APA
APA 7 Explained
The American Psychological Association (APA) format is preferred for papers written in the social sciences. This style is used frequently in psychology, sociology, criminology, economics, business and nursing classes, in addition to others.
APA style refers to how a paper is formatted and how sources are cited both within a paper and on a references page.
Basic Format of an APA Paper
Paper: White paper, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
Margins: 1 inch (top, bottom, left, and right) ; 1 inch = 2.5 cm
Text Formatting
Font options and sizes include: Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, and Georgia 11.
Do not justify the text; instead, align along the left margin
Double-space the entire research paper, including lines separating different paragraphs (make sure not to add an extra space between paragraphs)
Use one space after punctuation
Header and Page Numbers: Include a header on the top of every page. The header should include a page number aligned at the top right and a shortened version of the paper’s title, in uppercase, aligned left.
Major Sections
APA papers are organized into 4 major sections
1) Title page: An APA-formatted title page should include five elements: running head, paper title, student or author name, school or university name, and author note (if required by the professor).
2) Abstract page: The abstract page is the second page of the APA paper. It summarizes the major ideas contained in the research paper. While the abstract is a relatively small piece of writing, it is important. Readers often read the abstract to decide whether or not to read the whole paper. If the paper is published, the abstract may also be used by databases or search engines. Generally speaking, the abstract should be written in 120 words or less.
3) Main body: This is the bulk of your paper. Two key components of formatting the body of an APA paper include the headings and in-text citations.
Headings are section titles in a research paper and can be helpful for the reader to quickly discern how the paper is organized. Headings are particularly helpful in a longer essay. APA allows for up to five levels of headings. Tips for formatting Headings are found in the APA Report Template (below).
In-text citations are provided for all quotations, paraphrases, summaries and other specific information used from another author or work. In-text citations need to include the author's last name, if available, and the year that the information was first published. If the cited source does not list an author name, the title of the source should be used instead. All other information, such as publisher, date, location, etc., should appear on the references page. Detailed information and examples of in-text citations can be found on this site's APA In-Text Citations page.
4) References: The References Page is the final section of an APA paper. It is a catalogue of all sources used in the body of the paper. Detailed information and examples can be found on this site's APA References Page page.
Additional Resources
For more information about APA style, visit the Aims Learning Commons and speak with a librarian or writing tutor, consult a credible composition manual, or visit the American Psychological Association website.
