APA Style Help

General Formatting Rules (Section 8.03)

• Use Serif fonts like Times New Roman (12-point), Georgia (11-point) and Computer Modern (10-point), or Sans serif fonts like Calibri (11-point), Arial (11-point), and Lucida Sans Unicode (10-point)
• Double space all text on 8.5" x 11" paper and do not add extra spaces in between headings and paragraphs
• 1" margins should be on all sides of the document.
• Indent the first line of every paragraph by using the "tab" key on your keyboard
• Page numbers (in header) flush right on every page beginning with the title page
• Running head (in header) flush left
  • All capitalized (no abbreviations)
  • 50 characters or less of paper title
  • You no longer need the words "Running head" on the title page
  • Belongs in the top margin of the page
  • Should be on the same line as the page number
  • Appears on every page of your paper (title page, main body, references, etc.)

Exceptions

• Text for images, charts, and figures can be single-spaced or one-and-a-half-spaced, depending on what makes your document the most legible for readers.
• Footnotes should be single-spaced.
• Triple or quadruple spacing may be used for special text, like equations or symbols.

Click on the links below each content tab for more information on general APA formatting rules in Academic Writer.

Title Page (student paper)

A running head is not required at the top of a student title page, but the page number is still required in the top right.  A student title page should have the following elements:

• Page number in the top right margin, located three to four spaced lines from the top of the page
• The concise title of your paper
• Your name with your middle initial (with an extra line of space between it and the paper title)
• Your institution and department (if applicable)
• Course name and number
• Your instructor's name
• The assignment's due date

*All of these items are to be centered.  If your instructor requests slightly different formatting from the above, follow their instructions.

Title Page (professional paper)

A professional title page contains the following elements:

• Header
  • Flush left: "Running head:" followed by 50 characters of an all capitalized title of your paper
  • Flush right: page number beginning at 1
• Page number in the top right margin, located three to four spaced lines from the top of the page
• The title of your paper
• Your name and the names of other authors (if you are a co-author).
• Department or organization affiliation for each author
• An author's note placed at the bottom of the title page

Subsequent Pages

• Header
  • Flush left: 50 characters of an all capitalized title of your paper
  • Flush right: page number
• Abstract (Section 2.04)
  • Belongs on a separate page after the title page, typically around 250 words or less
  • Center 'Abstract' on abstract page in bold
  • Place your abstract text on the next line down as a single paragraph
  • Keywords belong on their own line below the abstract text (no extra space between)
  • "Keywords" should be italicized and indented 0.5", followed by a colon and a space.  If your keywords go onto the next line, it does not need to be indented.
• Body
  • Center full title on top of the first body page
  • Center level 1 headings, section labels (bolded), and appendix titles (bolded).  All other level headings are not centered.

Want to see it done for yourself?

Use our link below to Academic Writer for a tutorial on APA style.  The video below by Samuel Forlenza focuses on citing source properly in APA style.

Headings (Section 3.03)

There are five levels of headings.  The first level comprises of the main headings (method, results, etc.)  while other levels pertain to subheadings within the main headings.  The more complex your paper is, the more likely you will use more subheadings and go further down the list.

• Level 1: Center, bold, title case (capitalize the first word and all other words in the heading that are four letters or more), text begins as a new paragraph
• Level 2: Aligned left, bold, title case, text begins as a new paragraph
• Level 3: Aligned left, bold, italics, title case, text begins as a new paragraph
• Level 4: Indented, bold, title case ending with a period, text begins on the same line
• Level 5: Indented, bold, italics, title case ending with a period, text begins on the same line

*Do not include abbreviations or footnotes in your headings!

Quotations (Section 6.03-6.10)

• Always provide the author(s), year, and page number or page range
• Incorporate in paragraph when <40 words
  • Use quotation marks
  • Do not end the quote with punctuation 
  • Punctuation goes at the end of the sentence or after the reference
• Create block quote when >40 words
  • Do not use quotation marks
  • Indent the quote
  • Punctuation at the end of the quote
  • Reference after the punctuation
• For in-text citations for quotations and paraphrases, view the in-text citation tab.

Number Use (Section 4.31-4.49)

• Use numerals for
  • 10 and above
  • Mathematical functions
  • Times, dates, ages, money, scores, and other forms of measurement (except in approximations)
  • Numbers that come before nouns
  • Specific places
• Use numbers in words for
  • Numbers below 10
  • The beginning of a sentence, title, or heading
  • Common fractions
  • Universally accepted language

See the link below for an Academic Writer tutorial on using numbers in APA format.