Running head: EXAMPLE APA STYLE PAPER 1

Example of an APA Style Paper

Justine Berry

Austin Peay State University

This page is an example of the title page of a paper that is formatted in APA
style. The pages that follow continue to show a properly formatted APA
style paper.

Within this example paper are detailed guidelines for formatting and citing
papers using APA Style.

For more guidance for using APA Style, consult the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, dated 2010.

Please also feel free to use the Writing Lab for additional help.
EXAMPLE APA STYLE PAPER 2

Abstract

APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is

commonly used to cite sources in the fields of Natural and Social Sciences, Business, and

Nursing. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, dated

2010, provides the best reference for formatting and citing in APA Style. The mechanics of basic

writing and citing sources are the same in all academic writing; however, formatting papers in

styles such as APA, MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, ASA (American

Sociological Association), Turabian, among others, are different. Thus, this example paper

focuses on the basic guidelines for formatting papers and citing sources in APA Style.

Keywords: APA, formatting, citing, References

Example of an APA Style Paper

American Psychological Association (APA) is the style of formatting that is commonly

used in courses in the fields of Nursing, Education, Natural and Social Sciences, such as

Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology, and Economics (Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue, 2012).

Students in these fields are generally required to format papers and cite sources using this style.

The manual that outlines guidelines for formatting and citing sources is the Publication Manual

of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, revised in 2010.

General APA Formatting Guidelines

Margins

According to Aaron (2011, p. 509), APA Style dictates the margins are one inch on all

sides (top, bottom, left, right). Thus, on all pages, the text in the body begins one inch down

from the top of each page. The alignment of the left and right margins should be flush left,

which means the right margin is not blocked (set as “justified”). Therefore, the contents of the

paper should be staggered at the right margin rather than aligned at the right.

Font Size and Type

The font size for APA Style papers is usually 12-pt. font, and the type is generally Times

New Roman (Aaron, 2011, p. 509). However, other similar font is acceptable typefaces,

depending upon professor’s specifications. In addition, the font size and type must be the same

in the Running head on all pages.

Line Spacing

Double-space throughout the paper, including the title page, abstract, body of the

document, references, and appendixes; but footnotes, tables, and figure captions may be single-

spaced (Aaron, 2011, p. 509). Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010 includes an additional horizontal
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spacing between paragraphs that are not in accordance to APA style; thus, the default settings in

spacing must changed to present true double-spacing in an APA Style paper.

Spacing after Punctuation

APA Style dictates spacing once after all punctuation except the end punctuation

(American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 87). Two spaces are following punctuation marks

at the ends of sentences.

Paragraph Indentation

The indentation of each paragraph is 5-7 spaces (Aaron, 2011, p. 509); however, this

spacing can be best accomplished through the use of the TAB key rather than pressing the

SPACEBAR of the keyboard.

Pagination

The pages are numbered one inch from the right upper edge of the paper on the first line

in the header portion of every page (except Figures), beginning with the title page (Aaron, 2011,

p. 509).

Tone and Style

Depending on the type of assignment, as a general rule, use the active voice rather than

the passive voice (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 66). For example, use “We

predicted that ...” rather than “It was predicted that ... .” Moreover, avoid the use of second-

person pronouns you and your, and write in a formal tone and style.

Major Paper Sections and Order of Pages

The order of major paper sections and order of pages in an APA Style document are the

following: Title Page, Abstract, Body, and References (Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue, 2012).

Other additional paper sections are included after the References page and consist of the
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following order: Appendixes, Footnotes, Tables, Figure Captions, and Figures (Writing Lab and

OWL at Purdue, 2012). These additional sections are usually included for an extensive research

paper.

Running Head

A page header, called the Running head, is inserted at the top of every page. To create a

page header, insert page numbers flush right against the right margin in the header section of

each page. Then type the “TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” in all capital letters, flush against the left

margin. Using most word processors, the manuscript page header and page number can be

inserted into a header, which then automatically appears on all pages (Writing Lab and OWL at

Purdue, 2012).

Purpose

The running head is a shortened version of the paper’s full title, and it is used to help

readers identify the titles for published articles (even if the paper is not intended for publication,

the paper should still have a running head).

Format

The running head cannot exceed 50 characters, including spaces and punctuation

(Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue, 2012). The running head’s title is typed in all uppercase

(capital letters) after typing, “Running head:” in lowercase letters, followed by a colon. Note the

word “head” is not capitalized. (The words “Running head” and the colon are included in the

header only on the Title Page. Thereafter, these words and the colon are removed, and the

subsequent pages of the document consist of only the title and page number in the header.)

Again, the running head is typed flush left, and page numbers should be flush right.

Page header on title page.

The running head on the title page should look like this:

Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 1

Page header on subsequent pages.

The running head on all pages that follow the title page should look like this:

TITLE OF YOUR PAPER 2

Title Page

APA Style requires the use of the Title Page, which is numbered as page 1. (Refer to the

example title page on page 1 of this example APA Style paper.) The key elements of this page

are the running head, title of the paper, author’s name, and institutional affiliation (Aaron, 2011,

p. 510). All text on the title page is double-spaced, and the font size and type are 12- pt font,

Times New Roman or similar font are acceptable typefaces.

The three lines in the body of the title page consist of the title of the paper, the author’s

name, and the institutional affiliation. These three lines must be vertically centered from the

halfway point of the page upwards (Aaron, 2011, p. 510).

Title

The purpose of the title is to summarize the paper’s main idea. APA recommends that the

title be no more than 12 words in length (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 23). It

should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. The title should only take up

one line, but if it is long, a second line may be needed.

Center the title in the upper half of the page. Type the paper title in upper and lowercase

letters. Capitalize all key words, such as nouns. The title should not be bold-faced, underlined or

in italicized font.

Author’s Name
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The author is the individual who wrote the paper. On the line following the title, center

and type the author's name in uppercase and lowercase letters. Annotate by first name, middle

initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (Ph.D.) (American Psychological

Association, 2010, p. 23).

Institutional Affiliation

The institutional affiliation indicates the location where the author wrote the paper and/or

conducted the research. On the line following the author's name, center and type the institutional

affiliation in uppercase and lowercase letters. Avoid abbreviating any portion of the name of the

institution (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 166).

Other information

Any additional information, such as the name and number of the course, professor’s

name(s), and date, are noted only if the professor requires it. Place this information at the bottom

of the place or where required by the professor. Center the contents in the same fashion as the

title, etc. Write the date as name of the month, date, and year (Aaron, 2011, p. 510).

Abstract

Not all assignments require the Abstract for an APA Style paper. Depending on the nature of the

assignment, the paper may not need the Abstract. If one is not needed, begin writing the body of

the paper on page 2. However, if an Abstract is needed, it is included before the body of the

paper. (Refer to the example Abstract on page 2 of this example APA Style paper.)

The abstract is a one-paragraph, self-contained summary of the most important elements

of the paper. It allows readers to quickly review the main points and purpose of the paper. It also

provides a brief and comprehensive summary of the study. It is very important because this

portion of the paper may be all that many people will read if the work is a comprehensive study.
EXAMPLE APA STYLE PAPER 8

Therefore, the Abstract needs to be well written and should include a brief description of the

problem being investigated, the methods used, the results, and their implications.

Pagination

The abstract begins on a new page and is numbered with the running head 2; however,

the words, “Running head” and the colon need to be removed from the header.

Format

The word “Abstract” is typed in regular font and centered on the first line below the

manuscript page header. It should not be bold-faced, underlined or in italicized font. The entire

page is double-spaced and is typed in 12-point Times New Roman. The abstract is written in

block format, which means this paragraph is not indented (Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue,

2012). It begins on the line following the Abstract heading.

The abstract should “be between 150 and 250 words” (Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue,

2012). All numbers in the abstract (except those beginning a sentence) should be typed as digits

rather than words (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 103). Abbreviations and

acronyms used in the paper should be defined in the abstract (American Psychological

Association, 2010, 105).

How to Write an Abstract

According to Kendra Cherry (2012), first, write the paper. While the abstract will be at

the beginning of the paper, it should be the last section that is written. Once the final draft has

been completed, use it as a guide for writing the abstract. Keep it short. An abstract should be no

longer than 120 words and should be written as only one paragraph. In order to succinctly

describe the entire paper, the most important elements need to be determined.

Structure the abstract in the same order as the paper. Begin with a brief summary of the
EXAMPLE APA STYLE PAPER 9

introduction, and then continue on with a summary of the major sections of the paper (Cherry,

2012). It should be accurate (do not include information here that is not in the body of the

manuscript), self-contained (spell out abbreviations), concise (“between 150 and 250 words”

[Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue, 2012]), and specific (begin this section with the most

important information and limit it to the four or five most important concepts, findings, or

implications of the study [Cherry, 2012]).

Other key points for writing the Abstract are the following: Avoid citing references in the

abstract. Paraphrase rather than quote. Use active rather than passive voice (but avoid the use of

personal pronouns). For example, write, “Researchers instructed participants to . . .,” rather than,

“Participants were given instructions to . . . .” Use past tense for procedures and present tense

for results (Cherry, 2012).

Keywords can be listed from the paper in the Abstract. To do this, center the text and

type Keywords: (italicized) and then list the keywords. Listing keywords will help researchers

find the paper’s work in databases (Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue, 2012).

Body of the Paper

The body of the paper begins on a new page (page 3), and follows the Title Page (page 1)

and Abstract (page 2), if one is required. Like the Title Page and Abstract, the body of the paper

is double-spaced, typed in Times New Roman, 12-pt font, and maintains the one-inch margins at

the top, left, right, and bottom. The running head maintains its page numbering and title

placement that was established on the Abstract page. (Refer to the example body of an APA

Style paper that begins on page 3 of this example APA Style paper.) Unlike the Abstract, which

does not require the use of indentation of its paragraph, the paragraphs in the body of the paper

should be indented by the use of the TAB key, or 5-7 spaces (Aaron, 2011, p. 509).
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The body of the paper begins with typing the title. The title is typed in uppercase and

lowercase letters and is centered on the first line below the running head. Although the running

head shows the title of the paper, the title still must be typed to begin the body of the paper,

especially if the title in the running head is a shortened version of the original. Moreover, the title

is not underlined, boldfaced, or written in italics.

The introduction of the paper (which is not labeled with a heading, “Introduction”) begins

on the line following the paper title. This paragraph provides background information about the

paper’s topic, its purpose, a main idea (the thesis statement), and an overview of the major points

of discussion that will be addressed in the body of the paper. This introduction sets the stage for

the information that follows. Furthermore, for papers that provide complex, detailed

information, the body of the paper can be broken down into subsections that are separated by

headings. However, these subsections do not begin on new pages. Instead, they maintain double-

spacing and continue discussion in a smooth, transitional pattern.

Headings:

Headings are used to organize the document through separating and classifying paper

sections according to their relative importance. There are 5 heading levels in APA. Regardless of

the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1. According to the

American Psychological Association (2010, p. 62), the format of each level is illustrated below:

APA Headings
Level Format
1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings
2 Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
3 Indented, boldface, lowercase heading, ending with a period.
4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading, ending with a period.
5 Indented, italicized, lowercase heading, ending with a period.
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(This example APA Style paper uses level 1 and level 2 headings to organize main points of

formatting in APA Style.)

Citing

Ideas, tables, graphics, researched information, and all other data that are not the writer’s

must be cited wherever included in the paper. Failing to cite constitutes plagiarism, regardless of

whether this was the writer’s intent. Thus, all sources must be cited in accordance to APA Style.

Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition,

dated 2010, for citing sources within the body of the paper. Generally, sources are cited at the

point where the information is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. The Little, Brown

Handbook states, “In your text, a parenthetical citation ear the borrowed material directs readers

to a list of all the works you refer to” (Aaron, 2011, p. 491). If the author(s) and year of

publication of a source are known, the author’s last name(s) year are cited. For example, the

name of the author is not named in the previous sentence of the direct quote; thus, the author’s

last name, year of publication, and page number of the book are cited within the parenthesis,

separated by commas. The end punctuation follows the citation. On the other hand, if the

author’s name is used “in the text, do you repeat it in the reference” (Aaron, 2011, p. 492), as in

the following example: Jane Aaron explains, “In your text, a parenthetical citation ear the

borrowed material directs readers to a list of all the works you refer to” (2011, p. 491). The

citation is thus shown without the author’s name.

For a work with two authors, if the names are used in the text, separate their last names

with the word “and,” as shown in this example: “Pepinsky and DeStefano (1997) demonstrated

that a teacher’s language often reveals hidden biases” (Aaron, 2011, p. 492). However, if the

authors’ names were not used in the text, the “names are connected by an ampersand, &” (Aaron,
EXAMPLE APA STYLE PAPER 12

2011, p. 492).

For a work that has no named author, the name of the title is used. Aaron explains,

“…use the first two or three words of the title in place of an author’s name, excluding an initial

The, A, or An” (2011, p. 431). An example of citing an unnamed source in the body of the paper

is shown as thus: “One article, (“Right to Die,” 1996) noted that a death-row inmate may crave

notoriety” (Aaron, 2011, p. 493). Note that the title of the article is written within quotation

marks. In APA Style, titles of books, journals, and other similar works are written in italics

(Aaron, 2011, p. 493).

Reference Page

Every source cited in the body of the paper should have a referenced entry, and every

source listed on the References page should be cited in the body of the paper. This list “includes

full publication information on every source cited in the paper” (Aaron, 2011, p. 494). After the

conclusion paragraph, a reference list of all of those sources needs to be established. This list is

called the References page. (Refer to the example References list on page 14 of this example

APA Style paper.)

Start the reference list (also known as the Bibliography, but called References in APA

Style) on a new page following the body of the paper. Center the heading, “References.” Do not

bold, underline or italicize the heading. Like the rest of the entire paper, double-space all entries

on this page. In addition, there should be no additional horizontal space between each listed

source. Each source begins at the left margin; however, the second and subsequent lines of the

citation need to be indented.

Aaron instructs, alphabetize the sources “by the author’s last name. If there is no author,

alphabetize by the first main word of the title” (2011, p. 494). The author is listed as last name,
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initial of first name, rather than by full name. For sources that have more than one author, “use

an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name” (Aaron, 2011, p. 494).

Although titles of sources are capitalized and written in italics or within quotation marks

in the body of the paper (depending on the type of source), titles on the References page are

written differently. For “titles of books and articles, capitalize only the first word of the title, the

first word of the subtitle, and proper nouns; all other words begin with small letters” (Aaron,

2011, p. 495). Aaron adds, “In titles of journals, capitalize all significant words” (2011, p. 495).

Regarding the use of italics and quotation marks for titles on the Reference page, titles of articles

are not annotated with either, but titles of books and journals are italicized (Aaron, 2011, p. 495).

The overall citation of a source on the References page depends on the type of source;

i.e., book, journal, electronic sources, etc. Thus, each type of source is listed in different

formats. Consult with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth

Edition, dated 2010, for the correct template for listing types of sources.

APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association (APA)

and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and social sciences. The

mechanics of basic writing and citing sources are the same in all academic writing. However,

students who major in these fields should learn how to format papers and cite sources in APA

style paper. If they follow the basic guidelines that are outlined in the Publication Manual of the

American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition or other reliable sources such as the Little,

Brown Handbook by Jane Aaron, they will successfully write their papers and cite others’

sources in APA Style.

References

Aaron, J. (2011). LB brief: The Little, Brown handbook, brief version. (4th ed.).Boston, MA:

Longman.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Cherry, K. (2012). How to write an abstract. Retrieved from http://pschology.about.com

/od/apastyle/ht/abstract.htm

Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue & Purdue University. (2012). The Purdue OWL family of sites.

The Writing Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.