The following guidelines are consistent with advice given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed. (Washington, DC: APA, 2010).
If your instructor does not require a specific font, choose one that is standard and easy to read (such as Times New Roman).
Begin at the top left with the words “Running head,” followed by a colon and the title of your paper (shortened to no more than fifty characters) in all capital letters. Put the page number 1 flush with the right margin. (Consult your word processing software for creating and formatting headers.)
About halfway down the page, on separate lines, center the full title of your paper, your name, and your school’s name. At the bottom of the page, you may add the heading “Author Note,” centered, followed by a brief paragraph that lists specific information about the course or department or provides acknowledgments or contact information.
Sample APA title page
Number all pages with arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, and so on) in the upper right corner about one-half inch from the top of the page. Flush with the left margin and on the same line as the page number, type a running head consisting of the title of the paper (shortened to no more than fifty characters) in all capital letters. (Consult your word processing software for creating and formatting headers.)
On the title page only, include the words “Running head” followed by a colon before the title.
Sample page with running head
Use margins of one inch on all sides of the page. Left-align the text.
Double-space throughout the paper. Indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch.
Capitalize all words of four letters or more (and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length) in headings and in titles of works that appear in the body of the paper.
Capitalize the first word following a colon if the word begins a complete sentence.
In the body of your paper, italicize the titles of books, journals, magazines, and other long works, such as Web sites. Use quotation marks around the titles of articles, short stories, and other short works.
NOTE: APA has different requirements for titles in the reference list.
When a quotation is forty or more words, set it off from the text by indenting it one-half inch from the left margin. Double-space the quotation. Do not use quotation marks around it.
Sample indented (block) quotation
If you insert a footnote number in the text of your paper, place the number immediately following any mark of punctuation except a dash.
At the bottom of the page, begin the note with a one-half-inch indent and the superscript number corresponding to the number in the text. Insert an extra double-spaced line between the last line of text on the page and the footnote. Double-space the footnote.
Sample footnote in an APA paper
An abstract is a 100-to-150-word paragraph that provides readers with a quick overview of your paper. It should express your main idea and your key points; it might also briefly suggest any implications or applications of the research you discuss in the paper.
If your instructor requires one, include an abstract on a new page after the title page. Center the word “Abstract” (in regular font, not boldface) one inch from the top of the page. Double-space the abstract and do not indent the first line.
A list of keywords follows the abstract; the keywords help readers search for a published paper on the Web or in a database. Leave one double-spaced line after the abstract and begin the next line with the word “Keywords,” italicized and indented one-half inch, followed by a colon. Then list important words related to your paper. Check with your instructor for requirements in your course.
Sample abstract page in an APA paper
Although headings are not always necessary, their use is encouraged in the social sciences. For most undergraduate papers, one level of heading will usually be sufficient.
First-level headings are centered and boldface. In research papers and laboratory reports, the major headings are “Method,” “Results,” and “Discussion.” (The introduction is not given a heading; it consists of the material between the title of the paper and the first heading.) In other types of papers, the major headings should be informative and concise, conveying the structure of the paper.
Second-level headings are flush left and boldface. Third-level headings are indented and boldface, followed by a period and the text on the same line.
In first- and second-level headings, capitalize the first and last words and all words of four or more letters (and nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length). In third-level headings, capitalize only the first word, any proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
Sample headings in an APA paper
APA classifies visuals as tables and figures. (Figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs.)
Label each table with an arabic numeral (Table 1, Table 2, and so on) and provide a clear title. Place the label and title on separate lines above the table, flush left and double-spaced. Type the table number in regular font; italicize the table title.
If you present or adapt data from an outside source, give the source information in a note below the table. Begin with the word “Note,” italicized and followed by a period. If any data in the table require an explanatory footnote, use a superscript lowercase letter in the table and in a footnote following the source note. Double-space source notes and footnotes; do not indent the first line of each note.
Sample table in an APA paper
For each figure, place the figure number and a caption below the figure, flush left and double-spaced. Begin with the word “Figure” and an arabic numeral, both italicized, followed by a period. Place the caption, not italicized, on the same line. If you have taken or adapted the figure from an outside source, give the source information immediately following the caption. Use the term “From” or “Adapted from” before the source information.
In the text of your paper, discuss the most significant features of each visual. Place the visual as close as possible to the sentences that relate to it unless your instructor prefers that visuals appear as an appendix.
Mirano, “Can Medication Cure Obesity in Children? A Review of the Literature”
Haddad, “Patterns of Gender-Related Differences in Online Communication: An Annotated Bibliography”
Directory to sample student writing in APA style