Setting up your paper
Margins
Papers should have a one inch margin on all four sides.
Page Numbers
Page numbers live in the top right corner of the page, even on the title page.
Running Headers
Running headers share space with the page number on every page, and are typically a surname.
Line Spacing
Double line spacing is used throughout. Do not add extra spaces between paragraphs or sections.
Insert an extra line space before and after headings in the body of the essay.
Text Justification
Other than centered headings for the title and works cited list, text is left-justified, which means the right margin will be ragged instead of uniform.
Do not manually or auto-hyphenate words to smooth out the right margin. (As an added warning, hyphenating a URL in the reference list will change it to something else.)
Indentation
In the body of the paper, the first line of a paragraph starts with a 0.5 inch indent.
In contrast, works cited entries use a hanging indent, meaning that the first line of each citation will touch the margin and following lines will be indented 0.5 inches. This format makes it easier to find sources in the works cited list.
Fonts
Unless your instructor specifies otherwise, choose any font between 10 and 13 pt size that has a distinct contrast between regular and italic type, so long as it is legible, accessible, and used consistently throughout the paper.
Italics are primarily used to indicate titles of longer works. Do not use them for emphasis unless absolutely necessary