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BSAD C251 Guide for Vonetta Mixson: APA

Library Resources for Vonetta Mixson's Business Administration 251: Principles of Management and Organizations course.

General Formatting

APA Body of PaperThe formatting on nearly every page should consist of the following:

  • Margins should be 1" on each side of the page.
  • Use a size 11-12 pt readable font, such as Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman.
  • The page number should appear in the top right page header on each page.
  • Headings and section titles (Abstracts, References, etc.) should appear centered and bolded, without any extra spaces or line breaks.
  • The paper should be double-spaced, with no extra spaces in between sections.
  • Each sentence should have a single space between it and the next sentence.
  • The paper should be broken into a Title page, Abstract (if applicable), main paper, and References page. Each should begin on a separate page with a bold, centered heading.
  • Each paragraph should be indented 0.5" to the right.
    • Exceptions: Entries on the References page should have a hanging indent 0.5" to the left. The Abstract paragraph should not be indented. 
  • In-text quotations should include the author's last name, publication year, and page number in parentheses before the period.

Specific Pages

APA Title PageTitle Page

Centered in the middle of a separate page should be, each on its own line:

  • The Title of Your Paper (bold, 3 lines down from the top of the page)
  • [blank line]
  • Your Name
  • Your College
  • Course Number and Name
  • Professor's Name
  • Assignment Due Date, written as Month Day, Year

Abstract (if applicable)

If your instructor requires an abstract, put this on a separate page.

  • Center and bold the title Abstract
  • Write a paragraph summarizing your paper. Do not indent it.
  • If adding keywords, add a new indented line, italicize Keywords:  and list keywords separated by commas.

Main Body

  • Center and bold your title.
  • Indent each paragraph 0.5".

Most community college papers are short enough that only level 1 headings are needed. If your paper is long and you require subheadings, use the following formatting:

  • APA References Page

    Level 1 Headings: Bold, Centered, on a separate line.
  • Level 2 Headings: Bold, Left-aligned, on a separate line.
  • Level 3 Headings: Bold, Italicized, Left-aligned, on a separate line.
  • Level 4 Headings: Bold, Left-aligned, indented, on the same line as text.
  • Level 5 Headings: Bold, Italicized, Left-aligned, indented, on the same line as text.

Do not create a subheading for your introduction - Your title serves this purpose.

References Page

  • Center and bold References on a separate page at the end of your paper.
  • Each entry on the References page should have a hanging indent 0.5" to the left.
  • Include every reference you cited in your paper except personal interviews.
  • See the tab on APA Citations for the information to include in each reference item.