APA Format: 12 Basic Rules
Are you writing a paper for a psychology class? Then you will need to use APA format to
organize your paper and list the references you used. If you’ve never used this format
before, you may find that it is quite a bit different from some of the writing styles and
guidelines you have used in the past.
While it might take a while to get used to, learning how to write an APA paper is a useful
skill that will serve you well whether you are a psychology major or just taking your first
social science class.
What Is APA Format?
APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association(APA) and is
commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and the social sciences. The
APA style originated in a 1929 article published in Psychological Bulletin that laid out
the basic guidelines. These guidelines were eventually expanded into the APA
Publication Manual.
So why is APA format so important in psychology and other social sciences? By using
APA style, researchers and students writing about psychology are able to communicate
information about their ideas and experiments in a consistent format. Sticking to a
consistent style allows readers to know what to look for as they read journal articles and
other forms of psychological writing.
If you have never taken a psychology or social science class before, then you are
probably accustomed to using a different style guide such as MLA or Chicago style. New
college students are often surprised to find that after spending years having another
formatting style drilled into their heads, many university-level classes instead require
APA style. It can be a difficult transition, especially if you have to bounce back and forth
between different styles for different classes. Getting a solid grasp of the basics and
bookmarking a few key resources can make learning this new format a bit easier.
The 4 Major Sections of Your Paper
In most cases, your paper should include four main sections: the title page, abstract, main
section, and references list.
1. Title Page
Your title page should contain a running head, title, author name, and school affiliation.
The purpose of your title page is to let the reader quickly know what your paper is about
and who it was written by. Learn more about writing an APA format title page.
2. Abstract
An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows your title page.
According to APA format, your abstract should be no more than 150 to 250
words although this can vary depending upon the specific publication or instructor
requirements. Learn more about writing an APA format abstract.
3. The Main Body
For something like an essay, the main body of your paper will include the actual essay
itself. If you are writing a lab report, then your main body will be broken down into
further sections. The four main components of a lab report include
an introduction, method, results, and discussion sections.
4. References
The reference section of your paper will include a list of all of the sources that you used
in your paper. If you cited any piece of information anywhere in you paper, it needs to be
properly referenced in this section. One handy rule of thumb to remember is that any
source cited in your paper needs to be included in your reference section, and any source
listed in your reference section must also be mentioned somewhere in your paper.
How to Handle In-Text Citations in APA Format
As you are writing your paper, it is important to include citations in your text identifying
where you found the information you use. Such notations are called in-text citations, and
APA format dictates that when citing in APA format in the text of your paper, use the
author's name followed by the date of publication.
For example, if you were to cite Sigmund Freud's book The Interpretation of Dreams,
you would use the following format: (Freud, 1900). The extended information on the
source should then appear in your reference section.
Important Tips for APA Style Reference Pages
Your references should begin on a new page. Title the new page
"References" and center the title text at the top of the page.
All entries should be in alphabetical order.
The first line of a reference should be flush with the left margin.
Each additional line should be indented (usually accomplished
by using the TAB key.)
While earlier versions of APA format required only one space
after each sentence, the new sixth edition of the style manual
now recommends two spaces.
The reference section should be double-spaced.
All sources cited should appear both in-text and on the
reference page. Any reference that appears in the text of your
report or article must be cited on the reference page, and any
item appearing on your reference page must be also included
somewhere in the body of your text.
Titles of books, journals, magazines, and newspapers should
appear in italics.
The exact format of each individual reference may vary
somewhat depending on whether you are referencing an author
or authors, a bookor journal article, or an electronic source. It
pays to spend some time looking at the specific requirements
for each type of reference before formatting your source list.
