|
Manuscript Format The
Chicago Manual of Style provides examples of properly
constructed papers. All papers
must be typewritten in U.S. (or American) English grammar, spelling, and
punctuation. The margins of your
paper should be one inch all around.
Double-space, but no more than double-space, the entire manuscript,
including long quotations that have been set off from the text. Left-align the text. Do not justify the margins. Any visuals – charts, graphs,
images, tables – appear as appendices to the paper. All other pages
must be numbered (Arabic characters only) in the upper right corner. Do not
include a short title or your last name before the page numbers (known as a
running head). There is a title
page. See the Chicago Manual for
how to set it up. All research
papers must have an original and interesting title, one that identifies the
topic and theme of the paper. Do not number the title page. All word processors allow you to
leave the first page unnumbered.
The
second page contains the abstract. Running 100-150 words maximum, and
organized in a single-block paragraph with no references, an abstract is a
statement that succinctly communicates essential information about the paper,
the problem or objective, method, findings and conclusion. Do not write the abstract in
outline form or in multiple paragraphs.
Title the abstract page “Abstract.” Do not put the title of the paper or your name on the
abstract page. One can find
examples of abstracts in almost any social science journal. Although the abstract appears at the
beginning of a paper, it is the last piece written. The
third page begins the text of the paper. Repeat and center the title of the paper at the top of the
page. Do not put your name on
this page. It is very important
that you do not put an extra return or extra spaces between paragraphs. Many word processors set up the
default template to automatically insert extra spaces between
paragraphs. Change this setting. The only time you will need an extra
return is if you use section headings, then and only then is an extra return
after the last paragraph of the previous section allowed. The
research paper must have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction tells the audience
what the paper is about and why they should pay attention. A good introduction contains a thesis
statement, best organized around the identification
of a problem, provides the reader with a context (background or history of
the problem), and defines a theme, that is a concept or argument guiding the
discourse. The introduction
should also provide a brief summary of the conclusion or findings. The
body supports in several paragraphs the argument or thesis. Carefully construct your
paragraphs. Each paragraph
contains three parts: (1) the topic sentence, in which the writer introduces
an idea or makes a claim; (2) supporting sentences, which provide evidence
for the claim, all of which link back to the topic sentence; and (3) a
concluding sentence, in which the writer restates the main idea (the topic
sentence). The concluding
sentence must use different words.
Sometimes there is a fourth element, the transitional sentence, which
prepares the reader for the next paragraph. Paragraphs
must relate to one another in an orderly and logical manner. Take time to develop transitional
phrases that link paragraphs in a coherent chain. The length of a paragraph is somewhat arbitrary, but it
should contain a topic sentence with several supporting sentences. Work from
an outline. The paper ends with a conclusion, in
which the author emphasizes the importance and usefulness of the paper’s
arguments and findings, synthesizes (does not merely repeat the topic
sentences) the main points into a more elaborated argument (think, “sum is
greater than the parts”), and leaves the reader with a sense of the totality
of the work. Do not cite sources
or introduce new arguments in a conclusion. State the conclusion in your own words. Never begin the conclusion with “In
conclusion” or “To sum up.” |
Contents
|
|
|