Paper margins should be 1in all around
Font size 12. 
Page numbers in the lower right corner. 
In text citations: either use numbered citations like this2 or parenthetical with author and year like this (Author et al. 2009). All ideas + data that are not original and your own should be properly attributed, even if they are verbal communications from colleagues, or mentors. 
Paper format:
Introduction – what is the question/why is it interesting/in summary what do we (the scientific community) know and think? (this section should be less than 1/2 of your paper length)
Main body – lay out your argument or thoughts with the evidence that supports them. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that lays out the purpose + main point of that paragraph. If all I read was the topic sentence of each paragraph, I should have the most important take-home message(s) of your paper.
Conclusion – pull your evidence and thoughts together to summarize your main findings, your take-home from your research, and any next research directions that should be taken.
Literature Cited – use any citation format you prefer, as long as it is consistent throughout. Use hanging indentation paragraph format.