Basic features of APA formatting
Dear Student,
Do you sometimes find producing an academic paper that requires APA formatting challenging? Many other students do? The JEPS Bulleting, the official blog of the Journal of European Psychology Students, identifies the most common APA style mistakes made by students.
In this post, we look at some basic features of APA and link to examples. We advise that you watch out for these because failing to follow them could be the difference between a pass and a failure or a distinction and an ordinary pass.
The running head
In every APA paper, the running head should be there. This is the title of your paper in CAPs. It’s placed on the upper end of the left-hand side of your paper (inside the Header section). Only on the title page, the words “Running head” should precede the title.
Check out some examples of APA formatting here.
The abstract
The abstract of your paper appears soon after the title page. It should provide a summary of the main purpose and points of your paper. However, this is usually required when presenting a thesis, research report, or paper submitted to a journal for publishing. The abstract may not be required in the everyday assignment.
Headings
APA requires that the title of the paper appears in Title Case. All first-level headings should be typed in Title Case, boldface, and centred. Second-level headings should be flush left (with no indentation), typed in Title Case, and boldface. Third level headings have to be indented (using the TAB button on your keypad), typed in sentence case and boldface. Finish the third level header with a period and start typing your text after it.
For many students, APA referencing can be confusing. At Virtual English Teacher, we work with highly experienced editors. They can assist in ensuring that your academic paper meets the APA standard.
Check out the referencing list examples here.
Want proof of our effectiveness and efficiency? Ask for a free, no-obligation sample of your text.
Leave A Comment