APA Formatting
APA Publication Manual, 7th edition
Order of Sections
1.
2.
1.
2.
3.
Title Page
Abstract (separate page)
Body
References
Appendices (including tables and
figures)
Margins & Page Numbers
1 inch at top, bottom, and both sides.
Indent first line of each paragraph 1/2
inch from left margin.
Use page numbers including title page ½
inch from top, flush with right margin.
Text
PLNU programs prefer Times New
Roman, 12 point. Additional
allowable fonts-sizes under APA (7th
ed.): Georgia-11, Calibri-11, Arial-11,
and Lucida Sans Unicode-10.
Header
Quotations
The page number should appear on each
page, beginning with the title page. It is
placed in the header, aligned with the
right margin.
Include short quotations (40 words or
fewer) in-text with quotation marks.
Title
Title is 12 words or fewer and
summarizes paper’s main idea with no
periods or abbreviations.
Center horizontally in upper half of page,
written in Title Case, and Bolded.
After title, add an additional doublespaced line and add the remaining
descriptive information (centered, not
bold)
Abstract
Often no abstract for college
assignments/papers, but check with your
instructor for his/her preference.
Center “Abstract” heading and do not
indent first line.
Evenly and consistently double-space
your text and align to left margin.
Summarize main points and purpose of
the paper in 150-250 words max.
Use active voice. Avoid using technical
jargon and being too wordy.
Body
Use one space after each period.
Title Page
Title pages include title of paper, your
name; academic affiliation (including
college/department); Course prefix,
number, and name; Instructor; and due
date. If in doubt whether or not to
include a title page with your
assignment, ask your instructor for
his/her preference.
Running Head
The 7th Edition of the APA Manual
has removed the running head from
student papers.
Align text left with left indent. Doublespace. Indent first line of each
paragraph ½ inch.
Level headings
Level 1: Center, bold, and tile case;
Level 2: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case
Level 3: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case
Level 4: Indented, Bold, Title Case, period
Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic, title case,
end with aperiod
Write out numbers up to nine. Use
numeral for 10+, when followed by unit
of measurement, in tables, to represent
statistical or math functions, and dates or
times.
Quotations of 41+ words are “Block
Quotes.” Indent entire longer
quotations (41+ words) ½ inch from
left margin and double-spaced with
no quotations.
For block quotes of 2+ paragraphs,
indent first line of second (and
subsequent) paragraph(s) an
additional ½ inch.
Use ellipsis ( … ) when omitting sections
from a quote. At the end of sentence?
Use four periods ( …. ).
In-Text Citation
Direct Quotes
(Wetmore & Wadley, 2017, p. 210)
or
According to Wetmore & Wadley, “ABC
and XYZ” (p. 210).
Include author’s name, publication year,
and page numbers.
Paraphrasing
(Morales & Riingen, 2019)
or
Morales and Riingen (2019) found that…
Include author's name, publication year,
and possibly page numbers.
3 or more authors
(Bolton et al., 2020)
Authors with Acronym Names
(San Diego Country Office of Education
[SDCOE], 2013)
or
San Diego Country Office of Education
(SDCOE, 2013)
After initial citation where acronym is
given, always use acronym, in citations
and in the body of your paper
.
No Author Article or Website
(“Children discover,” 2019)
Cite first few words of reference list entry
(usually title) and year.
No Author for Book or Report
(Passing the Buck, 2008)
Interview
(K. Fulcher, personal communication,
May 5, 2017).
Only cite interviews in-text.
*See APA Publication Manual (7th ed.)
for more information and examples. *
Reference Examples
Reference page entries generally include
four elements: the author, date, title,
and source.
Journal example:
Lewis, J., Williams, B., & Sanchez, C.
(2019). Designing winning courses.
Journal of American Technology, 8(3),
207–217.
https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185
Book example:
Iribe, S. M. (2017). Programming: The job
of the future. Polaris Publishing.
Additional Guidance
The 7th edition of the APA Manual
supports using the word “they” as
gender-nutural singular pronoun.
PLNU Mission Valley
Writing Center
To make an appointment, email:
gpswritingcenter@pointloma.edu
Adapted from
Pellissippi State Community College Library
Example of Student APA Paper’s Title Page
Page Number
Title:
Written in Title Case,
Centered, Bolded
Department &
University Affiliation
Your Name
Course Prefix, Number, and Title
Instructor’s Name
Due Date
Table 8.1 Basic In-Text Citation Styles
Author type
Parenthetical citation
One author
(Luna, 2020)
Two authors
(Salas & D’Agostino, 2020)
Three or more authors
(Martin et al., 2020)
Group author with abbreviation
(National Institute of Mental Health
First Citation a
[NIMH], 2020)
Subsequent citations
Group author without abbreviation
(NIMH, 2020)
(Stanford University, 2020)
Narrative citation
Luna (2020)
Salas and D’Agostino (2020)
Martin et al. (2020)
National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH, 2020)
NIMH (2020)
Stanford University (2020)
Define the abbreviation for a group author only once in the text, choosing either the parenthetical or the narrative format.
Thereafter, use the abbreviation for all mentions of the group in the text.
a
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) (p. 266)