Determine whether your professor wishes you to use the "Humanities" style or the "Scientific/Social Sciences" style, as this will dictate your referencing type. Refer to your assignment sheet or, if that is not available or does not state the type, ask your professor in class, at office hours or through an email.
Open a new text document in your word processor.
Change the settings in your word processor to double, or 2.0, spacing. Change your font to "Times New Roman." Make certain that extra spaces are not added before or after paragraphs.
Set your word processor to align your text to the center of the page. Press enter until the text cursor is one third down the page. Type your research paper's title. Type the subtitle below the main title if you have one. If you do not have a title for your paper yet, leave this section blank or type a temporary place-holder title into the area.
Press enter three more times. Type your name.
Press enter until your cursor is three lines above the bottom of the page. Type the title of the course into the first line. Type your professor's name into the second line. Type the date the assignment is due on the third line, in the format Month Day, Year. For example, May 2, 2011.
Place a page number consisting of your last name and the number of the page at the top of each page after the title page. The title page does not receive pagination. The first page after the title page, however, is page "2." For example, your second page title might read "Smith 2."
Align your text to the left side of the page. Write an introductory paragraph. This paragraph consists of a brief and interesting introduction to your topic coupled with your thesis statement. Thesis statements traditionally come at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Create section headers. These are section titles aligned to the middle of the page. They act as introductions to the arguments in the body paragraph you are about to write. If you are using "Humanities" style referencing, AAA style does not allow the placing of foot- or endnote numbers next to section headings. Several paragraphs can come under a single section heading, or each paragraph can have its own heading. Do whichever makes your point clearer.
Write each body paragraph based on a single argument that supports your thesis. Write introductory and concluding sentences for each paragraph. If you are using footnotes or endnotes, they are traditionally done in single spacing rather than double spacing. Place footnotes directly after "hard" punctuation marks such as periods. Do not put endnotes within "soft" punctuation marks such as commas, nor are they to be used within excerpts themselves.
Place any quotation longer than five lines in a block quote indented once throughout its entirety without any quotation marks.
Use multiple academic sources of different types. The exact number required will be outlined in your assignment. For example, you may wish to consult an anthropological journal or an ethnography.
Write a conclusion after you have finished your body paragraphs. In this, you briefly summarize each argument you made and tie them together. Show how they all support your thesis.
Include a "Notes" section after your conclusion on a new page wherein you detail your endnotes.
Write a bibliography on a new page after your "Notes" page wherein you cite all of the sources you used in writing your paper. Bibliographic entries follow the Chicago style.