Essay Format: A Basic Guide with Examples

Learners need to write many paper assignments on various disciplines during the educational period. Writing an essay is the most common task you can get. There are two main things that define essay writing: outline and format. These elements can assist to organize the entire research.

Among the most widespread essay formats are MLA, APA, and Chicago. Many educational institutions require exactly these standard essay formatting styles. The goal of any essay format is to provide the information in a structured way.

This article contains information on what is an essay format and essay format examples. These format essays examples can be utilized both for high schools and colleges. With the help of this guide, you can make a perfectly formatted essay.

What is Essay Format?

The format of the essay is regarded as a set of guidelines that help to define how to arrange elements in your paper. These guidelines embrace the structure of an essay, outline, citations, and title. When you format essays, there is a need to take into consideration the following certain things. They are essay structure, works cited page, in-text citations, and title page. Let’s look at recommendations for preparing a standard outline and format essay.

Basic Essay Outline

If you view any standard example of an essay, you will discover that this essay is divided into the introductory part, body paragraph, and summing up. These sections include all the main information. The outline provided below shows a basic format for all essay types.

  • Introductory part. In this section, you should begin your essay by introducing your theme and providing background information. Every introduction should be ended with a strong thesis statement. It helps to show the basic argument of your essay.
  • Body paragraph. This section consists of several body paragraphs. Every paragraph should have a topic sentence at the beginning. Moreover, you should provide basic arguments to maintain your thesis.
  • Conclusion. In this section, you should give a summary of the entire essay and restate your thesis. There is a need to give your audience something to think about.

Now, after you know what a standard outline looks like, we can move to guidelines of the format of an essay.

Standard Essay Format Guidelines

Follow these proper essay format guidelines in order to prepare a well-organized paper.

  • There should be a one-inch margin on all sides of the page.
  • Use line spacing, for instance, single spacing or double spacing. 
  • Font style and size should be definite, for instance, New Times Roman 12pt.
  • Page headers should involve the last name of a writer or shortened title.
  • Pages numbers are often involved in the page headers.
  • Make a half an inch indent. 

These are standard guidelines for essay writing format. Now, we can move to the format essay template.

Basic Essay Format Template

Nowadays, it is really easy to find the desired information on the Internet. You can discover and then use an example of an essay, an example of essay format, and an essay format template. This is helpful when you have problems with the formatting or the writing process. There is one important rule: do not take these examples and pass them off as your own. Use them in order to view formatting styles and organize your paper properly.

Essay Format Chicago Style Guidelines

The Chicago style involves valuable guidelines for the format for writing an essay. Chicago-style essays should contain footnotes and accurate citations. Follow these recommendations in order to format your essay in Chicago style.

  • There should be a one-inch margin on all sides of the paper.
  • Everywhere should be double spacing.
  • Stick to Times New Roman 12pt style.
  • This format style requires footnotes to quoted passages. 
  • Speaking about the bibliography, you should enumerate the information in alphabetical order. This info should be included on the page with the title “Bibliography”.

Now, let us move to the example of the Chicago style format.

Chicago Style Format Example

Chicago style is likewise a frequently utilized essay format that first of all concentrate on the source of origin. Therefore, if you decide to apply this style, it is advisable to look through a proper essay format example of this style.

Essay Format APA Style Guidelines

American Psychological Association (APA) is a style that is mostly utilized in scientific articles. Learners who study behavioral and social science usually utilize the APA format in order to structure their essays. Below are the main APA format recommendations if you are not sure how to format your essay in APA style.

  • Stick to Times New Roman 12pt style and size.
  • Everywhere should be double spacing.
  • There should be a one-inch margin.
  • A shortened title should be included at the upper left.
  • The page number should be included at the upper right in the headline of every page.
  • The title page should include the following information: the name of the writer and instructor, institution, and date.

After you familiarize yourself with these guidelines, you can view an essay format example of APA style.

APA Format Essay Example

APA style is the most commonly utilized format in essay writing. Therefore, there is a need to understand its requirements. If you want to apply this style correctly, download an essay format sample of APA style in PDF or Word on the Internet. With its help, you will do formatting properly, and your teacher will be satisfied with the result.

Essay Format MLA Style Guidelines

MLA style is one of the most commonly utilized formats. Students usually apply it in the field of humanities. Let’s consider helpful recommendations on how to write an essay in MLA format.

  • Use New Times Roman 12pt font.
  • Everywhere should be double spacing. Check if there is no extra space between paragraphs.
  • There should be a one-inch margin on all sides.
  • The title of your essay should be placed in the center.
  • Press “Tab” for indentation. 
  • At the top left-hand corner, you should include the following information: name of author and teacher, date, and class.

To know more about this style, it is recommended to view an essay format example of MLA style.

MLA Format Essay Example

Writing an essay in MLA style can be a complicated task. Even recommendations do not always help you. This is where a free essay format example of MLA style can assist you. You can better comprehend what elements should be included in this format style.

Tips for Writing an Academic Paper

We may conclude that understanding format requirements is necessary in order to craft an academic paper. Still, there are several other elements that define a perfect essay. In order to write a good academic paper and receive a high grade, follow these tips:

  • Answer the “what is an essay” question. There are many types of essays, and you should determine what essay you are required to prepare. Types of essays have similar but at the same time distinct writing requirements.
  • Answer the “what is essay form” question. Crafting an outline can help you. A basic essay comprises an introductory part, body, and summing up. 
  • Answer the “what is essay format” question. Define the essay style you are going to apply. You can select from the most widespread format styles such as APA, MLA, and Chicago. It is up to you whether to use a simple essay format, short essay format, or complicated essay format.

If you make everything properly, you will craft a perfect and well-structured academic paper. 

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