How to format a research paper without losing your mind? Quick tips from survivors 📚

[rebel_research]

help! writing my first serious research paper and the formatting is killing me slowly... my citations are a mess, margins look weird, and i swear the header keeps moving by itself anyone got tips on how to not lose it completely?

 

[molecularninja]

Former writing center tutor here! Quick formatting checklist that saved many students:

1. General Layout:

1-inch margins all around
Double spacing
12pt Times New Roman (usually)
Page numbers in header
Running head if required


2. SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT EVERY 5 MINUTES! Nothing worse than losing formatting

 

[rebel_research]

@molecularninja omg thank you! but what about citations? i'm drowning in APA rules

 

[rushhour]

Listen, APA used to make me cry too. Here's what helped:

Use citation manager (Zotero saved my life!)
Keep track of DOIs
Create reference list AS YOU GO
Double-check in-text citations immediately

 

[blank_page_panic]

make a template! Save it with all your formatting done right - margins, spacing, fonts, styles. Never format from scratch again!

 

[Outfielder]

@rebel_research library secret - we literally have pre-formatted Word templates! Come by the help desk, we got you

 

[rebel_research]

@Outfielder wait what?? you're telling me i've been suffering for nothing??

 

[midnight.biologist]

Some MS Word tricks that'll save your sanity:

Use Styles for headings
Set up automatic page numbers
Learn keyboard shortcuts
Create custom shortcuts for common formatting

 

[pitchperfect]

different journals = different formats. Always check specific guidelines first! Nothing worse than reformatting an entire paper

 

[Outfielder]

@rebel_research things i wish i knew earlier:

Back up your files!
Keep a formatting checklist
Take breaks (formatting fatigue is real)
Don't edit content and format at the same time

 

[rebel_research]

update: got the template from library... why did no one tell me about this before?? actual lifesaver!

 

[paper_crisis]

Just submitted my first conference paper and those library templates literally saved my life! Was banging my head against APA guidelines for DAYS before someone mentioned them in this thread. Wanted to come back and say thanks for the advice!

 

[Outfielder]

@paper_crisis Always happy to hear someone discovered the secret weapons! Did you end up using citation management software too?

 

[paper_crisis]

@Outfielder Yeah, finally got Zotero working after some initial frustration. Game-changer for managing sources!

 

[rebel_research]

Welcome to the club! Those templates got me through my thesis without losing my mind. Now I hoard formatting templates like they're gold

 

[midnight.biologist]

The real glow-up is when you start customizing those templates with your own keyboard shortcuts. I've got it down to where I barely touch the mouse when formatting now

 

[LibraryHelper]

We've actually added more templates since this thread started! We now have discipline-specific ones for psychology, biology, engineering, and humanities. Just stop by the reference desk.

 

[paper_crisis]

Wait, there are discipline-specific ones?? Where were these when I was scrambling last week??

 

[pitchperfect]

Don't feel bad - I've been publishing for years and only discovered these resources last semester. Academia's best-kept secrets aren't about research, they're about formatting

 

[rushhour]

Downloaded all the available templates from the library and already saved tons of time on formatting. They've changed my workflow for the better. Nice to see the academic community helping each other out with such practical solutions.