The length of a college paper can be a few pages or exceed 20 pages. No matter the length, a student is expected to follow all the rules of academic writing to the point. Many lecturers agree that a lot of their students do not follow the rules. There are many guidelines but the one that stands out most is formatting.

Over the years, different scholars have developed different formatting styles. The most popular styles used when writing college papers are APA, MLA, and CMS. Students should make it a priority to learn how to format a paper for college and use their creativity to write an attention-grabbing paper.

Use a Proper Heading

Your instructor will often give you specific guidelines depending on the course you are studying. Although different courses differ in writing style, formatting does not differ much. The heading should appear above your title on the first page of your college paper.

This is the first place your lecturer will check to confirm whether you followed the correct college paper format. If you have difficulties with formatting your college paper, getting help from a college paper writing service is a good option.

What Include On the Title Page

Your title page should have the following details:

  • The name of your university
  • Your college paper title
  • Your full name
  • Your class/year
  • The name of your professor
  • Submission date

Title Page Format Rules for College Paper

The specific college paper format rules for the title page should be as follows:

  • Align the title page to the center
  • It must be double-spaced (Use single space if your writing is single-spaced)
  • Leave a margin of 1 inch all round
  • Type in Times New Roman font 12 unless instructed otherwise
  • Capitalize the title page correctly by making sure pronouns and conjunctions are in lower cases.

Formatting the Introduction

The introduction of a college paper contains the introduction paragraph and the thesis statement. It is one of the toughest parts to write but the student still needs to follow the rules. Understanding how to format college paper introduction is an important point.

This section should only take 10% of the entire word count. That means if you are writing 5,000 words, the introduction should take not more than 500 words. Both the first paragraph and thesis statement should be attractive.

General Rules for Introduction Page Formatting

  • Use double space and do not add extra spaces between spaces
  • The first line on each paragraph should be indented at 0.5’’. You only need to tap the tab key once.
  • Leave a one-inch margin at the edges of the page all round
  • Use font 12, Times New Roman

The Body

The minimum number of paragraphs in the body should be three for shorter college papers. Longer papers can have more than 10 paragraphs. Each paragraph is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Each should cover one point but you should make sure you choose the strongest points first. The introduction introduces the point for that specific paragraph.

The body discusses this in detail while providing evidence to make the point strong. The conclusion provides a smooth transition of the paragraph into the next one. The body takes 80% of the entire college paper and is the most detailed part of the paper. The student should follow the same paper format for college rules, just like the introduction.

The Conclusion

Like the introduction, the conclusion should take only 10% of the total word count in the entire paper. It is the final paragraph that alerts the reader that the paper has come to an end. It provides a summary of the paper without introducing a new point. It follows the same indenting and margin rules as the body and introduction.

Other General Formatting Rules

Choosing Paper Size

Professors prefer choosing A4 page size as the standard paper. Most professors will be okay with online submission but some would prefer a printed copy. If they want you to print, use an ordinary 80gms white photocopy paper. The 1-inch margin all-round the edges is left for printing and binding.

Binding Rules

Many professors prefer side binding because your paper will look neater. If there are no specific binding guidelines given, staple the paper at the top left and submit.

Running Head Rules

The running is a short heading that appears on every page of your paper. Place it at the top right corner of each page. The running head should follow the same format for college paper as the other content. Ensure it is all in capital letters and does not exceed 50 characters. It should be placed 1’’ from the top edge. If the pages get separated, the running head helps identify the author. It should show your last name and the page number.

Quotations and Abbreviations

Quotations follow the citation format of your paper which can either be APA, MLA, or Chicago. Some citations include the author’s name, while others do not. When abbreviating, avoid using abbreviating names, such as Co. For company, Corp –Corporation, Inc. – incorporated, or Ltd for limited. The name should be written in full.

Page numbers should not have any punctuation, such as 3. Page 3, or -3-. Instead, the page number should appear by itself, such as 3, 2, or 5. Use Arabic numerals only. When citing, the citation style matters but as a general rule, use the last name of the author, and then the title of their work. This should be followed by the journal title and then the date. If you are citing an online source, include the URL after the date, and date accessed, and use quotation marks.

Conclusion

The main purpose of writing a college paper is to communicate a scientifically researched message. Proper formatting ensures the message is clear and proves to the reader that you understood the instructions. It shows you are knowledgeable in the field of study and you are keen on professionalism. Proper format for college papers follows the rules of the writing style you are using.