Because these are general aspects of paper formatting, they apply to all APA Style papers, student or professional. Students should always check with their assigning instructor or institution for specific guidelines for their papers, which may be different than or in addition to APA Style guidelines.
General APA Guidelines. Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
Date published February 22, 2018 by Date updated: November 19, 2019. In addition to guidelines for APA citations, there are format guidelines for academic papers and essays. They’re widely used by professionals, researchers and students.
While the APA Manual does not specify a single font or set of fonts for professional writing, it does recommend a few fonts that are widely available.
APA Format GuidelinesPaper size: Use standard, white, 8.5 x 11–inch paper.Margins: Set page margins to 1-inch on all sides.Line spacing: Type and double-space your paper. ... Font: A variety of accessible fonts are allowed. ... Page header: The page header appears within the top margin of every page of the paper.
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.Double-space all text, including headings.Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).More items...•
General Formatting There are four major sections to an APA paper: the title page, abstract, main body and references. The writer should start a new page for each section. A running header should be present on every single page and does not change from section to section.
Your APA paper should include five major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Paper, Paper Format and References And Citations. See the timeline handout for important due dates.
An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the sections, as described below.
APA Paper Formatting BasicsAll text should be double-spaced.Use one-inch margins on all sides.All paragraphs in the body are indented.Make sure that the title is centered on the page with your name and school/institution underneath.Use 12-point font throughout.All pages should be numbered in the upper right hand corner.More items...•
Formatting a Page APA provides writers with a consistent format they can use every time they write. Consistency helps authors organize their arguments or research efficiently. From the information on the title page to the headers that divide information in the discussion, each section has a predetermined format.
APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps writers present their ideas in a clear, precise, and inclusive manner.
Need help formatting your paper? See our guide on APA Formatting For Microsoft word.page number (in the top right margin/header)title of your paper (in bold and first letter of any major words capitalized)your full name.school name.course code and name.instructor's name.the due date.
APA format requires certain font formatting. To begin, open a new document in Word and make sure the Home tab is selected. In the Font Group, select one of the recommended fonts: Times New Roman, size 12 pt., Calibri, size 11pt., or Arial, size 11pt.
The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers. Alter...
APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example: Times New Roman (12pt.) Arial (11pt.) Calibri (11...
APA citations consist of an in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is dif...
Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-al...
APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psyc...
APA recommends that your title be focused and succinct and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may take up one or two lines. All text on the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.
A professional paper should include the author note beneath the institutional affiliation, in the bottom half of the title page.
Note: APA 7 provides slightly different directions for formatting the title pages of professional papers (e.g., those intended for scholarly publication) and student papers (e.g., those turned in for credit in a high school or college course).
The fourth paragraph should include contact information for the corresponding author. A student paper should not include an author note. Note again that page headers/page numbers (described above for professional and student papers) also appear at the top of the title page.
In other words, a professional paper's title page will include the title of the paper flush left in all capitals and the page number flush right, while a student paper will only contain the page number flush right.
The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual requires that the chosen font be accessible (i.e., legible ) to all readers and that it be used consistently throughout the paper. It acknowledges that many font choices are legitimate, and it advises writers to check with their publishers, instructors, or institutions for guidance in cases of uncertainty.
The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. A professional paper should also include the author note. A student paper should also include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.
APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example: Times New Roman (12pt.) Arial (11pt.) Calibri (11 pt.) Georgia (11pt.) The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head, page numbers, headings, and the reference page.
APA alphabetization guidelines. References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).
In an APA Style paper, every page has a page header. For student papers, the page header usually consists of just a page number in the page’s top-right corner. For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head.
Abstract. The abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper. An abstract is usually required in professional papers, but it’s rare to include one in student papers (except for longer texts like theses and dissertations). The abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page.
For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head. A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length.
APA Style does not provide guidelines for formatting the table of contents. It’s also not a required paper element in either professional or student papers. If your instructor wants you to include a table of contents, it’s best to follow the general guidelines.
The 7th edition of APA's Publication Manual provides guidelines for formatting papers. APA makes a distinction between student papers and professional papers (papers being submitted for publication). This guide outlines the requirements for student papers. Student papers usually include a title page, the text of the paper, and a reference list.
General Guidelines for the Paper Format 1 The first page of your paper will be a title page. 2 Your paper will have one-inch margins. 3 The recommended font is Times New Roman, 12 point. 4 The page number will appear at the top right corner of every page, starting with the title page. 5 Indent the first line of each paragraph. 6 The reference list will appear at the end of your paper, starting on a new page.
The major change from the 6th edition of the Publication Manual, is that a running head is no longer required on student papers. However, your professor may still require it, so follow the directions of the assignment. For instructions on creating a running head, see here.
APA Style has two title page formats: student and professional (for details, see title page setup ). Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:
Many sans serif and serif fonts can be used in APA Style, including 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia. You can also use other fonts described on the font page of the website.
The first option is to place all tables and figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each table and figure within the text after its first callout. This guide describes options for the placement of tables and figures embedded in the text. If your instructor requires tables and figures to be placed at the end of the paper, see the table and figure guidelines and the sample professional paper.
Write the title page using the same font and font size as the rest of your paper. Bold the paper title. Use standard font (i.e., no bold, no italics) for all other title page elements.
The reference list consists of the “References” section label and the alphabetical list of references. View reference examples on the APA Style website. Consult Chapter 10 in both the Concise Guide and Publication Manual for even more examples.
Seventh edition APA Style was designed with modern word-processing programs in mind.
The affiliation consists of the name of the department and the name of the college or university, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychology, George Mason University). The department is that of the course to which the paper is being submitted, which may be different than the department of the student’s major.
Font: A variety of fonts are permitted in APA Style papers. Font options include the following: 1 sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode 2 serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
Student papers typically will not include a running head, author note, or abstract . Professors may request these elements in papers periodically, so follow guidelines requested by the course instructor.