ProjectAPA.info
  • Home
  • In-text Citations
    • Formats of Quotation, Paraphrase, and Summary
    • Works by Multiple Authors
    • Works by Unknown Authors
    • Works with No Date
    • Groups as Authors
    • Direct Quotes of 40 Words or More
    • Secondary Sources
    • Personal Communications
    • Social Media Communications
  • Reference Page
    • Audiovisual Media
    • Blogs, Websites, and Social Media
    • Electronic Books and Print Books
    • Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals
  • APA Paper Format
  • APA FAQ
  • Downloads
  • Blog
  • About
Picture
 
An APA-formatted paper follows a particular set of style guidelines. From margins and spacing to required sections and more,  you will find everything you need to put together a proper, well-formatted APA paper. Note: These are general APA guidelines. Your instructor's guidelines  may differ. Always check. 


General formatting guidelines
  • Font:  APA recommends 11-pt Calibri, 11-pt Arial, 10-pt Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-pt Times New Roman, or 11-pt Georgia. Use the same font throughout.
  • Margins: Set one-inch margins on all four sides.
  • Italics: Italicize titles of all major works, e.g., titles of books, periodicals, movies, music albums, video games, and  TV series.
  • Spacing: Double-space all lines in the body of the paper and in the separate reference page. 
  • Indentation: Indent paragraphs by half an inch. 
  • Pagination: Set page numbers sequentially, starting with "1" on the title page.

Cover page
  • Page number
  • Title of paper
  • Your name
  • Your school name

Body of the paper
  • Write solid, organized paragraphs that are supported by research, where necessary.
  • Document research with proper in-text citations.
  • Use a concise, professional tone.
  • Meet the required word count.
  • Proofread, proofread, proofread.

Reference page                                                                                               
  • Set off on a separate page within the same document (following the end of the body, use the page break function or hit enter until you reach a clean page).  
  • List a complete reference entry for each in-text citation (except Personal Communications). 
  • Use a half inch hanging indent for any reference with more than two lines. For help, refer to Microsoft's page on how to create a hanging indent.
  • Organize reference entries alphabetically.
apa_paper_format_checklist.pdf
File Size: 20 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here is an APA-style student paper with basic formatting guidelines. There are variations to the APA format. Always check with your instructor. 

apa_finished_sample_paper.pdf
File Size: 87 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
                                                                                                               © 2014-2020 Jennie Donovan