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APA (5th ed. ) Format and Style Checklist: Part One Note: Page numbers refer to the location of information in the APA manual (5th ed. ). General Guidelines ?Font The font style must be Times New Roman or Courier New. The font size is 12 pt (p. 285). ?Page Headers Page headers should include the first two or three words of the title. Type the page header five spaces to the left of the page number (p. 288, 5. 06; sample paper, pp. 306-316, Figure 5. 1). Note: Do not confuse the page header with the running head. The running head is typically used ONLY for material submitted for publication (p. 296, 5. 15). Title Page Double-space, use upper- and lowercase letters, include a page header, and number the title page as page number 1 (pp. 296-298, 5. 15). Detailed instructions for the content of the title page are listed on pp. 10-11 of APA (5th ed. ). Main Body of the Text ?Margins All four sides of a page must have 1-inch margins, per University of Phoenix guidelines. (APA states at least 1 inch, pp. 286-287, 5. 04). Make the right margin ragged (p. 277, 5. 04). ?Page Numbers Page numbers must be 1 inch from the right edge, between the top edge and the first line of text on all pages (p. 288, 5. 06; sample pp. 306-320). Abstract Use abstracts only for University of Phoenix papers if they are required for the assignment. When an abstract is required, follow APA guidelines (p. 298, 5. 16). ?Title of Paper Type the title in upper and lowercase letters, center it on the first page of the text, double-space, and then start the text (pp. 298-299, 5. 17). ?Headings Headings indicate the organization of the paper and establish importance. Match the headings to the complexity of the paper. Use at least Level 1 to organize the paper more effectively. The title of the paper on the first page is not considered a separate heading level.
If the paper requires two headings, use Level 1 and Level 3; if three headings are required, use Level 1, Level 3, and Level 4 (pp. 111-115, 3. 30-3. 32). See the manuscript example, pp. 307-312. ?Justification Use flush-left alignment, leaving the right margin ragged. Do not divide words at the end of the line (p. 287, 5. 04). ?Paragraphs and Indentation Indent paragraphs five to seven spaces or ? inch. Use the tab key for consistency (p. 289, 5. 08). Paragraphs should contain only one topic. Do not use one-sentence paragraphs or lengthy paragraphs (p. 36, 2. 03). ?Punctuation
Use only one space after periods, commas, colons, and semicolons. (Punctuation guidelines are on pp. 78-88, 3. 01-3. 09; exceptions are on p. 291, 5. 11. ) ?Abbreviations The use of abbreviations is covered on pp. 103-111, 3. 20-3. 29. The first time you use a term, spell it out in full, followed by its abbreviation in parentheses (p. 104, 3. 21); thereafter, you may use the abbreviation only. Some abbreviations are accepted as words (p. 105, 3. 22). ?Capitalization Rules General principles of capitalization are on pp. 94-100, 3. 12-3. 18. ?Seriation APA does not allow bulleted lists.
Enumerate elements in a series to prevent misreading or to clarify the sequence, particularly if the sequence is lengthy or complex (pp. 115-116, 3. 33). ?Series Within a Paragraph or Sentence Identify elements with lowercase letters. The use of semicolons, commas, and colons in a series is on pp. 115-116, 3. 33. Example: The three choices were a (a) blue and white flag, (b) red and white flag, and (c) blue and red flag. ?Series in Separate Paragraphs, Such as Itemized Conclusions or Lengthy Steps These guidelines include steps in a procedure using arabic numerals (pp. 116-117, 3. 33).