HOW TO SET-UP AN APA STYLE PAPER
Step by Step: Creating the Title Page
1. Running Head: This tells the reader that this shortened title will occur throughout the paper. The
words “Running Head” will ONLY appear on the title page. Only the shortened title will appear
on the following pages.
2. Title: The full title of your paper
3. Writer’s Name: Name of the person(s) who wrote the paper.
4. School: Name of the school where the writer(s) work or attend.
5. Page numbers: Always in upper-right corner, starting with number 1.
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Step by Step: Set-up the Running Head
To set-up the running head, follow these instructions:
Go to the INSERT tab at the top and click on HEADER
Next, select the header that says BLANK.
You will notice that a green menu shows up at the top. That is the HEADER menu.
It is VERY important that you make sure that DIFFERENT FIRST PAGE is selected. This is because on your
first page HEADER (title page) will be different from the rest of the headers
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Once you have done that, select PAGE NUMBER in that menu
Make sure you select the PLAIN 3 page number so that the page number is in the upper right corner.
Now you will see a number 1 appear. Next, add the running head. ONLY THE FIRST PAGE will have the
words running head and a short version of your full paper title. To the left of the number 1, enter the
words Running head: Short version of your title. Take a look at this example:
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The Running head and title should be moved to the left of the page and the number will stay on the
right. To do that, place your cursor between the number 1 and the last letter in your title and press the
TAB button on your keyboard 2 times and it will look like this:
Now that the first page is set up, just set-up the second page and all the rest of the pages will be the
same.
Step by Step: To Set Up Page 2 of Your Essay
Go to the INSERT tab and click on BLANK PAGE. A new page will appear.
You will follow the same steps above ACCEPT you will NOT add the Running head. Your page 2 should
look something like this:
From this point on, every page will have the header and page number automatically added.
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APA Formatting
NOTE: Please follow your professor’s instructions on how he/she would like the essay set-up.
General set-up is as follows:

The margins should be 1 inch all around.

The font should be easy to read. The most
commonly used font for students is Times New
Roman, size 12 font.

Lines should be double-spaced

Text should be aligned to the left

Each page should be numbered (1, 2, 3, etc.) on the
upper right-hand corner.

A header, which is a short version of the title of your
paper, should be located to the left of the page
number. This will be displayed on each page of your
paper.

The first line of each new paragraph should be indented 1-inch (except the abstract, it has no
indent).
What is the Abstract
The abstract is a brief outline/summary of your paper. Many times the abstract
will help readers decide whether or not the paper is relevant to their interests. In
many databases, the abstract is the first part you see.
When writing an abstract, keep this in mind:

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Why did you write this paper? Why would someone be interested in
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reading the entire report/essay/paper?

Give a brief description of your research and your conclusions. You will go into detail about this
information in your abstract in the body of your paper.
Sample Abstract:
Image retrieved from: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/pdf/Hacker-Mira-APA-2010.pdf
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Citations Within Your Paper
Whenever you present an idea that is not yours, whether you are paraphrasing or quoting
directly, credit should be given to the person(s) who presented the idea. There are a couple
of ways to do that:
1. Paraphrase:
a. In his essay, Jones (2005) argued that lack of sleep negatively affects grades.
b. Studies have shown that lack of sleep negatively affects grades (Jones, 2005).
2. Direct quote:
a. In his essay, Jones (2005) concluded that “Fewer hours of sleep resulted in the decline of
academic performance” (p.5).
b. “Fewer hours of sleep resulted in the decline of academic performance” (Jones, 2005,
p.5).
3. Block Quotes (40 words or longer)
a. Start the quote on a new line with NO quotation marks.
Jones's (1998) study found the following:
Students often had difficulty using APA style,
especially when it was their first time citing sources.
This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many
students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask
their teacher for help. (p. 199)
*Example of block quote taken from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
Conclusion
In the conclusion, you summarize your paper.
Some ideas to keep in mind:
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
What was the reason for writing this paper?

Summarize your thesis/introduction, don’t re-write word for word

If it was a research paper, what do you conclude from your findings? Did the
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findings agree or disagree with your thesis? Any recommendations for future research?
Sample Conclusion:
Image retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/
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References
Your references page lists all the resources you used to write your essay. Format is as follows:

Center the title of the page. Title it References.

The first line of each citation should be all the way to the left.

The second line and forward should be indented about ½ an inch or use the
TAB button on your keyboard.

The references should be on a separate page.

The reference examples below include a website, article, e-book and print
book.

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If there is no
author, use the title of the document.
Additional Resources
The following resources offer additional information about writing an essay:
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
American University in Cairo: http://www1.aucegypt.edu/academic/writers/research.htm

Brandman University’s Online Writing Community (OWC):
Go to www.brandman.edu and login to MyBrandman to
access the OWC.

Chapman University, Leatherby Libraries Style Guides:
http://www1.chapman.edu/library/reference/styles.html

Illinois State University (GREAT sample paper that tells
you how to write a paper in APA):
http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/APAsample.pdf

OWL at Purdue-Sample Paper:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

Palomar College:
http://www.palomar.edu/library/guide/puttingitogether.
htm

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/

Sample paper: http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/APAsample.pdf

University of New Hampshire: http://www.unh.edu/writing/cwc/handouts/

University of North Carolina Writing Center: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/abstracts/

University of Richmond Writing Center:
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/started.html

University of Texas at El Paso:
http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl1311/intro_conclu.htm

University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/process.html
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