A few basic layout rules
No matter which option you choose: When it comes to the layout of a paper, opinions often differ. If your lecturers (or later publishers or companies) provide fixed requirements for font, font size, line spacing etc., you should follow them. However, you are often allowed and encouraged to express your personal style. In doing so, you should know a few rules for professional typesetting:
- The text should be consistent in its design features.
- Avoid extravagance and excessive individuality.
- The body text should use a standard font size. Fonts that are too large or too small are hard to read and appear unprofessional (“page padding” or “eye candy”). With 12 pt on DIN A4, you are on the safe side.
- Serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman) are easier to read in print than sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial) and should therefore be preferred. For online texts, the opposite applies: sans serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri are recommended.
- Resist the temptation to use multiple fonts and many different font sizes (except in headings). This makes the layout appear cluttered and unprofessional. If you value professionalism, select a maximum of two base fonts (e.g., Times for body text, Arial for headings). Use this chosen font and its italic version for the entire paper. Other forms of emphasis (l e t t e r s p a c i n g, bold, ALL CAPS, or small caps) should be used sparingly and consistently.
- Underlining ruins the appearance of a page and is a no-go in typesetting.
Recommendations for the Faculty of Social Sciences
We recommend using a font such as Times New Roman for the body text in 12 pt, and Arial or Calibri for headings. In general, margins of 2–2.5 cm at the top, bottom, and left, and 3–3.5 cm on the right (for corrections) are advisable, as well as a line spacing of 1.5 lines. You can align your text either left or justified. Enable hyphenation.
Frequently asked questions
Which word processor should I use?
You can write your paper with any word processing software, e.g., Open Office Writer or MS Word.
Which font and font size should I choose for an academic paper?
Use a serif font such as Times New Roman for the body text in 12 pt, and a sans serif font such as Arial or Calibri for headings.
What margins are common for a social science paper?
As a rule, margins of 2–2.5 cm at the top, bottom, and left, and 3–3.5 cm on the right (for corrections) are common.
Continue browsing
This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in February 2025.