BCCC Library
How to Write an APA Paper (6th Edition) with Microsoft Word 2010
The best source for writing research papers is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (Sixth Edition). A copy is available at the information desk (This book cannot leave the library).
Start out by using white 8 ½ by 11 inch paper. The papers in the library’s printers are just what you need. Using
any other type or color of paper is not permitted.
1. Before you start typing, set your margins. APA requires your margins to be 1 inch top, bottom, left, and
right. In Microsoft Word, start a new document and then click the Page Layout tab, then click the
Margins button. Be sure the margins are set to Normal (Top 1”, Bottom 1”, Left 1” and Right 1”).
2. Spacing- . Click the Home tab and then click the launcher in the Paragraph group.
Be sure the Indentation on the Left and
Right is set to 0.
Also, be sure the Spacing Before and After
is set to 0 pt.
Change Line Spacing to Double
Click the OK button to accept the changes.
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3. APA style wants a specific font and font size. In the Font group:
a. Select Times New Roman
b. Select 12
4. Your Header is information that appears on the top of each page. For the title page, the header contains
a Running head and the page number. A Running head is a shortened title of less than 50 spaces in
length. The words “Running head:” followed by a short title of your paper in ALL CAPTIAL
LETTERS must follow (but only on the cover page).
a. Click the Insert tab, and then click the Header button. Click the Blank header.
b. Check the Different First Page box.
c. Type in the words Running head: followed by a shortened title of your paper. The shortened
title must be less than 50 spaces in length and in all CAPITAL LETTERS.
d. Press the [Tab] key so your insertion point is on the right margin.
e. Click Page Number, then Current Position, then Plain Number.
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f. Click the red Close Header and Footer button.
g. Compare your document to the example on the next page
5. Title Page (Cover Page) – required in an APA paper and contains the following:
a. Running head and the page number
b.Title – should be about 1/3 down the page. Press the [Enter] key until the insertion point is at 3
inches down the page. Now click the Align Center button. Type in your title capitalizing the first,
last, and primary words in the title. The title should be no more than 10 to 12 words in length Press
the [Enter] key.
c. Your name – Type in your name and press the [Enter] key.
d.Type in the name of your College or University. Type in the full name, do not abbreviate BCCC. .
Press the [Enter] key.
e. Type in the name of the course you are taking and press the [Enter] key.
f. Type in the date the paper is submitted using the format shown in the example.
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6. Save your document. Save early, save often! Once you type in a few sentences, it is a good time to save
your work. When you save your work, you need to tell Word where to save the file and what to name it.
a. Click the File tab located on the upper left corner
i.
Select Save As
ii.
The Save As dialog box appears
1. Change the Save in box to the location where you wish to save your document (3
½ inch Floppy drive, a Flash drive...)
2. In the File Name Box, type in the name of your document
3. Click the Save button
7. Press the [Enter] key until you are on the second page.
a. Click the Insert tab, and then click the Header button. Click the Blank header (Be sure you are
on the second page). Type in the Running head without the words “Running head:”
b. Press the [Tab] key so your insertion point is on the right margin.
c. Click Page Number, then Current Position, then Plain Number
d. Click the red Close Header and Footer button.
e. Compare your document to the example on the next page.
8. The second page contains an Abstract - If your instructor requires one, include an abstract on the
second page. An abstract is a summary of your paper in 120 words or less. Center the word “Abstract”
one inch from the top of the page. The abstract should be a single paragraph without indentation.
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8. On the third page, begin the body of your text by typing in your full title on the top of the third page.
The title must be centered. Then press the enter key once, change your alignment to left and begin
typing. Each paragraph must be indented by ½ inch (first-line indent).
9. Italics and underlining.




Italicize all book titles, magazine titles and journal titles, newspaper names, and web page titles, and
volume numbers in reference lists.
Use underlining only if your instructor requires it
Do not italicize for emphasis.
Do not italicize the titles of articles in a journal
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9. Foreign words must be typed exactly as they appear in your source. If the word contains
extra characters like an acute, you must type them in as well. For example, to place an acute
in the word López, I type the following: L (Ctrl ') opez.
Accent
acute
cedilla
grave
circumflex
tilde
umlaut
Keys to Type
Ctrl '
Ctrl ,
Ctrl `
Ctrl Shift ^
Ctrl Shift ~
Ctrl Shift :
Letters
a, e, i, o, u (and d)
c
a, e, i, o, u, y
a, e, i, o, u
a, n, o
a, e, i, o, u, y
Example
é (and ð)
ç
è
ê
ñ
ë
11. Quoting Works – When quoting directly or indirectly from a source, the source must be
acknowledged in the text by author name and year of publication.. If quoting directly, a location
reference such as page numbers or paragraph numbers is also required. By quoting, you let the reader
know that what is written is taken directly from another work Use quotation marks when you are
quoting directly is less than 40 words. The author's last name and the work's date of publication must
always appear. If you are quoting directly from the source, include the page number as well. Don't
include the year if you use the source again in your paper.
 Direct quotation - word for word
"The research proved that a surprising number of students felt that they did not have a drinking
problem"(Smith, 2014, p. 186).
Or
Smith states that "the research proved that a surprising number of students felt that they did not have a
drinking problem" (2014, p. 186).

Indirect quotation - paraphrased
It is important for students to realize that drinking today leads to problems with academic achievement
(Smith, 2014).

If what you are quoting is more than 40 words, you must indent it by itself by one inch and it must be
on a separate line without quotation marks. . Type in the text to be quoted and select (highlight) it.
Click the Home tab and then click the Increase Indent button twice.
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Indented
Text
13. The References page is the last page on your paper. This should be a new page and the word
“References” should appear at the top of the page. The title should also be centered.
 Only include works used in paper on your works cited page.
 Each work should be listed alphabetically by last name.
 If you have more than one work by the same author, order them by publication date, oldest to
newest
 Use "&" instead of "and" when listing multiple authors of a single work (in text citations in
parentheses, too)
 Capitalize only the first word of a title and subtitle of a book or journal article
 Interviews and emails are not included in references.
14. Hanging Indents - If the citation takes up more than one line, indent the second line. This is called a
“hanging indent.” To create a hanging indent, first type in the citation and then select (highlight) the
entire citation. Click the Home tab and then click the paragraph dialog box arrow
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a. The paragraph dialog box appears. Select Hanging from the Special: drop-down box and then
click OK.
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Recommended Web Sites on APA papers and citing your sources:

BCCC LibGuide for APA Papers: bccc.libguides.com/apa_papers

Guide to In–Text Citations and References:
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/51632/APA_Referencing_6th_ed.pdf

YouTube Video on How to create an APA Paper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pbUoNa5tyY
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