How to Write Using APA Style
The style guide of the American Psychological Association (APA) is the second-most common style required in college classes after MLA. Like MLA, APA has guidelines for formatting and citation. The major difference between MLA and APA is that APA emphasizes when sources were published. Because of this, it is used in social and natural science classes, where the date when sources were published is often important.
Instructions
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Set margins to 1 inch on all sides and use double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font. Also, create a header containing the first two or three words of your title and the page number. This header should appear on the top right-hand corner of every page, including the title page.
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Create a title page containing a running head, the paper's title, your name and your affiliation. On the first line of the title page, type "Running Head:" followed by an abbreviated version of your title (up to 50 characters). The running head should be left-justified. Go down about 5 lines and type your full title, which should be centered. On the next line, also centered, type your name and on the line below that type your affiliation (usually your university name).
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On the next page, write your abstract. Write the word "Abstract" centered at the top of the page and below that write a concise paragraph (no more than 120 words) summarizing your paper. Do not indent the paragraph.
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Use parenthetical citations to cite your sources in the body of your paper. APA uses parenthetical citations similar to MLA's, but with one crucial difference: APA citations also include the year of publication. Therefore, an APA parenthetical citation looks like this: (Smith, 2005, p. 199). Notice that, unlike MLA, APA citations also use commas and a "p." before the page number.If you include the author's name in your sentence, the year of publication should immediately follow it. For example: Smith (2005) found a correlation between migration and fertility (p. 199).
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List your references at the end of your paper. Unlike in MLA, you do not create a separate Works Cited page. Instead, after the end of your paper, go down a line and write References (which should be centered). Then list your references in alphabetical order according to the APA style. See Additional Resources for examples of what APA reference entries should look like.
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Tips & Warnings
Be aware of any modifications your instructors may make to APA style. For example, they may not require an abstract or they may require you to include the class name and date on your title page. Make sure you know what your instructor is looking for, since ultimately she is the one grading your paper.
