require folders for submission of supplementary
materials with the final draft.
Do not use any plastic covers. (A plastic cover might make a paper look
nice, but it gets in the way when one is trying to grade an essay carefully.
Many professors prefer no covers.)
Title pages are usually not necessary except in some disciplines.
|
