Most of the college tasks assigned to modern students have one common requirement - they should correspond with a specific format, so it is a very important question today how to write a college paper in APA style. This style has undergone many changes since its appearance and now it has become more responsive to the modern era of technology.
Today there are several alternative choices how to write APA style paper for college. It is allowed to use not only impersonal form but also a pronoun “We” that shows that a work was written by several authors. Another shift is made towards a more personal style of writing and use of active voice preferably. It is also important to use proper terminology. Avoid pejorative terms writing a college papers in APA format, though the evolution of the format will lead to making scientific work understandable to non-scientist too.
How to Write APA Style Paper for College: Basic Requirements
The idea of APA is in the use of proper formatting guidelines. It is necessary to follow such requirements about how to write APA college papers:
- Margins measurement is to be 1 inch on all sides;
- Font type is Times New Roman and font size shouldn’t exceed 12 pt.;
- The whole text should have double spacing. But there should be only one space after a comma, colon or semicolon and double space after a punctuation mark at the end of the sentence;
- Alignment is to be flush left;
- Running Head is a short title placed at the top of every article page and it is usually flush left;
- Short Title is a 2- or 3-word derivation of the title that is typed flush right.
What is the Order of Pages in APA Style College Papers?
Another important part in the procedure how to write an APA paper for college is the order of pages. According to the requirements of this format, every page number is placed one inch from the right corner and each academic work should have a specific order of pages.
- Title page is your work’s opening page. It should include the name of the writer or co-authors, institutional affiliation if there is and the author note (department affiliation of the book report writers, assistance acknowledgements, financial support, e-mail address etc.).
- Abstract takes Page 2 and is typed in the block format.
- Body takes Page 3 and several next pages. The text should be placed flush-left, and, also, each line of a new paragraph should be indicated by 5-7 spaces.
- Citations and References should have the author of the source, year of its publication, the name of the material.
- Footnotes. This part should be located on the starting line under the Running head and according to numbers indicated in the text.
Answering the question of how to write an APA research paper for college it is apparent that the main focus of the text written in this APA paper format should be on correct formatting. What else to keep in mind? The second important issue is language you use: all academic texts should be written in formal English avoiding repetitions and slang. Many requirements for APA style papers can be indicated by your instructor too, so before starting writing it is important to learn all the requirements of your instructor in order not to make unnecessary corrections.
