Skip to Main Content
Logo

APA 6th Edition Citation Style: Formatting your paper

Document set up

The following information are taken from the APA 6th edition Manual. See the page number that follows each style rule for more information.

Note: Your tutor may prefer slight changes to these rules; check with him for any variations.

Margins: 1 inch all sides, including top, bottom, left and right (p. 229)

Font preference and size: The preferred font is 12-pt Times New Roman. (p. 228)

Line Spacing: Double spacing should occur throughout the document, including quotations of 40 or more words. (pp. 171 & 229)

Page Numbers: Page numbers should be located in upper right corner, unless specified differently from your instructor. Be sure to include a page number on the title page, too! (p. 230)

Paragraph Indentation: Paragraphs should be indented 5-7 spaces or 1/2 inch. (p. 229)

Headings

APA Style uses a unique headings system to separate and classify paper sections. Headings are used to guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading. There are 5 heading levels in APA:

alt="apa headings levels in apa style 6th edition"

Seriation

APA allows seriation in the body text to help authors organize and present key ideas.

  • For lists where a specific order or numbered procedure is necessary, use Arabic numerals directly proceeded by a period.
  • For lists that do not communicate hierarchical order or chronology, use bullets.
  • For seriation within sentences, you may use letters (a) (b) (c)