How to Write an Essay in APA Format

Before we start, let’s first define what an APA style is. It is a way of formatting a paper, an official publishing format of the “American Psychological Association”. It is a universal type of format used everywhere while presenting research projects, general essays, etc.

So, how to write an essay in APA format? Approaching an APA format, first comes a ‘Title page’ (or) ‘Cover page’; this page has a couple of things to be discussed. In the top of the page there should be a header or running head located in the top-left followed with a colon (:), then followed by the title of the paper. For running head ‘R’ should be capitalized as well as all characters in the title of the paper. It should be provided in the below format:

              Running head : AUTOMATIC SHARE TRANSACTION SYSTEM

Running head should not exceed 50 characters, including spaces. Page numbers should be put in the top-right hand corner of every page. Font type should be ‘Times New Roman’, font size should be 12 pts. and double spaced should be followed throughout the paper. Three essential types of information can be included in the title page such as:

• Title of the paper
• Author name
• Institution affiliation.

In some instance cases, professors may require more information such as course title, instructor name, college logo, date, etc. 1” margins are needed to be kept all the way round (left, right, top, bottom). APA format has four important sections, in which the first one is the title page (or) cover page that we have discussed earlier and the remaining three sections are:

1. Abstract
2. Main body and
3. References

Abstract

Abstract is basically what the paper is going to be about. It should be centered, font size should be 12 pts., and font type should be ‘Times New Roman’. Sub-heading abstract should not be written in italic, bold, underlining, or quotation marks. It contains brief summary of the topic, data analysis, conclusion, future work, and implications of the topic. Everything should be between 150 and 250 words.

Body  

In the body, a topic and thesis are explained first. It is better to follow 5 paragraph essay format in which an introduction can be given in the first paragraph. Main points of the topic can be provided in the next three paragraphs and conclusion in the last paragraph. While concluding, review the main points and restate the thesis. It is also better to include images related to the topic.

References

In References, the format should follow an alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Every formal paper has a list of bibliographic citations describing the books, articles and other sources consulted, from which readers can find more information. These are also helpful to gain necessary information about the topic consulted. For example, while writing the essay, books, author (or) editor’s title, publishing date, publishing city, and publisher are needed. While writing articles, author’s name, title of article, title of journal/magazine/newspaper, volume and issue number, publication date, page numbers are required. In electronic resources, all information which is required in articles + url, name of database, name of database publisher, and date of access are required.

It is better to consult a professor if they need any specific requirements. Citation examples are provided as below:

Book:

Clein, P., & Taylor, L. (Eds). (2007). Media analysis. New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press.

Magazine Article:

Wilson, V. (2008, July 8). Breakthrough in technology. New Statesman, 224,38-40.

If you have any additional questions with regards to how to write an essay in APA format or MLA format don’t hesitate to contact SolidEssay.com.