a research paper format

1. Paper Use clean, good quality 8 1/2 x 11 white paper, one side only. 2. Margins Leave margins of your essay 1 (2.5 cm) at the top, bottom, left and right sides of each and every page. 1 is about 10 typed spaces.Exception is made for page numbers which are placed 1/2 (1.25 cm) from the top upper-right hand corner, flushed to the right margin. 3. Title Page A title page is not essential for a research paper unless specifically requested by your teacher. The MLA Handbook provides a general guideline on writing a research paper and documenting sources. In case of conflict, you should always follow guidelines set down by your teacher. If you don't have a title page, you may begin 1 from the top of the first page of your essay and start typing your name flush against the left margin. Then under your name, on separate lines, double-spaced, and flush against the left margin, type your teacher's name, your course code, and the date. If your teacher prefers that the first page of your essay not be numbered, you will begin numbering with page 2. Double-space after the date. On a new line, center the title of your essay. If you have a long title, double-space between lines of the title. Example: Jones 1 Tracy Jones Ms. K. Smith NRW-3A1-01 16 January 2006 Gun Control: Pros and Cons Do not type your title all in capital letters. Do not put quotations marks before and after the title. Do not underline the title, or put a period at the end of the title. Proper names of people and places as well as important words are capitalized in the title, but prepositions and conjunctions are normally shown in lower case letters, e.g. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The same rule applies to headings and subheadings as well. Follow the same capitalization rules for acronyms as you normally would in writing the text of the essay, e.g. FBI would be all in capitals as it is the acronym.
Recommendations here are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. It is important to note, however, that individual instructors and institutions or departments may vary from these recommendations somewhat and that it is always wise to consult with your instructor before formatting and submitting your work. Paper: Use white, twenty-pound, 81/2- by 11-inch paper. Erasable paper tends to smudge and should be avoided for a final draft. If you prefer to use erasable paper in the preparation of your paper, submit a good photocopy to your instructor. Margins: Except for page numbers (see below), leave one-inch margins all around the text of your paper -- left side, right side, and top and bottom. Paragraphs should be indented half an inch; set-off quotations should be indented an inch from the left margin (five spaces and ten spaces, respectively, on standard typewriters). Spacing: The MLA Guide says that the research paper must be double-spaced, including quotations, notes, and the list of works cited. Heading and Title: Your research paper does not need a title page. At the top of the first page, at the left-hand margin, type your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date -- all on separate, double-spaced lines. Then double-space again and center the title above your text. (If your title requires more than one line, double-space between the lines.) Double-space again before beginning your text. The title should be neither underlined nor written in all capital letters. Capitalize only the first, last, and principal words of the title. Titles might end with a question mark or an exclamation mark if that is appropriate, but not in a period. Titles written in other languages are capitalized and punctuated according to different rules, and writers should consult the MLA Guide or their instructors. Page Numbers: Number your pages.
This table describes how to format your research paper using either the MLA or APA guidelines. Be sure to follow any additional instructions that your teacher provides. MLA Guidelines APA Guidelines Paper Standard size (8.5 x 11 in the U.S.) Page Margins 1 on all sides (top, bottom, left, right) 1 on all sides (top, bottom, left, right) Font 12-pt. easily readable (e.g., Times Roman) 12-pt. Times Roman or Courier. For figures, however, use a sans serif font such as Arial. Spacing Double-spaced throughout, including captions and bibliography Double-spaced Alignment of Text Flush left (with an uneven right margin) Flush left (with an uneven right margin) Paragraph Indentation 1/2 (or five spaces) 5–7 spaces End of Sentence Leave one space after a period unless your teacher prefers two. Leave one space after a period unless your teacher prefers two. Page Numbers 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 the left of the page number, beginning with the title page. Title Page Only if your teacher requests one. Instead, on the first page, upper left corner place on separate lines, double-spaced: Your name Teacher's name Course name or number Date Underneath, center the title using regular title capitalization rules and no underline. Start the report immediately below the title. The title page is always the first page. On the line below the page number, the running head is typed flush left (all uppercase) following the words Running head: Below the running head, the following are centered on their own lines, using upper and lower case: Paper title Your name Your school Section.
Research Paper Guidelines Behrooz Parhami: 2007/06/20  ||  E-mail: parhami at ece.ucsb.edu  ||  Other contact info at: Bottom of this page Go up to: B. Parhami's course syllabi or his home page The following is a suggested format for your course-related research or term paper. The general guidelines are followed by sample title pages. Page 1Title page should contain all of the following (see the sample title pages below): Title of paper: max 20 words (make it short, yet descriptive); avoid abbreviations Name of author Telephone number(s) and e-mail address for quick contact in case of questions Research Paper for ECE x , where x is the course number (252B, 254B, etc.) Course name Quarter and year (e.g., Winter 2020 ) ABSTRACT Body of abstract (summary of contributions and/or results; approx. 1 line per page) Keywords: followed by 5 to 10 keywords and key phrases describing the content Pages 2–k 1. INTRODUCTION Give background on the topic (provide context and include references on prior work), justify your interest in the topic, prepare the readers for what they will find in later sections, and summarize (in a few sentences) your main findings and/or contributions. This section must be kept short. If it exceeds, say, 3 pages, you may wish to break it up by including an additional section that covers the necessary details for one or more of the above aspects. Use a descriptive title such as 2. REVIEW OF PRIOR WORK or 2. NOTABLE APPLICATIONS OF. for this section. Pages (k+1)–lBody of the paper (10-20 pp. is considered reasonable) should consist of sections dealing with various aspects of the investigation as appropriate; e.g., theory, applications, design issues, tradeoffs, evaluation, experiments, comparisons with other methods or approaches. Don't be afraid to compare, criticize, and generally leave your personal mark on the paper. There is no general rule, except.