Saturday, 20 December 2014 15:56

Different types of an essay format

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types_of_an_essay_formatMany students fail in their essay writing because they do not follow any of the different types of essay formats. We have multiple formatting styles, ans the student must use a specific one to format the essay they write. In most cases, instructors give the essay format styles to follow, but in case they do not, the student should identify the best.

How can a student understand the different essay formats?

There is no other way a student can familiarize themselves with the different essay formats except through research. They must dig into different updated sources to get more information in relation to essay formatting. Each essay format has different rules from the other, and for a student to write an exceptional essay, they must follow the guidelines of each format conveniently.

  • Stick to one format.

There is no way one will use two essay formats on the same essay. They have to stick to one format throughout their writing ton ensure they come up with the best essay. It is also important the student uses an essay format which they are conversant with, it will save them the pain of having to redo their essay or worse still poor grades.

What are the different types of essay formats.

We have several essay formats which apply at different types of writing. We have formats like;

  • The American Psychological association (APA) formatting style.

  • Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting style.

  • Chicago formatting style.

  • Harvard formatting style.

  • Vancouver formatting style among others.

It is important that the student understands what essay format to use on what type of essay, MLA is mostly used for liberal arts and humanities, while the APA is used used for all science subjects.

The APA essay format

This format is mainly used on different research assignments. It is used for a number of essay types and it has four parts;

  • The title page also known as the cover page.

  • The abstract

  • The body.

  • The references.

This essay format requires the student to place a margin of 1” on all sides of the paper they write. The paper should also have a standard size of 8.5 by 11 inches. One uses the font known as Times New Roman and it should be size 10 or 12. The reference list comes at the end of the essay and the essay must also have in-text citations.

The MLA

Again, this essay format is used on humanities and liberal arts subjects, hence it is the most used. A writer has to use double spacing and the standard paper must be 8.5 by 11 inches in size. The font used should be size 12, Times New Roman or Ariel. This essay format requires the writer to give citations in a parenthetical manner. Citations should appear at the end of the essay written.

Harvard essay format style.

It is also refereed to as the author-date referencing style format.It is mandatory for anyone writing an essay in this format to provide information in the in-text citations.The information includes;

  • Author’s name.

  • Page number.

  • Year of publication of source or sources used.

All references must also be provided in a list at the end of the essay.

The guidelines given above will ensure you choose the best essay format to guarantee you a competent essay.

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