BAS Research Guide: Paper Formatting

Always pay close attention to the class syllabus or example papers your teacher provides. Their expectations outrank any sort of standard expectation. 

Basic Rules

• 1” margins
• Times New Roman 12 black font
• Align left
• Header in upper right with name and page number
• Line spacing – double throughout
• Tab in the first line of a paragraph ½” or .5
• Title centered 
• Works Cited on a new page

Links to the PHSC Writing Center’s In-depth Formatting Information by Style.

• MLA
• APA

**please note we are currently in the process of updating APA to the 7th edition and will have updates on the PHSC Writing Center for Fall 2020**

An outline is a helpful way of putting your thoughts together before starting your paper. It allows you to picture what you want to cover in each section and to search for and organize your material efficiently. Outlining also allows you to see if there are any weaknesses to your thesis and adjust your ideas accordingly.

Outline

Thesis: A one-sentence answer taking a position on the research question or, if assigned a topic and not a question, a one-sentence statement taking a position on a controversial aspect of the topic. The thesis must be a statement, not a question. The thesis must be a sentence, not a topic. 

      I. One reason why your thesis is accurate.

          A.  Supporting detail

          B.  Supporting detail

     II. Second reason why your thesis is accurate.

          A.  Supporting detail

          B.  Supporting detail

     III.  Third reason why your thesis is accurate.

           A. Supporting detail

           B. Supporting detail

This section is adapted from the PHSC Writing Center, which includes this section and a very in-depth page on Outlines, including sample outlines. 

After you've organized your paper with your outline, the next step is to start to write your complete paper. These are the general bones; MAKE SURE that your instructor does not have any additional requirements like an Abstract or literature review and adjust your paper accordingly. The instructors have the final say in what your paper should look like. 

• Introduction: Background information with thesis statement at end. Background information explains the situation and leads into the thesis. It does not include the proof.
  • Note: While there are some variations on where the thesis should be placed, you can’t go wrong putting it at the end of the introductory paragraph.  Always follow your instructor’s directions if inconsistent with the information here.
• Body: Paragraphs that prove why your thesis is right. Each paragraph must contain a separate reason with examples and/or elaboration on how it proves the thesis.
• Conclusion: Sums up proof and restates thesis. The conclusion should not introduce any new ideas and must be limited to what has already been presented. 

This section is adapted from the PHSC Writing Center,  which includes this section and a more in-depth description of these sections if you need further information. 

Where to get extra assistance:

Library: Along with being able to help with research, the library is also able look over your citations. Please note that we can't review your paper for grammatical errors; however, the...

Academic Success Center has tutors who are able to review your paper for grammatical and formatting errors. They are also available to help you if you're having trouble getting your paper started.