APA 7 Style

Welcome!

This guide provides a basic introduction to formatting papers using the 7th Edition of the APA Style Guidelines. For more extensive information, please visit the official APA Style Guidelines website.

On all examples provided throughout this guide, place your mouse cursor (or finger) over yellow highlighted areas for tips/explanations.
APA Style Website

Page Formatting

The first step in creating an APA-style manuscript is setting up proper formatting on your page.
Margins
Use 1 inch margins on all sides of the page.
Line Spacing
Always use double line spacing.
Font
I suggest that you use 12pt Times New Roman font.*
*You may also use 11pt Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or 10pt Computer Modern. I recommended 12pt Times New Roman because it is easiest to read in print and on high resolution screens, and it also conveys a serious, professional tone. Calibri and Arial are easier to read on small screens, but can convey a simple or casual tone.
Page Header
Use your word processor's built-in functions to add a header to each page. The page header oftentimes partially overlaps the top margin. The page header has two elements:
  1. The page number should appear in the top-right corner of all pages.
  2. A short title (called a running head) should appear in all capital letters on the top-left corner of all pages. The running head can be no more than 50 characters long. It will often be used by journals for various purposes; so, make sure it's good!
Note: Unlike previous versions of APA style, the running head should be the same across all pages. You should not include the words "Running head:" on page one.
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Headings

Headings are used to organize your paper. All headings are title case.

Level 1 headings are used only to demarcate the major sections of your paper (e.g., Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion). Level 1 headings are bold, centered, title-case, and appear on their own line, e.g.:
Method

Level 2 headings are left-justified, bold, title-case, and appear on their own line:
Measures
Text comes beneath.

Level 3 headings are left-justified, bold-italic, title-case, and appear on their own line:
Personality Traits
Text comes beneath.

Level 4 headings are indented, bold, and title-case—but text follows immediately after without a line break:
Global Well-Being. Text immediately follows.

Level 5 headings are indented, bold-italic, and title-case—but text follows immediately after without a line break:
Life Satisfaction Scale. Text immediately follows.
Heading Organization
Headings are organized hierarchically. This means that Level 3 headings identify subtopics within Level 2 headings, Level 4 headings identify subtopics within Level 3 headings, and so on. For instance, consider the following example:
Why Are Clowns Scary?
Their Noses
Their Noses Are Bright Red
Red is a Color of Aggression. Vivid red can sometimes trigger aggressive responses in people.

As can be seen in this example, the Level 3 heading ("Their Noses") is a subtopic within the Level 2 heading ("Why Are Clowns Scary?"). The Level 4 heading ("Their Noses Are Red") is a subtopic within the Level 3 heading ("Their Noses"). The Level 5 headings (e.g., "Red is a Color of Aggression") is a subtopic within the Level 4 heading ("Their Noses Are Red").
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How Much Do Southern Methodist University Students Love Peruna?

Students tend to love their school mascots.

Why Do Students Love Their School Mascots?

Students love their school mascots for a variety of reasons.

Relatability

School mascots are very easy to relate to.

Uncanny Valley

School mascots fall into the uncanny valley, which means they feel human, but not quite human. This freaks students out and makes them feel a sense of excitement.

Why Might SMU Students Love Peruna in Particular?

SMU students might love Peruna in particular because he is an adorable miniature mustang pony. Thus, Peruna is both (1) an animal and (2) alive. Both of these things might cause SMU students to love him.

Peruna is a Live Animal

Animals Are Adorable. People love adorable things, and animals are adorable. This is an indisputable fact, as most people love their cats, dogs, and other pets.

Animals Have Eyes. People love eyes. Eyes can make animals adorable. In fact, big eyes trigger parental instincts in many mammalian animals.

Animals Have Ears. Peruna has big, floppy ears, which makes him adorable. Big, floppy ears make Peruna seem safe and approachable, despite the fact that he is actually a dangerous animal that has the potential to grievously harm people around him.

Living Things are Fun. Living things are far more fun that inanimate objects.

Peruna is Named After a Miracle Cure-All Drug

Peruna is named after a miracle, cure-all drug from several hundred years ago. This may cause students to love Peruna the pony more.

Paper Sections

Generally, APA-style manuscripts have the following sections, in the following order:
  1. Title Page (appears on its own page)
  2. Abstract (appears on its own page)
  3. Introduction/Literature Review (begins on a new page)
  4. Method (no page break)
  5. Results (no page break)
  6. Discussion (no page break)
  7. References (begins on a new page)
  8. Tables, if appropriate (each appears on its own page)
  9. Figures, if appropriate (each appears on its own page)
  10. Appendix and/or Supplemental Materials, if appropriate (begins on a new page)
What if My Paper Has Multiple Studies?
Sometimes a paper contains multiple studies. In that case, the typical organization is something similar to:
  1. Title Page
  2. Abstract
  3. Introduction/Literature Review
  4. Study 1
    1. Method
    2. Results & Discussion
  5. Study 2
    1. Method
    2. Results & Discussion
  6. General Discussion
  7. References
  8. Tables, if appropriate
  9. Figures, if appropriate
  10. Appendix and/or Supplemental Materials, if appropriate
Please click the links above to learn more about each section of the APA-style research report.
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How Much Do Southern Methodist University Students Love Peruna?

Your introduction and literature review begins immediately after the title. Your introduction describes what previous research has already been done and makes a strong and compelling case for your study.

Method
Participants

Always describe your sample, including (1) total sample size, (2) how the sample was recruited, and (3) any demographic characteristics of your sample (e.g., age, gender, and racial composition).

Measures

Describe all measures used in your study. Describe each measure, give an example item or two, and provide the internal consistency (α) for each scale.

Procedure

Describe your procedure in detail. Competent scientists should be able to exactly replicate your study based on what you write in the procedure.

Results

Provide statistical analyses of your data, reporting effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (e.g., β = 0.32, 95% CI [0.24, 0.41])

Discussion

Discuss your findings in plain English, including their implications and limitations. Give readers a reasonable impression of what you found and its real-world implications.

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