Format Guide for Formal Papers I. Appearance 1. Staple the pages ...

Format Guide for Formal PapersI. Appearance1. Staple the pages together in the upper left corner. No separate title page orcover page-unless told to do so.2. Follow MLA format: heading in upper left-hand side of first page to includein this order and double spaced in between: name, teacher name, class, anddate.3. Center the title of the paper-no quotation marks, underlined, bold oritalicized lettering, different font or size, or all caps. Give the title somemeaning that captures the essence of your paper. Only major words arecapitalized.4. Double space throughout your paper. Do not put extra space between yourparagraphs.5. When using quotes or paraphrased material, cite within the paper and give aworks cited page.6. Use one inch margins at the top, bottom and left and right of your paper.7. Indent-(tab-five spaces) the beginnings of new paragraphs.8. Always use 10-12 point font-Times New Roman-try to stick with 12 size.9. Print on only one side of good quality. 8.5” by 11” white paper. Only blackink will be accepted.II.Content1. Must haves:a. Thesis statement to be included in the introductory paragraph-last sentenceof intro. Do not say, “I think” or “I believe”-make a point-your paper musthave purpose!b. Body of paper will consist of supporting evidence of the thesis-make sure allpoints support and develop your argument and main idea. Everythingshould tie together.c. Make sure to use the 3 Rule as patterns of your evidence-Lead in to quote,give quote with correct citation, and lead out (explain quote’s significance toyour argument).d. Make sure you are SPECIFIC! Give reason, justification, and explanation,to support your evidence. Avoid making broad generalizations. When youuse evidence, explain why it illustrates the main point you are asserting. Donot begin or end a paragraph with a quote. Do not let your ideas or evidencestand alone-they need their friends! Great writing expresses theaforementioned; if you show your thinking and interpret, you’re on yourway. The relationship between your evidence and ideas MUST be clearlydemonstrated.e. Conclusion will restate thesis and leave the reader with something to thinkabout-remember ask “so what?” Why should the reader care? Why is this a

topic that remains controversial? How should the reader think about ittoday? Give universal insight and thought.f. Do not use information in your paper that you don’t cite in works cited;conversely, make sure if you cite a source in the works cited, you must use itin your paper with correct in-text documentation.III. Style1. Formal essays should avoid using first and second person pronouns-No, “Ithink, I feel, in my opinion”, or any your or your, or we, our, us.2. Watch spelling errors. There should be no excuse for these in your paper.Do not rely solely on spell or grammar check. Proofread your papers.3. Watch usage errors-use the right word in the context of the sentence.4. Pay attention to using correct capitalization, punctuation and apostrophes.5. Always try to write in active voice. An action verb is always superior to aboring “to be” verb. Am, is, was, are, were, be, being, been, has, had, have,get.6. Vary sentence structure and length to improve style. Also, vary sentencebeginnings. Watch those tedious run-ons (especially comma splices) andfragments.7. Use strong transitions to move between paragraphs and ideas.8. Utilize strong diction (word choice)-choose strong words! Use thatthesaurus. Be precise with your language.9. Never use slang, colloquial expressions or clichés.10. Use consistent tenseSuggestions for Editing• Read your paper out loud to yourself-you may catch errors by hearing if youare using language correctly-does it sounds right?• Look for fragments and run-ons (this includes comma splices).• Look for mistakes you know you commonly make.• Note how many times your repeat the same idea. Eliminate extra sentencesor “fluff”. Watch redundancy.• Check on your transitions. Make sure you have moved the reader to the nextidea.• First, look only for content errors (content is the WHAT of your paper-themeat). Then, look for style errors (style is the how you say it). Don’toverwhelm yourself. Take it one step at a time. Make sure you proofreadyour paper multiple times. Editing your paper over and over will make youa better writer because you are more apt to recognize errors. Don’t be lazy!