FORMATS OF ASSIGNMENT

General Format

Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, second printing.
Contributors:Elizabeth Angeli, Jodi Wagner, Elena Lawrick, Kristen Moore, Michael Anderson, Lars Soderlund, Allen Brizee, Russell Keck
Last Edited: 2012-03-08 01:26:49
Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in APA.
To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all APA citation guidelines, see thePurdue PURDUE OWL CITATION STYLE CHART.

General APA Guidelines

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
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.

Major Paper Sections

Your essay should include four major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References.

Title Page

The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Include the page header (described above) flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page. Please note that on the title page, your page header/running head should look like this:
                                 Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
Pages after the title page should have a running head that looks like this:
                                                      TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
After consulting with publication specialists at the APA, OWL staff learned that the APA 6th edition, first printing sample papers have incorrect examples of Running heads on pages after the title page. This link will take you to the APA site where you can find a complete list of all the errors in the APA's 6th edition style guide.
Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may take up one or two lines. All text on the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.
Beneath the title, type the author's name: first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (Ph.D.).
Beneath the author's name, type the institutional affiliation, which should indicate the location where the author(s) conducted the research


Abstract

Begin a new page. Your abstract page should already include the page header (described above). On the first line of the abstract page, center the word “Abstract” (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).
Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.
You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract. To do this, indent as you would if you were starting a new paragraph, type Keywords: (italicized), and then list your keywords. Listing your keywords will help researchers find your work in databases.




Please see our Sample APA Paper resources to see an example of an APA paper. You may also visit our Additional Resources page for more examples of APA papers.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in APA

Individual Resources
Contributors' names and the last edited date can be found in the orange boxes at the top of every page on the OWL.
Contributors' names (Last edited date). Title of resource. Retrieved from http://Web address for OWL resource

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/




MLA Formatting and Style Guide

Summary: MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.) and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.), offers examples for the general format of MLA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the Works Cited page.
Contributors:Tony Russell, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli, Russell Keck
Last Edited: 2012-01-31 01:51:34
Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in MLA.
To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all MLA citation guidelines, see the Citation Style

General Format

MLA style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing. MLA style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.
Writers who properly use MLA also build their credibility by demonstrating accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism, which is the purposeful or accidental uncredited use of source material by other writers.
If you are asked to use MLA format, be sure to consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition). Publishing scholars and graduate students should also consult the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd edition). The MLA Handbook is available in most writing centers and reference libraries; it is also widely available in bookstores, libraries, and at the MLA web site. See the Additional Resources section of this handout for a list of helpful books and sites about using MLA style.

Paper Format

The preparation of papers and manuscripts in MLA style is covered in chapter four of the MLA Handbook, and chapter four of the MLA Style Manual. Below are some basic guidelines for formatting a paper in MLA style.

General Guidelines

  • Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
  • Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.
  • Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your instructor).
  • Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
  • Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
  • 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. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.)
  • Use italics throughout your essay for the titles of longer works and, only when absolutely necessary, providing emphasis.
  • If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).

Formatting the First Page of Your Paper

  • Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
  • In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
  • Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
  • Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
  • Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
  • Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)
Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style:


Section Headings

Writers sometimes use Section Headings to improve a document’s readability. These sections may include individual chapters or other named parts of a book or essay.
Essays
MLA recommends that when you divide an essay into sections that you number those sections with an arabic number and a period followed by a space and the section name.
1. Early Writings
2. The London Years
3. Traveling the Continent
4. Final Years
Books
MLA does not have a prescribed system of headings for books (for more information on headings, please see page 146 in the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd edition). If you are only using one level of headings, meaning that all of the sections are distinct and parallel and have no additional sections that fit within them, MLA recommends that these sections resemble one another grammatically. For instance, if your headings are typically short phrases, make all of the headings short phrases (and not, for example, full sentences). Otherwise, the formatting is up to you. It should, however, be consistent throughout the document.
If you employ multiple levels of headings (some of your sections have sections within sections), you may want to provide a key of your chosen level headings and their formatting to your instructor or editor.
Sample Section Headings
The following sample headings are meant to be used only as a reference. You may employ whatever system of formatting that works best for you so long as it remains consistent throughout the document.
Numbered:
1. Soil Conservation
1.1 Erosion
1.2 Terracing
2. Water Conservation
3. Energy Conservation
Formatted, unnumbered:
Level 1 Heading: bold, flush left
Level 2 Heading: italics, flush left
     Level 3 Heading: centered, bold
     Level 4 Heading: centered, italics
Level 5 Heading: underlined, flush left

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in MLA

Entire Website
The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. Date of access.
Individual Resources
Contributors' names and the last edited date can be found in the orange boxes at the top of every page on the OWL.
Contributors' names. "Title of Resource." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, Last edited date. Web. Date of access.

Russell, Tony, Allen Brizee, and Elizabeth Angeli. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 4 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 July 2010.


General Format

Summary: This section contains information on the Chicago Manual of Style method of document formatting and citation. These resources follow the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, which was issued in September 2010.
Contributors:Jessica Clements, Elizabeth Angeli, Karen Schiller, S. C. Gooch, Laurie Pinkert, Allen Brizee
Last Edited: 2012-04-26 02:00:56
Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in CMS.
To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation style, including a chart of all CMS citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart.

General CMS Guidelines

  • Margins should be set at no less than 1” and no greater than 1.5”. 
  • Typeface should be something readable, such as Times New Roman or Palatino. 
  • Font size should be no less than 10 pt. (preferably, 12 pt.). 
  • Text should be consistently double-spaced, with the following exceptions: 
    • Block quotations, table titles, and figure captions should be single-spaced. 
      • A prose quotation of five or more lines should be blocked. 
      • A blocked quotation does not get enclosed in quotation marks.  
      • An extra line space should immediately precede and follow a blocked quotation. 
      • Blocked quotations should be indented .5” as a whole. 
  • Notes and bibliographies should be singled-spaced internally; however, leave an extra line space between note and bibliographic entries. 
  • Page numbers begin in the header of the first page of text with Arabic number 1. 
  • Subheadings should be used for longer papers. 
    • CMS recommends you devise your own format but use consistency as your guide. 
      • For Turabian’s recommendations, see “Headings,” below. 
  • Put an extra line space before and after subheadings, and avoid ending them with periods. 

Major Paper Sections

Title Page
  • Class papers will either include a title page or include the title on the first page of the text. Use the following guidelines should your instructor or context require a title page:  
    • The title should be centered a third of the way down the page. 
    • Your name and class information should follow several lines later. 
    • For subtitles, end the title line with a colon and place the subtitle on the line below the title.  
    • Different practices apply for theses and dissertation (see Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, ad Dissertations [7th ed.], 373-408). 

    Main Body
  • Titles mentioned in the text, notes, or bibliography are capitalized “headline-style,” meaning first words of titles and subtitles and any important words thereafter should be capitalized. 
  • Titles in the text as well as in notes and bibliographies are treated with quotation marks or italics based on the type of work they name. 
    • Book and periodical titles (titles of larger works) should be italicized. 
    • Article and chapter titles (titles of shorter works) should be enclosed in double quotation marks. 
    • Otherwise, take a minimalist approach to capitalization.
      • Lowercase terms used to describe periods, for example, except in the case of proper nouns (e.g., “the colonial period,” vs. “the Victorian era”).
  • A prose quotation of five or more lines should be “blocked.” The block quotation is singled-spaced and takes no quotation marks, but you should leave an extra line space immediately before and after. Indent the entire quotation .5” (the same as you would the start of a new paragraph).

    Rose eloquently sums up his argument in the following quotation:
        In a society of control, a politics of conduct is
        designed into the fabric of existence itself, into the
        organization of space, time, visibility, circuits of
        communication. And these enwrap each individual life
        decision and action—about labour [sic], purchases, debts,
        credits, lifestyle, sexual contracts and the like—in a web
        of incitements, rewards, current sanctions and foreboding 
        of future sanctions which serve to enjoin citizens to
        maintain particular types of control over their conduct.
        These assemblages which entail the securitization of
        identity are not unified, but dispersed, not hierarchical
        but rhizomatic, not totalized but connected in a web or
        relays and relations.(246)
References
  • Label the first page of your back matter, and your comprehensive list of sources, “Bibliography” (for Notes and Bibliography style) or “References” (for Author Date style). 
  • Leave two blank lines between “Bibliography” or “References” and your first entry. 
  • Leave one blank line between remaining entries. 
  • List entries in letter-by-letter alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry. 
  • Use “and,” not an ampersand, “&,” for multi-author entries. 
    • For two to three authors, write out all names. 
    • For four to ten authors, write out all names in the bibliography but only the first author’s name plus “et al.” in notes and parenthetical citations. 
    • When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text. 
    • Write out publishers’ names in full. 
    • Do not use access dates unless publication dates are unavailable.  
    • If you cannot ascertain the publication date of a printed work, use the abbreviation “n.d.”
    • Provide DOIs instead of URLs whenever possible. 
    • If you cannot name a specific page number when called for, you have other options: section (sec.), equation (eq.), volume (vol.), or note (n.).
       

    • Footnotes

    • Note numbers should begin with “1” and follow consecutively throughout a given paper. 
    • In the text, note numbers are superscripted. 
      • Note numbers should be placed at the end of the clause or sentence to which they refer and should be placed after any and all punctuation. 
      • In the notes themselves, note numbers are full-sized, not raised, and followed by a period (superscripting note numbers in the notes themselves is also acceptable). 
      • The first line of a footnote is indented .5” from the left margin. 
      • Subsequent lines within a footnote should be formatted flush left. 
      • Leave an extra line space between footnotes. 
      • Place commentary after documentation when a footnote contains both, separated by a period. 
        • In parenthetical citation, separate documentation from brief commentary with a semicolon. 
        • Do not repeat the hundreds digit in a page range if it does not change from the beginning to the end of the range. 
    For more information on footnotes, please see CMS NB Sample Paper.
    Headings
    Chicago has an optional system of five heading levels.
    Chicago Headings  
    Level Format
    1 Centered, Boldface or Italic Type, Headline-style Capitalization 
    2 Centered, Regular Type, Headline-style Capitalization
    3 Flush Left, Boldface or Italic Type, Headline-style Capitalization  
    4 Flush left, roman type, sentence-style capitalization
    5 Run in at beginning of paragraph (no blank line after), boldface or italic type, sentence-style capitalization, terminal period.
    Here is an example of the five-level heading system:

  • Tables and Figures
  • Position tables and figures after the paragraph in which they’re described.
  • Cite the source of the table and figure information with a “source line” at the bottom of the table or figure.
    • Source lines are introduced by the word Source(s), followed by a colon, and ended with a period.
    • Cite a source as you would for parenthetical citation, minus the parentheses, and include full information in an entry on your References page.
    • Acknowledge reproduced or adapted sources appropriately (i.e., data adapted from; map by . . . ).
    • Every table should have a number and (a short and descriptive) title flush left on the line above the table.
    • Every figure should have a number and a caption flush left on the line below the figure.
    • Number tables and figures separately in the order you mention them in the text.
      • In the text, identify tables and figures by number (“in figure 3”) rather than by location (“below”).

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in CMS

Contributors’ names and the last edited date can be found in the orange boxes at the top of every page on the OWL.
Footnote or Endnote (N):
    1. Contributors’ Names, “Title of Resource,” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name in Italics, last edited date, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/13/.
    1. Jessica Clements, Elizabeth Angeli, Karen Schiller, S. C. Gooch, Laurie Pinkert, and Allen Brizee. “General Format,” The Purdue OWL, October 12, 2011, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/13/.
Corresponding Bibliographical Entry (B):
Name, Contributor 1, Contributor 2 Name, and Contributor 3    (etc.) Name. “Title of Resource.”
List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name in  Italics. Last edited date. http://Web address for OWL resource.
Clements, Jessica, Elizabeth Angeli, Karen Schiller, S. C. Gooch, Laurie Pinkert, and Allen Brizee. “General Format.” The Purdue OWL. October 12, 2011. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/13/.

Author Date In-text Citation:
(Contributors’ Surnames year of publication, page or section number when available).
(Clements et al. 2011).

Author Date References Page Citation:
Name, Contributor 1, Contributor 2 Name, and Contributor 3 Name. Year of Publication. “Title of Resource.” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name in Italics, Month and date last edited. http://Web address for OWL resource.
Clements, Jessica, Elizabeth Angeli, Karen Schiller, S. C. Gooch, Laurie Pinkert, and Allen Brizee. 2011. “General Format.” The Purdue OWL, October 12. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/13/

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