Introduction

Formatting your essay in line with the APA guidelines (6th ed.) can be quite tricky. Fortunately, this guide will help you score high marks for professionalism. And, even if you’re not about to see clearly, do scroll down to download our free APA essay template.

Note: All detailed instructions refer to Microsoft Word. You may have to look for an equivalent setting if you’re using a different word processor.

The Fundamentals

Essay Components

An APA paper has four parts:

1. The Title Page
2. The Abstract
3. The Essay
4. The Reference List

It’s best to split up each section with a page break (Insert > Page Break).

The default font is Times New Roman, size 12 (a smaller dimensions are fine for footnotes). In the event that you select virtually any font, be sure it is a serif font. You might, however, use a sans-serif font for captions and descriptions in figures and tables.

Since 2007, the default margin for almost any Word document has been 1 inch all over. Fortunately, APA format gets the requirement that is same. If for a few good reason you will need to fix the margins, head to Page Layout > Margins > Normal.

Most of the text in your essay ought to be double-spaced. To create this change quickly, first press Ctrl + A to highlight all text and then press Home > Line and Paragraph Spacing (symbol) > 2.0. Make sure you also click on “Remove Space After Paragraph.”

Let’s look in the basic layout of an APA title page:

Let’s break down what switches into making a great title page. The first thing you’ll want to do is ensure your first page is formatted independently from the rest of the paper. To accomplish so click on Page Layout > Page write my essay Setup > Layout > First that is different Page.

Then add a typical page number (Insert > Page Number > Plain # 3) and add a Running head. The head that is running your essay title in 50 characters or less (that features spaces and punctuation). If for example the title that is full is long, provide a shorter version. When you’ve typed the title, press Tab a couple of times to make the Running head flush with all the left margin. Don’t forget to make use of the right font.

Whenever you add your title, be sure that you capitalize important words, yet not prepositions and articles.

Optional: you can add an author’s note near the bottom of your title page. For more information, please see pp. 24-25 of this Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). The note that is author’s more prevalent for published papers, and a lot of students can safely ignore it.

The abstract receives its own page:

This time leave out of the words “Running head” and give simply the title (or perhaps the shortened version). Insert a full page number (Insert > Page Number > Plain no. 3), and make sure your header is in the right font (Times New Roman, size 12). Each subsequent page should now have the header that is correct.

Centre the word Abstract and left-align the summary that is actual. Usually do not indent this paragraph.

Essay Start Page

Your essay really begins regarding the page that is third

Finally, don’t forget to cite your sources:

To get more details, please visit our page on formatting the reference list.

APA papers are often divided into sections. If you’d love to organize your material with headings, you are able to choose from a true number of various headers. Begin by using level that is first and employ the others for sub-headers:

First Level Header (Bold, Centered, plus in Title Case)

Second Level Header (Bold, Left Aligned, plus in Title Case)

Third level header (indented, bold, and lowercase), ending with a period.

Fourth level header (identical to the third level, nevertheless now in italics!).

Fifth level header (identical to the level that is fourth not in bold).

You don’t have to use some complex numbering system (e.g., 3.2.1b) to organize your ideas as you can see. The formatting associated with the header does the secret.