Create one inch margins on all sides of the paper. The document size should be 8.5 by 11-inches.
Choose a simple, clear font. Times New Roman is recommended, in either 10 or 12 point font.
Create a header that will display on every page of the paper, inside the top margin.
The header will have the title of the paper in all capital letters -- aligned on the left side of the paper.
On the title page only, the header will begin with "Running head:" and then the title of the paper. The title shouldn't be longer than 50 characters or 12 words, and it shouldn't include any abbreviations.
Create a title page. Type the title of the paper, which can be one or two lines long. Underneath the title type your first name, middle initial and last name. Don't include your title, such as Mrs. or Dr.
On the next line, type your educational institution, or where you conducted your research.
Center all of this information.
Write your summary, which should highlight all of the information found in your research. On the first line, type "Abstract" and center it. The summary should be one paragraph long, and no lines should be indented.
The total word count should be between 150 and 250 words. The summary should include information about the researched topic, the questions that were researched, participants, methods, results and analysis of data and conclusions. You can also include information about possible implications of the research, and any work that may take place in the future that could be connected to your findings.
Add keywords to the bottom of your summary. Type the word "Keywords" in italics and follow it with a colon. List your keywords and center the entire line. Your keywords should be the words that researchers will search for, in order to locate your findings and paper.
Create a references page. On the first line, type "References" and center it.
Number each page in the right side of the upper margin. Double-space the lines on each page of the document.