Should your bibliography list your sources in alphabetical order by last name of author? That is standard.Should your bibliography (a list of your sources) appear on a separate page at the end of your report? That is standard.Should you include a separate title page?.How should you position your heading (and should it include information other than name, class, and date)?.
What size should the margins be? Margins of 1″ or 1.25″ on each side are standard.If you are using a computer, what type style (font) and size should you use? (Twelve-point Times or Times New Roman is standard.).If you are typing, should you use single space or double space? For typing, double spacing is standard.If you are handwriting, should you use both sides or only one side of the paper?.If you are handwriting, should you write on every line or every other line?.Should your report be written by hand or typed in a word processing program?.
Here are the main formatting issues to consider: If your teacher has specified a format, be sure you have a list of the rules she or he has established-and follow them! If not, you need to decide on questions of format for yourself. Many instructors tell their students exactly how their research papers should be formatted-for example, how wide the margins should be, where and how the sources should be listed, and so on.