MATERIALS AND TYPEFACEUse good-quality 8½" × 11" white paper. Avoid a typeface that is unusual or hard to read.

TITLE PAGEThe APA manual does not provide guidelines for preparing the title page of a college paper, but most instructors will want you to include one. Click here for an example.

PAGE NUMBERS AND RUNNING HEADThe title page is numbered as page i; the abstract page, if there is one, is numbered as page ii. Use arabic numerals, beginning with 1, for the rest of the paper. In the upper right-hand corner of each page, type a short version of your title, followed by five spaces and the page number. Number all pages, including the title page.

MARGINS, LINE SPACING, AND PARAGRAPH INDENTSUse margins of one inch on all sides of the page. Left-align the text.

Double-space throughout the paper, but single-space footnotes. Indent the first line of each paragraph one-half inch (or five spaces).

LONG QUOTATIONS AND FOOTNOTESWhen a quotation is longer than forty words, set it off from the text by indenting it one-half inch (or five spaces) from the left margin. Double-space the quotation. Quotation marks are not needed when a quotation has been set off from the text. Click here for an example.

Place each footnote, if any, at the bottom of the page on which the text reference occurs. Double-space between the last line of text on the page and the footnote. Indent the first line of the footnote one-half inch (or five spaces). Begin the note with the superscript arabic numeral that corresponds to the number in the text. Click here for an example.

ABSTRACTIf your instructor requires one, include an abstract immediately after the title page. Center the word Abstract one inch from the top of the page; double-space the abstract as you do the body of your paper.

An abstract is a 100-to-120-word paragraph that provides readers with a quick overview of your essay. It should express your main idea and your key points; it might also briefly suggest any implications or applications of the research you discuss in the paper. Click here for an example.

HEADINGSAlthough headings are not always necessary, their use is encouraged in the social sciences. For most undergraduate papers, one level of heading will usually be sufficient.

In APA style, major headings are centered. Capitalize the first word of the heading, along with all words except articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.

VISUALSAPA classifies visuals as tables and figures (figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs). Keep visuals as simple as possible. Label each table with an arabic numeral (Table 1, Table 2, and so on) and provide a clear title. The label and title should appear on separate lines above the table, flush left and single-spaced. Below the table, give its source in a note. If any data in the table require an explanatory footnote, use a superscript lowercase letter in the body of the table and in a footnote following the source note. Single-space source notes and footnotes and do not indent the first line of each note. Click here for an example.

For each figure, place a label and a caption below the figure, flush left and single-spaced. They need not appear on separate lines.

In the text of your paper, discuss the most significant features of each visual. Place the visual as close as possible to the sentences that relate to it unless your instructor prefers it in an appendix.

INDENTING ENTRIESAPA recommends using a hanging indent: Type the first line of an entry flush left and indent any additional lines one-half inch (or five spaces), as shown here.

ALPHABETIZING THE LISTAlphabetize the reference list by the last names of the authors (or editors); when a work has no author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title other than A, An, or The.

If your list includes two or more works by the same author, arrange the entries by year, the earliest first. If your list includes two or more works by the same author in the same year, arrange them alphabetically by title. Add the letters “a,” “b,” and so on within the parentheses after the year. Use only the year for articles in journals: (2002a). Use the full date for articles in magazines and newspapers in the reference list: (2001a, July 7). Use only the year in the in-text citation.

AUTHORS’ NAMESInvert all authors’ names and use initials instead of first names. With two or more authors, use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name. Separate the names with commas. Include names for the first six authors; if there are additional authors, end the list with “et al.” (Latin for “and others”).

TITLES OF BOOKS AND ARTICLESItalicize the titles and subtitles of books; capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle (and all proper nouns). Capitalize names of periodicals as you would capitalize them normally.

ABBREVIATIONS FOR PAGE NUMBERSAbbreviations for “page” and “pages” (“p.” and “pp.”) are used before page numbers of newspaper articles and articles in edited books (see items 10 and 17) but not before page numbers of articles appearing in magazines and scholarly journals (see items 7–9).

BREAKING A URLWhen a URL must be divided, break it after a double slash or before any other mark of punctuation. Do not insert a hyphen, and do not add a period after a URL or a DOI.

Click here for a sample list of references.