APA Format Paper Basic Guidelines

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APA Format Paper Basic Guidelines

When it comes to understanding what is APA format, it is important to important that we go through the basic guidelines it stipulates to help maintain consistency and readability in a paper. These formatting choices are designed to maintain a professional appearance and facilitate ease of reading and comprehension. It’s important to note that these are general guidelines, and specific institutions or instructors may have additional requirements or variations in formatting. Therefore, it is always recommended to consult your institution’s guidelines or your instructor for any specific instructions.

When formatting an APA format paper, it is essential to follow these basic guidelines:

  1. Paper Size:
  • Use standard-sized paper with dimensions of 8.5 inches by 11 inches.
  1. Margins:
  • Set 1-inch margins on all sides of the paper.
  1. Pagination:
  • Every page must contain the page number.
  1. Font:
  • Use a clear and legible font throughout your paper.
  • The recommended font is Times New Roman, with a size of 12 points, (Arial (11pt), Georgia (11pt) can be used as well).
  • Avoid using decorative or stylized fonts that may hinder readability.
  1. Line and Paragraph Spacing:
  • Double-space the entire document, including the title page, abstract, main text, and references.
  • Use double-spacing for the entire paper, including within and between paragraphs.
  • Exception: Block quotations, table titles, figure captions, and references should be single-spaced.
  1. Paragraph Alignment:
  • Align the text to the left margin of the page.
  • Create a “ragged” right margin, meaning the right edge of the text should be uneven or jagged.
  • This alignment style provides a clean and professional appearance to your paper.
  1. Indentation:
  • Use a 0.5-inch indentation (or one tab key press) for the first line of each paragraph.
  • This indentation visually separates paragraphs and helps readers distinguish between different ideas or sections.

Main Sections of an APA Format Paper

A typical APA format essay consists of four key sections: Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References.

Title Page for a Student’s Paper 

  • The title page for a student’s paper must be formatted in the following manner:

A. Page header:

  • The page header is to be included within the top margin of every page of each paper.
  • For a student paper, the page header consists of the page number only, which appears in the top right corner of each page.
  • Align the page number to the right margin of the page.
  • Place it one inch from the top of the page.

B. Title of the Paper:

  • The title of your paper should be bold and center-aligned.
  • Use title case capitalization, which means the first letter of each major word should be capitalized.
  • Make the title concise and descriptive, reflecting the main focus of your paper.

C. Student’s Information:

After the title of the paper on the title page, the student’s information should be formatted as follows:

Full Name:

  • Include your full name (first name, middle initial, and last name).
  • Do not use any titles or degrees (e.g., Mr., Dr., Ph.D.) in front of your name.

Educational Institution:

  • Write the name of your educational institution or university.
  • Use the official and full name of the institution.
  • If there are multiple affiliations, include only the primary institution.

Course Information:

  • Provide information about the course for which the paper is being submitted.
  • Include the course name or number.
  • If applicable, mention the section or group number.

Instructor’s Name:

  • Write the name of your instructor or professor.
  • Include their full name (first name, middle initial, and last name).
  • Do not use any titles or degrees in front of the instructor’s name

D. Date:

  • Include the date when the paper is submitted.
  • Format the date in the Month, Day, Year format (e.g., June 15, 2023).

Ensure that the student’s information is centered on the title page (not in bold, italic, or all caps), below the title of the paper. Each element of the student’s information should be on a separate line, and all lines should be double-spaced.

Title Page for a Professional Paper

There are subtle differences that we can see on the title page of a professional paper.

The page header contains the running head which is the shortened version of the title of your paper and the page number. The running head is written using all capital letters and contains not more than 50 characters (including punctuation and spacing). It is typed in the header and left-aligned. This running head appears on every page aligned left along with the page number aligned right.

The rest of the elements in a professional remain the same and is formatted in the same manner as in the case of a student’s paper.

  1. Page numbers are aligned to the right margin, begin on the first page, and follow on every subsequent page without interruption. No other information (e.g., authors’ last names) is required.
  2. The paper’s title should be centered, bold, and written in a title case. It should be three or four lines below the top margin of the page.
  3. Authors’ names appear in one double-spaced line below the title. They should be written as follows:
  4. First name, middle initial(s), last name. Omit all professional titles and/or degrees (e.g., Dr., Rev., Ph.D., MA).
  5. Authors’ affiliations follow immediately after their names. If the authors represent multiple institutions, use superscripted numbers to indicate which author is affiliated with which institution. If all authors represent the same institution, do not use any numbers.

There is another element that is included in a professional paper—Author notes.

Author notes contain the following parts in this order:

  1. Bold, centered “Author Note” label.
  2. ORCID IDs
  3. Changes of author affiliation.
  4. Disclosures/ acknowledgments
  5. Contact information. Each part is optional (i.e., you should omit any parts that do not apply to your manuscript or omit the note entirely if none apply).

Note: Format each item as its indented paragraph.

ORCID is a platform that enables researchers and scholars to create professional profiles, facilitating seamless connections within the academic community. To incorporate an ORCID ID in your author note, all you need to do is mention the author’s name, followed by the recognizable green ID icon (linked to the corresponding URL), and provide a hyperlink to the relevant ORCID page.

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