Writing Guide
APA Research Papers: Formatting Made Simple
Formatting is one of the most widespread stumbling blocks even for the most brilliant researchers and essay writers. The format of your paper is your academic trademark; therefore it is worth spending extra time on it. APA research papers are among the most frequently required in academic institutions. This article focuses on the ways to succeed in coping with APA research papers.
APA Research Papers: General Format
- 1-inch margins on all sides.
- 10-12 pt. legible font (e.g. Times New Roman), double-spaced.
- Indent the first line of paragraphs half-inch using the Tab key.
- Include a page header in capital letters at the top of every page, flushing it left; the page number should be flushed right.
APA Research Papers: In-text Citations
The author-date method of in-text citations is used in APA research papers:
- State the author’s name either in the text itself or in parentheses following the quotation or paraphrase.
- The date in parentheses follows the author’s name either directly in text (e.g. Jones (2009) observes that…) or at the end of the sentence (e.g. … (Jones, 2009)).
- Direct quotations require page number to be mentioned in citation (e.g. (Jones, 2009, p. 146)).
APA Research Papers: Works Cited Page
- List the entries by author’s last name, inverting the names (last names come first).
- In titles other than journals capitalize only the first word and the word after a colon or dash.
- Use italics for titles of books and magazines, and use nothings for titles of poems and articles.
These are just the basic requirements of APA research papers. More detailed information is available from specialized handbooks and manuals on APA research papers. Beware that the requirements to APA research papers may vary in different institutions, as well as updates to APA style are introduced frequently!
