Brief Paper Title 1

Full Paper Title

Student’s Full, Proper Name

Name of University

Class ID

Instructor’s Name

Paper’s Due Date in mm/dd/ccyy Format

Brief Paper Title 2

Full Paper Title

Complete each section in the order that they appear to write a clear,

concise CMS formatted paper. Remove any text presented in dark blue font

when formatting your first draft. This template is based on the Verdana font

set, which is what most of my graduate-level instructors ask for. Yours may

differ. Consult your instructor for his or her expected style and modify the

style template accordingly. If you notice any styles that have become

inconsistent with the styles in the official CMS Publication 15th Edition,

please send a notice to john.munn@du.edu.

1. Topic: (what is the assignment?)Submit a n- to n-word paper on… (These are just notes to yourself, so

you might as well type them out in CMS Body Text style in case you want to

use something.)

2. Subtopics: (3 or 4 or more depending on the length of the paper)What are you going to write about pertaining to the topic? (These are

just notes to yourself, so you might as well type them out in CMS Body Text

style in case you want to use something.)

3. Hook: (creative intro to encourage the reader to go on, not too conversational)Write a strong hook to catch your reader’s attention, but make sure it

is relevant.

4. Background Knowledge: (general info leading up to the thesis statement)Smoothly transition your hook into your thesis statement with relevant

facts regarding your topic.

Brief Paper Title 3

5. Thesis Statement: (include topic and subtopic intros, no amateurish lead-ins)Write a strong, clear, and concise thesis statement in one sentence.

Your topic and subtopic keywords should be present (the exact same way

that they will appear as titles in the body of the paper). Typically, this will be

the last sentence in your introduction although this is not a hard and fast

rule. Most instructors will give you some latitude.

6. Introduction: (combine hook, background knowledge, and thesis statement)Combine the text from your hook, background knowledge, and thesis

statement to produce a great introduction.

7. First Level Headings: (exactly as they appear in the thesis statement)Headings as They Appear in the Thesis Statement

8. Body Paragraphs: (transition, main sentence, supporting sentences, conclusion)Write as many paragraphs as it takes to get your paper’s point across

and meet the academic requirements. Remember your CMS mechanics and

writing clear, concise thoughts—no fluff!

9. Conclusion: (summarize the paper, present relationships, no new information)Restate your thesis and make correlations in the thoughts/ideas

presented, but never introduce a new thought/idea, it is too late.

10. References: (working reference list)Works Cited

Keep track of your references here in proper CMS format. My university

prefers Author/Date format. Consult your instructor for required format.

Author/Date is formatted as:

Brief Paper Title 4

Author’s Last Name, First Initials/Name. CCYY. Title of source in proper

capitalization. Publication City, ST: Publisher.