What is APA and How to Use It
What is APA?
APA is a style guide that includes citations, referencing, and formatting and is used in a wide range of fields. This comprehensive guide seeks to break down the key components of APA to help you with your assignments.
Parts of APA
Cover Page
The cover page is the first page of your paper and will include a few key elements you'll need to master. In terms of general formatting, make sure you double space your entire paper, indent all paragraphs, and include a 1-inch margin all around (this should be the default setting so no changes should be needed).
Page Numbers
Always start off by adding page number to your header. To do this, double click on the top of the page or go to the Insert tab of your Word ribbon. There, search for the Header & Footer section and click on Page Number. Make sure you select the right-side aligned page numbers.
TIP: Don't forget to make sure the page numbers use the same font as the rest of your paper. For example, if you used Times New Roman, change the default (Calibri) font auto-generated when you added page number.
Elements
There are six (6) key items that MUST be included on your cover page: the title, your name, the university's name, the course name and number, the professor's name, and the assignment's due date. Always follow this exact order. Don't forget to double space all elements, center them in the middle of the page, and include an extra space after the title. Your title will be the only element in bold.
TIP: Avoid simply using the assignment title as your paper's title. Your title should be reflective of your specific take on the topic. For example, if you're writing for an assignment titled Paper 1: Communication Essay and you're writing about virtual communication, try something like Virtual Communication's Impact on the Workplace.
Abstract
Not all academic papers will require an abstract, however, it's good to familiarize yourself with the format just in case. The abstract is like a movie trailer; it will summarize the key ideas of your paper and conclude in your thesis statement.
The abstract should have between 150-250 words and include a list of 3-5 keywords. These keywords are key ideas of your topic. The abstract is the only paragraph in your paper that WILL NOT be indented. While the Keyword tag is italicized, keywords themselves are not. Also, don't forget to indent the keywords!
TIP: Stuck for ideas for your keywords? Have a look at academic journal articles with a similar topic and see what keywords they used!
Introduction
Intro
Your introduction is the first paragraph of your paper and should clearly present your topic and any relevant information needed for your reader to understand the context of your paper.
Your intro will start with a hook, which is an attention-grabbing statement. Attention grabbers are usually questions, statistics, or facts. This is followed by background info, which should help your reader understand the basics of your topic before your analysis. Lastly, your intro will end with your thesis statement.
TIP: Always repeat your title before your introduction paragraph.
Thesis
Your thesis will be a three-pronged single sentence that clearly establishes the purpose or goal of your paper. Your thesis will establish your topic, lay out the three key points of your argument, and frame your purpose.
Body Paragraphs
There is no set number of body paragraphs, however, you should consider each of the three points in your thesis needs its own paragraph. You might also want to add a counterargument paragraph before your conclusion if you haven't brought up counterpoints beforehand.
Heading Levels
APA has five (5) different heading levels, each with a particular purpose; however, most undergraduate papers will only use two (2) to three (3). So, what is the format and purpose of each heading?
Level I Headings
Level I headings are bold and centered. These include things like your title, your conclusion, and the abstract and references headings. Level Is are used to indicate main ideas. For example, virtual communication would be a level I heading.
Level II Headings
Level IIs are bold and justified left. These are used to indicate a subtopic of a main topic. For example, a paper about virtual communication might use level II headings to split synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Level III Headings
Level IIIs are bold, italicized, and justified left. These are subtopic of the subtopics. For example, synchronous communication could have level IIIs that include phone calls and videoconferences. Similarly, asynchronous would have level IIIs such as email or text messages.
TIP: Do not leave extra spaces between heading levels. Your double spacing and indentation will make sure your reader can distinguish between paragraphs.
Content
In terms of content, each body paragraph should consist of a topic sentence, a piece of evidence, and analysis.
Topic Sentence
Your topic sentence should clearly lay out the purpose of the paragraph and will always be the first sentence of your paragraph.
Evidence
Whether a quote or a paraphrase, evidence must be provided to support your claims. To insert a quote, make sure you introduce it and follow it up with analysis. Failure to provide analysis and/or introduce your quote will result in a dropped quotation.
Try to keep quotes short and use ellipses (...) to omit nonessential information. If you have a quote longer than 40 words, make sure to format it as a block quotation as shown in the video below. NOTE: Limit use of block quotations based on the length of your paper as they can be disruptive. A five (5) page paper should not have more than one (1) block quote.
You can also provide evidence through a paraphrase. A paraphrase is a summary or retelling of information taken from a source. The altered version needs to be substantially different. That is, it's not enough to change two or three words.
TIP: Don't forget to cite your sources! For direct quotes, include the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number. If no author is provided, use the organization/website's name. If there's no date, use n.d. and if there's no page number, use a paragraph number. Paraphrases only need the author's last name/website name and the publication year/n.d. as the lack of direct wording means the phrase can't be easily found in the text.
Analysis
Analysis should come after your topic sentence and after your source/evidence. This should discuss your knowledge of the subject and/or explain the relevance of sources used.
TIP: Avoid "stacking" quotes or paraphrases as this is known as patchwork plagiarism. For example, a five (5) sentence paragraph should have a maximum of one piece of evidence; the rest should be original ideas. Remember 80% of your paper MUST be original content. Summarizing other's work or relying on sources to make claims for you is indeed a form of plagiarism.
Conclusion
Every paper must end in a conclusion paragraph that restates your thesis, summarizes key ideas, and concludes with a call to action or key takeaway. Your conclusion should avoid presenting any brand-new information and instead simply show how you proved your thesis statement throughout your body paragraphs.
References
The final component of APA we'll discuss is the reference list. Your reference list must be on its own page (even when you're only citing one source), double spaced, in alphabetical order, and must use a hanging indent.
Not sure how to create a hanging indent? Watch the video below to learn! Below you will also find examples of the most common citation types: books, web articles, journal articles, and videos.
Still unsure about something? Feeling overwhelmed by your assignment? Want a second set of eyes just to make sure?
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