Research Paper in Social
Sciences
Source: Purdue OWL staff
https://owl.english.purdue.edu
Title Page Example
Paper Name
First and Last Name
Block
The Paper
2-3 pages of writing
Page numbers (starting on page 2); upper right hand
corner
Double spaced
12 point font
Times New Roman or Calibri
1” margins
References Page
Center the title “References” (do
not bold or underline the title)
Double space all reference entries
For each entry, the first line is flush
left, and all subsequent lines are
indented
Alphabetical order
3 to 5 sources
In-text Citations
In text citations help readers to locate the cited source in
the References section of the paper.
When you use a source, provide the following in
parenthesis:
Author’s last name, date of publication
*for a quotation add a page number
Other…
 Do not use first or include your personal opinions
 Be clear, do not use words like “stuff” or “things”
 Don’t use contractions (i.e. write out “do not”)
 Cite what you get from outside sources
 Use reliable sources – i.e. not Wikipedia, blogs, etc.
 Avoid grand statements like “The most significant event in all
of history…”