A Practical Guide to APA Formatting and Style

A common mistake that students make is to ignore the rules and format of APA style, which can lead to an incorrect paper, low grades, and possible delay in degree completion. The goal of this document is to explain the formatting and style rules for APA (American Psychological Association) formatting and style. This document is organized in the following order

1) The Parts of an APA Paper

2) Parts of the Text

3) Proper Reference Lists

4) Title Page

5) Data Presentation

6) Figures

7) Appendices

1. The Parts of an APA Paper

The main sections are as follows: 

Title Page 

Abstract 

Main Body 

References 

Appendices

2. The Parts of the Text in APA Formatting

This should be centered, have your name in all caps at the top, and list your name under it. Please format names so they are only capitalized when necessary (e.g., "Dr." or "Mr.").

 

b) Abstract. 

This section should be one paragraph (250 words or less), which summarizes the main ideas of your paper. It is written in past tense, has no references (use the "References" section to cite sources), and should fit on one page. All rules for writing an abstract apply here. 

c) Main Body. 

This should be organized in the same way you plan to organize your research. You can either write it in APA format, or take the key points from the literature review and turn them into bullet points. For example, if you are writing about cognitive development of children, instead of referencing books that discuss Piaget's theory, it would be acceptable to write: "There are four stages of cognitive development, including sensorimotor (birth to 2 years), pre-operational (2-7 years), concrete operational ( 7-11 years), and formal operational (12+ years)".

d) References. 

This should list all authors' names in alphabetical order, followed by the year of publication and then the source. The American Psychological Association has a great site that allows you to generate this list by clicking on "References" in the top menu and then selecting "Insert Reference."

e) Figures & Tables. 

These should be numbered consecutively throughout the main body of your paper, not at the end or beginning of it. If you have more than one figure or table, it is only necessary to refer to them as "the following figures" or "the following tables."

3. Proper Reference Lists in APA Style

a) How to Formulate References

No author: The Self-Esteem Scale (Fenigstein et al., 1975)

One author: (Fenigstein et al., 1975)

Two authors: (Miller & Seligman, 1984)

Three or more authors: (Kernis et al., 1993)

If there are two authors with the same last name, use both first initials.

(Anderson & Williams, 1991).

b) How to Format References

Books: Kernis, M. H., Grannemann, B. D., & Barclay, L. C. (1993). Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 797-806.

If there is no author: Kernis, M. H., Grannemann, B. D., & Barclay, L. C. (1993). Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 797-806.

Edited Book: Kernis, M. H., Grannemann, B. D., & Barclay, L. C. (1993). Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility (pp. 75-88). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Journal Article: Kernis, M. H., Grannemann, B. D., & Barclay, L. C. (1993). Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 797-806.

Current Issue: Fenigstein, A., Scheier, M. F., & Buss, A. H. (1975). Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(4), 522-527.

All pages in between (Miller & Seligman, 1984) Miller, C. T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1984).

 

Journal with DOI: Kernis, M. H., Grannemann, B. D., & Barclay, L. C. (1993). Stability and level of self-esteem as predictors of anger arousal and hostility.(10), 797-806.

·         It is also worth noting that APA recommends using 12-point Times New Roman font  with double-spacing.