Manuscript Format for Three Bibliographic Styles
Be sure you know which style of documentation your instructor wants you to use for a research paper. Consult the references your instructor recommends to learn how to cite your sources properly. In addition to forms to use for citations, however, the various styles also include regulations about how to set up the pages and put the manuscript together. Type your paper using the page format that goes with the assigned documentation style, but be alert for special instructions from your instructor!
Red type has been used to highlight major differences among the formats.
| MLA | APA | Chicago (Turabian) | |
| Margins | Exactly 1 inch on top, bottom, & sides, requiring a change from the default margins used in Word | At least 1 inch on top, bottom, & sides | At least 1 inch on top, bottom, & sides |
| Alignment | Align the paper on the left margin. Do not justify the right margin. | Align the paper on the left margin. Do not justify the right margin. | Align the paper on the left margin. Do not justify the right margin. |
| Spacing | Double space everything--heading, text, works cited--everything. Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs or before or after your title. | Double space the text, indented quotations, and entries in your list of references. Footnotes, if they are used, are single-spaced. | Double space the text, including any indented quotations. Double space between endnotes or bibliography entries, but single space within each one. |
| Title Page | Not required by MLA, but check with your instructor. If you use one, omit the essay heading described below. (Make sure the listed information appears on your title page.) | Often required--ask your instructor. If you use one, it should be numbered i. (See below.) | It should include the paper's full title. and the same information required in the MLA essay heading. It counts as p. 1, but no page number should be typed on it. |
| Abstract | If you are asked to prepare an abstract, it will come right after the title page and be numbered as ii (etc.). (See below.) The page is headed "Abstract" (centered, without quotation marks, after a 1-inch margin), and the abstract itself is double-spaced. | ||
| Essay Heading | At top left corner, place the
following (double-spaced):
See an example here. |
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| Page Numbers | Put them one-half inch below the top of the page in the upper right corner, with your last name (family name) before them (and a space in between). | Put them in the upper right corner. Use a short version of your title, then five spaces, then the page number. The title page is i and the first page of your paper itself is 1. | Put them in the upper right corner. Use Arabic numerals. Ask your instructor about using your name or a short title. |
| Indentations (paragraphs & long quotations) | Indent the first lines of paragraphs one-half inch (5 spaces). Indent long quotations twice as much--one inch (10 spaces). Note: Like everything else, indented quotations should be double-spaced. Omit quotation marks for indented quotations. | Both the first lines of paragraphs and all lines of an indented quotation should be indented one-half inch (5 spaces). Omit quotation marks for indented quotations. | Both the first lines of paragraphs and all lines of an indented quotation should be indented one-half inch (5 spaces). Omit quotation marks for indented quotations. |
| Footnotes | Consult the MLA Handbook if you want to use endnotes or footnotes to provide extra information about content or bibliography. | Double-space after the body of the page. Indent half an inch (5 spaces) before inserting the appropriate superscript number. Single space the footnote. | |
| Endnotes | Consult the MLA Handbook if you want to use endnotes or footnotes to provide extra information about content or bibliography. | Begin on a new page and enter the heading "Endnotes" (without quotation marks) just below the top margin. Continue numbering pages. Indent half an inch (5 spaces) before inserting the appropriate superscript number. Single space within each endnote, but double space between endnotes. | |
| List of Works Cited/References/ Bibliography | Begin it on a new page. Center the heading "Works Cited" (without quotation marks) just below the top margin. Continue to number pages. Double space. Within each entry, indent every line except the first. (This is the opposite of the indentation pattern for a paragraph. It is called a hanging indentation.) | Begin it on a new page. Center the heading "References" (without quotation marks) just below the top margin. Continue to number pages. Double space. Within each entry, indent every line except the first. (This is the opposite of the indentation pattern for a paragraph. It is called a hanging indentation.) | Begin it on a new page. Center the heading "Bibliography" (without quotation marks) just below the top margin. Continue to number pages. Unless your instructor says otherwise, single space within the entries but double space between them. |
| Holding the Pages Together | Strict MLA style calls for a paper clip, but instructors often prefer a more durable fastening. Ask your instructor about this. | ||
| Visuals & Other Requirements | To find more information about how to number visuals, create a table of contents, or format any other items your instructor may require, consult the sources listed below. | ||
| Templates & Software | If you download a template or use a site or program to generate bibliographic citations, be sure to check the results to make sure the style is being followed correctly. You are responsible for what you turn in, no matter whose template created the pages or entries! | ||
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Research and Documentation Online is an online text by Diana Hacker. It gives details of the MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE styles, and it provides example papers for each. (There is a link to information about the 2009 MLA updates.) Highly recommended! |
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O'Kelly Library provides handouts on MLA Style and APA Style. |
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The Lewis Library at Lamar State College Orange offers APA and MLA handouts that include some things (like how to cite an e-book) that don't often appear in other such documents. In addition, there are some very good links. |
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The Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers information about both page formats and bibliographic entries for both MLA and APA styles. Click the "Research and Citation" heading on the right to see even more resources. (The OWL site is a good source for other kinds of information as well.) |
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MLA has divided its very useful FAQ into two parts: Frequently Asked Questions about the MLA Handbook and Frequently Asked Questions about the MLA Style Manual. A number of the answers may be useful to users of any style. |
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Chicago Style Q&A includes a link for "Manuscript Preparation." |
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On the American Psychological Association's APA Style Web site, you'll find Frequently Asked Questions about APA style, a tutorial entitled "Basics of APA Style," and even a blog that discusses a variety of issues. |
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The Chicago Manual of Style Online is another resource for Chicago style. |
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For the most complete information, consult the official manuals: The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.), and A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (7th ed.) or The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.). Normally these will be found at the reference desk in a university library. (Note: For each of these styles, there are also other authoritative sources. Consult a librarian.) |
Note: The idea for this page came from seeing the very useful "Comparison of Three Bibliographic Styles" created by the Writing Center at Newman University.
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