If you aren’t experienced in writing research papers, then the thought of putting one together can seem a little overwhelming. Besides having to follow the rules of MLA you are expected to know the basic format of an academic paper. It’s easy to get stressed out by a large assignment especially when your peers express their own anxiety and your professor says it is difficult and a majority of your grade. With time invested and some preparation, you can tackle any paper with ease. Here are a couple rules about structure to get you started.

1. Your paper should be 12pt. Times New Roman, double spaced. No pictures should be included unless otherwise stated by your professor. Most standard word processors are automatically set to the MLA/APA standard settings.

2. The first page of your academic paper is usually a title page. Most professors who want APA formatting will expect a title page. Some MLA teachers do not expect a title page. You can clarify with your teacher before your due date or you can include one to be safe.

3. In a formal research paper, you will typically have five paragraphs or more. Your first paragraph is called the introduction. It should present your topic in a way that is both engaging, but also informative. The last sentence should be your thesis. Your thesis needs to answer all the variables of your topic and be incredibly specific. If you are writing a paper on the ethics of marketing towards children, your thesis could be, “Big box supermarkets practice harmful food marketing techniques towards children ages 5-12." Being specific in the kind of companies, the writer’s opinion, and the age of the study group makes a major difference in the clarity of this hypothetical report.

4. The next three or more paragraphs are known as the body of the report. Each paragraph covers a different topic. In our hypothetical report, the first body paragraph could cover obesity statistics of children ages 5-12. Our second body paragraph could cover marketing techniques big box companies use to market food to children while our third might cover company case studies.

5. Our last paragraph is called the conclusion. The first sentence of your thesis is a reiterating of your thesis. The following sentences are meant to wrap up your research and make a final assessment of what was found.

6. The final pages should be your bibliography. Every source that helped you should be mentioned here or you have plagiarized. Many standard word processors will build your bibliography and citations if you input the data. This is an incredibly helpful source that cuts your time spent working in half.