How To Write Using the APA Writing Style

Writing in the style prescribed by the American Psychological Association (2001), Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), can be a daunting experience for both graduate students and faculty members (Polly Proofreader, personal communication, January 4, 1999). Green and Gold (1996) suggest that an additional guide can be helpful, minimizing the need for searching through the sometimes confusing and highly detailed text of APA. In this paper, a review of the information most often used by students is presented.

Format Considerations

The most common errors students make are in the margins, running head, header, and reference page format (Green & Gold, 1996). Additional errors noted by faculty include in-text citations of direct quotes or paraphrased material (Maka Mistake, personal communication, September 20, 2001).

Correct Margins

Margins are required to be one inch equally. That is, if the top and side margins are one inch, the bottom margin must also be one inch on each page of the text. This rule does not apply to the last page of the text, which may end at any point above the one-inch margin. The rule is broken to avoid placing a lone heading on the last line of the page or a single line of text on the top of the next page.

Running Head

The running head appears only on the title page, at the left and top margins. The entire title may be used if it contains 50 or fewer characters, counting spaces between words, not including the words Running head. If the title is longer than 50 characters, an abbreviated version must be used (APA, 2001). An example of a properly placed running head is shown on the title page of this paper.

Page Header

The header contains the first two or three words of the title and appears on the third line from the top edge of each page, above the margin, in the right-hand corner, five spaces to the left of the page number. The automatic function of a word-processing program should be used to print the headers and page numbers consecutively in the paper, with 1 appearing on the title page.

Reference Page

The hanging indentation is used for the reference page; that is, the first line of the reference, usually the author’s name, rests against the left margin, and the following lines are indented 5 or 7 spaces or inch. APA (2001) recommends setting the tab key to inch.