how to write a paper in apa format
The following tips offer some useful guidelines that will help you prepare your paper and ensure that it is formatted properly.
While this guide offers some basic tips on how to present your APA format essay, you should always check with your teacher for more specific instructions.
Every page of your paper should also include a page header. Student papers will have a page number on the top right of each page. Professional papers will include the page title on the top left of each page in addition to the page number on the top right.
The exact structure of your paper will vary somewhat depending upon the type of paper you have been asked to write. For example, a lab report might be structured a bit differently than a case study or critique paper. A lab report will include extra sections details the method, results, and discussion related to your experiment or study.
Tip: also read our article on the most notable changes in the APA Manual 7th edition.
An APA abstract is a one paragraph (± 250 words) summary of your paper. It introduces the objective or problem statement of the paper and includes information on the method, research results, and conclusions of your research. In a separate article we explain in-depth how to write an abstract.
Use en dashes (short dash) in compound adjectives. Do not place a space before or after the dash. Here are a few examples:
Parenthetical citations are the more commonly seen form of in-text citations for academic work, in which both required reference elements are presented at the end of the sentence in parentheses. Example:
APA recommends using 12-point Times New Roman font. If not using Times New Roman, then another serif typeface should be used for its readability. Only use different typeface in figure descriptions to add style to the paper (section 8.03).
Put two spaces after the period for each sentence in the body of the paper (Note, use only one space after a period in your references at the end of the paper). Microsoft Word does not have a setting to automatically put in two spaces at the end of a sentence, but you can set-up the grammar check to alert you when only one space is used. In Word 2007, click on File, then click Options. Next, click on Proofing. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, click on Settings. Next to Spaces required between sentences, change the setting to 2. Click OK to exit. This setting will alert you to single spaces after a period with the green squiggle that shows when there is a grammar error in your paper.
References:
http://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-an-apa-format-paper-2794838
http://www.jcme.ca/apa-style/format/
http://www.jcme.ca/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/
http://irsc.libguides.com/apa/apaformatpaperfreedownload
http://www.jcme.ca/research-paper/outline/