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Format and Style of an APA Paper

APA FORMAT: GENERAL GUIDELINES

Format
1) All margins must be 1 inch.
2) Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
3) Double-space entire document. No extra space after paragraphs.

Organization
An APA-style paper typically includes a title, abstract, body, and reference section, though
students are encouraged to follow any specific directions given to them by their instructor.

Title Page
The title page—which unsurprisingly makes up the first page of the paper—includes four
elements that should be centered in the middle of the page: title, author (you, hopefully),
university followed by the class prefix and number, and the date of submission.

The title page is where you set up your page header, which includes the running head and the
page number. The running head—an abbreviated title that is a maximum of fifty characters—
should appear aligned to the far left in all uppercase letters in the header on all pages. Page
numbers should appear in the header as well, aligned to the far right.

Abstract
The abstract covers the main points of the paper and is not always required in all writing
assignments. Read any assignment instructions carefully to determine whether or not the paper
requires an abstract.

1) The abstract typically makes up the second page of the assignment.

2) The word “Abstract” should be centered at the top of the page.
3) The abstract should generally not exceed 120 words.
4) Do not indent the abstract paragraph.

Body
The body will contain all of the author’s main points as well as detailed and documented support
for those ideas.

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 1) The body begins on its own page—generally on page three if there is an abstract and page
two if there is not.
2) The title of the paper should be centered at the top of the first page of the body, in initial
caps.
3) The introduction follows the title, but is not labeled. It should present the problem that
the rest of your paper seeks to address.
4) Headings are sometimes—though not always—used to separate the sections of the paper.
Headings are centered and bolded with each word of four letters or more capitalized (see
template for example). Subheadings can be used to further organize the area under a
heading into related subsections. If they are included, they are formatted just like
headings, except aligned to the left instead of centered. APA style dictates that
subheadings are unnecessary—and should therefore be avoided—unless the section
marked by the heading contains at least two potential subsections.

References
The reference page contains a list of all the sources cited in the paper.

1) This should start its own page—usually at the end of the entire paper.
2) The word “References” (no italics, bolding, or quotation marks) should be centered at the
top of the page.
3) It should include only sources that were actually used and cited within the paper.
4) The sources should be arranged in alphabetical order by the author’s last names.
5) To see how to properly cite a source for the References section, look at REFERENCE
EXAMPLES or the SAMPLE PAPER.

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APA FORMAT: STYLE, PUNCTUATION, AND MECHANICS

General
Write in the first and second person sparingly, or, better yet, not at all. This means avoiding the
use of I, we, you, us, etc. Instead, use third person: he, she, they, “one”, etc. Do not use
contractions.

For emphasis, use italics (not quotation marks, ALL CAPS, or bold).

Numbers
1) Use numerals: for numbers 10 and above; for any numbers grouped for comparison (ex. 1
in 5 dentists); for times, dates, ages, and measurements; for statistics and percentages;
and for numbers denoting a specific place in a series, book, or table (ex. Table 3, Group
5, Chapter 4).
2) Spell out numbers: below 10; at the beginning of a sentence, title, or heading; common
fractions; and approximations of time (ex. about three days, months, or years ago).

Acronyms
Acronyms must be spelled out in their entirety the first time they appear in a paper, immediately
followed by their abbreviated acronym set off in parenthesis. After their initial appearance, they
may be referred to using only this abbreviation.

Example:

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) made a Pokémon parody game
called “Pokémon: Black and Blue”. PETA used the game to accuse the Pokémon
franchise of promoting violence towards animals.

Punctuation
1) Use only one space after punctuation marks at the end of sentences.
2) Use ellipses when omitting material within a quote.
3) Place a comma after the penultimate word in a series (the Oxford Comma). Ex. Ryan,
Rachel, and Lucian flew to the moon on the back of a magical talking walrus.

Initial Capitalization
1) Capitalize all words of four or more letters in titles (books, articles, etc.) used in text.
This rule does not apply to the references section.
2) Capitalize proper nouns and names, as usual.

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In-text Citations
In-text citations are used in the body of a paper to show which sources a student used to support
their argument.

When you use material from a source—whether paraphrasing, summarizing, or directly

quoting—you need to document that source by using an in-text citation which corresponds to a
source in your reference section. All paraphrases, summaries, and quotes must be cited and
referenced. If they are not, then your use of the material is considered plagiarism which, of
course, can have SERIOUS ACADEMIC CONSEQUENCES.

Rules for In-Text Citation

1) In-text citations should include the author’s name, if available, and the year of publication.
2) Cite the last name of the author first followed by the year of publication. Do this each time
you use any material from that author (in the form of a paraphrase, summary, direct quote, etc).
This citation can be placed at the end of a sentence, or it can be incorporated into the
grammatical structure of the sentence.

Examples:

Thorough research has concluded that working out is a super fun way to spend an
afternoon (Sanders, 2016).

According to researcher Ryan Sanders (2016) working out is a super fun way to spend an
afternoon.

3) For a work by two authors, cite both last names followed by year on every reference.

Examples:

(Sanders & Hoffnung, 2016)

According to Sanders and Hoffnung (2016)...

4) For a work by three to five authors, cite all the last names followed by year on the first
reference, and the first author's last name followed by “et al” and then year on every subsequent
in-text citation.

Examples:

(Sanders, Hoffnung, & Hammond 2016)

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 (Sanders et al., 2016)

5) For a work by six or more authors, cite the last name of the first author followed by “et al.”
and the year for all your in-text citations.

Examples:

(Sanders et al. 2016)

According to Sanders et al. (2016)...

6) If no author exists for the source, use the first few words of the title for your in-text citations.

Examples:

Research shows that statistically, he who works out probably has, in fact, being on a diet
(“Diet Daily,” 2016)

7) If the material is a direct quote, the page or paragraph number of the source should
immediately follow.

Examples:

“I think every girl’s dream is to find a boy at the right time, when he
doesn’t want to be a bad boy anymore” (Hitler, 1939, p. 376).

Responding to criticism that her music panders to emotionally susceptible, hormonally

volatile teenage girls, Taylor Swift (2014) famously responded “He alone, who owns the
youth, gains the future” (para. 3).

8) Quotations with 40 or more words should be in block format.

A) Do not put a block quote in quotation marks.
B) Start a block quote on a new line.
C) Indent the ENTIRE block 0.5 inches from the left margin (in the same position as a new
paragraph).
D) Additional paragraphs within a block quote should have the first line indented an
additional 0.5 inches.
E) The in-text citation for a block quote is placed outside the final punctuation at the very
end of the quote.
F) Double space, just like the rest of the paper.

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APA: REFERENCES

The reference list should appear at the end of the paper. It provides the information necessary for
a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite
in the paper must appear in your references; contrariwise, if a source appears in your references,
it must also appear in the body of your paper.

Your references should begin on a new page after the body. Label this page “References” (no
quotation marks, underlines, italics, etc) centered at the top of the page. The reference page is
double spaced just like the rest of your essay.

1) All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half
inch from the left margin. This is called a hanging indention.

2) Authors names are inverted—surname first, then first and middle initials. Do this for up to
seven authors (Author, A. A., Author B. B., Author C. C., etc). When authors number eight or
more, include the first six authors’ names, then insert three ellipses, and add the last author’s
name.

Example:

Potter, H. J., Weasley R. B., Granger H. J., Malfoy, D. L., Lovegood, L., Longbottom,
N.,...Hagrid, R. (1998). Dealing with Sadness—from Cedric to Snape. How to Defeat the
Sadness in One Books, 6, 476-542. doi:10.1080/13622200720003763650

3) In reference notes for journal articles, include both the volume and the issue numbers if each
issue of the journal is paginated separately (that is, if each new section starts over with the page
one). If the journal paginates continuously throughout the volume, then use the volume number
in the reference note.

4) Reference list entries must be alphabetized by the surname of the first listed author of each
work.

5) If you have more than one article by the same author, list the separate articles in order by the
year of publication starting with the earliest and ending with the latest.

6) When referring to any work that is NOT a journal—such as a book, article, or webpage title—
capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or
a dash in the title, and proper nouns.

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REFERENCE EXAMPLES: BOOKS, REFERENCE BOOKS, AND CHAPTERS

Entire Book — Print Version

Format:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Title of work. Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2026). The art of creative drawing: how to draw in a wall and make
it pretty. Baton Rouge, LA: Hopkins.

Electronic Version of a Print Book

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. Retrieved from http://www.___________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2021). Strange things I’ve found under my bed. Retrieved from
http://www.something.org

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. doi:__________

Example:

Coelho, P. (2008). Reflections of the warrior of the light. doi:13.1369/6666666666

Electronic-Only Book
Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. Retrieved from http://www.___________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2025). Life over and over again Retrieved from

http://thingsithinkabout.com

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Edited Book
Format:

Editor, A. A. (year). Title of work. Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2026). Horror-terrors. Salem, MA: Blackwood Press.

Chapter in a Book
Format (Print):

Author, A. A., & Author B. B. (year). Title of chapter or section. In A. A. Editor & B. B.
Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example (Print):

Sanders, R. J. (2026). Finding Modern Architecture. In J.K. Lovecraft & B. H.

Blackwood (Eds.), Modernist (pp. 66-82). Fullerton, CA: Blackwood Press.

Format (Online):

Author, A. A., & Author B. B. (year). Title of chapter or section. In A. A. Editor & B. B.
Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Retrieved from
http://www.__________

Example (Online):

Sanders, R. J. (2021). Different varieties. In C. Hammond & R.

Hoffnung (Eds.), Reflections of the warrior of the light (pp. 15-150). Retrieved
from http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com

Format (Online with DOI):

Author, A. A., & Author B. B. (year). Title of chapter or section. In A. A. Editor & B. B.
Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). doi:xxxxxxxx

Example (Online with DOI):

Sanders, R. J. (2026). Architecture. In J.K. Lovecraft & B. H. Blackwood (Eds.),

Modernist (pp. 66-82). doi:13.1369/867523458123

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Multiple Editions of a Book
Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. (xx ed.). Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2084). The revolution: the true (3rd ed.). Buffalo, NY: SSC Publishers.

Entry in an Online Reference Work (Dictionary, Encyclopedia, etc.) — Byline

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of entry. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.),

Title of reference work (xx ed.). Retrieved from http://www.__________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2016). The Day. In R. Hoffnung (Ed.), Dictionary of Day and Time
(Summer 2019 ed.). Retrieved from http://www.dayandtime.org

Entry in an Online Reference Work — No Byline

Format:

Title of entry. (year). Title of reference work (xx ed.). Retrieved from
http://www.__________

Example:

The Day. (1996). Dictionary of Day and Time. Retrieved from

http://www.dayandtime.org

Entry in Reference Work — No Byline

Format:

Title of entry. (year). In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of reference work (xx ed., Vol. xx,
pp. xxx-xxx). Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

The Day. (1996). In R. Sanders (Ed.), Dictionary of Day and Time (5th ed., Vol 1, pp. 98-
100). Bossier City, LA: SCC Publishers.

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Book Written and Published by an Organization
Format:

Organization. (year). Title of work. Location of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

The Earth. (2019). Arguments for a flat earth from scientists around the
World. Washington DC: Author.

In this case, “Author” is written in place of the publisher because the organization (in this
case the Flat Earth Society) are also the ones who published the work.

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REFERENCE EXAMPLES: PERIODICALS

Journal Article With DOI

Format:
Author, A. A. (year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume (issue), xxx-xxx.
doi: xxxxxxxx

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2018). The Day. Journal of the Day Sciences, 13 (6), 33-36.
doi:8796546549756

Journal Article Without DOI — Internet

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume (issue), xxx-xxx.

Retrieved from http://www.__________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2018). Tutors. Journal of the Helpers, 13 (6), 33-36. Retrieved from
http://www.awebsite.edu

Journal Article Without DOI — Print

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume (issue), xxx-xxx.

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2018). Great Tutors. Journal of the Helpers, 13 (6), 33-36.

Article in a Magazine — Print

Format:

Author, A. A. (year, Month). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume (issue), xxx-xxx.

Example:

Flow, A. (2016, June). No, I’m not upset! Women’s Mood, 333 (36), 6-12.

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Article in a Magazine — Online
Format:

Author, A. A. (year, Month). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Volume (issue). Retrieved
from http://www.__________

Example:

Flow, A. (2016, September). No, I’m not upset! Women’s Mood, 333 (39).
Retrieved from http://www.womensmagazine.com

Article in a Newspaper — Print

Format:

Author, A. A. (year, Month day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper, pp. xx, xx.

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2078, November 23). Polar bears. The Success Times, pp. A3, A6.

Article in a Newspaper — Online

Format:

Author, A. A. (year, Month day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from
http://www.__________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2079, April 13). Polar bears. The Success Times. Retrieved from
http://www.something.org/print_media

Report from University or Government Organization

Format:

Organization. (year). Title of report. (Publication No. xx). Retrieved from

http://www.__________

Example:

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 International Student Association. (2016). International Students at LSU Shreveport.
(Publication No. 33-1399). Retrieved from http://www.isalsus.com

Report from Nongovernmental Organization

Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of report. (Research Report No. xx). Retrieved from Agency
Name website: http://www.__________

Example:

Human, N. M. (2017). Tutors. (Research Report No. 11.2). Retrieved from Equal Rights
for Tutors website: http://www.tutorslsus.edu

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REFERENCE EXAMPLES: WEB PAGES (GENERAL)

Author Known
Format:

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. Retrieved from http://__________

Example:

Sanders, R. J. (2029). The Day. Retrieved from http://daylsus.com

Author Unknown

Format:

Title of work. (year). Retrieved from http://__________

Example:
The Day. (2016). Retrieved from http://lsusfun.edu

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