Essay writing is an unavoidable task in college and many students struggle with it. With so much time spent in class, students find the research and writing tasks tough to handle. Now that the essay will add to your final grade, it is important to learn how to get it right. In addition to learning the basics of writing, you also need to understand the essay format types including APA, MLA, and Chicago. Most institutions require students to follow a particular writing format.

For this reason, you need to inculcate the guidelines of each format to ace your essay. This article highlights the basics of writing following these formats.

Starting your Research Paper
Before you even decide on your essay format template, it is important to understand the requirements of the project. Read through the paper guidelines and seek clarification if you need any. Prepare for the paper by setting aside time on your schedule and always start your research as soon as possible. Identify the resources you need, find a good topic and a thesis which will form the foundation of your paper.

Key Sections in Essay Format
Whatever the type of format you follow, it is important first to create an essay format outline. It should include a Title Page, Abstract, introduction (research question, thesis), the body of the work (arguments), conclusion and Works cited (bibliography). There are changes to these sections depending on the writing formats as seen below:

MLA Writing Format
The Modern Language Association (MLA) formatting guidelines focus on humanities. Some basic requirements include:

• Font: Should be 12 point Times News Romans
• Spacing: Double spacing throughout the essay
• Heading: for essay format MLA, include on the upper right-hand corner student’s name, professor’s name, and course and date each on different lines.
• Margins: 1-inch margins from each side.
• Page numbers: Includes student’s last name and page number
• In-text citation: Required when paraphrasing or quoting an external source and the work must appear on the Works Cited page.
• Works cited page: The annotated bibliography is titled “Works Cited” in essay format for college

APA Writing Format
The American Psychological Association (APA) writing guidelines work for psychology papers, social sciences, humanities, education, and nursing. The basics of essay format in APA include:

• Font: Times New Roman 12pt font
• Title Page: Includes the title of the essay, student’s name, and the name of the institution.
• Spacing: double spacing
• Margins: 1-Inch margins on all sides.
• Heading: At the top of every page and includes a shortened title of the paper.
• Page Numbers: Insert a page number on the right
• References page: Last page of the work and every entry should include Author (last name, first and middle initial], Year of Publication, The title of work, Publisher City, State: Publisher.

Chicago/Turabian Essay Format
Commonly used for social sciences and historical journals. Some of the guidelines include:

• Font: Times New Roman 12pt font
• Spacing: Double spaced used all round except for block quotes.
• Page numbers: Student’s name and page number at the top right of every page. No page number on the title page.
• Footnotes: required for on paraphrased or quoted passages
• In-text citation: Includes the author’s last name, publication date, and page number.
• Bibliography: A page titled “Bibliography” at the top center of the page lists all sources they used in writing the paper in alphabetical order.

Learning all these formats is not easy. Working with an online essay writing service can make things easier for you. They have essay format samples and professional writers who can provide custom essay papers in any format.