TLRBSE Journal Style/Formatting Sheet
Page Setup: 1” top/bottom/both sides margins
Gutter: 0.5”
Paper Title (first line): Times Roman 14pt, bold, center
Student Authors (second line): Times Roman, 12pt, center
Teacher (third line): Times Roman, 12pt, italics, center
Spacing: One space after the teacher’s name in the Title and before the first paper heading. At
the end of each section paragraph, insert two returns.
Headings: Times Roman, 12pt, left-justified, small caps, bold, no space after the heading and
the body of the section. The “Headings” should correspond with the required sections listed on
the RBSE Journal web page at http://www.noao.edu/outreach/tlrbse/guidelines.html
Body: Times Roman, 12pt, left-justified, single spaced
Graphs: When creating graphs, DO NOT use color. The journal will be printed in Black/White
and different colors may not show up as well. Likewise, when creating “line” or “scatter” charts,
please refrain from using different color lines, but instead select use different line styles or
symbols. Graphs and images should be centered on the page – Select the drawing object, and
then click the applicable command on the “Format” menu: AutoShape, Object, Picture, Text
Box, or WordArt. Click the “Layout: tab, then select “Center”.
Images: Save all images and name them as Image 1, Image 2, etc. This nomenclature should
correspond with the order the images are included within your research paper. Using this
universal system will help to ensure that we have all the images in the event something happens
to the document when reformatting pages. Graphs and images should be centered on the page –
Select the drawing object, and then click the applicable command on the “Format” menu:
AutoShape, Object, Picture, Text Box, or WordArt. Click the “Layout: tab, then select “Center”.
Label each using Times Roman, 12pt, centered, ex. – Figure 1 [title]. Please don’t use any
spaces between the table and text; the text should go underneath the graphic.
Tables: Please refrain from using the “frames” command located on the “Format” menu. This
command is used specifically for web pages, and can be confusing when trying to
rearrange/manipulate tables or imported graphics within a document. Regardless of you are
creating one or multiple tables, please “Center” on the page. Label each using Times Roman,
12pt, centered, ex. – Table 1 [title]. Please don’t use any spaces between the table and text; the
text should go underneath the graphic.
Footnotes: If you are using MS Word, select “alt+cntrl+f” at the point you want to insert the
footnote and Word will automatically format your document. Please use the proper formatting
found on the Bibliography sample sheet for the body of work being referenced.
References (Works Cited): The RBSE Journal uses the term References. Each is an
alphabetical list of works cited, or works to which you have made reference. Entries in
Referecnces, are put in alphabetical order by last names of authors, editors, translators, etc. or by
RBSE Journal Style Sheet
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first words of titles. Times Roman, 12pt, left-justified, header small caps, bold, no space after
the heading and the body of the section, paragraph spacing after each entry 6pt (“Format” menu,
paragraph, indents/spacing, spacing after 6pt).
Bibliography: Times Roman, 12pt, left-justified, header small caps, bold, no space after the
heading and the body of the section, paragraph spacing after each entry 6pt (“Format” menu,
paragraph, indents/spacing, spacing after 6pt). A sample bibliography is included with this style
guide.
SAMPLE
Active Longitudes
John Smith, Darren Stargazer, and Ellen Mah
Black Hole High School, Tucson, AZ
Teacher: Harry Miles, RBSE 1999
ABSTRACT—A paragraph that briefly summarizes the project and its results. The abstract
should be viewed as a concise summary of a project, something that a reader could use to get a
cursory understanding of what you did.
INTRODUCTION—State your research question, problem or hypothesis. Give some
background information about your study. What other research has been done on this problem.
Include references to these papers. (see references).
Observations and data reduction—Describe the observations you made and how you reduced the
data.
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS—use your measurements to draw conclusions. In this section,
carefully constructed graphs and tables are very important.
DISCUSSION—Describe what you believe happened in your investigation; what trends or
relationships between your variables you have uncovered (if any). Be sure to address your initial
research problem or question and reference your data and results to support your conclusions.
SUMMARY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS—A short conclusion, and any special thanks to
those who have helped you.
REFERENCES—List all of the reference sources you consulted during your investigation.
Include Internet sources. The format for these is the author’s name and year of publication in the
text of your paper. In the final list of references, the full reference (names, year, journal volume
or book title, publisher).
RBSE Journal Style Sheet
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RBSE Journal Style Sheet
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