Format the entire paper in a serif font (the most standard choice is Times New Roman), and set the font size to 12.
Double-space all of the text throughout the entire paper. Do not include any additional spaces between paragraphs or after headings.
Set the margins to at least 1" on every side (top, bottom, right and left).
Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch. Set the rest of the lines in each paragraph flush left (i.e., starting at the left margin).
Add page numbers to the paper, using your word processor's automatic function. The page numbers should be Arabic numerals and located at the top right of the page, within the page header. Only include the number itself; don't add the word "page," the abbreviation "p." or any other markings.
Add a running head in the header--on the same line as the page number, but left aligned. The running head should be a short form of the paper's title, according to the APA, and you should write it in all caps (LIKE THIS).
Create a title page: On separate, subsequent, centered lines, write the title of the paper, your full name, the name of your college and the date you wrote or submitted the paper. Many teachers also want you to write the name of your professor and the title of the course. Do not bold, italicize or underline any words.
Write an abstract, which is a brief summary of your paper's topic, purpose, content and conclusions. (This is not required for every college paper; check with your professor to determine whether you need to include an abstract.) On the second page of the paper, write the word "Abstract," centered, at the top of the page. Press "enter" just once, and then begin the abstract flush left, without indenting the paragraph.
Begin the body of the paper on the next page. At the top of the page, repeat the title of the paper, centered. On the very next line, begin the first paragraph of the paper. Do not write the word "Introduction" as a heading -- according to the most recent version of the APA style manual (6th edition), you should not label the introduction; it is assumed.
Include a reference list at the end of the paper, after the primary text is concluded. At the top of the page, write the word "References," centered. On the next line, begin listing entries for the resources you quoted or mentioned in your paper. Arrange the entries alphabetically, according to the authors' last names. Start the first line of each entry flush left, and indent any succeeding lines 1/2 inch. Don't add extra space between entries.
Insert a parenthetical citation into the text of the paper any time you refer to a resource or author, mention or paraphrase information that you found in another source, or quote any words that you did not write. If you mention the author's name in the text, then immediately cite the source's date of publication, in parentheses; then continue the sentence. If you do not mention the author's name directly, then place the citation at the end of the sentence, just before the period. In parentheses, cite the author's last name, the date of publication and the relevant page or paragraph number: for example, (Orcutt, 2010, p. 1).
Italicize the title of a book, if you mention it in the text of the paper; if you note the title of an article, enclose it in quotation marks. When writing a title, capitalize any word that is longer than three letters.
Present all relevant publication information about your resources in the reference list, at the end of the paper. For each source, cite the author(s), the date of publication, and the title. If the source is a book, then also cite the publisher and the location of the publisher. If the source is an article, then also cite the name of the magazine or journal, the volume and/or issue number, and the page number(s) of the article within the publication. If the entry cites a Web source, then also cite the site's publisher, the date you accessed the source, and the source's URL.