apa format example 6th edition

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• APA format for academic papers (6th edition)

APA Format (6th ed.) for Academic Papers and Essays [Template]

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on September 4, 2023.

In addition to guidelines for APA citations , there are format guidelines for academic papers and essays. They’re widely used by professionals, researchers and students.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

The most important APA format guidelines in the 6th edition are:

• Use 12 pt Times New Roman
• Set 1 inch page margins
• Apply double line spacing
• Insert a running head on every page
• Indent every new paragraph ½ inch

Table of contents

Apa format template, running head, reference page, in-text citations and references, setting up the apa format.

Instead of applying the APA guidelines to your document you can simply download the APA format template for Word.

Download APA Format Template (.docx)

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The AI-powered APA Citation Checker points out every error, tells you exactly what’s wrong, and explains how to fix it. Say goodbye to losing marks on your assignment!

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In the header of each page you include the paper title and page number. If your paper title is longer than 50 characters you should use a shortened version as running head. The page number should be positioned in the top right-hand corner. On the title page the APA running head is preceded by the words “Running head:”.

Throughout your paper you use different heading levels. The levels ranging from one to five help structure the document. Major headings, or heading 1, are used for the titles of chapters such as “Methods” or “Results”. Heading levels two to five are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently. These are the APA heading guidelines :

Title case capitalization : Capitalize the first, last, and principal words. Sentence case capitalization : Capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.

Note that you are not required to include a table of contents in APA style , but if you do choose to include one, all headings should be formatted as plain text, with an additional indent for each level.

The APA title page , also called cover page, is the first page of your paper. The regular formatting guidelines regarding font and margins apply. In addition, an APA formatted title page contains:

• Running head including page number
• Full paper title (in title case)
• Author name(s), without titles and degrees
• Institutional affiliation

Note: APA style has specific guidelines for including more than one author or institutional affiliation on the title page .

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The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

An APA abstract is a one paragraph (± 250 words) summary of your paper. It introduces the objective or problem statement of the paper and includes information on the method, research results, and conclusions of your research. In a separate article we explain in-depth how to write an abstract .

Although most regular APA formatting guidelines apply, the abstract page also has specific requirements. The abstract starts with a centered heading “Abstract”. In contrast to regular APA headings, no styling is applied. The first line of the paragraph is, unlike regular paragraphs, not indented.

At the end of the abstract, keywords relevant to the research are included. These keywords improve the findability of your paper in databases. Indent the line with keywords and start with the italicized word “Keyword:”, followed by the keywords.

The APA reference page , also called reference list, is where all sources that are cited in the text are listed. The citations differs for each source type. Aside from the references itself the reference page as a whole also has specific APA formatting guidelines.

The APA reference page example below highlights those guidelines regarding page margins, hanging indent and the reference page title “References”. Furthermore, the reference list is sorted alphabetically . You can easily create APA references with Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator .

APA reference page example

APA format citations consist of parenthetical citation in the text ( APA 6 in-text citations ) and the full reference in the reference list. For each webpage, journal article, book or any other source specific citation guidelines apply.

To make things easier Scribbr created the free APA Citation Generator that cites every source perfectly. Just enter the URL, journal DOI or book ISBN and both the in-text citation and full reference are generated.

In addition, Scribbr has in-depth APA citation examples for every source type ranging from journal articles and books to YouTube videos and tweets .

This video will demonstrate how to set up the APA format in Google Docs.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2023, September 04). APA Format (6th ed.) for Academic Papers and Essays [Template]. Scribbr. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-format/

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Citation and Style Guide Help

• General Style Information
• Citing Data Examples in APA 7th Edition
• APA 6th edition
• ICMJE Style
• Chicago (Turabian) Style

APA Publication Manual, 6th edition

APA One Page Style Guide

This style guide handout contains general APA guidance and examples of common formats.  The document is one page, double sided.

The handout should not be used as a substitute for consulting with the official style guide manuals.

• APA One Page Style Guide (6th ed.)

APA Citation Presentation

• American Psychological Association (APA) Style website

Additional APA Resources

• APA Formatting and Style Guide -The OWL at Purdue
• Nova Southeastern University APA 6th Edition
• Red Deer Polytechnic APA Style 7th Edition Guide
• Sacramento State University Library APA 6th Edition Guide
• Pikes Peak Community College Writing Center APA Basics videos 4-part series, 35 minutes total. Formatting your paper, quoting sources, in-text citation, and bibliography.

Citing a Clinical Trial

Below is a sample citation from the APA Style Experts on how to cite a clinical trial from clinicaltrials.gov:

Patient Centered Cloud-based Electronic System: Ambient Warning and Response Evaluation (ProCCESs AWARE). (2014). Retrieved from https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02039297?term=Patient+Centered+Cloud-based+Electronic+System%3A+Ambient+Warning+and+Response+Evaluation&draw=2&rank=1

(Identification No. NCT02039297)

It should be doulbe-spaced and use a hanging indent format (not available here).

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APA Style (6th ed.)

• Position of the citation
• Secondary Referencing
• Date of Publication
• Page numbers
• Citing Sources Multiple Times
• Citing from Web pages
• Paraphrasing and Summarising
• Reference Lists and Bibliographies
• Examples of References in APA (6th ed.) style

Examples of References in APA style (6th edition)

• Examples of References in APA style
• APA Reference Examples A-Z
• Comparison of 6th and 7th editions of APA
• Setting the Bibliographic Style
• Inserting In-text Citations
• How to create a Reference List
• Managing Sources
• Editing Citations
• Updating your Reference list
• Find Sources
• Evaluate Sources
• Write the Reference
• Write the Annotation
• Examples of Annotations
• Journal Articles
• Web pages and social media
• Newspaper articles

Dictionary or Encyclopaedia

Thesis or dissertation.

• Reports and Datasets
• Conferences
• Images, figures and tables

Exhibitions

• Audiovisual and Digital Media
• Lecture Notes and Presentations
• Author/Editor (Surname, Initials) ,
• (Year of publication).
• Title (in italics) .
• Edition (other than first edition) .
• Place of publication: Publisher.

An e-book retrieved from an academic database that does not have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is referenced as though it were the print version, as above. (A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent link to its location on the internet. DOIs can be found in database records and the reference lists of published works).

Books with a URL or a DOI can be referenced like this:

• Author/editor (Surname, Initials)
• (Year of publication)
• Title of book (in italics)
• (Edition) (if not the 1st edition)
• DOI or Retrieved from URL

Book Chapter

• Author of chapter/section (Surname, Initials)
• ‘Title of chapter/section’.
• ‘In:’ followed by author/editor of book, (in direct order)
• Title of book (in italics) .
• (Page reference).
• Place of publication: Publisher,

Journal article (print)

• Author(s) (Surname, Initials)
• Title of article
• Title of journal (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)        
• Issue information (volume, issue, pages) (volume in italics)

Journal article (online)

• Title of article.
• Title of journal (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)
• Issue information (date, volume, issue no., pages) (volume in italics)
• Retrieved from: URL

Journal article (database without DOI)

Journal articles retrieved from databases without a DOI can be referenced like a print journal, as above.

Journal article (with DOI)

• Issue information (date, volume , issue no., pages) (volume in italics)

Journal article (more than 7 authors)

List the first six authors followed by three spaced ellipsis points (...) and then the last author's name.

Journal article (pre-publication)

“Pre-print”, “In press” and “advanced online publication” usually refer to articles that have been accepted for publication, but may not yet have been assigned to a publication volume/issue. These articles can be cited using the year of online publication and the DOI.

• Issue information (date, volume, issue no., pages) (if any available)
• Advance online publication.

arXiv is a collection facility for scientific 'e-prints'. Some of them have been published and some have not. APA recommends updating your references when you're close to finishing your assignment. If you've cited a preprint that has since been published, cite the published journal article.

In the example below, you will see that the title is in italics. This is because it hasn't yet been accepted in a journal and is, therefore, considered a stand-alone work.

Journal Article (with article numbers, not page numbers)

If the journal article has an article number instead of a page range, include the word “Article” and then the article number instead of the page range.

• Journal Title  (in italics)
• Volume ,  (in italics)
• Article number 

Magazine Article

• (Year of publication, Month day)
• Title of magazine (in italics, first letter of each word should be capitalised, except for words such as and, of, the)      

• Author (Surname, Initials or Organisation name)
• (Year)  (Month Day, if applicable).
• Title of webpage   (in italics)

If no date can be established, use n.d. to indicate no date in the citation and the reference.

• Author of message
• (Year, Month Day).
• Title of message
• [Blog post]

• Author (surname followed by initials) and/or [screen name]
• (Year, Month day) tweet posted
• full text of tweet (If a tweet is longer than 40 words, write the first 40 words)

• Author and/or [given name]
• (Year, month day)
• Title of page   or post
• [Facebook status update].
• For individual authors, provide their full first name in square brackets after their initial as this is their social media identity information.
• For the title, provide the name of the page or the content or caption of the post (up to the first 40 words).

LinkedIn Profile

• Author (name associated with the account)
• Title of page ( Use the page title in the reference (e.g., “Home,” “About,” “Jobs”).)
• [LinkedIn page].
• Retrieved date from: URL ( Provide a retrieval date because the content is designed to change over time and is not archived)

• Author and/or [screen name]
• (Year posted, month day)
• Content of the post (up to the first 20 words)
• [Photograph]
• Retrieved from URL

• Author and/or [Username]
• Content of the post up to the first 20 words. Count a URL or other link, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
• [Video]  description of the audiovisuals

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world. It is not a scholarly source, so your lecturer may not be happy for you to use it as a source in your assignments. Scholarly assignments should generally rely on peer-reviewed and other scholarly work vetted by experts in the field. However, it may be a good starting point for you in your research to find citations to original source materials that you do want to use.

Wikipedia is a constantly changing site, so cite an archived version of the page, if you can (select 'view history' and then the date of the version you used). If it doesn't have a permanent link to an archived version of the page, include a URL for the entry and the retrieval date. The retrieval date is always required because the source material may change over time. 'n.d.' is an abbreviation of 'no date' and it is used as Wikipedia is constantly changing.

• Title of wiki (in italics)
• Retrieved date, from URL

Newspaper article (print)

• Author (Surname, Initials) 
• (Year of publication, Month day).
• Title of article 
• Title of newspaper (in italics) .
• Page reference.

Newspaper article (online)

• Author of entry (if there is one) (Surname, initials)
• Title of entry.
• ‘In:’ Editor (initial and surname) (Ed.)
• Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia  (in italics) .
• (Edition, page numbers of entry)

• Author (Surname, Initials)
• (Year of submission).
• Title of thesis (in italics) .
• (Type of thesis or dissertation)  e.g. Unpublished Master's thesis
• Degree awarding body, location (if unpublished)
• Name of database or archive, URL  (if published)

• Title of data (version)   (in italics)
• [Type of work]  (i.e. dataset)

Government Publication

• Name of Government Department
• Title (in italics)
• (Report Series and number) (if available)
• Place of publication: Publisher (if in print)
• URL (if online)

Company Report

• Title of report . (in italics)
• Place of Publication: Publisher or URL 

• Name of authority or organisation.
• Number and title of standard (in italics) .
• Place of publication: Publisher (if in print) .
• URL (if accessed online)

Conference Paper (in edited book)

• Title of the contribution paper
• In: Name of editor or conference chair (Initial, Last name (Ed (s).)
• Title of conference proceedings (in Italics)
• (Page numbers)
• Place of publication: Publisher

Conference Paper (Journal)

• Author of paper
• Title of paper
• Title of Journal (in italics)
• Issue information (volume, issue, date)

Conference Paper or Poster Presentation 

• (Year, month of conference).
• Paper or Poster presented at Title of conference: Subtitle of conference

Images, illustrations, photos (print)

If you are citing an illustration, figure, diagram or table, start with the source in which it appeared. In your in-text citation, give the page number and any caption number that will help to identify the illustration, using the terminology in the book or article (for example, illus./fig./diagram/logo/table). The reference list entry will be for the whole article or book.

In-text citation:

Reference List:

In the reference list, you list the book in which the image is found:

When you include an image or photo in your text, as well as citing the source, you will also need to include a caption and list it in a Table of Figures ( click here for more information ). Images you created yourself don't have to be cited, but should still be included in the list of figures.

Image, illustration, photo or table (online)

• Creator  (Surname, initial(s))
• [Internet handle] (if appropriate)
• Title of image, figure, illustration or table 
• [Type of image]. (image, chart, diagram, graph, illustration or photograph)

Photographs (Online Collection)

• Photographer
• Title of photograph/video (or collection) 
• [Type of image].  

If you viewed an image in person rather than online (e.g. in a museum or gallery), the source information is different. You will need to include the name and location of the institution where you viewed the image.

• (Year of creation)  (if available)
• Title of the work (in italics)
• [Format description]  (in square brackets)
• City, Country: Institution or collection that houses the work

If you haven't seen the artwork in person and saw it online, use the website in the location part of your reference.

• Originator (Name of organisation)
• Sheet number, scale.
• Publisher (if different from author)
• URL (if viewed online)

It can often be hard to find accurate information about images accessed online.  However, if you do need to cite an image with no author, date or title listed, there are ways around this.  For untitled images, include a description of the image, in square brackets, where the title would usually go. If there is no publication date, add “n.d.” in place of the date, and add the date that you accessed the image.

• Curator(s) (Surname, Initial(s)) .
• (Year or years ran).
• Exhibition Title [Exhibition].
• Museum name,
• City, Country.
• URL of exhibition website (if available)

When the curator is unknown, move the title of the exhibition to the author position of the reference.

Exhibition Catalogue

• Artist (Surname, Initial) (or Gallery/Institution).
• [Exhibition catalogue].
• City of publication, Country/State: Publisher.

• Director(s) (Surname, Initial) (Director) &
• Producer(s) (Surname, Initial) (Producer)
• (Year of original release).
• [Description]. (e.g. Film)
• Country of origin: studio.

Film (from Streaming Service)

• (Year) (in round brackets)

Online Video

• Creator (Surname, Initial). [Screen name].
• (Year, Month day).
• Title of video [Video file]

TV Programme

• Producer(s) & Director(s)
• (Year, Month day)
• Title (in italics) [Television broadcast].
• Place of broadcast: Name of broadcaster.

Episode of a TV Series

• Writer (surname and initial(s)) & Director (surname and initial(s))
• (Date of broadcast or copyright)
• Title of episode [Television series episode]
• Producer (initials and surname)
• Series title (in italics)
• Place of publication: Production company

Radio Programme (Online)

Presenter (Surname, Initial) (Host).

• ( Year, Month Day of broadcast).

Title of programme [Description i.e. Radio broadcast ].

Place of production: Broadcast channel.

Retrieved from URL (if heard online)

• Name of primary contributor (Host or Producer)
• Title of podcast (in italics)

Lecture Notes

Notes you took during a lecture or class handouts that are not posted online are not retrievable by someone else, so do not belong in your reference list. Instead, you treat them like personal communication and just refer to them in your text.

Lecture Notes or Powerpoint Slides (online)

• Lecturer (Surname, Initial(s))
• Course/Module and T it le of lecture [Lecture notes or PowerPoint slides]. (in italics)

Recorded Lectures/Talks

• Author (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year, Month).
• Title of lecture [file format].

Online Course or Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

• Instructor(s)  (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year of course creation  if known ).
• Title of course [format].
• Site that holds the course

Open Educational Resource

• Author  (Surname, Initial(s))
• (Year added with Month day).
• Retrieved date from URL

Music on CD or Vinyl

• Writer ( Surname, Initial ).
• Title of song
• [Recorded by Artist (Initial, Surname or Band name, if different from writer) ].
• Title of album (in italics)
• [Medium of recording].
• Location: Record Label.

Music Streaming

• Name of artist.
• Title of album/track (in italics)
• [Description; Name of streaming service].
• Record Label

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• Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024 10:07 AM
• URL: https://atlantictu.libguides.com/APA_Style6

APA Style -6th edition

• Sample APA Paper
• General Guidelines
• A. One Author or Editor
• B. Two Authors or Editors
• C. Three to Five Authors or Editors
• D. Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• E. Article in a Reference Book
• F. No Author
• H. Edition other than the First
• I. Translation
• J. Government Publication
• A. Journal Article with One Author
• B. Journal Article with 2 Authors
• C. Journal Article with 3-5 Authors
• D. Journal Article with 6 or more Authors
• E. Magazine Article
• F. Newspaper Article
• A. Basic Web Page
• B. Web Page from a University Site
• C. No Author
• D. Blog Post
• E. Entry in a Reference Work
• F. Government Document
• A. Motion Picture
• B. Youtube Video
• C. Audio Podcast
• A. Electronic Image
• A. Interview
• D. Classical Works
• E. Secondary Sources
• F. Legal Materials
• Evaluating Sources
• Zotero This link opens in a new window

Sample APA Formatted Paper

• Sample APA Formatted Paper How to format your paper in APA style

Sample Reference List

• Sample End of Text Citations
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APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources

• Basics of APA Formatting
• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation
• Conference Presentations
• Course Documents
• Social Media
• Government Documents
• Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
• Additional Resources

Sample Reference Page

• Generic Example
• Identified Reference Types
• Formatting Rules

• References cited in text must appear in the reference list and vice versa (exception for personal communication which is not included in a Reference list).
• Make sure that all citation information (names of authors, titles, volume and issue numbers, edition number, page numbers, city and state name, publisher name and location information) is correct.
• When listing titles, the only words you should capitalize are the first word of the title, the first word of the subtitle (if there is one), and proper nouns (Russia, Eleanor Roosevelt).  The only exception to this rule is when you list the titles of magazines, newspapers, or academic journals that contain the articles you’re quoting.  In these cases, use “headline” capitalization (meaning you capitalize all words except articles, conjunctions, and prepositions).  See examples below for clarification
• The following should be italicized:  Titles of books, ebooks, newspapers, journals, magazines, movies, dissertation/thesis, films, videos, television series, podcasts, YouTube videos, artwork, maps, music albums and unpublished manuscripts.  Additionally, volumes of journals are also italicized.
• Reference lists must be double-spaced , with a hanging indent:
• The following cities can be listed without a state because they are well known for publishing: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Jerusalem, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Tokyo, Vienna.

Order of References in Reference List

• Alphabetize letter by letter
• Alphabetize prefixes such as Mc and Mac literally
• Alphabetize surnames that contain articles and prepositions (de, la, du, von, etc.) according to the rules of the language of origin
• Alphabetize items with numerals as if the numerals were spelled out
• Alphabetize group authors such as associations or agencies by the first significant word of the name, and use the full official name, not an acronym
• If the author is designated as Anonymous, then the entry is alphabetized as if Anonymous were a true name
• If there is no author, the entry is alphabetized by the first significant word in the title
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• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA-citation-style

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• Using Visual Media
• Organizing Your Literature Review
• Sample Papers & Other APA Resources

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APA format is a style for formatting academic publications. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association —often referred to as the APA Style Guide —is used by authors at all levels. It provides guidance and direction in all aspects of the writing process.

Whether you are working on an annotated bibliography , a literature review , or a dissertation, you can use the guide to organize and share your ideas with the scholarly community.

The APA Style Format includes guidelines for how to:

• cite and accredit your sources
• structure your paper (eg. margins, headings, fonts, etc.)
• format your writing style (eg. how to present ideas, language tone, grammar, etc.)
• format writing elements (eg. tables, present data, use figures, use photographs, etc.)
• construct a bibliography

Check out the Tutorials to learn more about formatting your paper in APA.

You can view the apa 7th edition guide here ., a guide for apa 7th edition is currently being worked on. if you need further information about the new edition, please go here ..

• Elements of an APA Paper from The Purdue OWL A sample APA Paper with each element highlighted from the Purdue Online Writing Lab
• APA Visual Guide by Nancy Wolf, Lesley faculty Basic APA rules laid out graphically for visual learners!
• APA 6th Edition - Lesley Examples Quick reference for APA citation that includes how to cite works without authors, blogs, web pages, etc.
• Annotated Bibliography Guide by Lesley faculty member, Nancy Wolf Instructions on formatting an annotated bibliography.
• How to Write an APA Style Reference When Information Is Missing, by the American Psychological Association This chart helps you navigate how to cite a work when information is missing.
• DOI and URL Flowchart Learn when to use a DOI vs a URL when citing resource from the American Psychological Association.

Librarians are happy to answer questions about citations, but we do not proof-read citations for accuracy . Contact Lesley's Center for Academic Achievement for help with formatting APA, as well as writing papers and other academic challenges.

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• URL: https://research.lesley.edu/apa-6

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APA Research Paper Formatting: APA 6th Edition Resources

• Home of APA 7th Edition Resources
• APA 6th Edition Resources

APA (American Psychological Association) style was developed by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. It is used for term papers, research reports, empirical studies, literature reviews, theoretical articles, methodological articles, and case studies. (APA website)

Writers in the following disciplines usually use APA style:

• Social sciences- psychology, sociology, economics, criminology

*IMPORTANT NOTE: In October 2019 the American Psychological Association released the latest edition of the APA format - the 7th edition. For Spring term 2021 many instructors will have shifted to using APA 7th edition, while some may still request (or allow) students to choose APA 6th edition. It would be a good idea to verify which edition your professor will be requiring.  

As of January 2021, the APA citation generators in the Gale and Ebsco databases are formatting APA citations in 7th edition instead of 6th edition.

This Library Guide will also be updated throughout Spring 2021, to add additional resources for the 7th edition and links that should remain accessible for the 6th edition. 

ALL RESOURCES ON THIS PAGE ARE FOR APA 6TH EDITION.

FOR 7TH EDITION RESOURCES, SEE THE 7TH EDITION TAB AT THE TOP OF THIS GUIDE.

APA - Publication Manual

(In 2021 most instructors will be using the 7th edition instead.)

APA 6th ed. Template & Paper Sample

• APA 6th ed. Paper Sample (including headings)
• APA Template - 6th Edition You are going to love this! Save this template somewhere safe or e-mail it to yourself. Then resave it immediately with the name of your new document. This will keep your template safe and ready to reuse again for future assignments.

How to Use the APA Template

How Do I Write a Thesis Statement?

• Thesis Statement Help - Owl @ Purdue

Free Citation Creation Tools on the Web

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Everything APA - 6th Edition

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APA Inclusive Language Guidelines

American Psychological Association's Inclusive Language Guidelines and related information can be found here:  https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guidelines

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

General Format

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. The equivalent APA 7 page can be found here .

Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in APA.

To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all APA citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart .

You can also watch our APA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL YouTube Channel .

General APA Guidelines

Your essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

Include a page header (also known as the " running head ") at the top of every page. To create a page header/running head , insert page numbers flush right. Then type "TITLE OF YOUR PAPER" in the header flush left using all capital letters. The running head is a shortened version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters including spacing and punctuation.

Major Paper Sections

Your essay should include four major sections: the Title Page , Abstract , Main Body , and References .

The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name , and the institutional affiliation . Include the page header (described above) flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page. Please note that on the title page, your page header/running head should look like this:

Pages after the title page should have a running head that looks like this:

After consulting with publication specialists at the APA, OWL staff learned that the APA 6th edition, first printing sample papers have incorrect examples of running heads on pages after the title page. This link will take you to the APA site where you can find a complete list of all the errors in the APA's 6th edition style guide.

Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may take up one or two lines. All text on the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.

Beneath the title, type the author's name : first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (PhD).

Beneath the author's name, type the institutional affiliation , which should indicate the location where the author(s) conducted the research.

APA Title Page

Begin a new page. Your abstract page should already include the page header (described above). On the first line of the abstract page, center the word “Abstract” (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).

Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph, double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract. To do this, indent as you would if you were starting a new paragraph, type Keywords: (italicized), and then list your keywords. Listing your keywords will help researchers find your work in databases.

APA Abstract Page

Please see our Sample APA Paper resource to see an example of an APA paper. You may also visit our Additional Resources page for more examples of APA papers.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in APA

Individual Resources

The page template for the new OWL site does not include contributors' names or the page's last edited date. However, select pages, like the Citation Style Chart , still include this information.

In the absence of contributor/edit date information, treat the page as a source with a group author and use the abbreviation "n.d." for "no date":

Purdue Online Writing Lab.  (n.d.) .  Title of resource.   Retrieved from http://Web address for OWL resource

Purdue Online Writing Lab.  (n.d.).   General Writing FAQs . Retrieved from  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/general_writing_faqs.html

The generic APA citation for OWL pages, which includes author/edit date information, is this:

Contributors' names. (Last edited date).  Title of resource . Retrieved from http://Web address for OWL resource

Paiz, J., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M.,…Keck, R. (2010, May 5).  General format . Retrieved from  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

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APA Style 7th Edition Tutorials for Students in Psychology and Social Work

What is apa style.

• The Importance of Citing

Why is APA Style needed?

How do i get started with apa style, let us practice what we have learned, attribution and acknowledgement.

• Basics of APA Style Tutorial
• Reference Entry Elements
• Reference Examples
• Reference List
• In-Text Citations
• Student Paper Format
• Managing References - Zotero

Origination of APA Style

• Where did APA Style come from?

Commonly Used APA Related Terms

Abstract : Abstract is a brief synopses of article. It provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the article. 

Citing : In the context of academic writing, citing is the act of acknowledging the sources of information you have used when writing your work.

Citation:  A citation gives credit to a source, and contains publication information such as author(s), title and date.

DOI (digital object identifier): It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object, mainly a scholarly article, to provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

In-Text Citation : It is a brief note that appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. An in-text citation should always match the corresponding entry in the reference list at the end of paper.

Paraphrasing : A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. 

Plagiarism : It is the act of presenting the words, ideas, or images of another as your own; it denies creators of content the credit they are due. 

Quoting : It is the act of reproducing the exact wording used by the original author. Direct quotations appear within quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : It contains details about one cited work, generally including four elements:  author, date, title, and source.  

Reference List : It identifies all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. It generally is at the end of the paper and definitely on a new page after the text of your paper. 

APA Style is the most common writing style used in college and career. Its purpose is to promote excellence in communication by helping writers create clear, precise, and inclusive sentences with a straightforward scholarly tone. It addresses areas of writing such as how to

• format a paper so it looks professional;
• credit other people’s words and ideas via citations and references to avoid plagiarism; and
• describe other people with dignity and respect using inclusive, bias-free language.

APA Style is primarily used in the behavioral sciences, which are subjects related to people, such as psychology, education, and nursing. It is also used by students in business, engineering, communications, and other classes. Students use it to write academic essays and research papers in college, and professionals use it to conduct, report, and publish scientific research.

In addition, APA Style provides you with a powerful tool that will hep you avoid deliberate or unintentional plagiarism. Please review the Avoiding Plagiarism Guide created by the APA experts to understand what two common types of plagiarism are and how to avoid them. 

Why is learning citations important? Citations help readers understand where the information used in your paper comes from, enabling them to trace the path of that information. When readers wish to explore a specific point or reference cited in the text, citations make it easier by providing information about your sources in a standardized format.

Besides showing readers where you obtained information, using citations also has a strong ethical purpose. In academic writing, it is important to credit ideas that are not your own. Citations allow you to integrate the ideas of others with your own thoughts in a fair and honest way.

The reference formats for APA Style manuals are as follows:

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps authors present their ideas in a clear and concise, and organized manner.  Uniformity and consistency enable readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably and consistently. 

Students are encouraged to first learn about APA Style by reading works written in APA Style. A couple of guides created by APA experts from the American Psychological Association can help you with that:

Anatomy of a Journal Article   https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/anatomy-journal-article.pdf

Scholarly journal articles share a common anatomy or structure. Each part of an article serves a specific purpose. The handout of  Anatomy of a Journal Article explains how journal articles are structured and how to become more efficient at reading and understanding them. Understanding the structure of a scholarly article and the purpose of each part helps you grasp a strategy called targeted reading. Targeted reading means to read specific sections of research articles first to determine if the article seems useful for your research topic. This way you will save time, find useful article faster, and choose which articles to read in full.

Reading and Understanding Abstracts https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reading-abstracts.pdf

Abstracts are short summaries of scientific research articles. The handout of Reading & Understanding Abstracts explains the definition and purpose of abstracts and the benefits of reading them, including analysis of a sample abstract. The skill of reading and understanding abstracts of scholarly articles not only saves time but also helps you conduct better research and write more effectively.

APA Style Writing Principles https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/writing-principles.pdf

The poster created by APA experts shows the three main principles of APA Style: clarity, precision, and inclusion and lists steps on how to achieve them. As a student writer, you always should write your academic paper with clarity, precision, and inclusion. 

Research Article Activity https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/apa-style-research-activity.pdf

Reading research articles is not an easy task for you as a student. The Research Article Activity designed by APA Style experts aims to make it easy to read and understand a scholarly article. This activity worksheet helps you find, cite, analyze, and summarize a research article. Completing this activity breaks down a lengthy research article into easily understandable chunks. This way helps you better understand the study in the article before you write about it. 

The information in this Guide   is courtesy of   the official APA Style website by the American Psychological Association.

Source Credit: Information on this LibGuide comes from APA Style website https://apastyle.apa.org/ This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help anyone new to APA Style.

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• Last Updated: Apr 6, 2024 12:06 PM
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