Research Paper Tips:
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Paper--White, 8.5” X 11” paper
Length--5-10 pages, not including title or Works Cited pages
. Type--12 point font, Times New Roman, black print, one side only
Margins--One inch on left, right, top, bottom Stapling--Upper left corner of the paper
Double-spacing--Body should be doubled-space.
Long quotations, more than 3-4 lines of text, should be indented in the body of your
essay and should be double-spaced.
 Page Numbers--Start numbering on page two of text: number consecutively
throughout in upper right corner, one inch from top. Count, but do not number, the first
page of the text. Do not number the title page, but number the Works Cited page. Please
include your last name beginning the second page: Smith, 2
 Thesis statement--Your research paper must be thesis-driven and written in the third
person. A thesis statement must be part of your introductory paragraph. Italicize your
thesis statement.
 Sources--A minimum of five citations from five different sources (minimum of 2 nonInternet sources) must be included in your paper. No encyclopedias or dictionaries will
be accepted as primary sources. Wikipedia is not a viable primary source
 Introduction sample: Teenagers in many American cities have been involved in more gangs in
the last five years than ever before. These gangs of teens have been committing a lot of violent
crimes. The victims of these crimes are both gang members and people outside of gangs. Many
people do not want to travel to areas in our cities because of the danger from this problem. For
this terrible situation to stop, it is going to take a combined effort on the part of many
people. Excellent, supervised after-school programs, more jobs available for teens, and
healthy family relationships will go a long way towards ending this crisis in our society.
 Body paragraph: Topic sentence, supporting details (facts from your research), internal
citation, explain how your supporting detail relates to the topic sentences, closing
sentence.
 Conclusion sample: The problem of teen gang violence can be eliminated. It will, however,
take time, money, and a combined effort on the part of many people. Organized, free, afterschool programs such as: sports teams and games; art, music, and drama activities; internships
in local area businesses and professional organizations; and interesting volunteer activities in
the community would help engage teens in worthwhile pursuits outside of school hours. More
job opportunities for teens, especially those funded by state and local programs, would offer
income for teens as well as productive work for the community. Outreach to families through
schools, community organizations, and places of worship would help promote intergenerational activities that could improve family closeness, helping teens to work on their
problems at the family level, instead of taking them to the streets. If these programs can be
implemented, we will surely see a decrease in teen gang activity and safer streets and
neighborhoods for us all.
 Works Cited page: List all of the sources you used in your paper in alphabetical order.
Use citationmachine.net to make sure that your sources are in the correct format.
 Citations: Any source that is listed on the works cited page must have a matching
internal citation within the body paragraphs.
 Only use 3rd person point-of-view. Do NOT use: I, me, us, we, our, you, your.
 You must include at least one piece of information from your interview somewhere in
your paper. Give credit to the person you interviewed on the works cited page and in the
internal citations.
 Check your grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.
 Proofread and let someone else read it so you can see if it makes sense.
 Turn your paper in on time. NO EXCEPTIONS. It is due by 3:15 and it must be placed
in the graduation project tray.