Research Paper Template: Structure, Format, and Examples
Free research paper templates for APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. Includes structure guides, section-by-section formatting, and examples for undergraduate and graduate papers.
A research paper template gives you a pre-formatted structure with the correct margins, headings, font, and citation style—so you can focus on content rather than formatting. Here's a complete guide to what a research paper template should include and how to use one effectively.
Standard Research Paper Structure
Most academic research papers follow this structure: (1) Title page—title, your name, institution, course, instructor, date; format varies by citation style; (2) Abstract (if required)—150–250 words summarizing research question, methodology, findings, and conclusion; (3) Introduction—background, research question, thesis statement, paper roadmap; (4) Literature Review—synthesis of relevant prior research; establishes research gap; (5) Methodology (for empirical papers)—research design, data collection, analysis approach; (6) Results/Findings—what the data shows, with tables and figures; (7) Discussion—interpret findings, connect to literature, acknowledge limitations; (8) Conclusion—restate thesis, summarize contributions, suggest future research; (9) References/Works Cited—formatted in your required citation style.
Research Paper Template by Citation Style
APA format: 1-inch margins, 12pt Times New Roman or 11pt Calibri, double-spaced, title page with running head (manuscripts only—not student papers per APA 7th), abstract page, in-text citations as (Author, Year), References page with hanging indent. MLA format: 1-inch margins, 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, header with last name and page number, no title page for most assignments (name/instructor/course/date in header), parenthetical citations as (Author Page), Works Cited page. Chicago format: 1-inch margins, 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced with specific first-line indent, footnotes or author-date citations (depending on Chicago Notes-Bibliography vs. Author-Date system), Bibliography page.
Research Paper Template: Common Formatting Mistakes
Spacing: Double-space the entire paper including the References/Works Cited page—common error is single-spacing the reference list. Title page: APA 7th student papers do NOT include a running head (only manuscripts submitted for publication use running heads). Headers: Use Word's heading styles so your table of contents generates automatically and heading levels are consistent. Citations: Don't mix citation styles (APA parenthetical and MLA Works Cited are not interchangeable). Page numbers: Include on every page including the title page in APA; exclude from the title page in Chicago. Figure captions: APA places them below figures; Chicago places them below figures; MLA has less standardized figure labeling.
How to Use a Research Paper Template Effectively
Step 1: Confirm your required citation style before starting—changing from APA to MLA after drafting requires reformatting every citation. Step 2: Set up the template structure before writing—create all section headings, set margins and font, add page numbers. Step 3: Write section by section—introduction, then literature review, then methodology, etc. Step 4: Add citations as you write, not after—tools like Akowe let you insert citations directly from your source library while writing. Step 5: Format the reference list last—reference list errors are easier to catch in one editing pass than scattered through the document.
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