APA Style has specific rules about the format of your paper. Be sure to select one of the six approved font styles, and set margins and line spacing as follows:
Download a copy of the pre-formatted APA paper template to use for all of your APA assignments. Watch the companion video!
Pages of an APA paper appear in the following order:
NOTE: Sections appearing in bold font are always included in an APA paper; other sections are included if needed.
View this helpful guide created by the APA Style Experts to help you set up your paper:
The title page of a student paper includes the page number in header and lists the following information centered in the top half of the page:
Note that there is a blank double-spaced line between the title and student's name.
One of the goals of the APA Style is to present information in a clear, concise, and logical manner. One way to achieve this is by organizing content through the use of Headings. APA utilizes five levels of headings within the text of the paper:
Level of Heading | Format |
1. | Centered and Bolded, Title Capitalization |
2. | Bolded and Aligned Left, Title Capitalization |
3. | Bolded Italics and Aligned Left , Title Capitalization |
4. | Indented and bolded, Title Capitalization, end with period. |
5. | Indented and bolded italics, Title Capitalization, end with period. |
In academic writing, resources found through the research process are used to support positions, claims, and points made in a paper or essay. All sources cited within the text of the paper are listed alphabetically in the reference list. References provide the reader with information needed to access the source material. The reference list is its own page and appears at the end of the paper.
An APA reference is composed of four elements:
Author. (Date). Title. Source Information.
View example references on the Reference page in this Guide.
Reference List Example