SD card help

I would like to start a project in which an sd card is used.

I need help about :
1)I need a diagram about how to connect it with microcontroller (and what values of pull up resistors are needed)
2)What software program is needed to format the sd card before i used it ? (and with what speck ? for example FAT16 or FAT 32)

What SD card ? Is it a shield? Is it a PCB designed for arduino interface ?