Professional PAPER GUIDELINES
In the following order include: Title page with Author Note, Abstract, Text, References, Footnotes (optional), Tables, Figures, and Appendices
TITLE PAGE
Include the following:
Sample Professional Paper Title Page (In pop-up)
- Running head: Include an abbreviated version of your title, all caps, left hand justified in the header of your paper. The running head should appear on all pages including the title (but does not contain the wording Running head as in previous versions). Including spaces and punctuation, the running head should be no longer than 50 characters.
- Page number in header, right hand justified. Page numbers appear on all pages.
- Title of the paper - Bold, centered, upper portion of page (4 lines down from top).
- Author(s) - One blank double-spaced line below the title.
- Author Affiliation. Indicate where the authors worked or studied during the time the work for the paper was conducted. For authors with different affiliations, use superscripted numbers to connect the author with their affiliation.
- Authors Note. Include any additional information about the authors, study registration, data sharing, disclaimers or statements. Place it in the lower portion of the paper with at least one blank line between the author affiliation. Center and bold: Author Note. In the first paragraph, include the authors ORCID id (if they have one, otherwise omit). In the second paragraph note any changes of affiliation since the research was conducted. In the third paragraph, note any disclosures and acknowledgments, and in the fourth paragraph include contact information.
Abstract
- The abstract is a brief comprehensive summary of the paper.
- Centered and in bold, label it as: Abstract
- Can use paragraph or a structured format.
- Abstracts, even in paragraph form, are written without indentation.
- Limit to 250 words.
- After the last line of the abstract, indent .5 inch and in italics, type Keywords: Then in regular font, lower case (except proper nouns), list three to five keywords describing the content of your paper. Do not include a period after the last keyword.
TEXT (MAIN BODY)
- Start on a new page after the Abstract page.
- On the first line of the page, centered and bold include the title of the paper.
- Text should be left aligned and double spaced.
- Indent the first line of each new paragraph .5 inch.
- Use headings when needed.
- Include page numbers on all pages (including the title page) in the right hand corner.
REFERENCE PAGE GUIDELINES
- Start your reference list on a new page after the text (main body) of your paper.
- Centered and in bold, label it as: References
- Double space entire reference list.
- Left hand justify the first line of each entry and use a hanging indent of .5 inches for all additional lines.
- Order each entry alphabetically by the authors last name. If authors have the same last name, alphabetize by last name, first initial.
OPTIONAL ELEMENT: FOOTNOTES
Footnotes are brief notations providing further detail. Footnotes can include: content notes further explaining an idea or copyright attribution or information. Footnotes can be include in the Text (main body) of the paper or on a separate page after the references.
In-Text Footnotes
- When you want to include a footnote, use a superscript number (ordered consecutively throughout the paper) in-text following any punctuation mark except a dash.
- One the same page, use the footnote feature in your word processor. Include the footnote number and the explanatory text to place at the bottom of the page. Use a 10 point font and single spaceing for footnotes in-text.
Example In text
When saving images two good options are Jpeg and PNG.1
Example bottom of page
1 Jpeg images use a compression algorithm which merges similar pixels to create a more compact image but it loses data in the process. PNG uses an algorithm that saves all the image data in the compression process. PNG is considered a loss less image format.
Footnotes at End of Paper
- When you want to include a footnote, use a superscript number (ordered consecutively throughout the paper) in-text following any punctuation mark except a dash.
- At the end of the paper after the References page, start a new page. Center and bold: Footnotes.
- List the footnotes in numerical order.
Example In text
When saving images two good options are Jpeg and PNG.1
Example at end of paper
Footnotes
1 Jpeg images use a compression algorithm which merges similar pixels to create a more compact image but
it loses data in the process. PNG uses an algorithm that saves all the image data in the compression
process. PNG is considered a loss less image format.
Tables and Figures
You can embed your tables and figures in the body of the paper or you can include them at the end of your paper after the references and footnote sections. If you include them at the end, use one page per table and figure.
APPENDICES
- Appendixes include information the author would like to include in the paper but would be distracting or inappropriate for that section.
- Start on a new page after References and Footnotes.
- If there is only one appendix, center and bold: Appendix.
- If there are more than one appendix, center and bold each appendix on a new page: Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C.
- Follow all guidelines for text, tables, figures, and images that you would for the main body of the paper.
