APA Style Research Paper Format: An Overview
The American Psychological Association (APA) style guide is commonly used for citing research in the social sciences. This resource, updated to reflect the MLA Handbook (8th ed.), outlines general APA guidelines on formatting a research paper, including:
Paper Elements and Structure
APA style recommends using a clear font that is highly readable. APA suggests using 12-point Times New Roman font. Double-space the entire research paper, including quoted text, notes, and references. Leave one-inch margins on all sides of the page. Page numbers should be placed at the top right of each page.
Include a page header (also known as the “running head”) at the top of every page. To create a page header/running head, insert page numbers and your paper’s brief title flush right. On the title page, the shortened version of the title is omitted. For subsequent pages, the header should include the shortened paper title in all caps.
The main sections of an APA style paper include:
Title Page: Your paper should include a title page with the title of the paper, author’s name, and affiliation (institution attending) centered in the upper half of the page. The page header, including page number, should be on the top right of the page.
Abstract: The abstract is a concise, one-paragraph (± 150 words) summary of the paper. Summarize the major points and conclusions of the paper. Do not cite references in this section.
Body: The body should include an introduction paragraph that introduces the research topic and thesis. The body paragraphs should each be centered around a main idea and contain topic sentences and evidence from research to support these ideas. Paragraph transitions between ideas are important.
Headings: Sections and sub-sections of the body should utilize headings to separate ideas. Use level one and level two headings in APA.
Conclusion: This section summarizes the body and draws conclusions. It should not introduce new material, but synthesize discussed ideas and reiterate the thesis and purpose of the paper.
References: References should begin a new page and be double spaced throughout. Include an alphabetical listing by author’s last name (or title if no author is given) of all cited sources.
Title Page Elements
The title page elements should be arranged as follows:
Running head: The running head is a short version of the full title in all caps. The running head is flush left with the page header.
Title: The full title is centered halfway down the page. The title should capture the paper topic clearly in fewer than 12 words.
Author’s name: The author’s name is centered beneath the title.
Institutional affiliation: The author’s institution is centered beneath the author’s name. This is usually the name of the course instructor or university affiliation.
Abstract
The abstract, located on page 2, is a short, standalone 150-250 word summary of the document. It concisely reviews the problem statement, methodology, results/findings, and conclusions of the research project.
Headings
Headings in APA format separate and classify levels of information and ideas. There are five heading levels in APA formatting. Level one is the highest or broadest type of heading, level five being the most focused.
Level 1 headings are centered and bolded. They introduce major sections of the paper.
Level 2 headings are left-justified/flush left, bolded, with the first letters of major words capitalized.
Level 3 headings are indented, bold, and end with a period. Only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, with the remaining lowercase.
Level 4 headings are indented, bolded, italicized, and end with a period. Only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, with the remaining lowercase.
Level 5 headings are indented, italicized, ending with a period. Only the first letter of the first word is capitalized, with the remaining lowercase.
In-Text Citations
Every time you quote, paraphrase, summarize, or refer to another’s work in your paper, you must provide an in-text citation to correspond to the full reference entry in the References section. This links the source material back to the original work. In-text citations are placed in parentheses and include the last name of the author and year of publication.
For example: (Smith, 2020)
If citing a direct quote, include the page number like (Smith, 2020, p. 63). If citing a website with no author or date, use the title in quotation marks as the in-text citation (see “APA Style Research Papers” para. 5).
References
The reference page elements are:
The heading References, centered at the top of the page.
References listed alphabetically by last name of first author (or title if none) and are double spaced throughout.
Each reference starts with the author’s last name, then initials. Date of publication follows in parentheses.
Title of work is italicized, along with the volume and issue numbers of journals. Article titles are not italicized or enclosed in quotation marks.
Tables & Figures
Tables and figures in APA format should be reserved for summarizing information from multiple data points or adding visuals like charts or screenshots to aid reader understanding. They should not reiterate information presented in the text at length.
Tables
Label tables consecutively in the order they are mentioned in text using Arabic numerals (e.g. Table 1). Label must be placed above the table, centered and bolded.
Include a descriptive title below the label, also centered and bolded. Tables should be titled concisely yet completely.
Include any notes, such as Source, directly below the table title, preceded by the label Note in regular typeface.
Figures
Label figures consecutively with Arabic numerals (e.g. Figure 1) placed below the image. The label and title should be centered.
Include a descriptive figure title below the label, centered and bolded. Titles should concisely describe contents.
Cite the source material directly under the title and label it as Note.
This overview covers the essential elements of APA style when formatting a research paper including sections, headings, citations, references, and tables/figures according to the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition and Purdue OWL’s APA Formatting and Style guide. Following these standards will ensure consistency of your work and proper crediting of sources used.
Andrew Stroud