Providing students with original papers since 2003 Writing guide
Most academic papers use 1-inch margins, but correct layout also depends on header placement, line spacing, paragraph indents, and submission format. Use this reference to set up the full page without accidentally changing another part of the document.
Use 1-inch margins on all four sides for most APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago student papers. Keep body text double-spaced and indent first lines 0.5 inch. Put page numbers in the header or footer area. For bound dissertations, follow the university’s rules; the left or inside margin is often wider.
APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago-style student papers converge on a 1-inch margin because it creates a readable text block, leaves room for comments, and prints reliably. On US letter paper measuring 8.5 by 11 inches, four 1-inch margins leave a body area 6.5 inches wide and 9 inches high.
The assignment sheet or institutional template takes priority over a general style guide. For example, a department may require Chicago citations but specify a 1.5-inch left margin for a printed thesis.
The main styles differ less in margin width than in what they place near the page edges. A document can have correct 1-inch margins and still use the wrong running head or page-number position.
Header distance is separate from the top margin. For example, the body may begin 1 inch below the top edge while the page number sits in the header about 0.5 inch from that edge.
The body margin marks the boundary of the main text block. Body paragraphs, headings, block quotations, tables, and ordinary figures stay within that block. A table that crosses the right margin is not fixed by making its font smaller at random; resize it, change its orientation, or follow the institution’s rules for oversized material.
Headers, running heads, and page numbers usually occupy the band between the page edge and the body text. For example, an MLA page number can sit 0.5 inch from the top edge while the first body line starts at least 1 inch from the edge.
Footnotes do not normally sit below the bottom margin. Word places them above the bottom boundary of the text area, often with a separator line. The footer and any footer page number remain below the footnotes but inside the physical page.
Margins control the text block; spacing and indentation control the text inside it. They should be set separately. Increasing a left paragraph indent does not create a wider left page margin, and adding blank lines does not create correct double spacing.
For a standard APA or MLA body paragraph, use double line spacing, 0 points before and after the paragraph, and a 0.5-inch first-line indent. The second and later lines return to the left edge of the text block. Do not press the space bar five times to imitate the indent.
Some document templates use 1.08 or 1.15 line spacing and add 8 points after each paragraph. Those defaults create uneven academic formatting even when the page margins are correct.
A correct 1-inch right margin still leaves one decision open: what happens to a word that does not fit on the line. Academic styles answer it the same way — leave the line short. APA 7 and MLA 9 both set body text flush left with a ragged right edge, which means no justification and no words divided across two lines.
Justified text is where broken words normally come from. Stretching every line out to the right margin forces the software either to hyphenate or to open wide gaps between words, and neither belongs in a submitted paper. Switching alignment back to left removes the cause instead of patching one line at a time.
A few strings should never break at all: an initial and its surname, a number and its unit, a date and its year. Word has characters that hold them together, and they are more reliable than typing an ordinary space and hoping the wrap lands elsewhere. For example, a citation reading Smith, J. (2019) should not leave J. stranded at the end of a line.
Recent Word versions usually open new documents with 1-inch Normal margins, but an imported file, saved template, section break, or changed default can produce different values. Verify the numbers instead of judging the white space by sight.
Margin formatting can be section-specific. A paper with a landscape table may contain section breaks, so changing the first section does not always correct later pages.
New paged Google Docs files generally use 1-inch margins. Existing files may differ because they came from a template, were imported from Word, inherited saved page settings, or were switched to Pageless format.
Use Page setup for exact measurements. The ruler’s blue markers control paragraph indentation, so dragging them can shift the body text without correcting the actual page margin.
Binding can hide part of the inner edge, so printed theses and dissertations often need more space there. The graduate school’s formatting manual controls the exact measurement. Common rules use a 1.5-inch left margin with 1-inch top, right, and bottom margins, but some institutions require 1.25 inches or another value.
For a one-sided printed dissertation, a typical setup is Left 1.5 inches and Top, Right, and Bottom 1 inch. For duplex printing, use mirrored margins so the wider inside edge alternates between left and right pages.
In Word, open Custom Margins and select Mirror margins for duplex work. Enter the required inside and outside values, or add the stated gutter. Do not set a 1.5-inch inside margin and then add another 0.5-inch gutter unless the instructions explicitly require both.
Each pair shows a submission that loses marks on layout, followed by the same page set up the way the style guide expects.
MLA paper with a manually typed header
Wrong Jordan 1 is typed above the first paragraph and moved to the right with spaces. It appears only on page one, pushes the body down, and shifts when the font changes.
Correct The surname and automatic page-number field are placed in the document header, flush right and about 0.5 inch from the top edge. The body retains its 1-inch top margin on every page.
Headers should repeat automatically and remain independent of the body text and its margins.
APA paper formatted from a Word template
Wrong The student selects double spacing but leaves Word’s 8-point space after each paragraph. Some gaps now look larger than others, although the margins are 1 inch.
Correct The body uses double line spacing, 0 points before and after paragraphs, and a 0.5-inch first-line indent. The margins remain 1 inch on all four sides.
Academic double spacing is a paragraph setting, not a combination of line spacing and extra blank space.
Essay adjusted to reach a page minimum
Wrong The left and right margins are increased to 1.25 inches, reducing the text block to 6 inches on letter paper and forcing more line wraps.
Correct All four margins stay at the required 1 inch, leaving a 6.5-inch text width. The submitted page count reflects the assigned layout.
A quarter-inch change on both sides is visible and can be confirmed in Page setup.
Paper with a block quotation
Wrong The left page margin is changed to 1.5 inches for the quotation page, causing the paragraphs after the quotation to remain shifted.
Correct The page keeps its 1-inch margins. Only the block quotation receives the style-required paragraph indent.
A block quotation changes paragraph indentation, not the document’s page margins.
Dissertation prepared for one-sided binding
Wrong Every side is set to 1.5 inches because the student sees a 1.5-inch binding requirement in the thesis manual.
Correct The left margin is set to the required 1.5 inches, while the top, right, and bottom remain at the required 1 inch.
Binding allowance is added only where the binding consumes space unless the institution states otherwise.
Essay justified to give it a straight right edge
Wrong The body is set to Justify with automatic hyphenation left on. Words break mid-syllable at the right margin, and some lines carry visibly wide gaps between words.
Correct The body is set to Align Left with hyphenation off. The right edge is ragged, word spacing is even, and no word is divided across two lines.
APA and MLA both specify flush-left body text, so the ragged right edge is the expected result rather than a formatting error.
Paper containing a landscape table
Wrong After inserting a landscape section, the student changes that section’s margins and assumes Word updated the entire paper. Later portrait pages keep the wrong values.
Correct The landscape table remains in its own section, and each portrait section is checked for the required 1-inch margins and correct header position.
Word can store separate margin and header settings in each section.
Most academic essays use 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right. This applies to standard APA and MLA papers and to most Chicago student papers. Follow the assignment sheet if it gives different measurements.
It is the common standard, but not an absolute rule for every document. Chicago may describe 1 inch as a minimum, and universities often require a wider left or inside margin for bound theses and dissertations.
APA 7 uses 1-inch margins on every side of every page. The page number sits at the upper right in the header area. Student papers normally omit the running head unless an instructor or institution requests it.
MLA 9 requires 1-inch margins on all sides. Place the student’s surname and automatic page number at the upper right, normally 0.5 inch from the top edge and flush with the right margin.
Open File, select Page setup, choose Pages, and enter the exact top, bottom, left, and right values. Apply the settings to the whole document. Use Page setup rather than the blue ruler markers, which control paragraph indents.
Page numbers normally sit in the header or footer band between the body text and the paper’s edge. For example, a top page number may be 0.5 inch from the edge while the body begins 1 inch from it. It should not be typed into the body text.
No. APA 7 and MLA 9 both set body text flush left with a ragged right margin, so a word that does not fit simply moves to the next line. Turn automatic hyphenation off rather than deciding where each word should break.
Almost always because the text is justified, automatic hyphenation is switched on, or both. Set alignment to Align Left and open Layout, Hyphenation, None. That removes the cause across the whole document instead of correcting one line at a time.
Open Home, Paragraph, Line and Page Breaks. Widow/Orphan control stops a single line being left behind, and Keep lines together holds the paragraph on one page. Do not press Enter repeatedly to push it over — those blank lines shift as soon as the text above them changes.
No. Wider margins change line wrapping and text-block width, and instructors can inspect the exact settings. On letter paper, 1-inch side margins create a 6.5-inch text width; 1.25-inch margins reduce it to 6 inches and are easy to spot.