Keep our quick guide handy to answer your basic formatting questions and provide examples of commonly cited references. Also included are select pages from a sample paper.
This sample paper will show you how to format your paper in APA style, including the placement of the running head, margin size, font, and font size. The paper will also provide examples of in-text and reference list citations.
This Word document is set up with a running head, page numbers, and hanging indents on the reference page. You may use this to help you structure your paper according to APA formatting guidelines.
Good example of many different APA citations, courtesy of Chabot College.
Courtesy of High Point University - a good summary.
When you reference another source use an in-text citation in the body of your paper.
Basic Format:
(Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year).
I'm using...
Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the article, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list.
According to Shavers (2007), limitations of studying socioeconomic status in research on health disparities include difficulties in collecting data on socioeconomic status and the complications of classifying women, children, and employment status.
Direct Quotes
If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. Any sentence punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.
- According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
- Brown (2019) found that "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
- [Some other introduction] "Direct quote" (Brown, 2019, p. 1021).
If you're directly quoting more than 40 words, use a blockquote. Block quotes don't need quotation marks. Instead, indent the text 1/2" as a visual cue that you are citing. The in-text citation in parentheses goes after the punctuation of the quote.
Shavers (2007) study found the following:
While research studies have established that socioeconomic status influences disease incidence, severity and access to healthcare, there has been relatively less study of the specific manner in which low SES influences receipt of quality care and consequent morbidity and mortality among patients with similar disease characteristics, particularly among those who have gained access to the healthcare system. (p. 1021)Tip!Use direct quotes sparingly! Focus on summarizing the findings from multiple research studies. In the sciences and social sciences, only use the exact phrasing or argument of an individual when necessary.I'm citing a work with...
1 Author
You only need the author's last name comma year in parentheses.
(Abrams, 2018)
2 Authors
Connect both authors' last names with & (ampersand) comma and the year.
(Wegener & Petty, 1994)
3 or More Authors
If there are 3 or more authors use et al., which means "and others," comma and the year.
(Harris et al., 2018)
Group Authors
First time with an abbreviation:
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019)
Then all subsequent citations: (CDC, 2019)
Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004). Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology, 13(6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750
A Hanging indent, also known as a second line indent, sets off the first line of a paragraph by positioning it at the margin, and then indenting each subsequent line of the paragraph.
Select the text where you want to add a hanging indent.
Go to Home > Paragraph dialog launcher 
> Indents and Spacing.
Under Special, select Hanging.
You can adjust the depth of the indent using the By field.
Select OK.
To add a drop cap to your paragraph, see Insert a drop cap.
To indent the first line of a paragraph, see Indent the first line of a paragraph.