ENG 1113 & 1213: Essay Formatting Guidelines

Kelli McBride

Whenever you turn in a writing assignment (essay, paragraph), you must follow certain guidelines.

1.                  For handwritten work, write only on one side of 8.5 x 11 white paper.  Use standard paper for typed work (no onion skin, etc.)

2.                  For work two pages or longer, place page numbers in upper right hand corner of paper, prefaced by your last name (e.g. Smith 2).  All word processing programs have a page number option to make it easy to insert the numbers.  Check the help menu for details.

3.                  In the upper left corner of the FIRST PAGE ONLY, place the following  information (single spaced):

Your Name

Class and time (e.g. ENG 1113, 10:00)

Date turned in

Assignment (e.g. Narrative Rough Draft)

4.                  Skip one line and center the title of your essay/paragraph.  Do not use quotation marks or all caps.  Capitalize all words in your title except articles and prepositions (unless one begins the title).  For example:  The Time of My Life

5.                  From the title to the end of the paper, double space everything.  The text of your essay should be left justified - not centered or full.

6.                  When typing, use a 12 point font only.  Times New Roman or Courier New are standards.  Do not use a "fancy" font that might be difficult to read.

7.                  Use 1" margins all around for typed work.

8.                  For final drafts, make sure you have attached all other materials concerning this assignment to the back .

9.                  Staple or paper clip your work together.

10.              Have these things done BEFORE CLASS STARTS.

For homework assignments, label each assignment with the page number it was on.  Make sure your name is on each page.  Do not write on back of pages.

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES WILL RESULT IN POINTS TAKEN OFF!!!

The following is an example of the first part of a first page:

                        McBride 1

Kelli McBride

ENG 1213, 11:00

September 15, 1999

Civil Disobedience Essay, Final Draft

Putting It on the Line

            Breaking the law is not something I would ever take lightly.  My parents raised me to have a respect for the rules governing our country.  However, I do love my family immensely, and if one of them was hurt or in trouble, I could see myself subverting the law to help him or her out.