APA Style Guide

Title Page

• Center the title in bold, in title case, three to four lines below the top margin; include one blank double‑spaced line above and below the title ﹣[see AF1] .
• Below the title, list author(s) by first name, middle initial(s), and last name, double‑spaced; follow with affiliation (e.g., department and institution), course number/name, instructor name and title, and due date ﹣[AF3–AF6] .
• Include only a page number in the header, right‑aligned; student papers do not require a running head unless your instructor specifies otherwise ﹣[AF2] .

General Text Formatting

• Use 12‑pt serif font (e.g., Times New Roman), double‑space all text, and set 1‑inch margins on all sides.
• Indent the first line of every paragraph by 0.5 inch.

Headings

• Level 1: Centered, bold, title case; text begins as a new paragraph ﹣[AF16] .
• Level 2: Left‑aligned, bold, title case; text begins as a new paragraph ﹣[AF17] .
• Level 3: Left‑aligned, bold, italic, title case; text begins as a new paragraph ﹣[AF18] .

In‑Text Citations

• For one or two authors, include both names and year (e.g., Smith & Jones, 2020). For three or more, list first author + et al. (e.g., Lee et al., 2019) ﹣[AWC11, AF15] .
• Direct quotations require page numbers (p. x or pp. x–y); paraphrases need only author and year ﹣[AWC8–AWC9] .+
  • https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html

Reference List

• Begin on a new page, with “References” bolded and centered.
• Entries are double‑spaced with a hanging indent of 0.5 inch.
• Order entries alphabetically by first author’s surname ﹣[AF37] .
• Include DOIs or stable URLs for digital sources when available ﹣[AWC40] .
  • https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html

Tables and Figures

• Number tables and figures separately (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2) and include a concise italicized title ﹣[AF29] .
• Notes go below the table/figure, beginning with “Note.” in italics ﹣[AF30] .
• Keep tables simple: minimal borders, no shading unless necessary to convey meaning ﹣[AF33] .
  • https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_tables_and_figures.html

For more information, you can review Purdue Owl: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html