When you get to the end of this file, you will see a link to an old research paper of mine which is not formatted. Your assignment is to copy it, paste it to a document in your word processor then format it so that it looks acceptable to turn in as a research paper of your own. You may do this assignment in ClarisWorks or Microsoft Word, as you please. You will see that the two really don't differ that much when it comes to the basics.

Margins:

For purposes of this assignment, you will start by setting the margins on your document to half an inch on the top, the bottom, and the left, and one and a half inches on the right.

Of course, when you are preparing an assignment in real life, you should always find out from your professor/ publisher what the appropriate margin settings are!

Font size:

The font style for your document should be Times throughout! Use a font size of 12. Indent the beginning of each paragraph using your tab bar or your margin tool. DO NOT use the space bar to indent (I'll know if you do, believe me!). Paragraphs should be indented one halh inch according to your ruler.

Spacing:

Your document is to be double-spaced throughout. The body of your document will be justified. The title and subtitles (i.e. the titles of subsections) should be centered. Instructions for aligning the title, the subtitles, lengthy quotes, and the bibliography follow.

Headers and footers:

Titles, subtitles, and extended quotes.

The title of the paper should be centered, and in bold face. Add an extra blank space between the title and your name, and between semester and year and the body of the paper. All subsequent subtitles should be centered, but not in bold face. Insert an extra line both before a subtitle and after.

Extended quotes should be indented roughly "tab-and-a-half." That is, 7 to 8 spaces, more or less, as shown in the illustration.

IMPORTANT: Use your margin tools to indent. DO NOT use the tab tool or the space bar. Numbered examples used to illustrate points made in the paper should be formatted as follows:

1)  John told Mary a story.

Tab once between number and text. If numbered lines include letters (a, b, c, and so on), then tab again between the letter and the text.

Bibliography.

For purposes of this assignment, your bibliography should use hanging paragraphs, even those these no longer conform to MLA standards. Insert a Page Break just before your Bibliography so that it starts on a new page. Center the heading "Bibliography." The first line of a bibliographic entry is to be flush left. All subsequent lines should be offset five spaces. Use your Margin Tools to accomplish this, staggering the First Line Indent tool and the Left Indent tool. Don't use the tab tool. The title of the publication should be in italics.

IMPORTANT

Spell-check your document before you turn it in! Do not change the spelling of proper names, abbreviations, or of anything in the bibliography. If you think you're ready to get started, click the link below. This will download the paper into your web browser. Use CTRL-A to Select All. Then, use CTRL-C to copy. Launch your word processing application, and select CTRL-V to paste. Now, get to work formatting! When you're done, name your assignment EXACTLY as follows: your last name, followed by a blank space, followed by HW#1 as in Smith HW#1. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE IT IN YOUR PERSONAL FOLDER!