APA Format: A How-To Style Guide With Examples

APA format is regarded as three main citation styles you’re more likely to encounter at some time throughout your education.

Specifically in psychology, education, together with sciences, APA format could be the citation that is preferred over other popular style guides, like MLA format, which will be widely used when you look at the humanities.

APA format definition

APA format is an style that is academic created by the American Psychological Association. It is most frequently used for scientific papers, especially research-based content.

APA format is advised among many disciplines due to its emphasis and clarity on highlighting newer source material (i.e. date-focused citations with a preference for ‘recent’ source content). Below are instructions and examples for formatting general aspects of an APA paper that is formatted including how to write a cover page, running head (header), an in-text citation, and a Reference section.

Note: there are components of this style guide that overlap with MLA format. Thus, you will probably find that part of this information is restated from the MLA guide; however, there are many components unique to APA alone and neither guide can substitute the other sufficiently.

General guidelines that are formatting APA

• Your document should really be keyed in double-space, 12 pt. font. The standard font is Times New Roman, many scholars prefer Arial.
• Your document’s margins should be one inch on all sides.
• A cover should be included by you page (aka title page) unless otherwise specified.
• A running must be included by you head (in other words. a page header) that sits towards the top of every page of your document.
• To create the head that is running make use of the “Insert Header” function in your word processor.
• Every page ought to be numbered in the right hand side of the page inside the auto-created Header. You’ll also insert the title left that is flush all caps.
• The title must certanly be in title case; every word really should not be capitalized.
• Your first and paragraphs that are subsequent be indented one half inch from the left for the document. The TAB should be used by you button function to indent instead of the area bar.
• There should only be one space in the end marks of punctuation. Because word processing software already is the reason the room after a punctuation mark, adding two spaces is inaccurate and essay writers antiquated.

Running head formatting is specific to APA and really should never be used for other citation types. To create the head that is running ensure it shows up on every page of the document, use the “Insert Header” function on the word processor and then type the title of your paper flush left using all capital letters.

The head that is running a shortened version of your full paper title, which means that the running head should not exceed a lot more than 50 characters including punctuation marks and character spacing.

The above example is 49 characters long, including spaces and marks of punctuation (for the title).

Your cover page ought to include the information that is following title of this paper, author’s name, and institutional affiliation (i.e. the university, college, or academic/professional institution that you are writing your paper). You need to likewise incorporate a head that is running left with the pagination flush right at the very top of the document.

Note: On the cover page, your running head will look distinct from it can on all subsequent pages.

As you care able to see, you have to include the words “Running head” on the title page to point it is the paper’s running head; on all other pages, you will need not include these words along with your title.

APA citations that are in-text not influenced by container (e.g. book, article). Citations must be in parentheses and placed at the end of a sentence before the period, whether paraphrasing or citing a quote that is direct.

APA format follows the author-date style: (Last Name, Year) and uses a comma amongst the two elements. If referencing a spot that is specific the written text, you will be encouraged to utilize exact page numbers using a lowercase p. + the page number within the parentheses after the year.

All citations, aside from container, are formatted the same for in-text citations in APA. There is absolutely no variance predicated on container as it is true for MLA style.

Note: you can find different formatting requirements for short vs. long quotations in APA.

General in-text citation rules:

• Titles of source material should be capitalized (that is not the case from the References page); all words four letters or longer must also be capitalized (exceptions for pronouns, adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.)
• Hyphenated compound words in a title are both capitalized, not merely the first word
• The first word directly after a colon or dash is capitalized
• All longer container titles (e.g. books, films, TV series, music albums) must be italicized

Short quotations

Direct quotes (non-paraphrasing) require the author’s name, year of publication, and page number in (p. #) format. You could either use the author’s last name in the sentence preceding the parenthetical citation or through the author’s last name when you look at the parentheses directly.

Long quotations

Long, direct quotations (40 words or higher) must certanly be printed in block format without quotation marks. The quotation must start on a new line indented another half inch inward (where a brand new paragraph would naturally begin. All lines that are subsequent be indented as such. Long quotes should be double-spaced such as the rest of one’s document, while the parenthetical citation begins after the final punctuation mark of the quotation.

General format for long quotations:

King (1986) noted:

A boy that is small a yellow slicker and red galoshes ran cheerfully along beside the newspaper boat. The rain had not stopped, nonetheless it was finally slackening. It tapped regarding the yellow hood of the boy’s slicker, sounding to his ears just like the rain on the shed roof. (p. 3)

Your APA-formatted Reference page is when the extended, detailed versions of all of the references used through your essay or research paper are.

For every single container given just below, you will discover a formula that is general citing the foundation in your Reference page along side an example.

General Reference page rules:

• Use hanging indentations for each line that follows the first line (second and subsequent lines in a single reference must certanly be indented)
• Author names should always be in Last name format that is first initialfor up to six authors of one given work)
• All reference entries should always be in alphabetical order
• Any books or materials authored by exactly the same author(s) must be listen in chronological order from oldest to many recent
• Use whatever capitalization and punctuation can be used by an container that is original whether or not not ‘standard’