APA Style Guidelines

APA guidelines are most commonly used for scholarly and academic papers that are presented clearly, logically, concisely, and inclusively. The standard is currently in its seventh edition. 

Here’s a bulleted list of key attributes for APA (American Psychological Association) style:

• Font and spacing:
  • Acceptable fonts: Times New Roman (12 pt), Arial (11 pt), or Calibri (11 pt).
  • Double-spacing throughout the document, including block quotes and the references page.
• Margins:
  • 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Title page:
  • Includes the paper’s title, author’s name, and institutional affiliation.
  • The title should be bold, centered, and placed in the upper half of the page.
  • It also includes a page number in the top-right corner.
• Running head:
  • The running head is no longer required for student papers but is still necessary for professional papers.
  • In professional papers, the running head appears on every page, flush left in all caps, and the page number is on the right.
• Headings:
  • Five levels of headings with specific formatting (e.g., Level 1 is bold and centered).
  • Headings are not numbered.
• In-text citations:
  • Author’s last name and publication year (e.g., (Smith, 2020)).
  • For direct quotes, include page numbers (e.g., (Smith, 2020, p. 45)).
• Numbers:
  • Spell out numbers one through nine, and use numerals for 10 and above.
  • Use numerals for measurements, time, dates, ages, etc.
• Oxford comms:
  • APA uses the Oxford comma.
• References page:
  • Separate page titled “References,” bolded and centered.
  • Alphabetical listing of sources by author’s last name.
  • Use a hanging indent for each reference.
  • Double-space the entire references list.
• Book citation format:
  • Author(s). (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.
• Journal article citation format:
  • Author(s). (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
• Website citation format:
  • Author(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of web page. Website Name. URL

How Good Is Your APA Knowledge?

1. How is APA capitalized? (Correct answer: Lowercase, unless specified otherwise)
2. How does APA handle gender? (Correct answer: try to report the breakdown of gender identity, eg cisgender, transgender, other)
3. How are lines spaced in APA? (Correct answer: double spaced, no extra space after a paragraph)
4. Is passive voice permitted in APA? (Correct answer: yes, but don’t overuse it)
5. What is the range of acceptable font sizes in APA? (Correct answer: 10-12, except within figures)