1. A Simple Overview of APA Style
Common Places: Integrated Reading and Writing
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2. APA “APA” stands for the American Psychological Association.
APA style is a set of guidelines used to format and document papers written in the several academic disciplines.
APA

3. APA style provides specific instructions for formatting
APA style provides specific instructions for formatting. A paper formatted in APA style will have these characteristics:
The first page will be a title page.
The title page will have 1” margins on all sides.
The title page will have a “Running Head” on it. This will be set up as a header, and it will appear on each page in the paper. Notice how “Running Head” precedes the paper’s title. The title appears in all caps.
APA Formatting

4. APA Formatting
The page number will appear on the far right of the page in a header.
This running head will appear on all pages of the paper. The only exception is that on pages 2 and following, the words “Running Head” will be eliminated.
The title page will include the title, the writer’s name, and the college or university’s name.

5. APA Formatting
On the second page, the text begins. Each page includes the running head and page number.
Use 1” margins on all sides of the page.
Use Times New Roman set in 12-point.
Use double spacing throughout the paper, including between the title and the first paragraph.

6. APA Parenthetical Documentation
Parenthetical documentation is simply the use of parentheses within the text to show readers the sources you use.
APA Parenthetical Documentation

7. The parenthetical references you put in your paper will provide some information about the sources you are using. The references page that you will include at the end of your paper provides full information about the sources so that readers can look up sources if they wish to.
A References Page
Here is the information about the Mayo Clinic source.

8. A references page will contain an entry for each source you use in your paper, whether you quoted from the source or simply used ideas from it.
A References Page

9. A Few More Facts
APA Style has very specific rules for how to format in-text references (parenthetical documentation.) You will need to know these rules as you write with sources. APA style requires very specific formatting for the entries on a reference page. For complete guidelines, consult Chapter 14 of Common Places or additional resources available from your instructor.

10. The End