What is it?
The American Psychological Association, or APA, style is widely used across various social science fields. APA emphasizes the importance of current research, enforces stringent guidelines for in-text citations and references, and provides recommendations on stylistic preferences.
QR code link: https://apastyle.apa.org
General formatting
- 1-inch margins on all sides
- Double-spaced and 12 pt font
- Page numbers in top right corner
Title page with:
- Paper title (centered, bold, title case)
- Author name
- Institutional affiliation
- Course name
- Instructor name
- Due date
Reference list
- Start on new page titled "References" (centered)
- Double-spaced, alphabetical order
- Hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5")
In-text citations
- One author: (Smith, 2023)
- Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
- Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023)
- Direct quote: Include page number (Smith, 2023, p. 45)
Reference list examples
Journal article
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page range. DOI or URL
McConkey, K. R., & Drake, D. R. (2006). Flying foxes cease to function as seed dispersers long before they become rare. Ecology, 87(2), 271-276. https://doi.org/10.1890/05-0386
Book
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.
Condon, F., & Faison, W. (Eds.). (2022). CounterStories from the writing center. Utah State University Press.
Book chapter
Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title. In E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.
Baldwin, D., & Smith, T. G. (2022). Stories of activist allies in the writing center. In F. Condon & W. Faison (Eds.), CounterStories from the writing center (pp. 133-144). Utah State University Press.
Website
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 15). About heart disease. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.html
Lecture and class notes
Instructor, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of lecture [Lecture notes]. Department, Institution.
Crull, C. (2024, October 31). Rhetorical moves [Lecture notes]. Writing Center, University of California, Davis.
Multiple sources
- Alphabetical order, semicolon separated: (Jones, 2022; Smith, 2023)
- Same author, different years: (Smith, 2022, 2023)
- Same author, same year: (Smith, 2023a, 2023b)