American Psychological Association’s 6th Edition format is a popular citation style and formatting style used for academic papers in the social sciences. The following guidelines are for the APA 6th edition format.
- Title page:
- The title of the paper
- Name of author
- Affiliated institutions
- Running head (shorter title for the head)
- Abstract:
- Summary of key points in the paper, usually between 150-250 words
- Body:
- Introduction
- Literature reviews
- Methodology
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References:
- List alphabetically of all sources mentioned in the paper
- The format of each reference will vary depending on what type of source it is (book, journal article or website).
- In-text citations:
- For citations of sources within the text, please use brief parenthetical citations
- Include author’s last name and year of publication
- Formatting:
- Font 12-point Times New Roman
- Double spaced throughout
- All sides have 1-inch margins
- The page number is located in the upper right corner of every page
- To organize your paper, you will need to use headings and subheadings (format may vary depending on the level of heading).
Not all guidelines will apply to the 6th edition of APA. For specific formatting requirements, consult your professor or institution.