When you think about a newspaper, a specific type of publication comes to mind because the newspaper is a familiar genre, or form. Almost all printed newspapers share a set of defined features: a masthead, headlines, pictures with captions, graphics, and articles arranged in columns of text. Even if the details vary, you can still recognize a newspaper as a newspaper. Popular magazines, academic journals, letters of recommendation, corporate annual reports, and many other types of writing can be identified and distinguished by such features.

Readers also have expectations about how a college paper should look, sometimes including the presentation of visual material such as graphs, tables, photographs, or other illustrations, depending on the field and the assignment. How can you find out what’s expected? Check your course materials. Look for directions about format, advice about common problems, requirements for a specific academic style — or all three.