Research Project Typing Tips & Requirements

Use a sensible, easy-to-read font (like this one, Times New Roman), in size 12.

Keep your margins at the pre-set, default distance (1 inch or about 3 cm).

Double-space all the text. That means one line between each line (like the paper you’re holding).

No Word Art in the paper. Save it for the cover, if you want to use it.

Does your paper have sections? Just bold the titles. Don’t start each section on a new page.

Underline or italicize titles of books, names of magazines, names of encyclopedias.

Put quotation marks around the titles of articles.

The cover must have: a title, your name, my name, your class, the date.

Hint: Make your cover and table of contents one file. Make your paper a separate file.

Number the pages of your report.

To number the pages automatically: Use the VIEW—HEADER AND FOOTER menu…

…then TAB to the right margin…then press the # button you’ll see on the screen.

Hint: Do your table of contents and cover LAST, so you know what page things are on.

For the Bibliography:

Use your Write Source 2000 book, and Tim’s sample paper, as your guide.

If there is a conflict between a handout and Write Source 2000, use Write Source.

At the top of the page, centered, put: Works Cited

Do NOT NUMBER the entries in your bibliography.

Do NOT LABEL them as “Books,” “Encyclopedia,” etc.

DO just list the entries in alphabetical order (by the first word of the entry).

DO use the HANGING INDENT feature of Word to make sure the first line of the entry is lined up with the left margin, but the others are indented (like these lines are). Each entry will be double-spaced, just like this is.

Follow the form EXACTLY—every comma, every colon, every period, EVERYTHING.