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Ivana Güdgradd

Mr. English Teacher

AP English 12A-6

14 September 2010

Sample Paper Format

This paper is a sample of the format requirements for all formal English assignments at

DHS; it follows the expectations for papers written in Modern Language Association (MLA)

format.

Notice first that there are one inch margins for the top and bottom, as well as left and

right. If you are using Microsoft Word, you can change the margins from the default 1.25 to 1

inch by going to “Page Layout” and then to “Margins.”

Notice that the entire paper is double spaced. Even the space from the heading to the

centered title is one double space, and the space from the title to the first line of the paper is one

double space. The heading (on the left-hand side) is also double spaced. Notice that there are no

extra spaces between paragraphs. Works Cited pages are also double spaced.

The heading has four specific lines. The first line is the student’s name, and the second

line is the teacher’s name. The third line is the class: use “A” for first semester and then

include a hyphen and the period number. The heading of this paper is set up for a senior 6th

period class. The last line is the date—International Style—that the assignment is due.

There is a “running” header one half inch from the top of the page and right aligned. To

insert a running header, go to “Insert” and click “Page Number.” Select “Top,” “Plain,” choice

three. Type your last name and add a space between your name and the number 1. Word will

automatically paginate your remaining pages.

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The font of this paper is in 12 point, Times New Roman. Unless you are italicizing the

title of a longer work, no other font should be used.

A few other concerns: Always submit final drafts on clean, white non-ruled 8½” x 11”

paper. Always use dark ink, preferably black. If a paper that you are turning in is longer than one

page, ask your teacher how they want you to bind the pages.

Some other formal English requirements to remember are:

*Use active voice; write in a 3rd person voice *Write out all contractions except those you are quoting verbatim*Write out all numbers less than 100 unless that number is part of a formula, statistic,

data table, or title/name*Embed paraphrased and quoted material; cite the borrowed material at the end of the

sentence in which it appears. Embedded quotes often begin with a “signal phrase” that includes the author(s) name(s). For example: As Kenneth Burke notes in A Grammar of Motives, a metaphor is not just a comparison that doesn’t use like or as; for him, metaphor is “a device for seeing something in terms of something else” (503). *Include the title of the work you are citing in the signal phrase the first timeyou borrow from that work in your paper.

If you need more help with correct MLA format, you may want to consult “MLA

Formatting and Style Guide” at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. You can

also consult this site for MLA citing and documentation examples, including how to embed

quotations and how to paraphrase information. Any information that is not common knowledge

or your own idea must be cited. The “DHS Student’s Rights and Responsibilities” section of the

Student Handbook defines plagiarism as “The unauthorized use of another person’s work or

talents or the providing of one’s own work to another for an unauthorized purposes” (21).

Proper documentation will help you to avoid unintentional plagiarism.

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Sample Works Cited

Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web." A List Apart: For People Who Make

Websites. A List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.

Brubaker, Bill. "New Health Center Targets County's Uninsured Patients." Washington Post 24

May 2007: LZ01. Print.

Ed Wood. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia

Arquette. Touchstone, 1994. DVD.

Gillespie, Paula, and Neal Lerner. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Peer Tutoring. Boston: Allyn,

2000. Print.

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin, 1987. Print.

"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

Langhamer, Claire. “Love and Courtship in Mid-Twentieth-Century England.” Historical

Journal 50.1 (2007): 173-96. ProQuest. Web. 27 May 2009.

Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Nevermind. Geffen, 1991. Audiocassette.

Poniewozik, James. "TV Makes a Too-Close Call." Time 20 Nov. 2000: 70-71. Print.

Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.

Wheelis, Mark. "Investigating Disease Outbreaks Under a Protocol to the Biological and Toxin

Weapons Convention." Emerging Infectious Diseases 6.6 (2000): 595-600. Web. 8 Feb.

2009.