The Confluence Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (CJMS) uses an adapted version of the MLA Style 9th edition. This section provides guidelines for the journal’s writing style. Please try to follow these guidelines as closely as possible when preparing your manuscript for submission.

  • Font: Times New Roman
  • Size: 12
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides
  • Spacing: 1.5
  • Alignment: Left aligned (Flush left style)
  • Pagination: Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper righthand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
  • Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph one half-inch from the left margin. We recommend that you use the “Tab” key as opposed to pushing the space bar five times.

Headings and subheadings in the body of your research project can help organize and structure your manuscript, but you should avoid overusing them.
For readability, include a line space above and below a heading.
Generally, avoid using numbers and letters to designate headings unless you are working in a discipline where using them is conventional.
Capitalize and punctuate headings like the titles of works.
Please use this style to structure your headings:

Heading Level 1

Heading Level 2

Heading Level 1

The CJMS uses American spelling: color, not colour; analyze, not analyse; traveling, not travelling. If a term in the text’s original language exists for a word, use it.
To ensure consistency, use a single dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/); if an entry has variant spellings, generally adopt the spelling listed first.

All punctuation marks (commas, semicolons, full stops) must precede any other text marks such as quotation marks (inverted commas). For instance: “example,” example;” “example.”
When using short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). If a stanza break occurs during the quotation, use a double slash ( // ).
– Cullen concludes, « Of all the things that happened there / That’s all I remember » (11-12).
If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text:
– Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states, “some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale” (78).
If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space. For example:
– In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes that “some individuals make a point of learning every recent rumor or tale . . . and in a short time a lively exchange of details occurs” (78).
If a quote is longer than 4 lines, i.e., a block quote, you will need to format it by making it a new paragraph with each line indented ½ inch and NO quotation marks. If not indicated in the main text, after the quotation (after the full stop, not before), indicate the author’s last name and page numbers in parentheses.

Use italic for titles of books, plays, films, long poems, newspapers, and journals (but not for articles in journals).
Italic type for emphasis should be used only sparingly. Do not use bold type for emphasis.
Use Italics for foreign-language words.