The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is one of the most widely used academic citation styles used in higher education today. Proper use of APA citation format provides credibility and authority to research by acknowledging the ideas and wording that came from other sources. A well-formatted APA style paper will provide a clear format for the content and citations included in the document. This overview covers the key elements of APA style required for a research paper, including in-text citations, formatting, and reference list.
To begin, the title page of an APA style paper should include the title of the paper, authors name, and affiliation. The title should be centered and written in title case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized). It is common to place the running head (shortened title) in all capital letters on the title page as well. The page number is placed in the top right corner. The second page begins the introduction section with the titled “Introduction” centered and not bolded or underlined.
Paragraph formatting in APA style uses one-inch margins on all sides and is double spaced throughout. The entire paper should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font. Each new paragraph is indented half an inch using the tab button. Page numbers are placed in the top right corner on each page starting with the title page as page one. A header with the shortened title is written on the top left of each page.
In-text citations are included anytime a quote, paraphrase, statistic, or idea is taken from another source. The author’s last name and publication year are included in parentheses immediately following the borrowed information. If the author’s name is already mentioned in the text, only the year needs to be cited in parentheses. Direct quotes also require a page number or paragraph number. For example: (Smith, 2020) or (Jones, 2019, para. 5). When paraphrasing, in-text citations are still required but page numbers are not needed.
The reference list appears at the end of the paper on a new page with the centered title “References” without formatting. Entries are double spaced and use a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented). Reference list entries have a specific order and format depending on whether they are a book, journal article, webpage, or other source type. book citations include author, date, title ( italicized ), publisher, and DOI or URL if applicable. Journal article citations list author, date, article title ( not italicized ), journal name ( italicized ), volume number, issue number, and page range. The date is written as YYYY.
Some key things to remember when creating an APA style model research paper are:
Use Times New Roman 12pt font, double spaced paragraphs, and 1-inch margins all around
Include a title page with shortened title as header on each subsequent page
Properly format in-text citations with author/year or (author, year) when citing ideas
Entries in the reference list are alphabetized by author’s last name, have a hanging indent, and specified format for different source types
The reference list must include all in-text citations
Use correct APA style grammar and punctuation throughout
Following these formatting guidelines will ensure a research paper meets the key expectations of APA style. The proper in-text citations provide credibility by attributing ideas while the reference list allows readers to easily access the original sources consulted. Developing a strong understanding of APA style formatting rules is crucial for academic writing across many disciplines. Consulting the APA Publication Manual and research guides can assist in properly citing sources and creating a model research paper reflective of graduate level scholarship. Maintaining consistent APA style will develop stronger academic writing and research skills.