APA Essay Format

APA Essay Format

Aug 05, 2019 Updated on Aug 06, 2019

Writing a term paper is a difficult task, and there’s no hiding from it. No matter your level of education, expect that you will be made to write research projects and essays, as they are an important aspect of many of your courses, not to mention your majors. In some colleges, though, students are given an addition layer of difficulty, which can come in the form of writing your papers in the APA essay format. If you find yourself in a similar position, and wondering how to write in the APA essay format, then this post is for you. Here, you’ll find a simple guide to the APA essay format:

What is APA Essay Format?

Before jumping right into how to write in the APA essay format, it’s important to go back to its roots first and understand its nature. The APA is short for the American Psychological Association, which is one of the most popular formats in academic writing, especially in fields dealing with science. Various fields and subjects regularly use this style, too, along with the MLAstyle and Chicago style. Several changes have been made to the format over the years, but its basic format terms has not changed drastically. The APA essay format is composed of key points, along with technical formatting guidelines, which should be strictly followed as you write your paper.

The APA essay format, along with other styles, is an important of part of writing research papers because of credit and citing. Acknowledging others’ research and ideas that you used to support your own work is customary, as not doing so will result to plagiarism. If you’re working in the field, this means losing your job and credibility. At school, this means a failed grade or expulsion, or worse, the ruin of your academic credibility. Need help with your term paper or essay?

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How do you write a paper in the APA essay format?

It’s so easy to think that having to write in a certain style makes the writing task harder. But really, it’s integral to understand that this isn’t the case – writing in the APA essay format can actually make the job easier, as it turns into an easy-to-master guideline when properly used. There are key elements that comprise the APA essay format:

• The Title Page. This part includes the title of your work, names of the authors, as well as the name of your academic institution. This serves as the first page of your paper, so the text must be centered. Lines should be double-spaced below the main title, should there be more than one. Any additional information should be placed at the author’s note section.
• The Abstract. The abstract usually consists of around 150 words to 250, dedicated to a short summary of your research paper. All the numbers in the abstract should be typed as digits and not as words.
• The Body Paragraphs. Beginning on Page 3, the body of your research is the most important part of the paper, as it contains the “meat”. In it is where you present and support your arguments. When formatting this aspect, your test should be typed in flush-left, with around 5-7 spaces indented from the left. Ensure that you avoid hyphenating words at the ends of your lines.
• The Text Citation and References. An equally important part of your paper. To avoid being accused of plagiarism, remember to to take note of any text citations and references used within your paper.
• The Appendices. Although not necessarily a requirement, the appendices serve their purpose. Here, you can present unpublished tests, along with other supplementary descriptions.
• The Footnotes. Footnotes can also be incorporated in your own paper. 
• The Tables and Figures. Dealing with numbers mean that Tables and Figures are required. There are no specific rules when dealing with them, however, and you can style them however you want, as long as they remain clear and easy to understand.

Writing in the APA Essay Format: Some Technical Rules

There are many things to consider when writing in the APA essay format, but one of its important elements are the technicalities. In fact, if you want to write a good paper using the APA essay format, you need to follow the rules of formatting strictly. Here are the most vital rules you need to be aware of as you write your essay in the APA essay format:

• Margin – Former APA editions used the 1.5 inch rule, but now a 1-inch margin is utilized on all sides.
• Font Size and Type – All throughout the text body, the font to be used should be Times New Roman, with the font size at 12.
• The Spacing – The entire document should be written in double-space.
• Text Alignment and Indentation. The document should be aligned to the left.

More tips for APA Format Essay

Before beginning to write your essay or research paper, ensure that you find a topic that interests you. To succeed in writing, plan your work from the very beginning, and in this case, choosing a topic[HSC1] is crucial. Choosing a topic intriguing enough will make the writing process easier to do as ideas tend to flow more freely. Make sure that you choose a topic that is specific, and one that is supported by many other sources and researches. There must be a healthy balance in between, though, as a too specific topic will be difficult to write, and too general of a topic will not be interesting to read.

It is also important to start the research process as early as possible, as it is a long and challenging task. Patience is a virtue. List down all possible references as you read material to include in your paper. This will make building your reference section much easier – writing them down in the APA format essay is even better. Do not be afraid to create multiple drafts, and when you get to the final draft, don’t be hesitant to ask for help. Proofreading and checking for any mistakes is vital. If you need more help than just checking, however, check out CustomEssayMeister for help. We are a trusted writing service company since 2006, and our talented pool of writers willing and ready to help you out.

As you ponder about the kind of style you wish to write your essay in, consider the rules about the APA format essay above. It does not only serve as a guide, but provides a basic understanding if you’re confused as to which style to use. In general, though, writing your paper in the APA essay format is not as difficult as it looks, and utilizing it can definitely help make your paper look more professional and organized. College, graduate, or postgraduate, knowledge of the APA essay format will benefit you to no end.