Formatting an essay properly helps in getting your point across clearly and professionally. It enables the reader to understand what you’re trying to convey, and it makes your argument look more logical.
Don’t worry if you are uncertain about how to format an essay like a pro. Since this exciting article covers everything in detail with practical examples to clear all your doubts. So, let’s get started.
It’s important to know what essay writing style you’re using when formatting your essay. Most of the time, you’ll use MLA, APA, or Chicago style. Let’s try to understand each of them in detail.
This style of writing is commonly used in the humanities or liberal arts disciplines. Its rules are as follows:
Go for standard letter-size paper (8.5″ x 11″)
Ensure to maintain 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides
Use a readable font, like Times New Roman or Arial, size 12
Place a header on the top right corner of each page (excluding the title page)
Include your last name and page number
Align the header to the right margin
Example:
Header: Smith – 1
The MLA Style usually doesn’t require a separate title page.
On the first page, centrally align the title of your essay
Avoid underlining the tile or using bold and italics
Ensure to capitalize the first and last words of the title. Also, capitalize all major words in between.
Example:
Title: The Impact of Social Media on Youths’ Mental Health
For attributing information to sources, include parenthetical citations within the text. Just follow this formula:
Format: (Author Page).
Example:
Let’s suppose the author of the book is Smith, and you are referring to its 45th page; the in-text citation will be:
(Smith 45).
Add a page at the end of your essay and title it as “Works Cited.”
List all the sources referenced in an alphabetical order
Write full publication details
For Example:
Page Title: Works Cited
Smith, Jane. “The Impact of Social Media on Youths’ Mental Health.” Social Behavior Journal, vol. 25, no. 3, 2020, pp. 45-60.
If you’re writing an essay or paper in the social sciences or sciences, you’ll need to use APA style. Let’s go through its rules for formatting an essay.
You have to use the standard letter-size paper (8.5″ x 11″)
1-inch margins on all sides are important
Go with Times New Roman, Arial, or any other readable font
You have to place a running head on the top left corner of all pages (excluding the title page)
Write “Running head:” and the precise version of your title (only 50 characters)
The page number will be on the top right corner
Ensure to keep the running head in the title case
Example
Running head: Social Media and Youths
Page Number: 1
Add a separate title page having the title of your essay, your name, institution, and date
Ensure to align all the information centrally
Example
Title: The Impact of Social Media on Youths
Your Name: Ian Smith
Institution: XYZ University
Date: August 11, 2023
Align the title of your essay centrally
Keep the whole title in the title case. Also, capitalize the first letter of each major word
Example
Title: The Impact of Social Media on Youths
Use the author’s last name and publication year for in-text citations
Include page numbers for direct quotations
Format: (Author, Year)
Example:
(Smith, 2020)
(Smith, 2020, p. 45)
Include a separate page titled “References” at the end of your essay
List, in alphabetical order, all the sources you referenced
Put in the full publication details
Example:
References:
Smith, I. (2020). The Impact of Social Media on Youths. Social Behavior Journal, 25(3), 45-60.
Chicago style is commonly used in history, literature, and some social sciences for formatting essays, research papers, and academic works. Here’s how you can format your essay in Chicago Style.
Choose a standard letter-size paper (8.5″ x 11″)
Ensure 1-inch margins on all sides
Go with readable fonts, like Times New Roman or Arial, size 12
Example:
Page Size: 8.5″ x 11″
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
Font: Times New Roman
Font Size: 12
A separate title page is not commonly required in Chicago style. If so, you should follow the instructor’s guidelines.
Ensure to centrally align the title of your essay on the first page
The title must be in the title case. The first letter of each major word must be capitalized.
Example:
Title: The Impact of Social Media on Youths’ Mentality
To indicate citations, make use of superscript numbers
Corresponding footnotes or endnotes shall be at the bottom of the page or at the end of the essay
Ensure to include full source details in the endnotes or footnotes
Example:
Students are often distracted by the overuse of social media.^1
[At the bottom of the page or end of the essay] ^1 Jane Smith, “The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mentality,” Social Behavior Journal 25, no. 3 (2020): 45-60.
Add a separate page titled “Bibliography” at the end of your essay
List all the sources you referenced in alphabetical order
Ensure to include full publication details
Example:
Bibliography:
Smith, Ian. “The Impact of Social Media on Youth’s Mentality.” Social Behavioral Journal 25, no. 3 (2020): 45-60.
Hopefully, you now have a good understanding of how to format an essay. It all depends on the writing style you are following. Every writing style has its own rule for formatting that you must adhere to.
You may even ask how to write an essay format. But as you know, formatting is something you do with the presentation of an essay, so you don’t write it.
Also, ensure to take care of any special requirements from your teacher regarding the formatting of your essay.
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