General Format
For each paper you need to: * Have margins of 1 1/2" on the top of the page and 1" at the right, left, and the bottom. * Number the pages. * Double-space using indented 1st line paragraphs with no extra space between them. * Staple the pages together. * Put your name, the course number, date, and topic of the assignment at the top of the first page, single spaced, or, for papers longer than four pages, on a separate title page. * Use standard 12-point font, such as Times New Roman, and black ink. * Because not even history professors are infallible, save a backup copy of all written work submitted.
Writing principles
Punctuation - Place periods and commas inside quotation marks, semicolons and colons outside quotation marks. Place question marks and exclamation points inside quotation marks if they are part of the quotation, outside if they are not.
Capitalization - Capitalize nouns which name specific persons, places, or things (proper nouns), but not common nouns. For example: He joined the Socialist Party. There is no other political party in this town.
Quotations - Use short quotations to enrich your narrative only where relevant. Quoted material must be quoted exactly. Short quotations should be incorporated into your text and set off with quotation ("") marks. Fragmentary quotations incorporated into the text must fit logically and grammatically. For example: Remarque's soldiers were both "forlorn like children" and "experienced like old men."
Quotes longer than four typed lines should be set off from the text in a block quotation: single-spaced, all lines indented from the left, no quotation marks. Use block quotations sparingly.
If you do not need to use an entire quote, you can use ellipsis marks (three spaced periods) to let readers know you omitted words. Remember, however, that you need to leave the sentence grammatically correct. For example, “Mrs. Sibley and myself have no other object in view in our school than to promote…the proper education of our female youth.”
Attribution and authority - When referring to an individual, give that person's full name on first reference. Preface quotes and summaries of ideas by identifying the author and what makes that person an authority. For example: Lindenwood historian Jeff Smith saw the railroad as the engine driving 19th century change.
Do not call people by their first names or use titles. Thus, do not call George Sibley “George” or “Mr. Sibley” but “George Sibley” when first introduced and "Sibley" after that. The same rules apply to women. So Mary Sibley is neither “Mary” nor "Mrs. Sibley" but "Mary Sibley" when first mentioned and then simply "Sibley." If both George Sibley and Mary Sibley are under discussion, continue to use their full names to distinguish between them.
Italicize (or underline) – Italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers, and other works; television programs, movie titles, software; names of ships and other craft; court cases; and foreign words. Put titles of articles, chapters, and essays in quotation marks.
Passive voice – Avoid it since it is usually less informative than the active voice. Bob Dole was defeated in the 1996 presidential election. (By whom?) Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential election.
Dates - Write July 2, not July