APA Formatting & Style Samples and Instructions Information adapted from: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2nd printing).
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most often used in the social and behavioral sciences.
Formatting •
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Proper formatting of your paper is important. Paying attention to formatting details shows care and respect for the assignment. A paper that is not properly formatted shows carelessness and indifference to the assignment. Formatting rules exist as a means to standardizing how scientific information is conveyed.
FONT o Size 12 o Times or Times New Roman o Double Space MARGINS o 1 inch margins o Left justification RUNNING HEAD and PAGE NUMBERS o The running head is a shortened title (no more than 5 characters) that appears on every page of the paper. o The phrase “Running head” precedes the running head title on the title page only. Every page after the title page contains only the running head title. o The running head starts at the 1 inch top and left margin o The page number contains only the numeral and is right justified from the running head.
Style •
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Use formal language appropriate for the audience. Avoid the use of 1st person and 2nd person pronouns. Avoid the use of contractions and abbreviations.
Helpful Tips • • •
Turn off automatic formatting in your word processing program before writing the paper. Refer to the samples in this style manual to help you format your paper. When in doubt, ask for help!
APA Title Page Format
Running head: VARYING DEFINITIONS OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION
Varying Definitions of Online Communication and Their Effects on Relationship Research Samantha Smith ELCO High School
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VARYING DEFINITIONS OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION Varying Definitions of Online Communication and Their Effects on Relationship Research Text starts here. Make sure to indent the first sentence of the paragraph.
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