How To Wire and Install an Outlet

By Timothy Thiele, About.com Guide

This is a great example of how a ground connection should look on an outlet. You'll notice that the wire was bent in a half-moon shape using the hole in the wire strippers. The open end of the wire should always be installed to the right. This is because as you tighten the screw, it will turn in tighter towards the screw threads as you turn the screw in a clockwise location. If you were to turn it the opposite way, the loop would open up as you tighten the wire and the connection wire could come off of the screw.