APA Style Formatting
For examples of how to format the entire manuscript, see pages 41-59 of the manual.
Double-space your paper, including the reference list. Leave margins of at least one inch (1”) at the top, bottom and sides of the paper. (APA Manual, p. 41) Hint: Microsoft Windows automatically places the margins at 1" at the top, bottom and sides of the paper.
Indent the first line of every paragraph five to seven spaces or ½ inch. (APA Manual, p. 229)
Title page
The title page should include the running head for publication, title, byline, and institutional affiliation. (APA Manual, p. 23-25)
Abstract
Body of Paper
Levels of headings - see pp. 62-63 of the APA manual
Formatting tables – see pp. 127-167 of the APA manual.
Reference Page
Arrange
reference list entries in alphabetical order by the last
name of the first
author. Use only the initial(s) of the
author’s name, with a space and a period between the initials (APA
Manual, p.181).
If no author is listed, then move the title to the author position, before the date of publication. (APA Manual, p. 183)
If a
title has more than eight authors, include the first six
author’s names, then insert three ellipses, and add the last author's name. (APA Manual, p. 184,198).
Example:
Glueckrafu, R.L.; Whitton, J., Baxter, J. , Kain, J., Vogelgesang, S., Hudson, M.,...Botros, N. (2009).
For the reference page, capitalize only the first letter of the first word for book or article titles. Capitalize proper nouns as well as the first word following a colon in a subtitle. (APA Manual, p. 101-104)
Example:
Lyons, J.D. (2006). Winston Churchill and the rhetorical challenges of democratic statesmanship. Perspectives on
Political Science, 34(1), 4-13. doi: 10.1211/151421528198005
Formatting Reference Page
Start the reference list on a new page. The Reference page should
include the title of the paper and the word References should be in upper and lower case letters, centered on the page.
The first line of the citation should begin at the left margin. If a citation is longer than one line, double space between the lines, with the second line being indented 1/2" or 5 spaces from the left margin.
