No problem!  Take a look at the links below for information on how to format and style your papers.

Paper Genre

Academic research papers generally fall into one of three categories: Compare/Contrast Papers, Writing as Inquiry, and Persuasive & Argumentative Papers.  Use the links below to navigate to outlines and sample papers for these common assignment types.

• Compare/Contrast Papers: A compare/contrast paper looks at ways that certain things or ideas are similar (compare) or different (contrast).  It is designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of not only two items you are comparing, but also to better understand themes in your other coursework and assignments. 
• Writing as Inquiry Papers: A writing as inquiry paper's purpose is to answer the unknown.  A majority of the writing in your higher education experience will be this type of paper.  The goal of the paper is to instruct your reader in a particular topic and, in the process, learn more about a subject through research and understanding.
• Persuasive and Argumentative Papers: A persuasive paper uses evidence to convince others on a subject or particular point of view. The audience is generally people who are “on the fence” about the issue and therefore will benefit from gaining more information on the topic.  

Citation Style​​​​​​​

Style refers to the guidelines for formatting research papers.  It is a means of protection for writers against accusations of plagiarism.  Style provides a system for referencing sources as a means to credit the source material. 

The guidelines and examples given here focus on APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.  Be sure to ask your instructor which style to use for your papers and projects.  

• MLA (Modern Language Association): most commonly used to cite sources within the language arts, cultural studies, and other humanities disciplines.
• APA (American Psychological Association): most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences.
• Chicago or CMOS (Chicago Manual of Style): most commonly used by those working in literature, history, and the arts.