essay writing apa format

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How to Write an Essay in APA Format

What is apa format, apa essay format basics.

• Steps to Follow

Frequently Asked Questions

If your instructor has asked you to write an APA format essay, it might at first seem like a daunting task, especially if you are accustomed to using another style such as MLA or Chicago. But you can master the rules of APA essay format, too.

An essay is one type of paper that can be written in APA format; others include lab reports, experimental reports, and case studies. Before you begin, familiarize yourself with some of the basic guidelines for writing a paper in APA format. Of course, it will also be important to follow any other formatting instructions that are part of your assignment.

How do you write an essay in APA format? The basic elements you need to include are:

• A title page
• An abstract
• An introduction, main body, and conclusion
• A reference section
• Proper APA formatting with regard to margins, layout, spacing, titles, and indentations

This article discusses how to write an essay in APA format, including the basic steps you should follow and tips for how to get started.

Whether you’re taking an introductory or graduate-level psychology class, chances are strong that you will have to write at least one paper during the course of the semester. In almost every case, you will need to write your paper in APA format, the official publication style of the American Psychological Association . It is also used for academic journals.

Such rules are generally the same whether you are writing a high school essay, college essay, or professional essay for publication.

APA format is used in a range of disciplines including psychology , education, and other social sciences. The format dictates presentation elements of your paper including spacing, margins, and how the content is structured.

Most instructors and publication editors have strict guidelines when it comes to how your format your writing. Not only does adhering to APA format allow readers to know what to expect from your paper, but it also means that your work will not lose critical points over minor formatting errors. 

While the formatting requirements for your paper might vary depending on your instructor's directions, writing APA essay format means you will most likely need to include a title page, abstract, introduction, body, conclusion, and reference sections.

Your APA format essay should have a title page . This title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your school affiliation. In some instances, your teacher might require additional information such as the course title, instructor name, and the date.

• The title of your paper should be concise and clearly describe what your paper is about.
• Your title can extend to two lines, but it should be no longer than 12 words.

An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows the title page. It is not required for student papers, according to APA style. However, your instructor may request one.

If you include an abstract , it should be no more than 100 to 200 words, although this may vary depending upon the instructor requirements.

Your essay should also include a reference list with all of the sources that were cited in your essay,

• The reference section is located at the end of your paper.
• References should be listed alphabetically by the last name of the author.
• References should be double-spaced.
• Any source that is cited in your paper should be included in your reference section.

When writing in APA essay format, the text will include the actual essay itself: The introduction, body, and conclusion.

• There should be uniform margins of at least one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right sides of your essay.
• The text should be in Times New Roman size 12 font or another serif typeface that is easily readable.
• Your paper should be double-spaced.
• Every page should include a page number in the top right corner.
• The first word of each paragraph in your paper should be indented one-half inch.

For professional papers (usually not student papers), every page of the essay also includes a running head at the top left. The running head is a shortened form of the title, often the first few words, and should be no more than 50 characters (including spaces).

Steps to a Successful APA Format Essay

In addition to ensuring that you cite your sources properly and present information according to the rules of APA style, there are a number of things you can do to make the writing process a little bit easier.

Choose a Topic

Start by choosing a good topic to write about. Ideally, you want to select a subject that is specific enough to let you fully research and explore the topic, but not so specific that you have a hard time finding sources of information.

If you choose something too specific, you may find yourself with not enough to write about. If you choose something too general, you might find yourself overwhelmed with information.

Research Your Topic

Start doing research as early as possible. Begin by looking at some basic books and articles on your topic to help develop it further. What is the question you are going to answer with your essay? What approach will you take to the topic?

Once you are more familiar with the subject, create a preliminary source list of potential books, articles, essays, and studies that you may end up using in your essay.

Remember, any source used in your essay must be included in your reference section. Conversely, any source listed in your references must be cited somewhere in the body of your paper.

Write Your Rough Draft

With research in hand, you are ready to begin. Some people like to create an outline to organize their argument prior to drafting. You may want to start with a very rough outline, and then add details.

Once you have a detailed outline, the next step is to translate it from notes to complete sentences and paragraphs. Remember, this is a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect.

As you write your paper in APA essay format, be sure to keep careful track of the sources that you cite.

How do you start an APA paper? Your paper should begin with an introduction that includes a thesis statement that presents your main ideas, points, or arguments. Your introduction should start on the third page of your paper (after the title page and abstract). The title of your paper should be centered, bolded, and typed in title case at the top of the page.

Review and Revise

After you have prepared a rough draft of your essay, it's time to revise, review, and prepare your final draft. In addition to making sure that your writing is cohesive and supported by your sources, you should also check carefully for typos, grammar errors, and possible formatting mistakes.

When citing information or quotations taken from an interview, APA format requires that you cite the source, how the information was collected, and the date of the interview. They should not be included in the reference section, however, because they are not something that can be located by a reader in any published source or searchable database.

Instead, the information should be cited parenthetically in the main body of the text. For example: “There was an increase in the number of college students who screened positive for depression/anxiety” (R. Heathfield, personal communication, May 9, 2021).

If the essay is in a chapter of a book, edited collection, or anthology, APA format states that you should cite the last name, first name, title of essay, title of collection, publisher, year, and page range. For example: Smith, John, "The Light House," A Book of Poems , editing by Peter Roberts, Allworth Press, 2005, pp. 20-25.

According to APA format, a two-part essay is formatted the same as an essay, however, you'll need to create two title pages.

If you're including a short direct quote in your APA-format essay, you will need to cite the author, year of publication, and page number (p.) or page number span (pp.). Quotations longer than 40 words should omit the quotation marks and be put in the text using block quotation formatting, on its own line and indented 1/2 inch from the left margin.

The cover page or "title page" in APA essay format should always include the title of your paper, your name, and school affiliation as well as the course title, instructor name, and date, if requested by your teacher.

Nagda S.  How to write a scientific abstract.   J Indian Prosthodont Soc.  2013;13(3):382-383. doi:10.1007/s13191-013-0299-x

American Psychological Association.  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; 2019.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

• The Complete Guide to APA Format in 2020
• Headings and Subheadings
• Discussion Section
• Websites and Online Sources
• Journals and Periodicals
• Other Print Sources
• Other Non-Print Sources
• In-text Citations
• Footnotes and Endnotes
• Using MyBib Responsibly
• Miscellaneous Questions

APA Format is the official writing style of the American Psychological Association, and is primarily used in subjects such as psychology, education, and the social sciences.

It specifies how to format academic papers and citations for publication in journals, periodicals, and bulletins.

This guide will show you how to prepare and format a document to be fully compliant with APA Format in 2020.

Before You Start Writing...

There are several steps you must take to prepare a new document for APA style before you start writing your paper:

• Make sure the paper size is 8.5" x 11" (known as 'Letter' in most word processors).
• Set the margin size to 1" on all sides (2.54cm).
• Change the line spacing to double-spaced .
• Add page numbers to the top-right corner of every page.
• Add a running head to the top-left corner of every page.

We have a pre-made APA style template document you can download to be sure you are ready to start writing. You can download it below:

When your document is ready, proceed to writing the title page .

APA Formatting and Style (7th ed.)

• What's New in the 7th ed.?
• Principles of Plagiarism: An Overview
• Basic Paper Formatting
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• Books and Reference Works
• Webpage on a Website
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• ChatGPT and other AI Large Language Models
• Online Images
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• Computer Software and Mobile Apps
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• Two Authors
• Three or More Authors
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• Block Quotations
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APA 7th ed. Fillable Word Template and Sample Paper

• APA 7th ed. Template Download this Word document, fill out the title page and get writing!
• Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Our APA sample paper shows you how to format the main parts of a basic research paper.
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A step-by-step guide for creating and formatting APA Style student papers

The start of the semester is the perfect time to learn how to create and format APA Style student papers. This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections of a student paper: the title page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list. Finally, it concludes by describing how to organize student papers and ways to improve their quality and presentation.

The guidelines for student paper setup are described and shown using annotated diagrams in the Student Paper Setup Guide (PDF, 3.40MB) and the A Step-by-Step Guide to APA Style Student Papers webinar . Chapter 1 of the Concise Guide to APA Style and Chapter 2 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association describe the elements, format, and organization for student papers. Tables and figures are covered in Chapter 7 of both books. Information on paper format and tables and figures and a full sample student paper are also available on the APA Style website.

Basic setup

The guidelines for basic setup apply to the entire paper. Perform these steps when you first open your document, and then you do not have to worry about them again while writing your paper. Because these are general aspects of paper formatting, they apply to all APA Style papers, student or professional. Students should always check with their assigning instructor or institution for specific guidelines for their papers, which may be different than or in addition to APA Style guidelines.

Seventh edition APA Style was designed with modern word-processing programs in mind. Most default settings in programs such as Academic Writer, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs already comply with APA Style. This means that, for most paper elements, you do not have to make any changes to the default settings of your word-processing program. However, you may need to make a few adjustments before you begin writing.

Use 1-in. margins on all sides of the page (top, bottom, left, and right). This is usually how papers are automatically set.

Use a legible font. The default font of your word-processing program is acceptable. Many sans serif and serif fonts can be used in APA Style, including 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia. You can also use other fonts described on the font page of the website.

Line spacing

Double-space the entire paper including the title page, block quotations, and the reference list. This is something you usually must set using the paragraph function of your word-processing program. But once you do, you will not have to change the spacing for the entirety of your paper–just double-space everything. Do not add blank lines before or after headings. Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs. For paper sections with different line spacing, see the line spacing page.

Paragraph alignment and indentation

Align all paragraphs of text in the body of your paper to the left margin. Leave the right margin ragged. Do not use full justification. Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5-in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. For paper sections with different alignment and indentation, see the paragraph alignment and indentation page.

Page numbers

Put a page number in the top right of every page header , including the title page, starting with page number 1. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word-processing program to insert the page number in the top right corner; do not type the page numbers manually. The page number is the same font and font size as the text of your paper. Student papers do not require a running head on any page, unless specifically requested by the instructor.

Title page setup

Title page elements.

APA Style has two title page formats: student and professional (for details, see title page setup ). Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:

• Paper title.
• Name of each author (also known as the byline).
• Affiliation for each author.
• Course number and name.
• Instructor name.
• Assignment due date.
• Page number 1 in the top right corner of the page header.

The format for the byline depends on whether the paper has one author, two authors, or three or more authors.

• When the paper has one author, write the name on its own line (e.g., Jasmine C. Hernandez).
• When the paper has two authors, write the names on the same line and separate them with the word “and” (e.g., Upton J. Wang and Natalia Dominguez).
• When the paper has three or more authors, separate the names with commas and include “and” before the final author’s name (e.g., Malia Mohamed, Jaylen T. Brown, and Nia L. Ball).

Students have an academic affiliation, which identities where they studied when the paper was written. Because students working together on a paper are usually in the same class, they will have one shared affiliation. The affiliation consists of the name of the department and the name of the college or university, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychology, George Mason University). The department is that of the course to which the paper is being submitted, which may be different than the department of the student’s major. Do not include the location unless it is part of the institution’s name.

Write the course number and name and the instructor name as shown on institutional materials (e.g., the syllabus). The course number and name are often separated by a colon (e.g., PST-4510: History and Systems Psychology). Write the assignment due date in the month, date, and year format used in your country (e.g., Sept. 10, 2020).

Title page line spacing

Double-space the whole title page. Place the paper title three or four lines down from the top of the page. Add an extra double-spaced blank like between the paper title and the byline. Then, list the other title page elements on separate lines, without extra lines in between.

Title page alignment

Center all title page elements (except the right-aligned page number in the header).

Title page font

Write the title page using the same font and font size as the rest of your paper. Bold the paper title. Use standard font (i.e., no bold, no italics) for all other title page elements.

Text elements

Repeat the paper title at the top of the first page of text. Begin the paper with an introduction to provide background on the topic, cite related studies, and contextualize the paper. Use descriptive headings to identify other sections as needed (e.g., Method, Results, Discussion for quantitative research papers). Sections and headings vary depending on the paper type and its complexity. Text can include tables and figures, block quotations, headings, and footnotes.

Text line spacing

Double-space all text, including headings and section labels, paragraphs of text, and block quotations.

Text alignment

Center the paper title on the first line of the text. Indent the first line of all paragraphs 0.5-in.

Left-align the text. Leave the right margin ragged.

Block quotation alignment

Indent the whole block quotation 0.5-in. from the left margin. Double-space the block quotation, the same as other body text. Find more information on the quotations page.

Use the same font throughout the entire paper. Write body text in standard (nonbold, nonitalic) font. Bold only headings and section labels. Use italics sparingly, for instance, to highlight a key term on first use (for more information, see the italics page).

Headings format

For detailed guidance on formatting headings, including headings in the introduction of a paper, see the headings page and the headings in sample papers .

• Alignment: Center Level 1 headings. Left-align Level 2 and Level 3 headings. Indent Level 4 and Level 5 headings like a regular paragraph.
• Font: Boldface all headings. Also italicize Level 3 and Level 5 headings. Create heading styles using your word-processing program (built into AcademicWriter, available for Word via the sample papers on the APA Style website).

Tables and figures setup

Tables and figures are only included in student papers if needed for the assignment. Tables and figures share the same elements and layout. See the website for sample tables and sample figures .

Table elements

Tables include the following four elements: 

• Body (rows and columns)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the table)

Figure elements

Figures include the following four elements: 

• Image (chart, graph, etc.)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the figure)

Table line spacing

Double-space the table number and title. Single-, 1.5-, or double-space the table body (adjust as needed for readability). Double-space the table note.

Figure line spacing

Double-space the figure number and title. The default settings for spacing in figure images is usually acceptable (but adjust the spacing as needed for readability). Double-space the figure note.

Table alignment

Left-align the table number and title. Center column headings. Left-align the table itself and left-align the leftmost (stub) column. Center data in the table body if it is short or left-align the data if it is long. Left-align the table note.

Figure alignment

Left-align the figure number and title. Left-align the whole figure image. The default alignment of the program in which you created your figure is usually acceptable for axis titles and data labels. Left-align the figure note.

Bold the table number. Italicize the table title. Use the same font and font size in the table body as the text of your paper. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the table note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Figure font

Bold the figure number. Italicize the figure title. Use a sans serif font (e.g., Calibri, Arial) in the figure image in a size between 8 to 14 points. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the figure note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Placement of tables and figures

There are two options for the placement of tables and figures in an APA Style paper. The first option is to place all tables and figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each table and figure within the text after its first callout. This guide describes options for the placement of tables and figures embedded in the text. If your instructor requires tables and figures to be placed at the end of the paper, see the table and figure guidelines and the sample professional paper .

Call out (mention) the table or figure in the text before embedding it (e.g., write “see Figure 1” or “Table 1 presents”). You can place the table or figure after the callout either at the bottom of the page, at the top of the next page, or by itself on the next page. Avoid placing tables and figures in the middle of the page.

Embedding at the bottom of the page

Include a callout to the table or figure in the text before that table or figure. Add a blank double-spaced line between the text and the table or figure at the bottom of the page.

Embedding at the top of the page

Include a callout to the table in the text on the previous page before that table or figure. The table or figure then appears at the top of the next page. Add a blank double-spaced line between the end of the table or figure and the text that follows.

Embedding on its own page

Embed long tables or large figures on their own page if needed. The text continues on the next page.

Reference list setup

Reference list elements.

The reference list consists of the “References” section label and the alphabetical list of references. View reference examples on the APA Style website. Consult Chapter 10 in both the Concise Guide and Publication Manual for even more examples.

Reference list line spacing

Start the reference list at the top of a new page after the text. Double-space the entire reference list (both within and between entries).

Reference list alignment

Center the “References” label. Apply a hanging indent of 0.5-in. to all reference list entries. Create the hanging indent using your word-processing program; do not manually hit the enter and tab keys.

Reference list font

Bold the “References” label at the top of the first page of references. Use italics within reference list entries on either the title (e.g., webpages, books, reports) or on the source (e.g., journal articles, edited book chapters).

Final checks

Check page order.

• Start each section on a new page.
• Arrange pages in the following order:
• Title page (page 1).
• Text (starts on page 2).
• Reference list (starts on a new page after the text).

Check headings

• Check that headings accurately reflect the content in each section.
• Start each main section with a Level 1 heading.
• Use Level 2 headings for subsections of the introduction.
• Use the same level of heading for sections of equal importance.
• Avoid having only one subsection within a section (have two or more, or none).

Check assignment instructions

• Remember that instructors’ guidelines supersede APA Style.
• Students should check their assignment guidelines or rubric for specific content to include in their papers and to make sure they are meeting assignment requirements.

Tips for better writing

• Ask for feedback on your paper from a classmate, writing center tutor, or instructor.
• Budget time to implement suggestions.
• Use spell-check and grammar-check to identify potential errors, and then manually check those flagged.
• Proofread the paper by reading it slowly and carefully aloud to yourself.
• Consult your university writing center if you need extra help.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / APA Sample Papers

APA Sample Papers

Ever wonder how to format your research paper in APA style? If so, you’re in luck! The team at EasyBib.com has put together an example paper to help guide you through your next assignment. (Actually, looking for MLA? Here’s a page on what is MLA format .)

The featured example is a research paper on the uses of biometrics to inform design decisions in the tech industry, authored by our UX Research Intern Peace Iyiewuare. Like most APA style papers, it includes an APA title page , tables, and several references and APA in-text citations to scholarly journals relevant to its topic. References are an important aspect of scientific research papers, and formatting them correctly is critical to getting a good grade.

This paper follows the formatting rules specified in the 6th edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (the APA is not directly associated with this guide) . We’ve left comments and tips throughout the document, so you’ll know the specific rules around how to format titles, spacing, and font, as well as the citations on the APA reference page .

The reference list needs special care, as it demonstrates to the reader that you have accurately portrayed your outside sources and have given credit to the appropriate parties. Be sure to check our full APA citation guide for more information on paper formatting and citing sources in APA style. There is also a guide on  APA footnotes in case that is your preferred form of citation.

Download the APA Visual Guide

When citations are done, don’t forget to finish your paper off with a proofread—EasyBib Plus’s plagiarism and grammar check can help! Got a misspelled adverb ? Missed capitalizing a proper noun ? Struggling with subject-verb agreement ? These are just a few things our checker could help you spot in your paper.

D. Complete Sample APA Paper

We’ve included a full student paper below to give you an idea of what an essay in APA format looks like, complete with a title page, paper, reference list, and index. If you plan to include an APA abstract in your paper, see the Professional Paper for an example.

If you’re looking for an APA format citation generator, we’ve got you covered. Use EasyBib.com! Our APA format machine can help you create every reference for your paper.

Below is an example of a student APA format essay. We also have PDF versions of both a student paper and a professional paper linked below.

See Student Paper                                 See Professional Paper

Using Biometrics to Evaluate Visual Design

Jane Lisa Dekker

Art Department, Northern California Valley State University

UXAD 272: Strategic Web Design

Professor Juan Liu, PhD

January 29, 2020

      A vast amount of research has been conducted regarding the importance of visual design, and its role as a mediator of user’s experience when browsing a site or interacting with an interface. In the literature, visual design is one aspect of website quality. Jones and Kim (2010) define website quality as “the perceived quality of a retail website that involves a [user’s] perceptions of the retailer’s website and comprises consumer reactions towards such attributes as information, entertainment/enjoyment, usability, transaction capabilities, and design aesthetics” (p. 632).  They further examined the impact web quality and retail brand trust has on purchase intentions. Additional research examining e-commerce sites has shown web quality has an impact on both initial and continued purchase intention (Kuan, Bock, & Vathanophas, 2008), as well as consumer satisfaction (Lin, 2007). Moreso, research on the relationship between visual design and perceived usability (Stojmenovic, Pilgrim, & Lindgaard, 2014) has revealed a positive correlation between the two. As users’ ratings of visual quality increase, their ratings of perceived usability follows a similar trend. Although this research spans various domains, the reliance on self-report measures to gauge concepts like visual design and web quality is prevalent throughout much of the literature.

Although some self-report scales are validated within the literature, there are still issues with the use of self-report questionnaires. One is the reliance on the honesty of the participant. This tends to be more of an issue in studies related to questionnaires that measure characteristics of the participant, rather than objective stimuli. More relevant to this study is the issue of introspection and memory. Surveys are often distributed after a task is completed, and its accuracy is dependent on the ability of the participant to remember their experience during the study. Multiple research studies have shown that human memory is far from static. This can

be dangerous if a researcher chooses to solely rely on self-report methods to test a hypothesis. We believe these self-report methods in tandem with biometric methods can help ensure the validity of the questionnaires, and provide information beyond the scope of self-report scales.

Research Questions

      We know from previous research that the quality of websites mediates many aspects of e-commerce, and provides insight as to how consumers view the webpages in general.  However, simply knowing a webpage is perceived as lower quality doesn’t give insight as to what aspects of a page are disliked by a user. Additionally, it’s possible that the user is misremembering aspects of the webpage or being dishonest in their assessment. Using eye tracking metrics, galvanic skin response, and facial expression measures in tandem with a scale aimed at measuring visual design quality has a couple of identifiable benefits. Using both can potentially identify patterns amongst the biometric measures and the questionnaire, which would strengthen the validity of the results. More so, the eye tracking data has the potential to identify patterns amongst websites of lower or higher quality.

If found, these patterns can be used to evaluate particular aspects of a page that are impacting the quality of a webpage. Overall, we are interested in answering two questions:

Research Question 1 : Can attitudinal changes regarding substantial website redesigns be captured using biometric measures?

Research Question 2 : How do biometric measures correlate with self-reported measures of visual appeal?

      Answering these questions has the potential to provide a method of justification for design changes, ranging from minor tweak to complete rebrands. There is not an easy way for companies to quantitatively analyze visual design decisions. A method for doing so would help companies evaluate visual designs before implementation in order to cost-justify them. To this end, we hope to demonstrate that biometric measurements can be used with questionnaires to verify and validate potential design changes a company or organization might want to implement.

      By examining data from test subjects during a brief exposure to several websites, we hoped to explore the relationship between the self-reported evaluation of visual design quality and key biometric measurements of a subject’s emotional valence and arousal. Subjects were exposed to ten pairs of websites before and after a substantial visual design change and asked to evaluate the website based on their initial impressions of the site’s visual design quality using the VisAWI-S scale, as shown in Table 1.  

During this assessment we collected GSR, facial expressions (limited by errors in initial study configuration), pupillary response, and fixation data using iMotions software coupled with a Tobii eye tracker, Shimmer GSR device, and Affdex facial expression analysis toolkit. This data was analyzed, in Table 2, to discover relationships between the independent and dependent variables, as well as relationships between certain dependent variables.  

Jones, C., & Kim, S. (2010). Influences of retail brand trust, off-line patronage, clothing involvement and website quality on online apparel shopping intention: Online apparel shopping intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies , 34 (6), 627–637. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2010.00871.x

Kuan, H.-H., Bock, G.-W., & Vathanophas, V. (2008). Comparing the effects of website quality on customer initial purchase and continued purchase at e-commerce websites. Behaviour & Information Technology , 27 (1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/01449290600801959

Lin, H.-F. (2007). The impact of website quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence , 18 (4), 363–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783360701231302

Stojmenovic, M., Pilgrim, C., & Lindgaard, G. (2014). Perceived and objective usability and visual appeal in a website domain with a less developed mental model. Proceedings of the 26 th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference on Designing Futures: The Future of Design , 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1145/2686612.2686660

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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APA In-Text Citations and Sample Essay 7th Edition

This handout focuses on how to format in-text citations in APA.

Proper citation of sources is a two-part process . You must first cite each source in the body of your essay; these citations within the essay are called in-text citations . You MUST cite all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized words, ideas, and facts from sources. Without in-text citations, you are technically in danger of plagiarism, even if you have listed your sources at the end of the essay.

In-text citations point the reader to the sources’ information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided.

More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Citation Rules

Direct quotation with the author named in the text.

Heinze and Lu (2017) stated, “The NFL shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly as the field itself evolved” (p. 509).

Note: The year of publication is listed in parenthesis after the names of the authors, and the page number is listed in parenthesis at the end of the quote.

Direct Quotation without the Author Named in the Text

As the NFL developed as an organization, it “shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly” (Heinze & Lu, 2017, p. 509).

Note: At the end of the quote, the names of the authors, year of publication, and page number are listed in parenthesis.

Paraphrase with 1-2 Authors

As the NFL developed as an organization, its reactions toward concussions also transformed (Heinze & Lu, 2017).

Note: For paraphrases, page numbers are encouraged but not required.

Paraphrase with 3 or More Authors

To work toward solving the issue of violence in prisons begins with determining aspects that might connect with prisoners' violent conduct (Thomson et al., 2019).

Direct Quotation without an Author

The findings were astonishing "in a recent study of parent and adult child relationships" ("Parents and Their Children," 2007, p. 2).

Note: Since the author of the text is not stated, a shortened version of the title is used instead.

Secondary Sources

When using secondary sources, use the phrase "as cited in" and cite the secondary source on the References page.

In 1936, Keynes said, “governments should run deficits when the economy is slow to avoid unemployment” (as cited in Richardson, 2008, p. 257).

Long (Block) Quotations

When using direct quotations of 40 or more words, indent five spaces from the left margin without using quotation marks. The final period should come before the parenthetical citation.

At Meramec, an English department policy states:

To honor and protect their own work and that of others, all students must give credit to proprietary sources that are used for course work. It is assumed that any information that is not documented is either common knowledge in that field or the original work of that student. (St. Louis Community College, 2001, p. 1)

Website Citations

If citing a specific web document without a page number, include the name of the author, date, title of the section, and paragraph number in parentheses:

In America, “Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are the result of a motor vehicle crash” (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2004, Overview section, para. 1).

Here is a print-friendly version of this content.

Learn more about the APA References page by reviewing this handout .

For information on STLCC's academic integrity policy, check out this webpage .

For additional information on APA, check out STLCC's LibGuide on APA .

Sample Essay

A sample APA essay is available at this link .

Home > Blog > APA Essay Format: En oversigt

APA Essay Format: En oversigt

• Smodin redaktion
• Opdateret: August 21, 2024
• Trin-for-trin instruktioner til at skrive

Har du brug for at skrive et APA-essay, men har du ingen idé om formateringsreglerne? Du er ikke alene, da mange elever har de samme spørgsmål, når de starter. Vi deler alle detaljerne i APA-essayformatet for at hjælpe dig med at forstå reglerne, så du kan skrive et essay, der har den korrekte linjeafstand, APA-citater og abstrakt side.

Desuden vil vi også dele de bedste eksempler på, hvad du skal undgå, når du skriver i APA-format. Det sikrer, at du ikke laver de store fejl, der kan påvirke din slutkarakter.

Fortsæt med at læse for at lære mere om de regler, du skal følge, når du bruger APA-essayformatet.

Hvad er et essay i APA-format?

APA-formatet er en stilguide, der almindeligvis bruges i samfundsvidenskab til at skrive akademiske artikler. De American Psychological Association , en amerikansk-baseret videnskabelig og professionel organisation, der repræsenterer psykologer, udviklede denne stil.

Her er en oversigt over de vigtigste punkter, du skal vide, når du lærer, hvad et APA-essayformat er:

• Titelside: Indeholder titlen på papiret, forfatterens navn og institutionel tilknytning. For studerende papirer inkluderer det også et kursusnummer og underviserens navn.
• Resumé: Et resumé af forskningen. Det er normalt omkring 150-250 ord og skitserer hovedpunkterne og konklusionerne.
• Hoveddel: Består af en introduktion, metode, resultater og diskussionsafsnit. Hvert afsnit er tydeligt mærket og organiseret for at præsentere forskningsresultater på en måde, der har et klart flow.
• Overskrifter og underoverskrifter: Brug specifikke niveauer af overskrifter til at organisere indhold hierarkisk og gøre det lettere at navigere.
• Citater i teksten: Citér kilder i teksten ved at bruge forfatter-dato-metoden, for eksempel "Smith, 2020", som linker til en detaljeret referenceliste til sidst.
• Referencer: Angiv alle kilder, der er citeret i papiret, formater med hængende indrykninger, og organiser alfabetisk efter forfatterens efternavn.
• Formatering: Standard 12-punkts Times New Roman-skrifttype, linjer med dobbelt afstand og en tomme marginer på alle sider.

Sådan skriver du et essay i APA-format

Lad os nu fokusere på at lære, hvordan man skriver et essay i APA-format. Denne proces vil tage dig fra start til slut og sikre, at du har den korrekte formatering til APA-stilen. Begyndere kan bruge disse APA-retningslinjer for at opnå gode resultater i en akademisk sammenhæng.

1. Titelside

Du skal bruge starte essayet med APA-formatets forside (eller titelside), som sætter scenen for dit essay. Centrer titlen på dit papir ved at bruge fed 12-punkts Times New Roman-skrifttype. Under den skal du centrere dit navn og institutionelle tilhørsforhold. Her kan du inkludere kursusoplysninger, underviserens navn og forfaldsdatoen, hvis det kræves.

Sørg desuden for, at titlen er kortfattet og beskrivende for de bedste resultater. Du kan se på professionelle papirer for at få en idé om, hvordan du gør dette. Placer derefter et løbende hoved i headeren. Dette vil inkludere en forkortet version af titlen (50 tegn eller mindre) og sidetallet højrejusteret.

2. Abstrakt

På en ny side skal du inkludere abstraktet, som giver et resumé af dit essay. Sørg for at centrere ordet "Abstrakt" med fed skrift øverst på siden for at justere med APA-formatet. Selve abstraktet skal være et enkelt afsnit, mellem 150-250 ord. Desuden skal den opsummere hovedpunkterne i forskningsproblemet, metoder, resultater og konklusion.

Undgå citater og detaljerede forklaringer, og fokuser i stedet på at formidle essensen af ​​dit papir. Abstraktet hjælper læserne med hurtigt at forstå omfanget af din forskning uden at skulle dykke dybere ned i APA-papiret.

3. Hoveddel

Start hoveddelen af ​​dit essay på en ny side. Sørg for at centrere hele titlen på dit papir med fed skrift øverst på siden. Kroppen indeholder flere afsnit, som typisk er introduktion, metode, resultater og diskussion.

I indledningen skitserer du forskningsartikel spørgsmål og kontekst. Beskriv derefter din forskningsproces i metodeafsnittet. Du skal præsentere dine resultater i resultatafsnittet og analysere dem i diskussionen.

Sørg for at bruge APA's overskriftsstile til at organisere dit indhold for at sikre klarhed og flow. Glem endelig ikke at gøre teksten dobbelt-afstand og margener sat til en tomme på alle sider. APA-formatoverskrifter er vigtige, og noget eleverne ofte overser.

4. Referencer

Efter hovedteksten skal du starte en ny side for referencer. Begynd APA-formateringen af ​​dette afsnit ved at centrere og markere ordet "Referencer" med fed skrift øverst på siden. Sørg for at liste alle kilder citeret i dit essay i alfabetisk rækkefølge efter forfatterens efternavn. Du kan bruge et hængende indrykning for at få APA-stilen korrekt. Det betyder, at du skyller den første linje til venstre og indrykker efterfølgende linjer 0.5 tommer.

Derudover skal hver referencepost indeholde forfatterens navn, udgivelsesår, titel og kildedetaljer. For at få dette rigtigt skal du følge APA-citatformatreglerne nøje for at give fuldstændige og nøjagtige kildeoplysninger. Dette sikrer, at du giver ordentlig kredit og giver læserne mulighed for at finde dine kilder.

5. Citater i tekst

Gennem hele dit essay skal du bruge citater i teksten til at kreditere kilder. APA-formatet bruger forfatter-datosystemet. Medtag derfor forfatterens efternavn og udgivelsesåret i parentes efter de citerede oplysninger.

For direkte citater skal du tilføje sidetal som i følgende eksempel: Smith, 2020, s. 15. Hvis forfatterens navn er en del af sætningen, så angiv kun året i parentes. Sørg for, at hvert citat i teksten matcher en tilsvarende reference på siden Referencer. Det er vigtigt at bevare den akademiske integritet ved at give læserne mulighed for at verificere dine kilder til både professionelle og studerendes artikler.

Hvis dit essay indeholder supplerende materiale, så tilføj et appendiks på nye sider efter referencerne. Sørg for at navngive hvert appendiks med ordet "Appendiks" efterfulgt af et bogstav (f.eks. Bilag A), hvis der er flere bilag. Desuden skal du centrere og fed titlen på hvert appendiks.

Medtag detaljerede tabeller, figurer eller ekstra data i et appendiks for at understøtte dine resultater uden at overbelaste hovedteksten. Dette vil give dit essay eller professionelle papir en bedre skriveflow .

Til sidst henvises til hvert bilag i teksten. Du kan bruge søgefunktionen i tekstbehandlingssoftware til at finde specifikke tekstreferencer.

Sådan citeres et essay i APA-format

I dette afsnit diskuterer vi den proces, du skal følge, når du lærer at citere et essay i APA-format. American Psychological Association tilføjede disse regler for at få APA-skriveformatet til at give bedre struktur. Det hjælper også læserne med hurtigt at identificere datakilder, når de bevæger sig mellem fagtidsskrifter.

Grundlæggende

I et papir i APA-stil skal du bruge korte sætninger i teksten til at citere kilder og vejlede læserne til dem. Du vil typisk inkludere i tekst citater for papir i APA-stil med hvert citat for at sikre, at der ikke er plagiat.

Endvidere angiver de generelle formateringsregler, at du skal bruge forfatterens efternavn og årstal for udgivelsen. Dette kaldes også forfatter-dato-systemet. Ydermere, hvis du ønsker at citere en bestemt del, så kan du bruge et tidsstempel eller sidetal.

Parentetisk versus fortællende henvisning

Der er to hovedformer, som dit citat i teksten kan antage: parentes eller fortællende. Her er et eksempel på forskellene mellem dem:

• Henvisning i parentes: Ifølge de seneste branchetrends... (Jones, 2024).
• Narrativt citat: Jones (2024) siger, at de seneste branchetrends...

Flere forfattere og virksomhedsforfattere

Du skal muligvis citere flere eller virksomhedsforfattere, afhængigt af arten af ​​de studerendes papirer, du arbejder på. Her er formatet for parentetiske citater:

• Én forfatter: (Jones, 2024)
• To forfattere: (Jones & Adams, 2024)
• 3+ forfattere: (Jones et al., 2024)
• Organisation: (Mærkenavn, 2024)

Lad os nu se på den fortællende citatversion:

• Én forfatter: Jones (2024)
• To forfattere: Jones & Adams (2024)
• 3+ forfattere: Smith et al. (2024)
• Organisation: Brand Name (2024)

Eksempler på essay i APA-format: Hvad skal undgås

Nu vil vi udforske nogle af APA-formatets essayeksempler på fejl, du ikke bør begå. Dette sikrer, at du kommer i gang med dit projekt og får topkarakterer.

Her er de bedste skrivefejl, du skal undgå, når du bruger APA-formatet:

• Ukorrekte citater: Undladelse af at citere kilder korrekt kan føre til beskyldninger om plagiat. Sørg derfor for, at hver kilde er korrekt refereret i både citater i teksten og referencelisten. Undgå derfor at bruge forkerte formater eller ufuldstændige detaljer. Hvis du f.eks. ikke medtager sidetal for direkte citater eller udelader udgivelsesår, kan det kompromittere dit arbejdes integritet.
• Inkonsekvent formatering: Inkonsistens i formateringen underminerer dit essays professionalisme. Sørg derfor for at have ensartede margener, skrifttype og størrelse (som store bogstaver og store og små bogstaver) hele vejen igennem. Derudover skal overskrifterne følge APA-stil præcist, og der skal være konsistens i linjeafstand og indrykning. Afvigelser fra disse retningslinjer kan distrahere læserne og forringe essayets troværdighed.
• Forsømmelse af titelbladskrav: Titelbladet er afgørende i APA-format. Undgå derfor at udelade nødvendige elementer som titel, forfatternavn og institutionel tilknytning. Løbende hoved og sidenummer skal også være til stede. Manglende disse elementer kan forårsage forvirring og give et indtryk af uagtsomhed i din formatering.
• Overforbrug af direkte citater: At stole for meget på direkte citater angivet med anførselstegn kan forringe din oprindelige analyse og indsigt. I stedet, omskrive og opsummer hvor det er muligt, og brug direkte citater sparsomt til at understøtte dine pointer. Overforbrug kan få dit essay til at fremstå mindre originalt og mere afhængigt af andres arbejde.
• Forkert referencelisteformatering: Formater hver post i referencelisten i henhold til APA-retningslinjerne for at undgå forkert formatering. Du skal undgå almindelige fejl som forkert indrykning, forkert brug af kursiv eller manglende elementer. For eksempel, kursiv bogtitler og efterlad artikeltitler i almindelig tekst.

Ofte stillede spørgsmål

Hvordan formaterer jeg titelsiden i apa.

APA-titelsiden indeholder papirets titel, forfatterens navn og institutionelle tilhørsforhold. Sæt også APA-papirets titelblad i midten og dobbeltmellemrum. For studerendes papirer inkluderer det også kursusnummer, underviserens navn og forfaldsdato.

Derudover vises et løbende hoved med en forkortet titel og sidetal i overskriften. Sørg for, at titlen er kortfattet og beskrivende med de store ord med stort. Dette vil føre til den bedste sidehoved til dit projekt.

Hvad er den rigtige måde at formatere referencelisten i APA-stil?

Referencelisten skal formateres med et hængende indrykning. Dette betyder, at den første linje i hver reference flugter til venstre, med efterfølgende linjer indrykket 0.5 tommer. Arranger desuden referencer alfabetisk efter forfatterens efternavn.

Derudover skal du bruge kursiv til titler på bøger og tidsskrifter og korrekte sætninger til titler på artikler og kapitler. Sørg for konsistens hele vejen igennem for at sikre, at du har sammenlignelig kvalitet med professionelle papirer.

Hvordan skal jeg strukturere hoveddelen af ​​et APA-essay?

Hoveddelen begynder på en ny side med titlen på papiret centreret og fed. Det bør indeholde en introduktion, metode, resultater og diskussionsafsnit. APA-formatet skal også indeholde overskriftsstile.

Teksten skal have dobbelt afstand med en tomme marginer og bruge 12-punkts Times New Roman-skrifttype. Desuden skal du organisere indhold logisk og overskueligt ved at bruge overskrifter til forskellige sektioner. Sørg for, at dit APA-papir ikke har brødteksten på titelbladet.

Kan jeg bruge tabeller og figurer i APA-format?

Ja, APA-formatet tillader brug af tabeller og figurer til at præsentere data klart. Hver tabel eller figur skal være mærket og ledsaget af en titel. Placer endvidere tabeller og figurer efter referencesiden.

Se desuden hver tabel eller figur i teksten og sørg for, at de er formateret i overensstemmelse med APA-retningslinjerne. Dette inkluderer korrekt afstand og justering for de bedste resultater med indholdet.

Hvad skal jeg gøre, hvis der ikke er en forfatter anført for en kilde?

Hvis der ikke er nogen forfatter på listen, skal du bruge titlen på værket i stedet for forfatterens navn. For citater i teksten, brug de første par ord i referencelisten og udgivelsesåret.

Begynd at skrive dine essays i APA-format med Smodin AI

Brug reglerne for APA-essayformat, du har lært i denne artikel, for at få en højere karakter på din næste opgave. Sørg for, at du ikke glemmer, hvordan du bruger citater for at undgå plagiat. Glem desuden ikke de største fejl, du skal undgå for at sikre, at du ikke saboterer dit hårde arbejde.

Har du brug for hjælp til at skrive dit APA-essayformatprojekt? Brug derefter Smodin AI til at vippe oddsene for succes til din fordel. Vores software viser dig, hvordan du bruger den korrekte formatering til dine opgaver. Vores værktøjssæt vil fremskynde processen med at lære, hvordan man laver det perfekte papir i APA-stil.

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Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 6th edition
• APA format for academic papers (6th edition)

APA Format (6th ed.) for Academic Papers and Essays [Template]

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on September 4, 2023.

In addition to guidelines for APA citations , there are format guidelines for academic papers and essays. They’re widely used by professionals, researchers and students.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

The most important APA format guidelines in the 6th edition are:

• Use 12 pt Times New Roman
• Set 1 inch page margins
• Apply double line spacing
• Insert a running head on every page
• Indent every new paragraph ½ inch

Table of contents

Apa format template, running head, reference page, in-text citations and references, setting up the apa format.

Instead of applying the APA guidelines to your document you can simply download the APA format template for Word.

Download APA Format Template (.docx)

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In the header of each page you include the paper title and page number. If your paper title is longer than 50 characters you should use a shortened version as running head. The page number should be positioned in the top right-hand corner. On the title page the APA running head is preceded by the words “Running head:”.

Throughout your paper you use different heading levels. The levels ranging from one to five help structure the document. Major headings, or heading 1, are used for the titles of chapters such as “Methods” or “Results”. Heading levels two to five are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently. These are the APA heading guidelines :

Title case capitalization : Capitalize the first, last, and principal words. Sentence case capitalization : Capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.

Note that you are not required to include a table of contents in APA style , but if you do choose to include one, all headings should be formatted as plain text, with an additional indent for each level.

The APA title page , also called cover page, is the first page of your paper. The regular formatting guidelines regarding font and margins apply. In addition, an APA formatted title page contains:

• Running head including page number
• Full paper title (in title case)
• Author name(s), without titles and degrees
• Institutional affiliation

Note: APA style has specific guidelines for including more than one author or institutional affiliation on the title page .

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

An APA abstract is a one paragraph (± 250 words) summary of your paper. It introduces the objective or problem statement of the paper and includes information on the method, research results, and conclusions of your research. In a separate article we explain in-depth how to write an abstract .

Although most regular APA formatting guidelines apply, the abstract page also has specific requirements. The abstract starts with a centered heading “Abstract”. In contrast to regular APA headings, no styling is applied. The first line of the paragraph is, unlike regular paragraphs, not indented.

At the end of the abstract, keywords relevant to the research are included. These keywords improve the findability of your paper in databases. Indent the line with keywords and start with the italicized word “Keyword:”, followed by the keywords.

The APA reference page , also called reference list, is where all sources that are cited in the text are listed. The citations differs for each source type. Aside from the references itself the reference page as a whole also has specific APA formatting guidelines.

The APA reference page example below highlights those guidelines regarding page margins, hanging indent and the reference page title “References”. Furthermore, the reference list is sorted alphabetically . You can easily create APA references with Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator .

APA reference page example

APA format citations consist of parenthetical citation in the text ( APA 6 in-text citations ) and the full reference in the reference list. For each webpage, journal article, book or any other source specific citation guidelines apply.

To make things easier Scribbr created the free APA Citation Generator that cites every source perfectly. Just enter the URL, journal DOI or book ISBN and both the in-text citation and full reference are generated.

In addition, Scribbr has in-depth APA citation examples for every source type ranging from journal articles and books to YouTube videos and tweets .

This video will demonstrate how to set up the APA format in Google Docs.

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Streefkerk, R. (2023, September 04). APA Format (6th ed.) for Academic Papers and Essays [Template]. Scribbr. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-format/

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