STYLE GUIDE
A guide to formatting your papers in accordance with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA).
General Paper Guidelines
Your essay should be typed out and double-spaced on standard letter size (8.5'' x 11'') paper with 1'' margins all the way around. Double space throughout the paper including the title page, abstract, body, references, appendixes, footnotes, tables, and figure captions. Recommended Typefaces: Times New Roman or Georgia
Paragraphs should be left aligned, creating an uneven right margin. For paragraph indentation use 5-7 spaces. Include a page number on each page on the right bottom corner, beginning with the title page. Include a page header (also known as the “running head”) at the top of every page. To create a page header/running head, insert page numbers flush right. Then type “TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” in the header flush left using all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of your paper’s title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation.
Use the active voice instead of the passive voice. Your pages should be ordered as follows: Title Page, Abstract, Body, References, Appendixes, Footnotes, Tables, Figure Captions, Figures...
Title Page
The Title Page should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, author’s affiliation, and the running head.
Paper Title: Uppercase and lowercase letters, centered on the page
Author(s): Uppercase and lowercase letters, centered
Institutional affiliation: Uppercase and lowercase letters, centered
Running head: flushed left, all uppercase following the words “Running head:.” It should not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing. The running head is a shorter title.
Abstract
On the first line of the abstract page, center the word “Abstract” (no bold, formatting italics, underlining, or quotation marks). Beginning on the next line, write a brief summary of your key points. Not including the running head, your abstract should be between 150-250 words. You may also list keywords from your paper after your paragraph on a new indented line.
Body
The body begins on a new page with the title of the paper, centered on the first line. Beginning with an introduction. You should use headings to organize your paper into sections. Main headings use centered uppercase and lowercase letters. Subheadings are italicized and are flush left with uppercase and lowercase letters.
Text Citations
Ideas and words from others must be formally acknowledged and documented in the body of the paper by citing the author(s) and date(s) of the sources.
When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal structure of the sentence, the year of publication appears in parentheses following the identification of the authors.
When the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in parentheses, separated by semicolons.
When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included every time the source is cited.
When a source has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors are included the first time the source is cited. When the source is cited again, the first author’s surname and “et al.” are used.
When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first author’s surname and “et al.” are used every time the source is cited (including the first time.)
To cite a personal communication (including letters, emails, and telephone interviews), include initials, surname, and as exact a date as possible.
Quotation
Include the author, year, and page number whenever a direct quote is used. When quotes are fewer than 40 words, use double quotation marks and incorporate as part of the sentence. If quotes exceed 40 words, do not use quotes, but instead include apart from the surrounding text in block format, five spaces from the left margin.
References
All sources cited in the body of the paper should be included in this section. The References section begins on a new page with the heading centered on the first line. The references should be formatted with hanging indents and organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors.
Most references consist of three components:
Authors: listed in the same order as specified in the source. Commas separate all authors. If no author is identified, use the title of the document.
Year of Publication: Following author(s), use parentheses with a period after the closing parentheses. If no year is given, use “n.d.” in parentheses following the author.
Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for journal article) or title, city of publication, publisher (for book). Italicize titles of books, titles of periodicals, and periodical volume numbers.
Source Citing Examples
Appendixes
Used to present unpublished tests or describe complex materials. Your appendix should begin on a new page, centered on the first line. If more than one appendix use Appendix A, B, C, etc.
Footnotes
Content used to support substantive information in the text. Footnotes begin on a separate page, centered on the first line. Indent the first line of each footnote 5-7 spaces and number footnotes (slightly above the line) as they are identified in the text.
Tables
Use tables to present quantitative date. Each table begins on a separate page with the table title flush left on the first line.
Figures
Use figures to present graphs, photographs, or other illustrations. The Figures Captions page is the final numbered page of the paper. The headings are centered on the first line below the manuscript page header. Double-space and type Figure 1. (or 2 or 3, ect.) italicized and flush left, followed by the caption for the figure (not italicized) capitalizing only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns.