Formatting a Russian school essay (referat) to GOST: margins, font, spacing
There is no GOST for a referat itself; Russian schools and universities borrow the rules of GOST 7.32-2017, the standard for research reports: A4, margins 30 mm left, 15 mm right, 20 mm top and bottom, Times New Roman at 12 pt or more, 1.5 line spacing, a 1.25 cm first-line indent, page numbers at the bottom centre, and no number on the title page.
| What | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | A4, one side | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.1.1 |
| Margins | Left 30 mm, right 15 mm, top and bottom 20 mm | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.1.1 |
| Font | 12 pt or more, Times New Roman recommended, black | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.1.1 |
| 14 pt | Often required by schools | Guidelines, not GOST |
| Line spacing | 1.5 | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.1.1 |
| Indent | 1.25 cm throughout | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.1.1 |
| Alignment | Justified | Guidelines, not GOST |
| Structural headings | Centred, capitals, no full stop, each on a new page | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.2.1 |
| Page numbers | Arabic, bottom centre, no full stop | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.3.1 |
| Title page | Counted but not numbered | GOST 7.32-2017, 6.3.2 |
Setting it up in Word
Layout → Margins → Custom margins (3 / 1.5 / 2 / 2 cm); Home → Paragraph: first line 1.25 cm, line spacing 1.5, spacing before and after 0; Insert → Page Number → Bottom of Page, centred; tick “Different First Page” in the footer to hide the number on the title page.
A neural network is most useful before formatting: the outline, section drafts, an introduction with aims, and a conclusion that answers them. In the Twelver chat the text is built in a document next to the conversation; you copy it into Word and format it with the table above — the chat does not export a Word file. The full method is in writing a referat with AI.
Frequently asked questions
What are the GOST formatting rules for a referat?
Try it yourself
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