APA Format Guidelines, Tips, and Examples

Key Takeaways

• APA format papers should include four main sections: a title page, abstract, main body, and references.
• The references page must list all sources cited in the paper, alphabetized by the first author’s last name, and use a hanging indentation.

APA format can feel intimidating at first, particularly as you try to balance conveying clear information with the strict rules and guidelines it requires. It is a standardized format commonly used in psychology, education, and the social sciences. Understanding how APA format works, exploring practical tips, and seeing helpful examples can help make sure your papers are well-organized, properly cited, and easy for readers to follow.

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What Is APA Format?

APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association and is commonly used in the fields of psychology, education, and other social sciences. APA style refers to the way that student and professional publications are formatted for submission and publication. Knowing how to write in APA format is an important skill for both students and professionals.

The seventh edition of the “Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association” is the official guidebook for formatting your APA papers. It’s the latest edition published in 2019. Of course, if you have further questions about how to format your paper, check with your professor or instructor on what they prefer.

General APA Formatting Guidelines

There are some basic rules of APA format that apply to any type of APA paper. These include:

• Paper size: Type on standard-size (8.5-inch by 11-inch) paper.
• Margins: Have a 1-inch margin on all sides.
• Key elements: Have a title page.
• Fonts: Use an easy-to-read font such as Calibri or Times New Roman.
• Spacing: Double-space the whole paper.
• Alignment: Align text to the left-hand side.
• Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
• Sources: Have a references page.

Paper Structure

According to APA guidelines, your paper should include four main sections: a title page, abstract, main body, and references.

• Title page: Include the paper’s title and the name of each author. It should also include institutional affiliation, and students should include the course name, instructor, and due date.
• Abstract: This is a brief summary of the paper that appears on page 2, immediately after the title page.
• Main body: This contains the bulk of the paper, including the introduction, method, results, and discussion sections.
• References: This section comes after the main body and includes all of the sources mentioned in the in-text citations.

APA Format Title Page

There are two versions of an APA title page: the student and the professional.

A student paper title page should include:

• Title of paper
• Name of each author of the paper (the byline)
• Affiliation for each author (the university attended, including the name of the department)
• Course number and name
• Instructor name (check with the instructor for their preferred format)
• Assignment due date (i.e., November 4, 2024)
• Page number (upper right corner)

A professional APA paper should include:

• Running head (an abbreviated version of the paper title)
• Title of paper
• Name of each author of the paper (byline)
• Affiliation for each author
• Author note
• Page number (upper right corner)

The paper title for both types is in title case, bold, and centered. It should be about three to four lines down from the top margin of the page.

Title Examples

Be concise. Your title should be a short statement of what the reader will find in the paper. Your title will often identify the major variables and their relationships. Examples of APA paper titles include:

• Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Math Performance
• Impact of Leadership Style on Employee Productivity
• How Music Tempo Affects Running Pace
• How Medication Improves Smoking Cessation Outcomes

A title page for a professional paper should also include an author note, which provides more information about the paper’s authors, study registration, data sharing, disclaimers on any conflicts of interest, a point of contact, and funding sources.

Tip

When writing your title, be concise and avoid any extraneous words that do not add meaning to your title. The APA style guide advises writers to avoid phrases such as “An Experimental Investigation of…” or “A Study of…”.

APA Format Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of your paper that allows readers to quickly understand the purpose, methods, and key findings. APA format specifies guidelines for the length, structure, and content of the abstract section. While the abstract is one of the first parts of your paper, it should be written after the rest of your paper is complete.

Follow these tips for writing your abstract in APA format:

• Location: The abstract should have its own page right after the title page.
• Centering: Center it at the top of the page in bold, titled “Abstract.”
• Summary: In the next line, briefly summarize the main points of the paper.
• Contents: While the content will vary, an abstract typically includes the research topic, research questions, information on participants and methods, the data analysis used, and main conclusions. 
• Length: An abstract should be a single paragraph, double-spaced, and usually no more than 250 words.

The “Publication Manual” states that a good abstract is accurate, coherent, and concise. Be sure not to include any information in the abstract that isn’t in the paper itself.

If you are a student, your instructor may or may not require an abstract; be sure to check.

Tables in APA Format

Tables are an efficient way to display a great deal of information in a concise, clear, and easy-to-read format. In APA format papers, tables are generally used to describe the results of statistical analysis and other pertinent quantitative data.

However, it is important to note that not all data should be presented in a table. If you have little numeric information to present, it should be described in the text of your paper.

The APA’s publication manual recommends designing your table with the reader in mind. Tables should be clear and easy to understand.

Basic Rules for Tables

Keep these tips in mind when using a table in your APA format publication:

• Add an individual title to each table. It should be italicized and capitalized in APA style.
• Begin each table after the reference list on a page of its own.
• Number all tables (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3).
• Reference all tables in the text of the paper.

Remember that your table is there to supplement rather than replicate the text of your paper. Do not feel the need to discuss every element of your table in your text. Extraneous information can overwhelm and confuse the reader. Stick to reporting the most important data.

Keep your table concise. Mention key highlights and tell the reader what to look for in your table.

Table Headings

Keep these tips in mind when writing table headings:

• Capitalize the first letter of each heading.
• Identify each column using a descriptive heading.
• Use abbreviations for standard terms in the table itself. Uncommon definitions should be explained in a note below the table.

Additional Notes

If an additional explanation is needed, a note can be added below the table. There are three kinds of notes: general notes, specific notes, and probability notes.

General notes refer to some aspect of the entire table; specific notes refer to a particular column, row, or cell; probability notes specify the values of symbols in your table.

Reference Pages in APA Format

All sources cited in your paper should be included in the references page. The references page should appear at the end of your APA paper. This page makes it easy for the reader to look up all of the materials you cited.

Anything cited in the text must appear in the references section, and anything included in the reference section must be cited somewhere in the text.

Your references should begin on a new page, with the title “References” in bold, centered at the very top. Do not underline, italicize, or place quotation marks around the title.

Basic Reference Page Rules

Be sure not to forget these rules when putting together your APA format reference page:

• Alphabetize references by the last names of the first author of each source.
• Capitalize all major words in the title of a journal (i.e., The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology).
• Capitalize only the first letter in article titles. If a colon appears in the title, the first letter after the colon should also be capitalized. The title should not be placed in quotations, underlined, or italicized.
• Double-space all references.
• Italicize the titles of books and journals.
• When the same author is cited multiple times, list references in chronological order with the oldest first, working your way up to the most recent one.
• Use a hanging indentation for each reference; the first line of the reference should be aligned to the left, but each additional line needs to be indented.

Tip

Bibliographic management tools like EndNote and Zotero can help you keep track of your references and prepare citations. However, it’s still important to double-check everything to ensure your references are accurate.

Journals and Periodicals

Journal articles should appear in alphabetical order in your reference list. More APA format tips include:

• Capitalize the first letter of the first word in the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.
• Italicize the name of the publication and the volume number.

The basic format of a journal article reference is to first list authors by their last names, followed by the initials of their first names. Next, the publication year is enclosed in parentheses, followed by a period. For example:

• Smith, J.A. (1993).
• Smith, J.A. & Allen, S. (2001).

The title of the article should then follow, in sentence case, with only the first letter of the first word capitalized, as well as the first letter of any proper nouns.

The italicized title of the journal comes after, followed by a comma. Place the volume number next and italicize it. Follow this with the issue number in parentheses, followed by a comma.

Then place the page numbers, using a hyphen between them if it’s a range of pages. Place a period after this. Finally, a hyperlink including the DOI number should be included if one is available.

A journal reference should look like this:

• Ferguson, Y. L., & Sheldon, K. M. (2013). Trying to be happier really can work: Two experimental studies. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2012.747000

Books

This style is applicable to printed texts. The format for citing books in APA format is as follows:

• Name of author (last name, first initial)
• The date of the publication in parentheses
• The italicized title of the book
• If applicable, put the edition of the book in parentheses
• Publisher name
• Hyperlink with DOI number (preferred if available) or URL

A book in APA format will appear like this:

• Fairburn, C. G. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. Guilford Press. https://www.guilford.com/books/Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy-and-Eating-Disorders/Christopher-Fairburn/9781593857097?

Electronic Sources

The basic format of an electronic reference is very similar to that of any other reference. However, you typically need to include the online location of the document.

Since online URLs can change, the APA recommends utilizing a digital object identifier (DOI) in your references whenever possible.

A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that begins with a 10, a prefix (usually a four-digit number assigned to organizations), and a suffix (a number assigned by the publisher).

Many publishers include the DOI on the first page of an electronic document. If a DOI is available, simply include it as a hyperlink at the end of the reference, such as https://doi.org/10.0000/00000000000.

Be sure to consult the latest information from the American Psychological Association for more information on citing electronic sources.

Writing Style Tips for APA Papers

• Be concise and precise: APA papers favor direct, clear language that gets right to the point. Skip unnecessary words, vague expressions, or overly complex descriptions. Focus on saying what you need to say in as few words as possible.
• Use the active voice: Write in the active voice whenever possible. This helps make your sentences clearer and more engaging. For example, instead of “The study was conducted by…”, say “The researchers conducted the study…”).
• Use inclusive, bias-free language: APA style emphasizes using person-first, respectful language when describing people or groups. For example, instead of “depressed people,” say “people with depression.”

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Nicoll LH, Oermann MH, Chinn PL, Conklin JL, Amarasekara S, Mccarty M. Guidance provided to authors on citing and formatting references in nursing journals. J Nurses Prof Dev. 2018;34(2):54-59. doi:10.1097/NND.0000000000000430

2. American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020).

3. American Psychological Association. Tables and figures.

Additional Reading

• American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; 2020.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

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