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APA Writing Format

The American Psychological Association or APA Writing Format is one of the most widely
used formats in writing academic papers, particularly in the field of science.

The APA writing style [1] has evolved through time and several changes have been adapted in
response to the electronic information age. What follows are some useful pointers for those of
you who're tasked to write a paper using the APA format.

In general, your paper should follow these formatting guidelines:

Margin. Although formerly, the required measurement for margins is 1 ½ inch, now, it is
required that margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, right) should each just measure one
(1) inch.

Font Size and Type. Font for text all through out the paper should be 12-pt., Times New
Roman.

Spacing. Double-space for the whole document, including appendices [2], footnotes [3],
tables [4] and figures [5]. For spacing after punctuation, space once after commas, colons
and semicolons within sentences and space twice after punctuation marks that end
sentences.

Text Alignment and Indentation. Alignment should be flush left, or aligned to the left
creating uneven right margin.

Running Head and Short Title. Running heads are short titles located at the top of
each of the pages of your article. Short Titles on the other hand are two to three-word
derivation of the title of your paper. Running heads should not be confused with Short
Titles. Running heads are typed flush left at the top of all pages while Short Titles are
typed flush right.

Running Heads are not necessary for high school and collegiate papers unless required
by instructor. These are instead mostly required for documents that are being prepared
for actual release or publication. Running Heads should not exceed 50 characters
including punctuation and spacing.

Active Voice. Traditionally, the APA writing format requires writing in an impersonal
form. That is, refraining from using pronouns such as ‘I' or ‘We' in your statements. Now,
it has changed. Most disciplines require the active voice. An example of this would be,
instead of writing “according to the study,” it should be “according to our study.” This
way, papers are made to be as active as possible.
 Order of Pages and Pagination. The order of pages should follow this format:

Title Page > Abstract > Body > References > Appendices > Footnotes > Tables >
Figures

The page number should appear one inch from the right corner of the paper on the first
line of each page. The title page [6] will serve as the Page 1 of your paper.

Title Page
The Title Page [6] should contain the title of your paper, your name as its author (including co-
authors), your institutional affiliation/s and author note if applicable. In case there's no
institutional affiliation, just indicate your city and state or your city and country instead.

As mentioned earlier, your title page will serve as your Page 1. It should be typed centered on
the page. If it requires more than one line, please be reminded to double-space between all
lines. Your name appears double-spaced as well, below the paper title.

The author note is where information about the author's departmental affiliation is stated, or
acknowledgements [7] of assistance or financial support are made, as well as the mailing
address for future correspondence.

Abstract
The Abstract [8] of your paper contains a brief summary of the entirety of your research paper.
It usually consists of just 150-250 words, typed in block format. The Abstract begins on a new
page, Page 2. All numbers in your Abstract should be typed as digits rather than words,
except those that begin a sentence.

Body
The body of your research paper begins on a new page, Page 3. The whole text should be
typed flush-left with each paragraph's first line indented 5-7 spaces from the left. Also, avoid
hyphenating words at ends of line.

Text Citation and References

Text Citations [9] are important to avoid issues of plagiarism [10]. When documenting source
materials, the author/s and date/s of the sources should be cited within the body of the paper.
The main principle here is that, all ideas and words of others should be properly and formally
acknowledged.

The Reference Section [11] lists all the sources you've previously cited in the body of your
research paper. It states the author/s of the source, the material's year of publication, the
name or title of the source material, as well as its electronic retrieval information, if these were
gathered from the Internet.
Appendices
The Appendix [2] is where unpublished tests or other descriptions of complex equipment or
stimulus materials are presented.

Footnotes
Footnotes [3] are occasionally used to back up substantial information in your text. They can
be found centered on the first line below the Running Head, numbered as they are identified
in the text.

Tables and Figures

What is the difference between Tables and Figures? Tables are used to present quantitative
data or statistical results of analyses. Examples of quantitative data are Population, Age,
Frequency, etc.

Figures [5] on the other hand come in different forms. It could be with the use of graphs,
images and other illustrations other than tables. Figures are commonly used to show a
particular trend, or to compare results of experiments with respect to constant and changing
variables [12].

Above are guidelines you may find useful when writing a research paper in APA writing
format. However, you should be reminded that it's still best if you will consult your instructor
every time to confirm his requirements. It will be handy to verify whether your instructor
prefers the active voice or the passive voice, just to make sure you're both on the same page.

Citation:

Anonymous (Jul 7, 2009). APA Writing Format. Retrieved Apr 30, 2013 from [Link]:
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