The format that a student has to follow for writing a research paper depends on the condition given by your professor. Some professors may ask you to follow American Psychological Association or APA research paper outline, while some may ask you to utilize the Modern Language Association or MLA format paper. MLA writing is mostly utilized for Humanities and Liberal Arts subjects. It does not require a title page. But do read the guidelines when you are asked to use this writing style. When writing research paper based on MLA format, use a 12 point Times New Roman font or Arial. Each side should have one inch margin. Your paper should also be double-spaced.

There are number of rules on citing your references, depending on the type of your sources.

BOOKS: State the name of the author, last name first, followed by the first name, then period. The title of the book must go after, then, the place of the publication; the name of the Publisher comes next, and followed by the year the book has been published.

Website: Mention the name of the website. This must be followed by the date of publishing. When possible, mention the name of the organization associated with the website. State the date you have accessed the site, followed by the electronic address.