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The Title Page (See APA Manual p. 23)
A title page in APA should establish the “running head” and provide the page number, title, your name, and the
class (and/or university) for which you wrote the paper. Some professors may ask you to include the date.
Graduate-level papers and/or papers being submitted for publication may require an author’s note. Information
on author’s notes can be found in the APA manual.
The Abstract (See APA Manual p. 25)
An abstract is a summary of your paper. For most undergraduate papers, abstracts are not required. Ask your
professor whether to include one. If you are required to write an abstract, it should appear on the second page, in
block format, and be 150 to 250 words in length. For more information, consult the APA manual or visit the
WaLC.
The Content/Body (See APA Manual pp. 42-47)
After the title page (and the abstract, if you’ve been required to write one), your paper begins. Each page of your
paper should have a running header and page number and should follow APA’s formatting rules for headings,
tables, etc. Note that the header on the title page is not the same as the header in the rest of the paper.
Headings (See APA Manual p. 62)
APA recommends using headings to separate sections of a paper. Headings are particularly important in studies,
proposals, and reports. The rules for headings in APA relate to the “level” of the section. In order to make sure
you use headings effectively, try outlining your paper, or prioritizing ideas in your draft. It should be easy to tell
major elements from minor points. If you use headings, format them according to these rules:
Level 1: Centered, Bold, Major Words are Capitalized
Begin body text on the next line. Level 1 headings are sections like Methods, Results, and major elements. The
title of the paper does not count as a heading. The term “Introduction” should not be used as a heading.
Level 2: Left Aligned, Bold, Major Words are Capitalized
Begin body text on the next line. Level 2 headings are used for important/common subsections, such as
the “Participants” in a Method (Level 1) section.
Level 3: indented, bold, lowercase, with a period. Begin body text after the period. Level 3 headings
are part of the text of the paragraph. Only the first word is capitalized, as it would be in a new sentence.
Level 4: indented, bold, italicized, lowercase, with a period. Begin body text after the period. Level 4
headings are not very common in undergraduate and/or short papers.
Level 5: indented, italics, lowercase with a period. Begin body text after the period. Level 5 headings
are rarely needed in undergraduate and/or short papers.
Tables and Figures (See APA Manual p. 125, 150)
APA has very specific rules for visuals and tabulated data. For information regarding the design and the proper
citation of tables, figures, or any other visual elements in your paper, refer to Chapter 5 of the sixth edition of the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.