The only difference between the following template and Mike Alsup’s is that I’ve stripped it down to just the essentials.

The template

(function($)
{
	$.fn.plugin = function(options)
	{
		// Set the options.
		options = $.extend({}, $.fn.plugin.defaults, options);

		// Go through the matched elements and return the jQuery object.
		return this.each(function()
		{
		});
	};
	// Public defaults.
	$.fn.plugin.defaults = {
		property: 'value'
	};
	// Private functions.
	function func()
	{
		return;
	};
	// Public functions.
	$.fn.plugin.func = function()
	{
		return;
	};
})(jQuery);

Updates

1. Removed “var” where not required, many thanks to Jim (Jim’s comment)