Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021
APA format
APA format; sample research paper
Writing Papers in APA Style
The guidelines in this section are consistent with advice given in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (APA, 2020), and with typical requirements for undergraduate papers. For a sample APA research paper, see 63b.
63a APA format
Formatting the paper
The guidelines in this section describe APA’s recommendations for formatting the text of a paper written for an undergraduate college course and for preparing the reference list.
Font
If your instructor does not require a specific font, use one that is standard and easy to read (such as 12-point Times New Roman).
Title page
Put the page number 1 at the right margin one-half inch from the top of the page. A few lines down the page, center the full title of your paper in bold. After a blank line, include your name, and then add the following assignment details on separate lines: the department and the school, the course code and name, your instructor’s name, and the due date. See page 510 for a sample title page.
Page numbers and running head
Starting with the title page, number all pages in the upper-right corner one-half inch from the top of the page. Professional (submitted for publication) papers also require a running head, a shortened version of the paper’s title (no more than 50 characters) on every page. If your assignment requires one, type the running head in the upper-left corner in all capital letters. See page 522 for an example of a running head.
Margins, line spacing, and paragraph indents
Use margins of one inch on all sides of the page. Left-align the text.
Double-space throughout the paper. Indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch.
Capitalization, italics, and quotation marks
In headings and in titles of works that appear in the text of the paper, capitalize all words of four letters or more (and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length). Capitalize the first word following a colon in a title or a heading, and capitalize the first word following a colon in the body of your paper if the word begins a complete sentence.
In the body of your paper, italicize the titles of books, journals, magazines, and other long works, including websites. Use quotation marks around the titles of articles, short stories, and other short works named in the body of your paper.
NOTE: APA has different requirements for titles in the reference list. See page 508.
Long quotations
When a quotation is forty or more words, indent it one-half inch from the left margin. Double-space the quotation. Do not use quotation marks around it. (See p. 515 for an example. See also 61b for more information about integrating long quotations.)
Footnotes
Insert footnotes using the footnote function in your word processing program. The callout number in the text should immediately follow a word or any mark of punctuation except a dash. The text of the footnote should be single-spaced.
Abstract
If your assignment requires an abstract — a 150-to-250-word summary paragraph — include it on a new page after the title page. Center the word “Abstract” (in bold) one inch from the top of the page. Double-space the abstract and do not indent the first or subsequent lines. For an example, see page 522.
Headings
Although headings are not always necessary, their use is encouraged in the social sciences. For most undergraduate papers, one level of heading is usually sufficient. (See the paper in 63b.)
First-level headings are centered and boldface. In research papers and laboratory reports, the major headings are “Method,” “Results,” and “Discussion.” In other types of papers, the major headings should be informative and concise, conveying the structure of the paper. In all headings, capitalize the first and last words and all words of four or more letters (and nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length).
First-Level Heading Centered
Second-Level Heading Aligned Left
Third-Level Heading Aligned Left
Visuals
APA classifies visuals as tables and figures (figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs). Place each visual immediately after the paragraph in which it is called out, or place it on the following page if it does not fit on the same page as the callout.
Number each table or figure (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and provide a clear title. The label and title should appear on separate lines above the visual, flush left and double-spaced. Type the number in bold font; italicize the title.
✵ Table 2
✵ Effect of Nifedipine (Procardia) on Blood Pressure in Women
If you have used data from an outside source or have taken or adapted the visual from a source, give the source information in a note below the table. Begin with the word “Note,” italicized and followed by a period. Notes can also include additional information or context for the visual. For an example of a visual with a note, see page 513.
Preparing the list of references
Begin your list of references on a new page at the end of the paper. Center the title “References” in bold one inch from the top of the page. Double-space throughout. For a sample reference list, see page 520.
Indenting entries
Type the first line of each entry at the left margin and indent any additional lines one-half inch.
Alphabetizing the list
Alphabetize the reference list by the last names of the authors (or editors) or by the first word of an organization name (if the author is an organization). When a work has no author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title other than “A,” “An,” or “The.”
If your list includes two or more works by the same author, arrange the entries by year, the earliest first. If your list includes two or more works by the same author in the same year, arrange the works alphabetically by title. Add the letters “a,” “b,” and so on within the parentheses after the year. For journal articles, use only the year and the letter: (2012a). For articles in magazines and newspapers, use the full date and the letter in the reference list: (2012a, July 7); use only the year and the letter in the in-text citation.
Authors’ names
Invert all authors’ names and use initials instead of first names. Separate the names with commas. For two to twenty authors, use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name. For twenty-one or more authors, give the first nineteen authors, followed by an ellipsis and the last author (see item 3 in 62b).
Titles of books and articles
In the reference list, italicize the titles and subtitles of books. Do not italicize or use quotation marks around the titles of articles and other stand-alone works. For both books and articles, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle (and all proper nouns). Capitalize names of journals, magazines, and newspapers as you would capitalize them normally (see 46c).
Abbreviations for page numbers
Abbreviations for “page” and “pages” (“p.” and “pp.”) are used before page numbers of selections in anthologies and other edited books (see item 26 in 62b). Do not use “p.” or “pp.” before page numbers of articles in journals and magazines (see items 12 and 13 in 62b).
Breaking a URL or DOI
Do not insert any line breaks into a URL or DOI (digital object identifier). Any line breaks that your word processor makes automatically are acceptable. Do not add a period at the end of a URL or DOI.