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Student Resources & Opportunities

History Research Paper Format

 

Cover Page- You should provide a cover page for all papers. The following information should appear in block form in the lower right hand quadrant of the page: your name, the course number, the assignment (e.g. Research Paper #1), and the date of submission. A paper title centered on the page, while not essential, improves the appearance of the cover page.

Title- A title should be provided at the top of the first page of text. It should be centered at the top of the page.

Page Numbers- Number your pages consecutively. Page numbers usually appear at the top right or bottom center.

Spacing- The text is always double-spaced. Single-spacing is used for citations, annotations, footnotes, labels, long block quotations, and appendices where appropriate.

Person- Use the third person throughout your paper. The only exception to this rule might be when a person other than the third appears in a direct quotation.

Direct Quotations- Direct quotations are always used sparingly.

Tenses- Use a form of the past tense. The simple past works for most situations. The present or future tense could be used in an introduction or conclusion.

Documentation- Your paper must be fully documented. This means that you must provide footnotes or endnotes indicating the sources of your information.

Spelling and Grammar- Your paper must be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Use the spellchecker in your word processing program.

Bibliography- A bibliography must be provided for all papers. Annotations are recommended.

 

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