Kalamazoo College SIP Style Guide

Many departments specify the formatting and style guidelines expected of SIP reports written in their departments. If your department does not specify its own style guide, use the Kalamazoo College SIP Style Guide provided here.

In general, the paper will fall into three main parts: The Preliminaries, The Text, and The Reference Materials.

The Preliminaries

• Title page, followed by a blank sheet of paper
• Preface, including acknowledgements
• Abstract (option of the SIP department)
• Table of contents, with page references
• List of tables, with titles and page references
• List of illustrations, with titles and page references
• List of appendices, with titles and page references

The Text

• Introduction
• Main body, with larger divisions, and more important divisions, indicated by suitable headings

The References

• Appendices
• Bibliography

Each page in the paper, except the blank sheet following the title page, should be assigned a number as explained below.

• The preliminaries use small Roman numerals, centered one-half inch above the bottom of the page. The blank sheet is neither counted nor numbered. The title page actually counts as the first page, but no number appears on it. The first number, then, is "ii" and appears on the page after the blank sheet.
• The remainder of the paper, including the appendices and bibliography, uses Arabic numerals, centered one-half inch below the top of the page. Number each page on which material appears. Begin with "1" and run consecutively to the end of the paper.

The left margin must be at least one and one-half inches wide in order to allow for binding. All other margins (right, top, and bottom) should be one inch.

Use double spacing throughout the paper. Footnotes and long quoted passages should be single-spaced.

Please observe the rules of courtesy. Give recognition to those who made significant contributions to your project.

Footnoting is necessary to avoid plagiarism. Please observe the style preferences of the department and your faculty SIP supervisor.

Kalamazoo College is committed to the provisions of copyright laws. We affirm the inherent value of these laws, as stated by EDUCOM:

Respect for intellectual labor and creativity is vital to academic discourse and enterprise. This principle applies to works of all authors and publishers in all media. It encompasses respect for the right to acknowledge, right to privacy, and right to determine the form, manner, and terms of publication and distribution. [ EDUCOM. 1993. Using software: a guide to the ethical and legal use of software for members of the academic community. Washington, DC.]

All members of the College community have the responsibility of adhering to copyright laws.

Labels and binders will be available in the Kalamazoo College Bookstore.

In addition to the complete title, the title page should contain the following:

• Author's name
• Name and office of the on-site supervisor (if applicable)
• Name and department of the faculty SIP supervisor
• The legend

  "A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Kalamazoo College."

• Year of imprint