Writing Resources

Ocean View High School
Recommended Format for Writing Assignments

General Guidelines for all, including research papers, and guidelines in specific content areas,
use the General Writing Info link to the right.

• Type your paper on a computer, and print it out on standard, white 8.5” x 11” paper.
• If written by hand, use dark blue or black ink; write neatly and legibly.
• Use only one side of the paper.
• Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font like Times Roman.
• The font size should be 12 point.
• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your teacher).
• Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.  Indent the first line of a paragraph one half-inch from the left margin (press tab once).
• Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
• In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructors name, the course and the date.
• Double space again and center the title.  Don’t underline your title or put it in quotation marks, but it may appear in bold; write the title in title case, capitalizing the first letter of important words in the title.  The title should not be written in all capital letters.
• Double space between the title and the first line of text.

For research papers, and guidelines in specific content areas,
use the Research Paper Guide link to the right.