The upper and lower margins are generally 2.5 to 3 cm, so as to leave enough space for writing notes or cutting off blank areas when printing. The left and right margins are generally 2.5 to 3.5 cm, which can concentrate the page content and avoid overcrowding. When setting margins, readers' clarity and aesthetics should be considered, and at the same time, the requirements of academic journals should be ensured to avoid papers being returned due to format problems.
Factors such as font size, kerning and line spacing should also be taken into account. For example, setting a larger font size, line spacing and loose kerning will lead to too crowded page text, and setting a smaller font ratio will lead to readers' eye fatigue. When setting margins, you need to pay special attention to leaving enough top margin to place header information. The following suggestions for header information can be considered: paper title, page number, author's name and institution.
Different types of paper will affect the setting of margins. For example, the margin of the master's thesis is small and the format is compact, so that the author's research results can be fully expressed within the prescribed space. However, the doctoral thesis needs more discussion and analysis, so there should be a certain margin for readers to browse and understand.
Different uses of paper will affect the setting of margins. For example, academic research papers often have compact margins, so that the author can clearly express the main ideas and opinions of the paper within the specified number of words and length. However, business documents and reports need to leave large margins for readers to browse and absorb the content.
Publishing requirements have stricter requirements on the margins of papers. For example, many academic journals have strict publishing standards for young researchers' papers. Publishers may require authors to set specific margins, fonts and font sizes to meet the typesetting needs of periodicals.
Other matters needing attention in paper format
A paper generally consists of title, author, table of contents, abstract, key words, text, references and appendices, some of which (such as appendices) are dispensable. The composition order of the paper is: title, author, abstract, keywords, English title, English abstract, English keywords, text, references, appendix and thanks.