What is APA Format?
APA stands for American Psychological Association. In that regard, the APA format is the official academic writing style used or endorsed by the American Psychological Association. It is the agreed-upon formatting style in various social science fields like psychology, education, political science, and sociology.
The general guidelines apply to both professionals and students, although there are a few differences. For instance, professional publications require a running head and page number for a page header, while students are only required to input the page number.
Also, the exact guidelines depend on the instructions provided by the paper instructor or publication (for professionals).If you’re looking for an APA format example, this post is for you. Let’s discuss the APA format guidelines before getting into the APA format sample. For this post, we will lean more into the guidelines that apply to students ( and not professionals).
APA Format Guidelines
Writing and formatting styles vary in various aspects. The notable ones include:
- Margins, spacing, text font, text alignment, and indentation
- Title page
- Page Headers/Numbers
- Headings and subheadings
- Abstract
- Reference page
- Tables and Figures
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these aspects in regard to the APA format/style.
APA Margins, Spacing, Text Aligning, and Indentation
The standard APA format provides the following guidelines:
- 1-inch margin on all sides
- Double-spacing for all text, including headings and subheadings
- Indent the first line of every paragraph by 0.5 inches
- Use a simple and easy-to-read font. E.g. Times New Roman 12pt and Arial 11pt.
- Align all text to the left
Title Page
An APA-style paper should have a title page. It is the first page of such a paper and should include the following:
- The paper title
- Author’s name
- Affiliation (school and department)
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s/Professor’s name
- Assignment due date
- Page number at the upper right corner
Page Headers/Numbers
In APA formatting, every page must have a page header. For students, the page header is the page number, placed at the upper right corner of the page. A running head is another component of a page header, but it’s only required in professional publications.
Headings and Subheadings
Heading and subheadings improve the readability of a text, dividing the information into sizable sections that are easy to follow and understand. In APA style, you’re allowed to have up to 5 headings and subheadings. Level I headings include main sections like methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Make sure to format each heading level differently, such as H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5.
Abstract
Every APA-style paper must have an abstract, unless the instructor states otherwise in the paper instructions. An abstract is a summary of the paper, usually between 150 and 250 words. Be sure to check with your professor or supervisor, because most of them will not require an abstract for school-level work, save for longer papers like dissertations.
Reference Page
References and citations are a crucial part of every academic paper to avoid plagiarism and boost the credibility of your work. APA style provides several guidelines for formatting the reference page. These are:
- Everything cited in the text must appear in the reference page and vice versa
- All references must appear on a separate page titled References at the end of the paper, but before the appendices
- Alphabetize the references by the author’s last name
- Capitalize all the primary words in the title of the source material and italicize the titles
- Double-space the references
- Apply hanging indentation to each reference and align the first line to the left
Tables and Figures
You can use tables and figures to explain the results of a quantitative analysis or show any other important data. All tables should be concise, clear, and easy to read. Here are the APA style recommendations for tables and figures:
- Give every table or figure a title- capitalize and italicize the title
- Number all the tables and figures for easy referencing
- Reference the tables and figures in the relevant sections in the text
APA Format Example
Below is an 800-word academic paper showing the APA format style. Click on the provided link to see the full text: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
