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How to Format an Essay

Last Updated: July 29, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Carrie Adkins, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano . Carrie Adkins is the cofounder of NursingClio, an open access, peer-reviewed, collaborative blog that connects historical scholarship to current issues in gender and medicine. She completed her PhD in American History at the University of Oregon in 2013. While completing her PhD, she earned numerous competitive research grants, teaching fellowships, and writing awards. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 96,810 times.

You’re opening your laptop to write an essay, knowing exactly what you want to write, but then it hits you: you don’t know how to format it! Using the correct format when writing an essay can help your paper look polished and professional while earning you full credit. In this article, we'll teach you the basics of formatting an essay according to three common styles: MLA, APA, and Chicago Style.

Setting Up Your Document

• If you can’t find information on the style guide you should be following, talk to your instructor after class to discuss the assignment or send them a quick email with your questions.
• If your instructor lets you pick the format of your essay, opt for the style that matches your course or degree best: MLA is best for English and humanities; APA is typically for education, psychology, and sciences; Chicago Style is common for business, history, and fine arts.

• Most word processors default to 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins.

• Do not change the font size, style, or color throughout your essay.

• Change the spacing on Google Docs by clicking on Format , and then selecting “Line spacing.”
• Click on Layout in Microsoft Word, and then click the arrow at the bottom left of the “paragraph” section.

• Using the page number function will create consecutive numbering.
• When using Chicago Style, don’t include a page number on your title page. The first page after the title page should be numbered starting at 2. [5] X Research source
• In APA format, a running heading may be required in the left-hand header. This is a maximum of 50 characters that’s the full or abbreviated version of your essay’s title. [6] X Research source

• For APA formatting, place the title in bold at the center of the page 3 to 4 lines down from the top. Insert one double-spaced line under the title and type your name. Under your name, in separate centered lines, type out the name of your school, course, instructor, and assignment due date. [8] X Research source
• For Chicago Style, set your cursor ⅓ of the way down the page, then type your title. In the very center of your page, put your name. Move your cursor ⅔ down the page, then write your course number, followed by your instructor’s name and paper due date on separate, double-spaced lines. [9] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source

• Double-space the heading like the rest of your paper.

Writing the Essay Body

• Use standard capitalization rules for your title.
• Do not underline, italicize, or put quotation marks around your title, unless you include other titles of referred texts.

• A good hook might include a quote, statistic, or rhetorical question.
• For example, you might write, “Every day in the United States, accidents caused by distracted drivers kill 9 people and injure more than 1,000 others.”

• "Action must be taken to reduce accidents caused by distracted driving, including enacting laws against texting while driving, educating the public about the risks, and giving strong punishments to offenders."
• "Although passing and enforcing new laws can be challenging, the best way to reduce accidents caused by distracted driving is to enact a law against texting, educate the public about the new law, and levy strong penalties."

• Use transitions between paragraphs so your paper flows well. For example, say, “In addition to,” “Similarly,” or “On the other hand.” [16] X Research source

• A statement of impact might be, "Every day that distracted driving goes unaddressed, another 9 families must plan a funeral."
• A call to action might read, “Fewer distracted driving accidents are possible, but only if every driver keeps their focus on the road.”

Using References

• In MLA format, citations should include the author’s last name and the page number where you found the information. If the author's name appears in the sentence, use just the page number. [18] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• For APA format, include the author’s last name and the publication year. If the author’s name appears in the sentence, use just the year. [19] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• If you don’t use parenthetical or internal citations, your instructor may accuse you of plagiarizing.

• At the bottom of the page, include the source’s information from your bibliography page next to the footnote number. [20] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• Each footnote should be numbered consecutively.

• If you’re using MLA format, this page will be titled “Works Cited.”
• In APA and Chicago Style, title the page “References.”

• If you have more than one work from the same author, list alphabetically following the title name for MLA and by earliest to latest publication year for APA and Chicago Style.
• Double-space the references page like the rest of your paper.
• Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) if your citations are longer than one line. Press Tab to indent any lines after the first. [23] X Research source
• Citations should include (when applicable) the author(s)’s name(s), title of the work, publication date and/or year, and page numbers.
• Sites like Grammarly , EasyBib , and MyBib can help generate citations if you get stuck.

Formatting Resources

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-englishcomposition1/chapter/text-mla-document-formatting/
• ↑ https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/392149/WE_Formatting-your-essay.pdf
• ↑ https://content.nroc.org/DevelopmentalEnglish/unit10/Foundations/formatting-a-college-essay-mla-style.html
• ↑ https://camosun.libguides.com/Chicago-17thEd/titlePage
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/page-header
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/title-page
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/writing-speaking-resources/mla-8-style-format
• ↑ https://cflibguides.lonestar.edu/chicago/paperformat
• ↑ https://www.uvu.edu/writingcenter/docs/basicessayformat.pdf
• ↑ https://www.deanza.edu/faculty/cruzmayra/basicessayformat.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html
• ↑ https://monroecollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=589208&p=4073046
• ↑ https://library.menloschool.org/chicago

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When you’re given the task to write a report or an essay, do you just stick to the defaults? (You know, like sticking with Calibri, 11-pt. font?) If you’re like most regular folks (meaning, you don’t have a background in design), the chances are you do.

Of course, you do  some  formatting, right? You indent your paragraphs, you make your headings a little bigger. And you might end up making them bold. But if you don’t take the time to design your document, does it typically end up looking like this?

If you said, “yes,” you should know something: your document isn’t professional. And it’s rather dull. Who wants to read an unprofessional, dull document?

Designer Ludvig Mies van der Rohe once noted, “God is in the details.” One of the great lessons I take from his mantra is that attention to detail makes all the difference. And you know what? For most intents and purposes, a few added details makes a huge, huge difference. In the case of a typical report or essay, with five easy changes, you can take your document from “dull and blah” to “wow.” Here’s how:

You may also be interested in how to write a letter in business letter format , how to write an amazing cover letter , or how to write a proposal .

Step 1: Put Space  between  Paragraphs

Don’t double-space the document, but DO double-space between your paragraphs, like this:

Step 2: Get Rid of those Nasty Indents

If the paragraphs are spaced away from each other, indents are unnecessary (and they create awkward white space). So make the document look like this:

Step 3: Use Two Contrasting Fonts (other than the defaults) and Sizes

Using what I call the “Two Font Rule,” you can pull yourself away from the stigma that you only use the defaults (and that you are, by association, apathetic, boring, and/or lazy). Use two fonts that look significantly different from each other, usually from two different font families. So using a sans serif font (the ones without the little “feet” at the ends of the letters) for the headings and a serif font (the ones with the little feet) for the body text is a nice choice. Below, you can see that I used Bebas Neue for the heading (a sans serif font) and ATC Laurel for the body text. I also made the heading bold and much larger (30-point compared to the body text’s 12-point). Here’s how it looks:

Step 4: Shrink Your Line Length

Most of the time, you’ll be printing on 8-1/2 x 11 pieces of paper. Did you know that, with MS Word’s 1″ margins, you have a line length of 6-1/2 inches, much too large for the typical 10- or 12- point font? Think about how magazines, books, and other professional publications are designed. They use columns or smaller pages. Never do they stretch text across the entire page. If you widen the margins significantly, readers are much more likely to want to read the document. It uses more pages, but it sure looks a million times better:

Step 5: Add Some Space  between  the Lines

In document design, we call the space between lines “leading.” Adding a bit of space (not too much, not the double-space stuff you were taught in high school) increases readability. Like wider margins, increased leading is more inviting. If you want your document to actually be read, make it look nice. A little leading goes a long way:

There are, of course, a few more things you can do. Consider using color for the headings. Insert page numbers for accessibility. But really, if you just do those five quick and easy steps every time you create a document, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you “wow” the people you give it to.

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