Simple way to Write An Essay in APA Format

Every academic work requires correct formatting in accordance with the given style guide. Professional essay writing pages report that a discrepancy between the standard and order of text completed by a student results in an inevitable drop in grade. If you don’t want to lose points for your work due to incorrect formatting, arm yourself with tips for writing in APA format.

What is the APA essay format?

The APA essay format is widely used in areas closely related to:

1. psychology
2. Education
3. social sciences

The list of degree programs, which usually involve the use of APA citation rules, includes subjects such as sociology, political science, linguistics, nursing, etc. However, in this case, it is advisable to consult your teacher about the required writing format for essays in the Task is not specified.

Why is it important to organize the paper according to the specific rules? There is no additional option for the teacher to transcribe the work. In this way, you will get to know the ideas and results of research from outstanding personalities in the chosen field. If the APA citation rules in the essay are not observed, each quoted line is considered plagiarism, and the entire work with all content is rejected.

Here are some general tips on how to meet APA style requirements.

Basic rules for writing in APA format

The basic truth of the APA letter is “less is more”. There is no place for eloquent defamation on a subject, so all thoughts and ideas must be expressed in the most logical, simplest, and clearest way possible.

1. Margins: 1-inch margins on all sides of the page
2. Font: readable font without serifs (give preference to the font like Arial, Times New Roman, Tahoma, Calibri, etc.). Font size 12pt.
3. Left indent by a half inch for every new paragraph.
4. Double-space between lines, references, and block quotes.
5. Running head: capitalized, on the top of every page.
6. APA essay title page: Running head with a page number on the top, the title of the paper, centered, the author’s name below the title, the name of the institution below the author’s name.

How to write descriptive statistics in APA format?

Certain topics require the use of statistical data, charts, and graphs as evidence to support the argument. The APA style has many rules about how this data should be arranged. For example, use numbers for all numbers over 10, otherwise write a word. Number all diagrams, tables, and pictures in Arabic numerals. Here, too, use diagrams, images, etc. only if it is not otherwise possible to present the necessary information in writing.

Basics of the APA essay title

If you want to make the text more readable, headings are the best backstopper. There are five types of headings:

1. The largest font size is used and placed in the center of the cover page.
2. The title is in the text. Smaller than the title, in bold print, in the left margin.
3. Smaller than the title, in bold, indented from the left margin.
4. Smaller than the subtitle, bold, italic and indented from the left margin.
5. Smallest font size of the title, italic, indented from the left margin.

For a clear view of the title order, see the APA format essay template shown below.

Basic APA essay outline

The preparation to write APA texts is no different from preparing to write other academic texts.

1. You have an attractive topic.
2. Gather the necessary information from reliable and relevant sources
3. Do a search
4. Convert the results to written form

Creating an outline here simplifies the entire process and saves you a lot of time and effort in the future. Follow this general outline as you plan your research:

1. Introductory part: a short paragraph with a thesis statement
2. Body: 3 paragraphs with separate ideas backed by strong evidence
3. Conclusion: the paragraph that closes the text and answers / reformulates the statement of the thesis

Example of an essay in APA format

It might seem a bit complicated at first, but when you see an example of an APA essay it becomes crystal clear: seeing once is better than listening twice. This visual example of the correct format can be useful when comparing your sample and text and trying to confirm the order.

If you want to learn how to write an interview in APA format, follow the instructions for text citations. Remember, interviews should never be used in APA transcripts when there are alternative sources of information as respondents resent this approach.

How to write references in APA format

Here comes the most exciting part of the guide. Students are usually free to use information from a variety of sources – each source should be properly cited, whether it is a book, a tweet, or a music recording. The APA manual pays special attention to the citation rules.

So how do you write references in APA format?

The general rule for formatting quotes is Author, (Date), Title, and Publication information.

All further instructions are based on this rule: author (lead author, names of several authors), date, and job title. It is important to quote the name and the authors exactly as they are stated in the source, which is why it is advisable to refer to the source information when collecting the research data.

In this case, if the source does not contain any information about the contributor, the word order changes the title. (Date) information about the publication.

When quoting in the text, the surname and the date of the author must always be given as follows: Quote (author, date). It is also possible to mention the author in the text and then add (the date) at the end of the sentence.

Why is it important?

The official guide provides many templates for arranging all kinds of sources, both in print and online. It’s imperative to follow them if you don’t want your work to be treated as stolen paper.