Introduction to APA

• The font should be consistent throughout the document and can be one of the following:
  • 12 pt. Times New Roman
  • 11 pt. Georgia
  • 10 pt. Computer Modern
  • 11 pt. Calibri
  • 11 pt. Ariel
  • 10 pt. Lucida Sans Unicode
• Entire document is double spaced.
• Margins are 1 inch on all sides.
• Align the body text in your paper left, leaving the right side uneven or ragged. Do not use justified alignment.
• Paragraphs in the body of the paper are indented 1/2 inch or one “tab” stop.
• Insert only 1 space after punctuation, including punctuation at the end of a sentence.
• Student papers do not include a running head, author note, or abstract, unless specifically requested.

Need help formatting your paper? See our guide on APA Formatting For Microsoft word.

• A University of Arizona Global Campus title page contains:
  • page number (in the top right margin/header)
  • title of your paper (in bold and first letter of any major words capitalized)
  • your full name
  • school name
  • course code and name
  • instructor’s name
  • the due date

• The page number is included in the top right of the margin and is included on all pages.
• The title of the paper is centered, in bold font, and appears 3-4 lines down on the page after the top margin.
• The remaining information appears one double-spaced line below the title of the paper. It is centered, double spaced, and in standard font with no bold or underlines.

Sample Title Page:

Sample Page 2:

Section headings are not required for an APA paper, but level 1 headings can be very helpful to help your reader move from one major topic to another, especially for lengthy papers. Level 1 headings can be placed anywhere in your paper as a way to classify or organize your paper into sections. For a section of your paper that needs to be broken down into additional sections, this is when a level 2 heading is used, and so on.

There are five levels of headings; the first three levels are the most commonly used in course assignments. Levels four and five are typically used in longer papers (e.g., a master’s thesis or dissertation).  Follow these current APA level heading formatting guidelines:

To understand how level headings can be applied in an essay, review this sample paper.

RefWorks includes a citation builder tool that can help you to easily set up both in-text and reference citations. See the "Creating Reference Citations" section on the Library's RefWorks Job Aide. 

• All in-text citations for direct quotations include...
  • the authors’ last names (or title if no author)
  • the year the source was published
  • the page, paragraph, chapter, section, or time stamp of the quotation.
• All in-text citations for paraphrased information includes...
  • the author last names (or title if no author)
  • the publication year.
  • Note: Including the page, paragraph, chapter, section, or time stamp is optional for paraphrased information.
• All sources cited within the paper are also in the References list (with the exception of personal communications, which are only cited in the text).
• All quotations less than 40 words are enclosed in quotation marks. The in-text citation comes before the ending punctuation.
• All quotations more than 40 words are formatted as a block quote. They start on a new line with the entire quote indented a half an inch from the left margin—no quotation marks are needed. The in-text citation comes after the punctuation.

For more help with In-Text Citations, review our guide on Citing Within Your Paper.

• The References list starts on a new page after the text of the paper.
• The title, References, is centered at the top of the page, in bold font.
• Reference entries are listed in alphabetical order.
• All sources listed in the References have at least one corresponding in-text citation within the body of the text.
• References are double spaced (between entries and within each entry)and each entry uses a hanging indent.

• For help formatting your Reference page, review our Formatting Your References List page.

• RefWorks includes a citation builder tool that can help you to easily set up both in-text and reference citations. See the "Creating Reference Citations" section on the Library's RefWorks Job Aide. 

• For more help formatting each reference list entry, refer to our downloadable formatting guide.

• Numbers one through nine are spelled out. Any numbers above 10 are written using actual numbers.
• Avoid the use of contractions (e.g., don't, can't, shouldn't), clichés, and slang. Keep an academic tone to your writing.
• Limit the use of passive voice.
• Avoid anthropomorphism.
• Use appropriate pronouns.
• Use italics only when appropriate in formatting or to emphasize a word.
• Avoid biased or non-inclusive language.
• Use appropriate APA level headings.
• The serial comma is used to separated items in a series of three or more items.
• Lists follow seriation rules.
• Format and properly cite all tables, images, and figures.
• Use past tense when referring to research or sources that have already been published.

For details on each of these style elements, visit the APA Style Elements page.