The first thing to consider when choosing the best term paper format is whether your instructor requires a specific style. If you have the option, use the style that is most appropriate for the class to which the paper was assigned. While there are many different styles, schools in the United States primarily use three. The Modern Language Association (MLA) is commonly used in writing, language, and literature classes; the American Psychological Association (APA) is commonly used in social and behavioral sciences; and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is commonly used in fine arts and some humanities disciplines. The citations and appearance of the paper will change depending on the format, but style guides with detailed instructions are available.
Professors frequently request a specific style on the assignment sheet or in class. Most disciplines have a standard format that you should follow, and your instructor may expect you to do so. Some disciplines, such as chemistry, have their own formats, such as the American Chemical Society (ACS) format. You can always ask the instructor if a particular citation style is acceptable if you are comfortable with it. When in doubt about the format of a term paper, the instructor who will grade the assignment is the best person to ask for clarification.
In composition, language, and literature classes, the MLA style is commonly used. This format focuses on the source’s author rather than the source itself. All quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should include the author’s name and a page number at the end of the cited material. In MLA, the author’s work is referred to in the present tense, so a citation might begin with “As Shakespeare says” rather than “said.” There are no footnotes in MLA, and the list of sources at the end is referred to as a “Works Cited” list.
The APA term paper format is mostly used in social and behavioral science classes, with some business and geography classes thrown in for good measure. This method of documentation emphasizes the source’s currency by requesting the year of publication along with the author’s last name and only using page numbers with direct quotes. Citations should be written in the past tense, as in “Darwin claimed,” but results or established knowledge should be written in the present tense, as in “the study shows” or “high cholesterol is dangerous.” The list of references is called “References” and is found at the end of the paper. The American Psychological Association (APA) allows for an occasional explanatory footnote and requires that the paper be accompanied by an abstract.
The fine arts and some humanities fields, such as history and philosophy, typically prefer the Chicago style. CMS is the most generic term paper format because it was not created for a specific discipline. It necessitates the use of footnotes in the text with superscript numerals corresponding to the note at the bottom of the page. Some professors, on the other hand, will accept endnotes and group all of the notes at the end of the paper. The writer can use whatever tense he or she wants for citations as long as all necessary information is included in the note or on the “bibliography” page for sources at the end.
Depending on the format, the appearance of the paper changes. For example, title pages are common in APA and CMS, but not in MLA. MLA and CMS use the author’s last name and a numeral to number pages in the upper right corner, whereas APA uses a shortened version of the paper’s title with the page number. The APA format includes an abstract before the essay and allows for subheadings to break up the text. Before the body of the paper, CMS may include an outline.
Changing your format after you’ve started can be time consuming due to the numerous small differences between these formats. To save yourself headaches later on in the project, you should decide on your format before you start writing. All of these styles have manuals that will walk you through the process of setting up the proper term paper format. A well-done format is more important to your grade than putting the final draft in a nice folder.