Citation and Writing Guides

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). (2020). American Psychological Association.

This guide can be found in the IC, at Cudahy and Lewis Reference, and Lewis Ready Reference.

Call Number: BF 76.7 .P83 2020

From the American Psychological Association - Style Information

APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly style within the behavioral and social sciences .

General Document Guidelines include:

• Margins should be one inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right).
• Double-space throughout the paper, including the title page, abstract, body of the document, references, appendixes, footnotes, tables, and figure captions.
• Space once after all punctuation, including at the ends of sentences.
• All text lines should be aligned left (creating an uneven right margin)
• The first line of each paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches (one tab key, or 5-7 spaces).
• Order of paper elements: Title Page, Abstract, Body, References, Footnotes, Tables, Figures, Appendices
• Page numbers should appear one inch from the right edge of the paper on the first line of every page (except Figures), beginning with the title page. Using most word processors, page numbers and running heads (see below) can be inserted into a header, which then automatically appears on all pages.
• Manuscripts being submitted for publication should include a "running head" consisting of a shortened title (50 characters or fewer), written in all-capitals. The running head should be formatted 0.5 inches from the left edge of the paper, in the same line as the page number. It should be included on every page, beginning with the title page
  • The above is required for manuscripts submitted for publication, and may not be necessary in students' papers. Please check with your instructor for their preferences.

This video, by Dr. David Taylor, covers the basics of APA Style.