APA Formatting and Citation

  The American Psychological Association (APA) offers guidelines on both formatting your manuscript and documenting sources used in your research. APA Style prioritizes dates and is often used in the social science, business, and nursing fields. This guide provides a brief overview of basic formatting and citation rules. For more in-depth instructions or less common resources, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, currently in its sixth edition.

Table of Contents


Basic Formatting (top)

Your paper should be typed and double spaced with 1" margins on all sides. APA guidelines recommend 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Every page must contain a header that contains both your running head, flush left, and the page number, flush right. The running head is a shortened version of your title and should be less than 50 characters. Usually, APA style requires a title page, but some instructors ask that you omit this element. Always follow your instructor's specifications.

In the event you do use a title page, it should begin with your title centered in the upper half of the page. Your title should be concise but may contain up to two lines. Beneath the title, you will put your name then institutional affiliation. The header of your title page is unique as well. In the top left corner, you will denote your running head by writing "Running head: YOUR RUNNING HEAD".

Image of title page in APA style

Abstract (top)

APA style often requires the inclusion of an abstract. An abstract is a short summary of your research and findings, approximately 150-250 words. Put the word "Abstract" centered at the top of the page, no bold or underline, and begin your  abstract on the following line. You do not indent your abstract, and it remains a single paragraph. Like the rest of your paper, it should be double spaced and have your running head and page number at the top of the page. You may want to include a list of keywords after your abstract. To do so, indent five spaces (press tab) and type Keywords: (italicized) followed by a list of your keywords.

Keywords: APA, handout, style guide

Headings (top)

Headings are used to separate your paper into sections. APA sixth edition allows for up to five heading levels. The headings must be used in order, as follows:

Level 1 Centered and Boldfaced With Capitalization
Level 2

Left Alignment and Boldfaced With Capitalization