FORMATTING A PAPER USING THE APA STYLE BY PETER GALLAGHER AND BRIAN SCOTT

1. Abbreviations. Avoid using abbreviations in your paper. However, if you need to use an abbreviation or acronym that is
recognized in your language and you can find it in the dictionary, then you can use it.

2. Hyphenations. Do not separate and hyphenate words at the end of a line. Rather, leave one line slightly short and put the
complete word on the next line; otherwise, proceed a couple of characters past the right margin to adjust the complete word on
the line.

3. Indentions. Indent paragraphs within the primary text of the paper one-half inch if using a word processing program or indent
five to seven spaces in if typing on a typewriter. However, do not indent in these unique circumstances: the abstract, block
quotations, figure captions, notes, reference list entries, table titles, and titles or headings.

4. Margins. Use 1-inch margins on all four sides of the paper: top, bottom, right, and left. Old rules required 1.5-inch margins,
but these rules are now obsolete.

5. Page numbering. Number nearly every page in the paper, including the title page. Put the number in the upper-right corner
of the page, and use only Arabic numbers. Put the number “1” on the title page and the number “2” on the abstract page. Begin
the main body of the text on page number “3.” Do not number pages that consist of only statistics or illustrations.

6. Paper type. Use regular white, 20-pound bond paper that has measurements of 8.5 by 11 inches. If printing from a computer,
use an inkjet or laser printer to print the paper; if you must use a tractor-feed printer, make sure to tear off the pinhole borders
from the sides of the paper.

7. Parentheses. Aim to restrict parentheses to separate or divide items that are structurally independent, such as listing a number
or illustration that is associated with a sentence. If you are enclosing a full sentence in parentheses, position the punctuation
inside the parentheses. If you are enclosing only a piece of a sentence inside parentheses, then place the punctuation outside
the parentheses.

8. Punctuation. In most cases, use single space after all common punctuation marks, such as periods, commas, colons, and
semicolons. There are three exceptions to this norm: (1) do not use a space after periods inside an abbreviation, such as when
writing U.S. for United States; (2) do not use a space after a colon in a ratio, such as 4:7; and (3) some professors like the
outdated rule of using two spaces after periods that end sentences.

10. Slash mark. Do not use slash marks in your paper. For instance, rather than writing “blue and/or purple,” it is better to write,
“blue, purple, or both.”

11. Spacing. Use double spacing throughout the whole paper, unless your professor expressly asks for single spacing in
specific situations, such as with block quotations.

12. Text alignment. Always format the text flush left. Do not use the “full justify” feature on your word processor’s toolbar because
this will spread the text fully across the paper and align sentences both left and right.

13. Title. Center the title on the title page, creating a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters. If the title is long enough
to warrant a second line, double space between the lines. After the title, include your name, followed by the college that you
attend. If you do not belong to a college, you can substitute the city and state. Double space between each line on the title page.
Put the number “1” in the upper right corner of the title page.

14. Typeface. If using a word processor like MS-Word, opt for a Serif font, such as Times New Roman. Use text in a 10- or 12-
point size.