APA guidelines, body of paper

Materials and typeface

Use good-quality 8-1/2″ × 11″ white paper. Secure the pages with a paper clip. Unless your instructor suggests otherwise, do not staple or bind the pages.

Avoid a font that is unusual or hard to read.

Title page

On the title page of our paper, begin at the top left with the words “Running head,” followed by a colon and a short form of the title of your paper. The short form should be no more than fifty characters and should be typed in all capital letters. Flush with the right margin, put the page number 1.

About halfway down the page, center the full title of your paper, capitalizing all words of four letters or more; your name; and your school’s name. At the bottom of the page, put 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

Page numbers and running head

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. The title page is numbered 1.

On every page, in the upper left corner on the same line as the page number, place a running head. The running head consists of a short form of the title of the paper (no more than fifty characters) in all capital letters. Capitalize all words of four letters or more in the title. (On the title page only, include the words “Running head” followed by a colon before the shortened title.)

Sample page with running head

Margins, line spacing, and paragraph indents

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.

Capitalization, italics, and quotation marks

Capitalize all words of four letters or more in titles of works and in headings that appear in the text of the paper. Capitalize the first word after a colon if the word begins a complete sentence.

Italicize the titles of books and other long works, such as Web sites.

Use quotation marks around the titles of periodical articles, short stories, poems, and other short works.

APA has different requirements for titles in the reference list.

Long quotations

When a quotation is longer than forty 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 a quotation that has been set off from the text.

Sample indented (block) quotation

Footnotes

Place each footnote, if any, at the bottom of the page on which the text reference occurs. Double-space between the last line of text on the page and the footnote. Double-space the footnote and indent the first line one-half inch. Begin the note with the superscript arabic numeral that corresponds to the number in the text.

Sample footnote in an APA paper

Abstract

If your instructor requires one, include an abstract immediately after the title page. Center the word “Abstract” one inch from the top of the page; double-space the abstract as you do the body of your 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.

Sample abstract in an APA paper

Headings

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.

In APA style, major headings are centered and boldface. Second-level headings, if any, are flush left and boldface. Capitalize all words of four letters or more in headings.

Sample headings in an APA paper

Visuals

APA classifies visuals as tables and figures (figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs). Keep visuals as simple as possible.

Label each table with an arabic numeral (Table 1, Table 2, and so on) and provide a clear title. The label and title should appear on separate lines above the table, flush left and double-spaced.

Below the table, give its source in a note. If any data in the table require an explanatory footnote, use a superscript lowercase letter in the body of the table and in a footnote following the source note. Double-space source notes and footnotes and do not indent the first line of each note.

Sample APA table

For each figure, place a label and a caption below the figure, flush left and double-spaced. The label and caption need not appear on separate lines.

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 it in 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 APA model papers

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APA guidelines, reference list