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APA Style Guide for Citations and Student Papers: Formatting Guidelines

Formatting Student Papers

The 7th edition of APA's Publication Manual provides guidelines for formatting papers. APA makes a distinction between student papers and professional papers (papers being submitted for publication). This guide outlines the requirements for student papers.

Student papers usually include a title page, the text of the paper, and a reference list. There will be page numbers at the top right of all pages, with the title page as page 1.

 

Formatting the Title Page

  • The title of the paper will appear about a quarter of the way down from the top of the page.

  • The title will be centered, in bold font, and all major words in the title will be capitalized.

  • Include the name of each author, first name first.

  • Include the author's affiliation, in this case the school - Houston Community College.

  • Include the professor's name and the course information

  • Also include the due date of the assignment

General Guidelines for the Paper Format

  • The first page of your paper will be a title page.

  • Your paper will have one-inch margins.

  • The recommended font is Times New Roman, 12 point.

  • The page number will appear at the top right corner of every page, starting with the title page.

  • Indent the first line of each paragraph.

  • The reference list will appear at the end of your paper, starting on a new page.

Formatting the Reference List

  • Your reference list will be a separate page at the end of your paper. Title it References, in bold font, and center the title at the top of your page.

  • Capitalize only the first word in the title and subtitle. Capitalize any proper nouns (e.g. United States, Abraham Lincoln, World Health Organization)

  • Alphabetize entries by authors’ last names.

  • If an entry has no author’s name, alphabetize by the first significant word in the title.

  • If you have more than one work by the same author, order by year of publication, with the earliest first.

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