How to Format your Student Paper using the APA Format Guide

As a student, writing a research paper is an essential aspect of your academic program. Your professor may require that you write your research paper using any of the popular paper styles: APA, MLA, or Chicago Manual of Style. If your professor expects you to write your student paper using the APA paper format, then you are in luck! This article will help you:

1. Understand what the APA style format is all about.
2. Know when you should use this format style.
3. Know how to format your entire student paper using the APA 7th edition.

Overview of APA Paper Format.

APA paper format is a writing style used to format academic research papers in the fields of humanities, social, natural, and behavioral sciences, which includes social work, education, psychology, medicine, and criminal justice. It is the official writing style of the American Psychological Association. Writers use the APA style in writing professional papers and student papers.

The American Psychological Association developed this style as a reference guide to ensure adequate comprehension of research publications and encourage effective communication between you and your readers. This style encourages consistency in the order, format, and structure of the research paper, which helps your reader only focus on the paper’s content.

Over the years, there have been various revisions to the APA style to keep up with changing trends. This article is based on the most recent edition, which is the 7th edition of the publication manual.

General Guidelines on APA Format Guide (7th Edition)

Below are the general guidelines to abide by when writing a research paper using the full APA style format. Ensure that you apply these tips before you write your paper.

1. Page Layout: Set the margins around the borders of your paper to 1 inch. Interestingly, this is the default setting for most word-processing software. In addition, indent the first line of every paragraph of text one-half inch from the left margin.
2. Line Spacing: Double-space all parts of your paper. This includes abstract, text, reference list, table and figure numbers, etc. Ensure that you do not add extra space before and after paragraphs.
3. Fonts: There is no specific font required in this edition. However, choose a font that is readable, widely accessible, and contains special characters. Some examples of fonts that fit this requirement are Times New Roman 12pt., Calibri 11pt., Arial 11pt., Georgia 11pt., Lucida Sans Unicode 10pt. Note that the font style you choose will be consistent throughout the entire document.
4. Page Header: For student papers, no running head is required in the 7th edition. It is important to note that this was a requirement in the 6th edition, so, if your professor requests one, be sure to include it. However, this is required for professional papers. The page header, which is at the top of the page, will only contain the page number, except otherwise stated. Align the page number to the top right corner of your document. You should use your word-processing software to insert page numbers on the page header. Add the page number on every page throughout the paper, including your title page. Remember that the font style of the page number should be the same style as the text on all the pages of the paper.

Besides these guidelines, there are other requirements for the various parts of your paper. We will now delve into the various sections of your APA style research paper.

Most student papers contain a title page, text, and a reference page. Depending on your research paper, you may include tables and figures. A lot of student papers do not require the use of an abstract. However, if your professor requests an abstract page, be sure to include one.

Title Page Setup – APA Format

The APA format title page, sometimes called an APA cover page, is required for all APA style student papers. Center the text on your title page. Your APA title page (APA format cover page) should include:

1. Paper title. The title of the paper should be a short and sweet description of what your research is all about. Capitalize the first letter of the major words and write the text on the title page in bold letters. Do not italicize the title or abbreviate any words while writing the title of your paper.
2. Paper subtitle (if applicable). Also, write this in a capital case with bold letters.
3. Author’s name. Write your full name. If there are 2 authors, include the word “and” between both names. If there are 3 or more authors, insert a comma between the authors’ names and include the word “and” before the last author’s name.
4. Affiliation. Write the name of your department and your institution separate both names with a comma.
5. Course information. Write your course number and your course name. Separate them with a comma.
6. Professor’s name.
7. Assignment’s due date.
8. Page number.

Formatting Headings, Subheadings, and Body of your Paper.

Use headings to structure your paper as they give a logical flow to your paper. Ensure that topics that have the same level of importance have the same level of heading.

There are 5 levels of headings in the APA. Level 1 is the highest level of heading. Level 2 is the subheading of level 1, level 3 is the subheading of level 2, and so on.

If you are writing a short paper, you may not need a heading. However, for longer and more complex papers, you will require several headings and subheadings.

When using headings and subheadings, note these details:

1. Avoid labeling your headings with numbers and letters.
2. Do double-space your headings.
3. Do not include blank spaces above or below your headings.
4. Do not write “Introduction” as the level 1 heading. Instead, write your paper title as the level 1 heading.

View the five levels of headings and their formatting:

Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading (Level 1)

The text begins as a new paragraph.

Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading (Level 2)

The text begins as a new paragraph.

Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading (Level 3)

The text begins as a new paragraph.

Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. (Level 4). The text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. (Level 5). The text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Now you know how to format the headings and subheadings for an APA style paper, let’s explore APA’s in-text citation formatting of your paper.

APA In-text Citation Format

The APA citation format for the 7th edition is the same as the 6th edition. Both editions use the author-date citation style, a citation system in which you would write a brief in-text citation in the body of your paper (which also includes tables, figures, footnotes, etc). The author-date citation system has two citation components: the author’s last name and date of publication. This in-text citation will direct your readers to the full reference list, which will appear at the end of your paper.

The goal of citing your sources is to prevent any form of plagiarism.

You should try to paraphrase as much as possible. However, ensure you cite all works, regardless of whether it is paraphrased or quoted.

Use the guidelines below to help you format in-text citations:

1. Ensure that the texts in the in-text citations exactly match the corresponding texts on the reference page.
2. Include a citation only on works that you have incorporated in your paper.
3. You should try much as possible to cite primary sources of data.
4. When you cite in APA style, be sure to include the author’s name and date of publication.
5. There are 2 ways to format citations using the APA style. Parenthetical in-text citations, in which the author’s name and publication date appear in parentheses and are separated by a comma. Narrative in-text citations, in which the author’s name is part of the text and the publication date is written in parentheses.
6. You should regard data cited from non-recoverable sources as personal communications.
7. There are no “outdated sources” of data, therefore, cite any data you use regardless of when it was published.
8. If you want to cite a website in APA style, you can use any of the 2 citation formats stated above. Remember to include the URL at the end of the citation.

There are many websites with free APA citation generators. You can check out any of them for further help. Now, we understand how to format in-text citations in an APA style paper. Next, we will explore how to format an APA reference page.

APA Reference List Format

Every APA style student paper that cites information from an external source must have a full reference at the end of the paper. References help readers to trace and retrieve each work cited in the text of your paper. Ensure that each reference accurately matches the original publication.

A reference list entry has four elements: the author’s or group of authors’ last name with initials, the date of publication, the title of the cited work, and the source of the cited work (this may also include the link to the source website). References are listed in alphabetical order. The reference list begins on the first blank page after your last page of the paper and follows a hanging indent format.

If any of the required elements are missing, refer to the official APA 7th edition official website for guidelines to assist you with this challenge.

There are two formatting patterns for every APA reference citation. These are references with italic titles or references with italic sources. Works that standalone, such as webpages, books, government reports, annual reports, ethics codes, dissertations, and theses, require that you write references with an italicized title. However, if your source is a part of a greater work, such as journal articles, blog posts, TV series, etc. Then, your reference should have an italicized source.

Example of a reference with an italic title:

Author’s last name, A. (Year of publication). Title of work. Publishing Company.

Example of a reference with italic source:

Author’s last name, A. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the journal, Volume(Issue), Page number(s). DOI or URL

Note these guidelines regarding the punctuation of reference list entries:

1. Input a period after each reference list element. However, if your source is from a website with a URL or DOI, do not input a period, as this may interfere with the link’s functionality. If the title of the work ends with another punctuation mark (for example; a question mark), use the punctuation mark instead of a period.
2. Use commas or parentheses between parts of the same reference list element. For example, if you are writing a reference list for an article from a journal, use a comma between each author’s last name and initials. Or between the journal’s issue number and the page numbers.
3. When referencing from a journal, do not use a comma between the journal volume and issue numbers. Instead, input the issue number in parentheses after the volume number.
4. Do not italicize punctuation marks between two reference elements. However, if there is a punctuation mark within a reference element, italicize it.

You may not include some works for reference citation. This situation occurs if the work is from personal communications that can not be retrieved or if it comes from a general and very familiar source.

After exploring the various sections of an APA style student paper, it will be great to end this article with these helpful tips.

• To describe your work, use first-person pronouns (such as “I” or “We”). Do not use third-person pronouns to describe yourself.
• To avoid ambiguity in understanding your paper, strive to use clear and logical comparisons when writing.
• Use the active voice more often when writing.

I’m quite certain that you now feel more comfortable writing your student paper using the APA style. If you need further clarification on any of the sections, ensure you drop a comment.