Structuring APA Format: Title Page, Reference Guidelines, etc

Why do authors use the APA format for their essays or papers? Well, it is for designing a header, creating tables, structuring your document, and making a title page. A document that follows every little instruction in APA style format is easy to understand for the reader. This guide reflects the APA publication manual apply to both student assignments and manuscripts being submitted for publication to a journal.

What is APA Format

What is APA format well known for? It is an international formatting style used to structure the paper and credit the real sources. It helps the writers communicate their ideas clearly, concisely, and inclusively. The APA format style is applicable to research papers and essays related to Psychology, Sociology, education, and other social sciences.

Differences in APA 6th and 7th Edition

Learning APA format, but which edition? Although the APA 7th edition was released in 2019, some institutes and instructors still follow the APA 6th edition. It’s better to check the guidelines before formatting your document in APA.

Features	APA Format 7th Edition	APA Format 6th Edition
Author Names	Use “et al.” for 3+ authors in citations	If there are six or more authors in a source, use “et al.”
Publisher Info	No location needed	Add publisher location in the references
Font options	Multiple fonts are allowed (e.g., Arial 11, Calibri 11, etc.)	The accepted font type is Times New Roman, with 12.
Spacing after period	Only one space.	Two spaces allowed
In-text citation	Include (Author, Year, Page No.) for all citation	(Author, Year) for paraphrasing
Student paper	Same format as professional paper	The format differs from professional (No running head for student paper)

Want to know why we created this table? Because it shows the major gap between the APA 6th and 7th formatting styles. If you wish to make your paper according to the 6th edition, please follow the table and make changes accordingly.

APA Format Guidelines

Whether writing a student assignment or a scholarly journal, APA formatting guidelines applied to both. The difference is that a journal is longer than a student paper. Here are the basic guidelines for APA format that you need to follow for each one.

• Type on a standard 8.5’×11’ inch paper.
• Margin the whole paper by 1 inch from all sides.
• Add a title page.
• Write in a clear font such as Calibir, Arial, or Times New Roman.
• The font size should be 11 or 12.
• The overall text should be double-spaced.
• The text should be aligned to the left side.
• Every new paragraph should be indented right by 0.5 inches.
• Add reference page at last.

APA Format Header

The header in APA format includes a running head and the page number, which appears at the top of the title page. The running head text all comes with capital words, left aligned, and a maximum of 50 characters.

On the other hand, a page number is placed on the right side, in front of the running head. Consider the following APA format header example: “THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON TEENAGER” and page number “1.”

APA Format Title Page

At the upper half of the title page APA format, there comes the main title of the research. Make it centre-aligned and bold, and capitalize every major character. Leave two extra spaces, then write the names in sequence, such as author, course, and instructor. Following this there comes the due date. Apart from the research title, every detail should be double-spaced and centre-aligned, but not bold.

However, students and professionals are two different bodies, and both have separate title page requirements. Watch out for our guide to learn the APA format title page example for both types.

APA Format Abstract

An abstract in APA format is a page after the title, where you summarize the main point of a research topic. According to APA abstract format, it should not exceed one page or 250 words. Picture the Appendix formatting as.

• The running head and page number are at the top.
• Now, mention the label “appendix” with the centre aligned and bold.
• Then, present the text with double spacing and left-aligned.
• Indent 0.5 inches at the start of a new paragraph to mention the keywords.

Abstract APA Format Example

Learn how to write and format an abstract in APA style 7th edition with the example given below.

APA Table of Contents

The table of contents in APA format comes after the abstract and before the introduction. The font size and style will remain the same as the remaining paper (usually Times New Roman with 12-point font size).

Use the word “Contents” in bold at the top middle. There are generally 2 ways to add a table of contents, either through using Google Docx or Microsoft Word. Choose one that is more appropriate for you or one that an instructor requires.

If you have a long paper consisting of many heading levels, add only the first two to three levels to the table of contents. Adding all levels could make your table of contents more lengthy, and APA style doesn’t want it to be more than 2 pages.

Table of Contents APA Format Example

Follow this APA table of contents example for your paper.

Reference Page APA Format

An APA style reference page is a separate section at the end of the paper where you enlist all sources cited. It includes details about sources such as author name, title, and publication year. The APA reference format follows a set of instructions such as double spacing, indentation, title bold, etc. Here are in-depth formatting tips for reference pages in APA style.

• Label the reference page title as “references” at the top middle in bold.
• The overall reference text will be left aligned.
• All the references would be double-spaced and alphabetized.
• Leave the first line of each reference unindented and indent right the remaining lines with 0.5-inch
• The reference itself would appear as the author’s last name, followed by their initials, the publication year in parentheses, the title of the work in italics, the publisher’s name

APA Reference Format Example

Need an example to learn about reference page in Apa format? Here you go

APA Format Heading

Looking for possible heading levels in APA? A maximum of 5 levels of heading APA format are followed in a paper. 

• Starting with the first level heading, which will be in title case, bold, and center-aligned.
• The second and third-level headings would be flush left, bold, and in title case.
• The level 3 heading will additionally italicized, indicating their lower hierarchy in the document structure.
• Remember that the paragraph text for the first three levels of headings will start with a new paragraph.
• Leftover, fourth, and fifth-level headings would be indented, bold, and, in title case, ending with a period.
• Similar to level 3, heading 5 will also be italicized, indicating it’s a lower hierarchy than level 4.
• Also, the paragraph text for the last 2 levels will continue at the same line after the headings.

APA Format Heading Example

Listed below is the APA format heading and subheading examples structure.

APA Format Table

What does an APA table contain?It consists of a table number, a title, column headers, data cells, and any necessary notes. While the size of a table in APA format can vary, the general formatting guidelines remain the same.

• Add the table number, such as “Table 1,” at the top left in bold.
• A brief table title under the table number in italics and title case.
• The table doesn’t include a vertical line.
• Add horizontal lines where needed for clarity and to avoid complexity.
• Label every row and column for clarity.
• Write an additional note at the end of the table.

APA Format Template

Perplex in finding APA format templates? Worry not because we offer templates in Google Docs and MS Word alike. These two word-processing tools are widely used all over the world to create, edit, and format documents.

APA Format Template Google Docs

The formatting of the entire Google Docx file is in Times New Roman with 12 font size. Also, the major sections are assigned in the document with double-spaced and 1-inch margins from all sides. The age numbering is also included for all the pages in the template.

APA Format Template MS Word

Download the APA format template word and write your paper by just adding the content. The document is already formatted in APA 7th edition style. Every section is included with 12 font sizes, Times New Roman, double-spaced, and a 1-inch margin from all sides.

Need Help With APA Format?

So far, you have learned to format paper in APA style. But how are you supposed to format a lengthy dissertation or paper in APA? Don’t you think it takes a lot of time and effort? Let us offer you a quick solution.

Our expert writers provide college paper writing services in different styles, including APA format. Hand over your requirements and get an effectively written, APA style research paper format at an affordable price.

Bottom Lines

An effective and clean APA format title page, abstract, main body, tables, and references describe the quality of your paper. However, there is an APA format checklist that you should follow in every section of your paper. It includes using Times New Roman 12 points, double-space and left-aligning all text, and giving a 1-inch margin from all sides.

Your paper will still be incomplete if you forget to proofread it. So, make a last scan of your document and clear any formatting and grammar errors before submitting/publishing.