APA 6 Format and Citation Guide Made Easy
The APA 6 guide was developed in line with the American Psychological Association in 2013. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
General Principles of APA 6 Formatting
- Double-spacing throughout the paper.
- Margins – 1″ (2.54 cm), while paper size should be 8.5″ x 11″
- Times New Roman or Arial 12 pt. font (unless the instructions require a different font)
APA 6 papers contain running head(s) at the top of every page and page number. Page numbers are inserted flush right, while the paper’s title, written in UPPER CASE, is inserted flush left. Your title in the header should contain no more than 50 characters (including spaces and punctuation).
The APA Citation Style Guide (7th ed.) is a comprehensive manual for writers and researchers to follow when formatting and Read more
The MLA Format and Citation Style Guide 9th Edition is an authoritative resource provided by the Modern Language Association for Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.) - Notes-Bibliography is a referencing guide developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.)-Author-Date is a referencing format developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual of Style, Read more
Papers written in APA 6 are divided into four sections:
- Title Page
- Abstract
- Body
- Reference List
Title Page
Running head: THE TITLE (with words’ Running head’ only on the title page)
All the following pages have a different header from the first page: THE TITLE
Title:
Your title should be inserted in the upper half of the first page.
You should not use more than 12 words for your title.
Use upper and lower case (avoid abbreviations and redundant words).
The title page should be double-spaced.
Insert the author’s name below the title.
Insert the educational institution below the author’s name.
Abstract
- The abstract is written on a new page; this page should contain a page header (see above).
- The word “Abstract” is centered on the new page. Do not use quotation marks, bold, italics, or any other formatting.
- The text on the abstract page is NOT indented.
- The abstract should contain only the most relevant information, such as research topic/thesis statement, research question(s), sample size/participants, research design/method, data analysis, results, and conclusions.
- The abstract consists of a single paragraph (about 130-150 words) of double-spaced text.
- If keywords are required, they are indented and written beneath the abstract paragraph. Do not forget to use italics for the word “Keywords.”
Headings
- Level 1 heading should be Bold, Uppercase, and Lowercase
- Level 2 should be Left-aligned, Bold, Uppercase, and Lowercase
- Level 3 should be indented, with a bold lowercase heading with a period. Begin your text after the period.
- Level 4 should be indented, bold, italicized, and lowercase heading with a period. Begin your text after the period.
- Level 5 indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. When writing, begin your text after the period.
Reference List
The reference list is inserted at the end of your paper; any source you use must be included in the reference page and cited in the text.
Indent all lines after the first line in the entry (hanging indent); the lines should be indented one-half inch (1.27 cm) from the left margin of your paper.
- Do not forget to invert authors’ names, such as last name and initials. Example: Cage, D. C.
- If you have to cite more than seven authors, only the first six authors are listed, then an ellipsis is placed, and the last author’s name is listed after the ellipsis.
- The reference list is always alphabetized by the first word in the reference entry (from A to Z).
- When alphabetizing titles or group names as authors, go by the first significant word (disregard a, an, the, etc.)
- If your reference has a group author, the name of the group can sometimes be abbreviated in the text—for example, the American Psychological Association can be abbreviated to APA. As with other abbreviations, spell out the name of the group upon first mention in the text and then provide the abbreviation.
If the name of the group first appears in parentheses in an in-text citation, put the abbreviation in brackets after it, followed by a comma and the year for the citation:
Example: The American Psychological Association (APA, 2011) suggested that parents talk to their children about family finances in age-appropriate ways.
Children should learn about family finances in age-appropriate ways (American Psychological Association [APA], 2011).
In the reference list entry, do not include the abbreviation for the group author. Instead, spell out the full name of the group.
Correct reference entry:
American Psychological Association. (2011). Dollars and sense: Talking to your children about the economy. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/children-economy.aspx
Incorrect reference entry:
American Psychological Association (APA). (2011). Dollars and sense: Talking to your children about the economy. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/children-economy.aspx
- Journal titles are always presented in full and capitalized:
Example: Archives of General Psychiatry
- Do not alter the journal’s name:
Example: JAMA Psychiatry (NOT Jama Psychiatry)
The APA Citation Style Guide (7th ed.) is a comprehensive manual for writers and researchers to follow when formatting and Read more
The MLA Format and Citation Style Guide 9th Edition is an authoritative resource provided by the Modern Language Association for Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.) - Notes-Bibliography is a referencing guide developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual Read more
The Chicago Citation Style Guide (17th ed.)-Author-Date is a referencing format developed in accordance with The Chicago Manual of Style, Read more