APA Common Issues
and
Format Tips
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
General Format
Your manuscript should References
include four major sections:
Main Body
Abstract
Title page
General Format
• Printed on standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”)
• 1” margins on all sides
• 12 pt. Times new roman or a similar font
• Double-spaced
• No extra spaces anywhere in article
• Page header in the upper left-hand of every page
• Page number in the upper right-hand side of every page
Title Page
Page header:
“Running head:
Title” (flush left)
Page number (flush right)
Title (in the upper half of
the page, centered)
Name (no title or degree)
Affiliation (university, etc.)
Abstract Page
Page header: do NOT
include “Running
head:”
Abstract: centered, at
the top of the page, do
not indent
Write a 150- to 250-
word summary of your
paper in an accurate,
concise, and specific
manner.
(Check journal word
count limit)
Main Body (Text)
• Number the first text page as page number 3
• Type and center the title of the paper centered, at the
top of the page
Headings
• Levels of headings and their placement
o There are 5 distinct headings (see Table 3.1, p. 62)
o They must be used sequentially
• For example you cannot jump from heading level 1 to level 3
o Always have at least a paragraph between headings
In-Text Citations
One work by multiple authors:
• 2 authors
o Smith and Jones (2008) or (Smith & Jones, 2008)
• 3 to 5 authors
o 1st citation:
• Smith, Jones, Martin, Medeski, and Wood (2009) or
(Smith, Jones, Martin, Medeski, & Wood, 2009)
o Subsequent citations:
• Smith, et al. (2009) or (Smith et al., 2009)
• 6 or more authors
o Smithers et al. (2011) or (Smithers et al., 2011)
In-Text Citations
Multiple works in one citation
• Always alphabetical when there are multiple
authors
o (Jones, 2011; Smith, 2009; Wood, 2007)
• Always oldest to most recent if they are from the
same author(s)
o (Smith, 2007; Smith, 2009; Smith, 2010) or
(Smith, 2007; 2009; 2010)
In-Text Citation with Quotes
Proper citation in the use of quotations
• Your quotation is a full sentence, which ends the
sentence - always use a full citation (author,
year, page)
o “Diabetes affects more than 285 million people
globally with 90% of the cases diagnosed as type 2
diabetes” (Cantrell, et al. 2010, p. 845).
Or
o Cantrell, et al. (2010) report that 90% of the cases of
diabetes diagnosed in the world are type 2 diabetes,
which is approximately 285 million people (p. 845).
References Page
• Center the title
(References) at the top of
the page. Do not bold it.
• Double-space reference
entries
• Flush left the first line of
the entry and indent
subsequent lines
• Follow format for books,
journal articles, etc.
Sample References
• Notice capitalization and punctuation rules
for books, journal articles, electronic articles,
etc.