APA Formatting and Style Guidelines

APA Style Guidelines

Introduction 

 

The goal of a research paper is to push scientific knowledge forward by exploring new areas of study, describing a gap in knowledge, and explaining why and how the knowledge gap should be filled via the publication of a research paper on the topic of inquiry.

American Psychological Association (APA) formatting is required for nearly all academic research and has been accepted as the preferred publication style since 1929. The longstanding use of APA standards is due to its "uniformity and consistency which enables readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than the formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources" (apastyle.apa.org Links to an external site.). Therefore, it is important to use and understand correct APA formatting.  

This page will provide you with the basic formatting guidelines of writing in APA 7th edition style. Return to the information on this page and use the external resource links (located to the right and throughout this page) to help answer any questions you may have about the formatting of your writing.

 

As of October 2019, APA is on its 7th edition Publication Manual. Click here to purchase the 7th edition manual. Links to an external site. Ownership is not required, though highly encouraged if you plan to write a thesis or dissertation in the near future. 

American Psychological Association Standards

Image of APA Style Guideline book, 7th edition.

The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is the most commonly used format for manuscripts in the social sciences. As stated above, the American Psychological Association is currently using the 7th edition of their publication manual. 

APA style guidelines mainly regulate:

  • Formatting (i.e. spacing, fonts, page size)
  • Structure and organization 
  • In-text citations
  • Reference list composition 

Important changes from the 6th edition are: 

  • A running head, author's note, or abstract is no longer required in student papers (unless requested by the instructor). 
  • Page numbers only required in upper right corner.

General Formatting Standards

The style for an APA paper is fairly simple. Along with a professional tone, the following standards should be observed: 

  • Typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") 
  • 1" margins on all sides 
  • Approved style of font. APA has approved the following fonts, though you should always refer to your instructor as they may have a specific preference: 
    • Serif Fonts: 12-point Times New Roman (most commonly preferred), 11-point Georgia.  
    • Sans Serif Fonts: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode.

Structure and Organization

The basic structure and order of an APA style paper is: 

  1. Title page
  2. Abstract
  3. Introduction
  4. Method
  5. Results
  6. Discussion
  7. References
  8. Appendix

Use the tabbed sections below   to see how to format each of these sections. 

 

Centered, with the title, author's name, institutional affiliation, course, instructor, and due date

  • Consecutive page numbers with the number alone should go at the top right corner.  
  • In the middle, your heading should be double-spaced and include the following information in exact order: 
    1. Title (centered, bold, upper half of the page- include an additional double-space after)
    2. Author's name,
    3. Department/University Affiliation
    4. Course number, instructor name
    5. Due Date
Image of APA cover page.

 

Standards for Headings & the Running Head

APA 7 has a unique 5-level heading system to help guide readers through a document. The use of these headers is heavily determined by the topic of the paper, the style of paper being written (literature review vs. experimental report, etc.), and the intended audience. You will need to consult with your instructor on their expectations for headers in your paper. Use the links below to learn more about heading standards and proper use. 

The 7th edition of the APA style guidelines does not require a running head on student papers, though your instructor may request that you include one. The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title, and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation. Including the link provided above on APA 7 style headers from APA.org, you can click here to read about guidelines for running heads from APA.org Links to an external site.

Standards for in-Text citations

In-text citations in APA style attribute source information to the writer's last name and the year the work was published. You may use parenthetical citations or narrative citations throughout your paper. These two styles may be used to cite direct quotes or to summarize an author's findings in your own words.

The standards and guidelines for using each style is provided in the expanders below, including guidelines for how to cite direct quotes and sources with multiple authors. Utilize the links below and within each expander if you need more guidance on in-text citations.

Click here to read about in-text citation standards from apastyle.apa.org. Links to an external site.

Click here to read about in-text citation basics from Purdue OWL. Links to an external site. 

Standards for Reference List

As long as it contains references or resources, an APA 7 style reference list should be provided at the end of every paper. Basic standards for a reference list is: 

  • Reference list begins on a separate page. 
  • "References" (the page title) is in bold and centered on the top of the page.
  • Resources and reference should be listed in alphabetical order as determined by the last name of the lead author
    • If the same author is cited more than once with different publications, list the author should be listed by publications in chronological order with earliest (oldest) publication listed first and latest (newest) publication listed last. 
  • Reference page should be double spaced throughout. 
  • Hanging indent should be given to each new reference entry. 
    • A 'hanging indent' is characterized by the first line being flush with the left margin and the subsequent lines having 0.5in indent from left margin (0.5in = 1 "tab" key press). 

Click here to learn more about standards for reference lists from apastyle.apa.org Links to an external site.

Click here to learn more about the basic rules of reference lists from Purdue OWL. Links to an external site. 

correctly Formatting references

The exact format and style for each reference will vary depending on the type of source you are referencing. Books, journal articles, websites, and even television shows have their own unique style of referencing format. As such, you will heavily rely on the resources linked below, or your APA 7th ed. Publication Manual book to correctly format your reference list. 

Click here for examples and instructions on how to format reference citations for textual works, data sets, audiovisual materials, and online media from apastyle.apa.org. Links to an external site. 

Click here for a how-to on formatting references for multiple authors, books, journal articles, websites, audiovisual materials, and more from Purdue OWL Links to an external site. (use the list on the left of the screen to locate resource-specific formatting guidelines). 

 

Example Paper in APA 7th ed. Style

Below, you will see an example paper completed in APA 7th ed. style. This paper provides good examples of properly formatted title and reference pages, cites reference materials in a variety of formats, uses headers correctly, numbers pages appropriately, and even includes a correctly formatted block quote. 

Along with the multiple links provided throughout this page, this example paper should be used as a tool to help you correctly format and style your papers in accordance to APA 7th ed. standards.