Recent ActivityFormatting the Research Paper
Formatting for Text of Paper
- Open Microsoft Word
- Under VIEW menu, select PRINT LAYOUT. This is the best view to use while typing your paper.
- Hit CONTROL-ENTER. This will give you two pages.
- Scroll to the top of the first page. We will first format the page for the text of your research paper.
- Under the FILE menu, select PAGE SET-UP. Under the MARGINS tab
-Top, bottom, left, and right margins should be set to 1 inch.
-The Gutter should be set to 0. Gutter should be set to left.
-The header and footer margins should be set to 0.5 inches.
-Make sure Whole Document appears in the pull down menu labeled ‘Apply to:’
-Click OK
- Under the FORMAT menu, select PARAGRAPH.
-Under the tab labeled Indents and Spacing, pull down the menu labeled line spacing, select double.
-Under the tab labeled Line and Page breaks, deselect Widow and Orphan Control. Do this by clicking on the box with the checkmark.
- Click OK
- Under the VIEW menu, select HEADER AND FOOTER.
- Right align the cursor so it is blinking at the right margin. The right align icon (or type CONTROL R) is immediately to the right of the center icon on the top tool bar.
- Type your 6-digit student ID number.
- Press the space bar once.
- On the HEADER AND FOOTER toolbar that is now on your screen, select insert page number icon (the first icon on the far left of the HEADER AND FOOTER toolbar- it has a # sign on a blank document). This will automatically put page numbers on your document.
- Hit close on the HEADER AND FOOTER toolbar.
- Put your cursor on the first line of your document.
- Select the center icon (or type CONTROL E) from your toolbar. Type your title.
- Hit Enter once.
- Realign your cursor to the left margin using the left align icon (or type CONTROL L) on your toolbar.
- Hit tab to indent to begin your introduction.
- DO NOT HIT ENTER AT THE END OF A LINE OF TEXT. It will mess up your formatting. You should only hit ENTER when you are beginning a new paragraph.
NOTE: Times New Roman, 12 pt. should be the default setting on the computer. You may want to double check this. Be sure you are using either Times New Roman or Courier New. Also make sure you are using 10 or 12-point font.
Formatting for Works Cited Page of Research Paper
- Scroll down to the first line of page 2 of your document. Center your cursor using the center icon (or type CONTROL E) on your toolbar. Type ‘Works Cited’.
- Hit ENTER once.
- Realign your cursor to the left margin using the left align icon (or type CONTROL L) on your toolbar.
- Under the FORMAT menu, select PARAGRAPH.
- Return to the Indents and Spacing tab
- Under the pull down menu labeled Special, select Hanging.
- Click OK
- DO NOT HIT ENTER AT THE END OF A LINE OF TEXT. It will mess up the formatting for your ‘Works Cited’ page. The hanging indent will automatically set the first line of your MLA entry at the left margin and each subsequent line will be indented. Only hit ENTER when you are beginning a new Works Cited entry.
- You are done with formatting.
NOTE: Unless noted, leave all default settings on the menus as is unless it is indicated to change them.
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Removing Hyperlinks
Microsoft word is automatically programmed to change your hyperlinks from <http://www.gar-field.org> to http://www.gar-field.org.
In order to change this so your alligators will show, follow these steps:
1. With your mouse, highlight the entire web address.
2. Right click on the highlighted text.
3. Choose hyperlinks, then remove hyperlink.
4. Add your alligators to make your citations correct.
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- If you have a problem with formatting, see me for help (or email me). The way your paper looks is part of your presentation grade!
- Make sure your student number is correct. If it is not, your paper will not be scored!!
- I highly recommend emailing a copy of your paper to yourself every time you stop working (either the entire file or copy and paste the text into the body of the email). That way, if something happens to your disk, you still have a copy of the paper available.
- If you don’t have Microsoft Word at home, email yourself the text and paste it into Word while at school. DO NOT limit yourself to the program you have at home. We need to work on this here in school, and not all word processing programs will open on the GFHS computers.
