Tips on Style

Your paper should be typed on standard-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches) in the portrait page layout, with margins of 1 inch on all sides, and using a standard font and type size. Times or Times New Roman are the most commonly used fonts, though fonts like Palatino and Garamond are also popular. Never use a fancy, headline font for the body of your paper.

APA Paper formatting

Your final paper should include, in the order shown below, as many of the following sections as are necessary for your paper, each of which should begin on a separate page:

title page, which includes a running head for publication, title, and byline and affiliation
abstract
text
references
appendixes
author note
footnotes/endnotes
tables
figure captions
figures

The pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page, as part of the page header in the upper right corner of each page. Your references should begin on a separate page from the text of the paper under the label "References" (do not use quotation marks, underlining, etc.) and should be centered at the top of the page. Appendices and notes should be formatted similarly.

MLA Paper formatting

Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
Provide a double-spaced entry in the top left corner of the first page that lists your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date.
Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
Center your title on the line below the header with your name, and begin your paper immediately below the title.
Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.

Usually your teacher will indicate what type of line spacing (single spaced, 1.5 spaces, or double) is required, but double-spaced lines is the generally accepted default.

The style guidelines set up here are the generally accepted ones for both APA and MLA formatted papers. However, your teacher may have more specific style requirements, so always read your assignment carefully to be sure what you need to do.