formatting style
Although it may seem very fastidious, your instructors (and journal editors) require papers to be submitted in a specific format. Consistency in format makes it easier to read your paper.
The following are the bare basics that you should use in terms of formatting an APA styled paper. Click through each component to learn more.
- • paper, fonts
and spacing - • title page
- • headings
Paper size:
• standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11")
Fonts:
• 10-12 pt. Times New Roman
Spacing requirements:
• 1" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right)
• double spacing throughout the entire document (title page, body, quotations and references)
Page headers and numbering:
• a short page header (no more than 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation) should be
included in the top left hand corner of every page. This page header should be a shortened
version of the paper's title, and should be typed in uppercase letters.
• page numbers should be included in the top right hand corner of every page, beginning at "1"
on the title page
• standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11")
Fonts:
• 10-12 pt. Times New Roman
Spacing requirements:
• 1" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right)
• double spacing throughout the entire document (title page, body, quotations and references)
Page headers and numbering:
• a short page header (no more than 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation) should be
included in the top left hand corner of every page. This page header should be a shortened
version of the paper's title, and should be typed in uppercase letters.
• page numbers should be included in the top right hand corner of every page, beginning at "1"
on the title page
***Note that all text included on the title page should be free from any emphatic textual components (bold, italics, underlining).
Title. The title of the paper should be centered, and placed slightly above the midline of the page. Your title should also summarize the main idea of the paper
Author. The author's name (first name, middle initial, surname) and the institutional affiliation should be centered under the title (note that for course writing, the institutional affiliation may be replaced with your course name and section)
Running Head. The running head on the title page should be similar to that of the running head throughout the rest of the document with one exception: the page header included on the title page (and title page only!) should also be preceded by the expression "Running head" as follows: Running head: YOUR RUNNING HEAD TITLE
Title. The title of the paper should be centered, and placed slightly above the midline of the page. Your title should also summarize the main idea of the paper
Author. The author's name (first name, middle initial, surname) and the institutional affiliation should be centered under the title (note that for course writing, the institutional affiliation may be replaced with your course name and section)
Running Head. The running head on the title page should be similar to that of the running head throughout the rest of the document with one exception: the page header included on the title page (and title page only!) should also be preceded by the expression "Running head" as follows: Running head: YOUR RUNNING HEAD TITLE
APA style uses a unique headings system to separate and classify paper sections.These headings help readers find the key points in your paper, and track the development of your thoughts.
Most short psychology papers will have only one level of heading, however longer papers may have up to 5 levels of headings:
In APA Style, the Introduction section never gets a heading and headings are never indicated by letters or numbers.
