If your paper will follow strict APA formatting, follow the steps below. Your paper should have three major sections: the title page, main body, and references list. The Publication Manual covers these guidelines in Chapter 2.
These guidelines will cover how to set up a student paper in APA format. The 7th edition now has specific formatting for student papers versus a professional paper (i.e. one being submitted for publication). If your instructor has requested a different format or additional elements, use your instructor's preferences.
Download a PDF with all the steps for formatting an APA title page
All directions are for the installed (desktop) version of Word. Word Online and Google Docs may have different steps.
The margins of the paper should be set to 1" (one inch) all around.
The line spacing for the paper should be set to double (2.0).
Your title should summarize the main topic of your paper. Try not to be too wordy or off-topic. While there is no word limit for titles, "short but sweet" is the goal. The APA Style Blog has further information on titles: Five Steps to a Great Title. Use title case for paper titles (capitalize each main word). You can also simply use the title of your assignment as the title of your paper.
Insert the page number in the right area of the header. Use the built-in page numbering system; do not attempt to type each page number manually.
On the first page include the following information:
This information will be centered and will be a few lines down from the top.
The references list should be on a new page, and should be the last section of your paper. You can press the Control key along with the Enter key to create a new page in Word.
The heading at the top of the reference list should say References at the top (not Bibliography or Works Cited, unless your instructor tells you otherwise) and bolded.
All reference lists should have a hanging indent. An example of a hanging indent is shown below:
George, M. W. (2008). The elements of library research: What every student needs to know. Princeton University Press.
To create a hanging indent in Word, you can press the Control key along with the letter T.
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Line spacing in the reference list should be set to double (2.0).
When organizing your references list, you alphabetize your references by the first word, which is usually the author's last name. Go letter by letter and ignore spaces, hyphens, punctuation etc.
If a work has no author, use the title to alphabetize. You will use the first significant word to alphabetize; this means you skip words like the, a, and an.
For more information on creating and formatting references, go to the Reference Components page.
Source: Publication Manual, 2.12; 9.44-9.49; Creating an APA Style Reference List Guide [APA Style]
APA does not specify a specific font or size, just that it must be legible. Their only guidelines is that the same font should be used throughout the paper. Some suggestions are 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia.
If your instructor has specified a font or font size, follow those guidelines.
Source: Publication Manual, 2.19
Student papers do not need a running head.
Source: Publication Manual, 2.8; 2.18
When writing your paper, you may want to use headings to organize specific sections and improve readability. Headings help guide the reader by clearly indicating different topics and subtopics within your paper. Each level of heading follows a specific formatting style and should be used in order without skipping levels. For example, if you have a Level 1 heading followed by a Level 2 heading, the next subheading should be Level 3, not Level 4. Think of heading levels like an outline, where each subheading further divides the section above it, making your paper easier to follow.
Level 1 Headings are Centered, Bold, and Title Case
Level 2 Headings are Left Aligned, Bold, and Title Case
Level 3 Headings are Left Aligned, Bold, Italicized, and Title Case
Level 4 Headings Are Indented a Half Inch, Bold, Title Case, and End with a Period. Text continues on the same line.
Level 5 Headings Are Indented a Half Inch, Bold, Italicized, Title Case, and End with a Period. Text continues on the same line.
The APA Style website has an example student paper template with headings.
Here is an example of how headings can help organize a paper's content. Major sections, such as the Abstract, Literature Review, and References, always use Level 1 headings. However, you do not need to use every level of heading in every paper. Only use the levels necessary to clearly structure your content.
The Impact of Various Factors on Student Achievement in College
Student achievement in higher education is influenced by multiple factors, including academic preparation, motivation, and institutional support.
Academic Preparation and College Success
Students who enter college with strong academic backgrounds tend to perform better in their coursework.
The Role of High School Curriculum
A rigorous high school curriculum prepares students for the demands of college-level work.
Advanced Placement. Earning AP credits can help students fulfill college requirements before they even enroll.
Dual Enrollment Programs. Participation in dual enrollment courses provides students with early exposure to college expectations.
Motivation and Self-Regulation in College Learning
Intrinsic motivation plays a key role in students' ability to persist and succeed in college.
Goal-Setting Strategies
Establishing clear academic and personal goals helps students stay on track throughout their college journey.
Time Management Techniques
Effective time management allows students to balance coursework, extracurricular activities, and personal responsibilities.
Institutional Support and Student Achievement
Support services provided by colleges can significantly impact student retention and success.
Tutoring and Academic Assistance
Access to tutoring services helps students improve their understanding of complex subjects.
Mental Health Resources
Counseling services provide students with essential emotional and psychological support.
Here's how these headings would look in an outline format:
When creating an annotated bibliography, the annotation is a new paragraph directly below the reference, with the entire annotation indented 0.5" from the left. Retain the double-spacing.
Delmas, P. M. (2017). Using VoiceThread to create community in online learning. TechTrends, 61, 595–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0195-z
This study investigated how VoiceThread could impact online student persistence. It used the Community of Inquiry framework as a guidepost for applying the technology, most specifically by leveraging social presence. The study sought to answer the question "does VoiceThread help create community for online learners?" Researchers surveyed 39 participants in master's and doctoral programs that were either fully online or blended. Based on the data, the researchers concluded that VoiceThread, as perceived by students who have used it, can promote social presence in online learning communities by making students feel more connected to other students and the instructor. Three positive themes for VoiceThread related to student to student interaction included hearing a voice, hearing voice inflection versus text, and learning about peers' professional/educational experience. While positive trends were highlighted succinctly, there was little discussion of negative trends, which challenged validity, and a small sample size (N=39) makes it difficult to generalize.
If you are using an image that does not require attribution, such as images in the public domain or that you created yourself, you may provide a figure number and title prior to the image.
Figure 1
Computer Scientist Jean F. Hall with Argonne Version of the Institute's Digital Automatic Computer (AVIDAC)
If your image requires attribution, such as those with Creative Commons licenses, include the attribution below the image. You will also need to cite the image in your references list.
Figure 2
Sciurus Carolinensis (Eastern Gray Squirrel)
(https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/4556e4bd-fba4-4b54-b967-3bc912695df4). CC BY 3.0.
Animal Diversity Web. (n.d.). Sciurus carolinensis (eastern gray squirrel) [Photograph]. Creative Commons. https://ccsearch.creativecommons.org/photos/4556e4bd-fba4-4b54-b967-3bc912695df4
Source: Clip Art or Stock Image References [APA Style]
An appendix (the plural is appendices) is where authors provide supplementary content for a reader that help explain or support the study. Examples include survey questions, detailed data tables, interview questions, or examples of study materials used in the research. The appendix is ordered after the References list.
Each appendix begins on its own page, and the heading is bold, centered, and in title case. The heading consists of two lines: the label on the first line and the title on the second line. If there is only one appendix, the label is Appendix. If there is more than one appendix, label them Appendix A, Appendix B, and so on in the order that they are mentioned in the text. The title describes the contents of the appendix.
Appendix A
College Student Academic Achievement Survey
Thank you for participating in this brief survey on academic achievement. Your responses are anonymous and voluntary.
Source: Appendices Setup [APA Style]
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