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APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association and is commonly used in the fields of psychology, education, and other social sciences. APA style refers to the way that student and professional publications are formatted for submission and publication. Knowing how to write in APA format is an important skill for both students and professionals.
The seventh edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" is the official guidebook for formatting your APA papers. It's the latest edition published in 2019. Of course, if you have further questions about how to format your paper, check with your professor or instructor on what they prefer.
If you're a beginner and need to write a paper in APA format, the following step-by-step guide can help you format your paper correctly and create the different sections that you will need.
There are some basic rules of APA format that apply to any type of APA paper. These include:
According to APA guidelines, your paper should include four main sections: a title page, abstract, main body, and references.
APA format emphasizes accessibility for all readers. Be sure to review their official information on how to make your paper accessible.
There are two different versions of an APA title page: the student and professional versions. A student title page should include:
For a professional APA paper, include:
For both student and professional papers, the paper title is in title case, bold, and centered. It should be about three to four lines down from the top margin of the page.
Be concise. Your title should be a short statement of what the reader will find in the paper. Your title will often identify the major variables and their relationships. Examples of APA paper titles include:
A title page for a professional paper should also include an author note, which provides more information about the paper's authors, study registration, data sharing, disclaimers on any conflicts of interest, a point of contact, and funding sources.
When writing your title, be concise and avoid any extraneous words that do not add meaning to your title. The APA style guide advises writers to avoid phrases such as "An Experimental Investigation of. " or "A Study of. ".
Think of an abstract as a summary of your paper. If you are a student, your instructor may or may not require an abstract; be sure to check.
Follow these tips for writing your abstract in APA format:
The "Publication Manual" states that a good abstract is accurate, coherent, and concise. Be sure not to include any information in the abstract that isn't in the paper itself.
Tables are an efficient way to display a great deal of information in a concise, clear, and easy-to-read format. In APA format papers, tables are generally used to describe the results of statistical analysis and other pertinent quantitative data.
However, it is important to note that not all data should be presented in a table. If you have little numeric information to present, it should be described in the text of your paper.
The APA's publication manual recommends designing your table with the reader in mind. Strive to communicate data in a way that is clear and easy to understand.
Keep these tips in mind when using a table in your APA format publication:
Remember that your table is there to supplement rather than replicate the text of your paper. Do not feel the need to discuss every element of your table in your text. Extraneous information can overwhelm and confuse the reader. Stick to reporting the most important data.
Instead, focus on keeping your table concise. Mention key highlights and tell the reader what to look for in your table.
Keep these tips in mind when writing table headings:
If an additional explanation is needed, a note can be added below the table. There are three kinds of notes: general notes, specific notes, and probability notes.
General notes refer to some aspect of the entire table; specific notes refer to a particular column, row, or cell; probability notes specify the values of symbols in your table.
All sources cited in your paper should be included in the reference page. The reference page should appear at the end of your APA paper. This page makes it easy for the reader to easily look up all of the materials you cited.
Anything cited in the text must appear in the reference section and anything included in the reference section must be cited somewhere in the text.
Your references should begin on a new page with the title "References" in bold and centered at the very top. Do not underline, italicize, or place quotation marks around the title.
Be sure not to forget these rules when putting together your APA format reference page:
Journal articles should appear in alphabetical order in your reference list. More APA format tips include:
The basic format of a journal article reference is to first list authors by their last names followed by the initials of their first names. Next, the publication year is enclosed in parentheses and followed by a period.
The title of the article should then follow, with only the first letter of the first word capitalized as well as the first letter of any proper nouns.
The italicized title of the journal comes after, followed by a comma. Place the volume number next, also italicized. Follow this with the issue number in parentheses, followed by a comma.
Then, place page numbers, using a hyphen in between if it's a range of pages. Place a period after this. Finally, a hyperlink including the DOI number should be included if there is one available.
This style is applicable to printed texts. The format for citing books in APA format is as follows:
Note: Place a period after each of these elements.
The basic format of an electronic reference is very similar to that of any other reference. However, you typically need to include the online location of the document.
Since online URLs can change, the APA recommends utilizing a digital object identifier (DOI) in your references whenever possible.
A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that begins with a 10 as well as a prefix (usually a four-digit number assigned to organizations) and a suffix (a number assigned by the publisher).
Many publishers will include the DOI on the first page of an electronic document. If a DOI is available, simply include it as a hyperlink at the end of the reference as follows: https://doi.org/10.0000/00000000000.
Be sure to consult the latest information from The American Psychological Association for more information on citing electronic sources.
It's helpful to consult the latest edition of the APA "Publication Manual" when you have questions about proper formatting for your APA paper. If you're a student, it's a great idea to consult with your instructor as well. They can help establish clear guidelines and expectations for your papers before you submit them.
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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."
