APA Essay Formatting Basics

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Document Structure

The standard sections of an APA style essay format look like this:

Title Page

  • The title page consists of the paper’s title and the author’s name, affiliation, course title and number. In some cases, it may include the submission date and the instructor’s name.
  • Formatting and spacing usually follow a specific template.

Abstract

  • The Abstract is a short and direct paper summary. It is ideally between 150 to 250 words.
  • The Abstract usually contains the methods employed during research, research questions, the outcome of the findings, and conclusions.
  • In some cases, there may be no need for an Abstract, however, you can always find them in professional papers.

Main Body

  • The main body is the primary content of the entire APA paper.
  • It usually contains the essay’s introduction, literature review, outcome of findings, discussion, and conclusion.
  • The main body works with headings and subheadings for a more concise explanation and organized academic paper.

References

  • References contain all the quoted or cited sources in the entire APA style paper.
  • Has a specific arrangement, such as alphabetical and formatting style, for example, hanging indent.
  • The reference entry also includes more detailed biographic information on any of the sources used in the entire work.

Page Layout

Page layout significantly contributed to a standard APA formatted essay. Here’s how to professionally format your page layout in your APA manual.

Features APA Guidelines
Margins 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
Preferred Font Times New Roman 12pt or Arial 11pt (You may also consider other legible fonts).
Line Spacing Double-space the entire work.
Page Numbers Positioned in the header, Flush right of the page’s corner.

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