By: Kaelin Jumaa
Are you taking a course in hospitality or the social sciences? Do you need an introduction to proper APA formatting? We at the newspaper club have got you covered! As a student who has recently learned all about APA formatting, I can easily guide you through the ABC’s to APA!
APA formatting follows a strict guide on how to format, cite, and write quotes in your paper. Although similar to MLA, APA has a few minor differences from the traditional formatting. It is important to note that the guidelines for APA can always be changed, and so it is crucial that you find the latest version of APA formatting before beginning your essay, article, or thesis.
The Proper Set-Up of APA Formatting
Of course, every student is just radiating pure joy when assigned a massive essay! Before your eagerness gets the best of you, you must first set your font to “Times New Roman”, size 12, and ensure that your work is always double-spaced.
APA papers always have the first page solely dedicated as a title page to list: the title of the assignment, your full name, your course code (which can usually be found written on your assignment instructions or on your class’s D2L homepage), your teacher’s name, and the date that the assignment is due, respectively. This information must be centered on your page. You cannot begin writing on this same page, you must instead start your paragraphs on the second page. Your title page must have the page number on the top right (which can be found on a Google Doc by clicking “Insert” then “Page numbers”). Your title page must also have the words “RUNNING HEAD” and a fully-capitalized assignment title with it, formatted like so: “RUNNING HEAD: ASSIGNMENT TITLE”. This information is placed on the top left corner opposite of the page number. Because the header for the title page is different from the rest of the paper, you must change the setting so that the header does not repeat for all pages (this can be done on a Google Doc by clicking the “Different first page” box when you are editing your header). Once you have completed this, you must scroll to the second page, click the header, and insert the assignment title (fully-capitalized) in the top left corner without the words “RUNNING HEAD”. Make sure that this is automatically set to repeat for every page that follows.
Begin The Writing Process (Proper “Point, Proof, Comment” Format) And In-Text Citations
After inserting your title page, you can begin your paragraphs on the second page. Of course, every essay has a general rule that it follows. Luckily, most papers-whether it be MLA or APA-use this writing technique! That way, you can clearly express your thoughts in a well thought-out fashion. The order is listed in a simple transcript below:
Introductory Paragraph
Your first paragraph is what, you guessed it, introduces your readers to your topic! You should state what each separate paragraph (AKA all of your “points”) are discussing in relation to your overall topic in one simple sentence. Remember to use eye-catching phrases without giving too much away (that’s what the rest of your essay is for!).
Middle Paragraphs
Here, you begin your “point, proof, comment” procedure, the surefire method to articulate your message in your paragraph(s). Your “point” is typically one sentence denoting what the paragraph will entail. Your “proof” is how you can support your “point” stated earlier. Your “proof” is where you will use other sources (like books, blogs, and websites) and your own knowledge of the topic to inform or persuade your readers. The “proof” is followed by your “comment” which explains the relation between your “point” and your “proof”. To end off your paragraph, you should have a closing statement that reinforces your previously mentioned “point”. The basic essay usually consists of three “point, proof, comment” paragraphs.
Closing Paragraph
To close your essay, you must include a closing paragraph that reiterates the “points” of your paragraphs and how they support your stance on the topic in one or two sentences.
In-Text Citations
If you choose to insert a direct quote from a resource, you may do so by simply inserting quotation marks around the quote and finishing the sentence with the author’s last name and the year of publication in brackets before inserting a period. If you included a quote from a book, you will do the same but you must also insert the page number the quote was on. Remember to always include the resource that the quote was taken from in the reference list at the end of your essay.
For example:
“Here is my quote taken from a website” (Author’s last name, year of publication).
“Here is my quote taken from a book” (Author’s last name, year of publication, page number that the quote was on).
Rewording a quote, otherwise known as paraphrasing, is another option for in-text citations in APA. All you need to do is write your sentence and insert the author’s last name and year of publication in brackets after your sentence (before your period). Of course, if you are paraphrasing a quote from a novel, it would be customary to also include the page number in brackets just as you would for direct quotes.
Reference List
Once you have finished your essay, you must properly format the resources you have used on a new, separate page. Your reference list should always be on the last page of your paper. The page must be titled “Reference List” and must be centered at the top. When citing websites in APA format, you must follow this specific structure:
Author’s last name, the first letter of the author’s first name. (year of publication). Title of article. Retrieved from (insert clickable link)
You must ensure that your reference list is in alphabetical order, that each reference has a hanging indent, and that it is all double-spaced just as the rest of your essay is.
Things to Note:
You should capitalize words in titles if they have three letters or greater.
Always indent at the beginning of paragraphs.
Whenever you use a resource (such as a website), you should automatically take note of the website link to refer back to when writing your reference list.
Numbers are only written out if they are below 10. (E.x, you should always write “one” because it is less than 10, but you should write “15” because it is greater than 10).
Never use contractions in formal writing unless it is a direct quotation. (E.x, say “do not” instead of “don’t”)
If you gain approval from your teacher, you can use the “Purdue Online Writing Lab” as a guide to writing a proper reference list.
To check your grammar, you can use free websites like “Grammarly” or “SpellCheckPlus”. Remember that these websites may use American writing conventions.
Is your English class coming up next quad? Check out my other guide on proper MLA formatting!
Got any suggestions for more writing guides? Voice your ideas in the comments below!
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