A. Following the Format for an Academic Paper

You can easily spot the appealing features of a magazine, newspaper, or Web site with bold headlines, colorful images, and creative graphics. These lively materials serve their purpose, attracting your attention and promoting the interests of the publication’s owners, contributors, or sponsors. In contrast, academic papers may look plain, even downright dull. However, their aim is not to entertain you but to engage your mind. The conventions — the accepted expectations — for college papers vary by field but typically support core academic values: to present ideas, reduce distractions, and integrate sources. A conventional format reassures readers that you respect the values behind the guidelines.

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Common Academic Values Common Paper Expectations and Format
Clear presentation of ideas, information, and research findings
  • Word-processed text on one side of a white sheet of paper, double-spaced, one-inch margins
  • Paper printed in crisp, black, 12-point Times New Roman type with numbered pages
Investigation of an intriguing issue, unanswered question, unsolved puzzle, or unexplored relationship
  • Title and running head to clarify focus for reader
  • Abstract in social sciences or sciences to sum up
  • Opening paragraph or section to express thesis, research question, or conclusions
  • Closing paragraph or section to reinforce conclusions
Academic exchange of ideas and information, including evidence from reliable authorities and investigations
  • Quotations from sources identified by quotation marks or block format
  • Paraphrase, summary, and synthesis of sources
  • Citation of each source in the text when mentioned
  • Well-organized text with transitions and cues to help readers make connections
  • Possibly headings to identify sections
Identification of evidence to allow a reader to evaluate its contribution and join the academic exchange
  • Full information about each source in a concluding list
  • Specific format used for predictable, consistent arrangement of detail

See E in the Quick Research Guide for examples showing how to cite and list sources in MLA and APA styles.

MLA (Modern Language Association) style, explained in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition (New York: MLA, 2009), is commonly used in the humanities. APA (American Psychological Association) style, explained in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition (Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2010), is commonly used in the social and behavioral sciences. Both MLA and APA, like other academic styles, specify how a page should look and how sources should be credited. (See pp. A-2–A-6.)