Length: 900-1,500 words. A minimum of 900 words is required in order for your essay to be substantial. What is important is that you get your point across.
Organization: Introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Language: Use formal language and avoid the use of first and second person — avoid references to yourself (NO “I believe, in my opinion” etc.), no personal anecdotes, and do not address the reader (avoid “you” altogether).
Documentation: five correctly documented quotes or paraphrases from five adequate sources.
Style: APA style is usually used for the type of research you will be doing. Continue in that style unless otherwise stated by your professor.
Cross-referencing: You must use in-text citations (also known as in-text references) or signal phrases each time you use the words or ideas of your sources in the essay. Cross-reference your work as explained in your handbook. The handbook is especially necessary for this essay.
Support: You’ll need a minimum of five sources. Support your ideas with expert opinion, facts, statistics, and other information you find in your research. It is a mistake to create a Frankenstein research paper by copying and pasting.

Convert your papers to Microsoft Word before submitting.
In Microsoft Word, make sure you look under the Paragraph section. On the bottom of the left-hand side, there is a box which reads “Do not add extra spaces to like paragraphs.” Check that box! In academic papers, there are no extra spaces between the paragraphs. Instead, you must indent each new paragraph. I recommend tapping the tab key to indent.
The research paper must be typed, double-spaced.
Pages must be numbered. Use the correct pagination format for the documentation style your instructor has chosen.
The title of your paper is centered, using the same font and font size as the rest of the paper. Your title must not be bold, underlined, or italicized.
Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font.
Use one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides of each page.
Long quotes: Quotations of forty or more words in the typescript (APA) or four lines (MLA) should be set apart followed by the page number. Shorter passages are integrated into the text of the paper.
APA requires a cover page with a running head, an abstract, and a References page. Do not neglect to include these.