APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and it is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. The APA format is a set of rules and guidelines for structuring, writing, and formatting research papers and reports. Here are the key aspects of APA style:

1. General Format: APA style papers are typically typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5″ x 11″) with 1″ margins on all sides. APA recommends using a readable font, such as 12 pt. Times New Roman.

2. Title Page: The title page should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. It may also include an author note and a running head for publication purposes.

3. Abstract: An abstract is a brief summary of the research paper, usually about 150-250 words, and it follows the title page.

4. Main Body: The structure of the main body can vary depending on the type of paper (e.g., a lab report, a literature review, an empirical study). It typically includes an introduction, method, results, and discussion sections.

5. References: Sources are listed in a “References” section at the end of the paper. Each reference must be formatted with specific rules for the type of source (e.g., book, journal article, website).

6. In-text Citations: When paraphrasing or quoting a source directly, APA style requires authors to include the author’s last name and the year of publication, and, for direct quotes, a page number as well.

7. Headings and Subheadings: APA format uses a series of heading levels, each with its own formatting style, to organize information clearly and logically.

8. Tables and Figures: Tables and figures should be integrated into the body of the paper or included at the end before the references. Each must include an APA-style caption and be mentioned in the text.

The APA style is designed to support the clarity of communication, the precision of attribution for sources, and the protection of intellectual property rights through plagiarism prevention. It’s widely used in academia and research settings.

APA Citation Format

APA citations are structured in two ways ways.

If a contributor is not included, the APA citation is formatted like this:

Title. (Year Published). Website name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL.

If a contributor is included, the APA citation is formatted like this:

Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Publication Name. URL