Published on
July 12, 2021
by
Jack Caulfield.
Revised on
August 2, 2021.
In MLA style, a title page is usually not required for your paper. Instead, MLA recommends including aheader on your first page listing your name, your instructor’s name, the course name and number, and the submission date, followed by the title of your paper.
However, you should include a separate title page instead in these cases:
Your instructor requires it
The paper is a group project (i.e. you need to list multiple authors)
The formats for a separate title page and a first-page header are shown below. You can also use our templates in Word or Google Docs.
Published on
June 7, 2021
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
August 2, 2021.
In MLA style, the list of Works Cited (also known as a reference list or bibliography) appears at the end of your paper. It gives full details of every source that you cited in the text.
Like the rest of an MLA format paper, the Works Cited should be left-aligned and double-spaced with 1-inch margins.
You can use the free Scribbr Citation Generator to create and manage your Works Cited list. Choose your source type and enter the URL, DOI or title to get started.
Published on
November 19, 2020
by
Jack Caulfield.
Revised on
December 8, 2020.
The formatting of a research paper is different depending on which style guide you’re following. In addition to citations, APA, MLA, and Chicago provide format guidelines for things like:
Font choices
Page layout
Format of headings
Format of the reference page
Scribbr offers free Microsoft Word templates for the most common formats. Simply download and get started on your paper.
Published on
November 6, 2020
by
Raimo Streefkerk.
Revised on
September 15, 2021.
This article reflects the APA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.
The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual provides guidelines for clear communication, citing sources, and formatting documents. This article focuses on paper formatting.
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:
Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.
Double-space all text, including headings.
Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
Published on
February 7, 2020
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
May 31, 2021.
When you apply for graduate school, you’ll usually be asked to submit a resume or CV along with your application. A graduate school resume should give a focused, concise overview of relevant experiences and achievements.
The exact sections you include depend on your experiences and on the focus of the program you’re applying to. Ensure your resume gives full details of:
Your college education
Relevant work experience
Relevant voluntary and extracurricular experience
Any awards, honors, publications, or other relevant achievements
Any relevant skills, certifications, and memberships
The main difference from a regular resume is that you’ll put more emphasis on your education and academic interests to show that you’re a good candidate for graduate school.
Download the Word templates and adjust them to your own purposes.
The APA manual (published by the American Psychological Association) is mostly used in social science and education fields.
The MLA Handbook (published by the Modern Language Association) is mostly used in humanities fields.
In both styles, a source citation consists of:
A brief parenthetical citation in the text
A full reference at the end of the paper
However, citations look slightly different in each style, with different rules for things like title capitalization, author names, and placement of the date.
There are also some differences in layout and formatting. Download the Word templates for a correctly formatted paper in either style.
The MLA Handbook provides guidelines for creating MLA citations and formatting academic papers. This quick guide will help you set up your MLA format paper in no time.
Start by applying these MLA format guidelines to your document:
Published on
September 25, 2019
by
Jack Caulfield.
Revised on
May 31, 2021.
The information in this article is largely drawn from Turabian style—a version of Chicago style aimed at students and researchers. When writing a paper in Chicago style, these are the guidelines to follow; for the sake of simplicity, the term “Chicago” is used here.
To apply Chicago format:
Use a standard font like 12 pt. Times New Roman.
Double-space the text.
Use 1 inch margins or larger.
Indent new paragraphs by ½ inch.
Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center.
Note that any specific formatting advice from your instructor or faculty overrules these guidelines. Template documents set up in Chicago style are available to download below. Just select the one with the citation style you’re following.
Published on
May 2, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
June 11, 2021.
A research proposal describes what you will investigate, why it’s important, and how you will do the research. The format of a research proposal varies between fields, but most proposals should contain at least these elements:
There may be some variation in how the sections are named or divided, but the overall goals are always the same. This article takes you through a basic research proposal template and explains what you need to include in each part.
A dissertation or thesis is a long piece of academic writing based on original research. It is usually submitted as part of a PhD or master’s, and sometimes as part of a bachelor’s degree.
Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you’ve ever done, and it can be intimidating to know where to start. This article helps you work out exactly what you should include and where to include it.
You can also download our full dissertation template in .docx or Google Docs format. The template includes a ready-made table of contents with notes on what to include in each chapter. You can adapt it to your own requirements.
