Writing Assignments 101: Formatting and Typography Essentials

Write Assignments

Writing assignments is a necessary practice for everyone pursuing any academic endeavor. You must understand how to format your academic paper. You must also follow the typography guidelines for each type of assignment. Adhering to both ensures your paper meets the presentation standards applicable and is presentable, readable, and easy to follow.

Unfortunately, getting the formatting right does not always come easy for all students. Some academic papers may be easy to format, while others require a deeper understanding of typography and formatting rules.

Many students need help with this part of the essay. As Ken, an economics major in college, puts it, “Getting assistance with my assignments was the natural next step for me. I needed all the professional help I could get to maintain top university grades. And an assignment writing helper service did it for me.” Ken found guidance from experts who offer online academic guidance for students who need support in their essay preparation.

Like him, you may need some hand-holding in your academic pursuit, whether your studies center on business and education, healthcare and technology, politics and diplomacy, or any other field. Start by understanding the general formatting requirements, as we discuss below.
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Formatting Styles

Most academic programs require students to follow one of two formatting styles:

  • American Psychological Association (APA);
  • Modern Language Association (MLA).

Different academic papers call for different formatting styles, with APA and MLA being the most widely used formats for student writing across schools and colleges. However, your professors may ask you to use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) formatting. So, always confirm the style to use with your professor before you start working on an essay.

APA Style Formatting

APA style mostly applies in social sciences, health sciences, and education courses. Under APA, you’ll organize your paper into four sections:

  1. Title Page;
  2. Abstract;
  3. Main Body;
  4. References.

Title Page

The Title Page includes the following items, in this order:

  • The title of your paper;
  • The author(s);
  • The institutional affiliation;
  • Course name and number;
  • Instructor’s name;
  • Assignment due date;
  • Header with page number.

The title:

  • Should be centered in the top half of the page;
  • Should be 12 words or less;
  • Should not contain abbreviations;
  • Should be in title case;
  • Should be bold;
  • Use one or two lines for the title.


Author(s)

  • List all authors by their full names. Use first name, middle initial(s), and then last name;
  • If there are two authors, separate author names with “and”;
  • If there are three or more authors, use a comma to separate each author, then use “and” before the last author;
  • For author names with suffixes, use a space to separate the suffix from the remaining part of the name, e.g., Rob S. Smith Jr.


Institutional affiliation

Affiliation refers to the college or university you attend. Start with the department, add a comma, then the university.

Abstract

The abstract is a summary of your paper, written on its own page. It should be 10% of your word count, written in one paragraph. Ensure that the abstract includes all the key points covered in the paper.

Main Body

  • The paper title goes to the top of the first page;
  • Use title case for the title and bold it;
  • Do not leave any space between the title and the beginning text;
  • Add in-text citations;
  • Enclose citation details in parenthesis;
  • Position parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence where you’ve used the referenced material;
  • Put the closing punctuation after the parenthetical citation;
  • Include the author’s last name, year of publication, and paragraph or page number.

APA Typography Rules

  1. Font—APA recommends specific serif and sans-serif fonts:
  • Acceptable serif fonts: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern;
  • Acceptable sans-serif fonts: 11-point Arial, 11-point Calibri, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode;

Use the same font throughout the paper, except:

  • Within figure images, where you should use an 8- to 14-point sans-serif font;
  • For footnotes, use the default font settings under the footnotes feature of your word processor;
  • Computer code, where you should use a monospace font, e.g., 10-point Courier New.
  1. Double-space your text;
  2. Unless your professor states otherwise, use a margin of 1 inch on each side of the paper.

References

The references page is a list of all the sources cited in your paper. You should have a reference for every in-text citation in your paper. Follow these tips to format your references:

  1. Title the page “References,” bold it, and center it at the top of the page;
  2. Apply a hanging indent to each citation. To create a hanging indent:
  • Ensure the first line of your reference aligns with the left margin;
  • For each line that follows, create a half-inch indention from the left margin.

Most word processors have hanging indent settings, usually under Paragraphs and Spacing. Choose the hanging option and set the spacing to half an inch.

  1. Capitalize the first word of each citation;
  2. Do not leave additional spaces between citations.

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MLA Style Formatting

MLA style is mostly used in humanities and some health courses. Unlike APA style, MLA style does not require a title page, except where several students write the paper. In this case, you’ll create a title page and list the full name of each contribution author. Use double spacing on each line.

Below the author names, list your professor’s name, course name, and date. Add the title of your paper one line below the date and center it. Each entry should go into a separate line.

If you’re the only author of the paper, the author’s name, instructor, date, title, and the beginning of the text body all go on the first page. Remember to add a double space between the title and the first line of your text.

Header

MLA headers show the author’s last name and page number, separated by a space. Some professors require students to omit the header on the first page. If your instructor sets this rule, use the header, starting from the second page.

The header should be in the top right-hand corner of the paper. Position the header half an inch from the top and align it with the right margin.

Headings

MLA style recommends the use of headings and subheadings for longer papers. Format your headings in descending order of prominence, with the Level 1 heading having a larger, bold typeface. Subsequent subheadings should have a smaller, non-bold typeface.

Citation

You can cite the source in narrative form as part of your text or in parenthesis after mentioning the reference.

  • To cite an author in your text, use the author’s last name and the page number of the work you’re citing;
  • If quoting multiple works, separate each work with a semicolon;
  • If citing two authors, use “and” to separate their names;
  • If citing three or more authors, use only the first name shown in the source. Follow it with “et al.”

MLA Typography Rules

MLA formatting does not require you to use a specific font. The only requirements are:

  1. Your chosen font should be legible and in a standard font size, preferably 12-point;
  2. The font’s regular and italic types should be recognizable, with enough contrast to make the two styles easy to differentiate;
  3. Double-space the text;
  4. Leave a 1-inch margin on each side of the paper;
  5. For the first line of each paragraph, create a half-inch indent from the left margin;
  6. Include a line space above and below each heading.

Conclusion

Proper formatting improves the structure of academic papers and makes them more readable. Most student assignments require APA or MLA formatting. To improve your chances of scoring a good grade, adhere to all the formatting requirements of your academic paper.

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Resources:

How do I style headings and subheadings in a research paper? (2018, December 13). MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/styling-headings-and-subheadings/

Mandernach, B. J., Zafonte, M., & Taylor, C. (n.d.). Instructional Strategies to Improve College Students’ APA Style Writing. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1093747.pdf

MLA Quick Citation Guide. (n.d.). PennState University Libraries. https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/mlacitation/intext

Paper format. (n.d.). APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format

The Main Body Formatting the Main Body. (n.d.). Keuka College. https://libguides.keuka.edu/apa/mainbody