Running head: TITLE 1
PAGE
2
FIRST PART OF TITLE
Title: In Two Parts
First Name Last Name
Name of College /University
Full Essay Title
This is what I call a skeleton paper, which provides a visual overview of how properly formatted papers should look. This skeleton paper follows the format set forth by the American Psychological Association (APA), which is now in its sixth edition, published in 2010. APA formatting and citations are described in your textbook, the DK Handbook, beginning on page 395. There are several variations that you will see in other online sources – be careful as many of these sources include out of date information. The OWL at Purdue is a good online resource to supplement your textbook and the course materials. The content of this document tells how to create a template for Word document.
Margins
APA requires the margins to be set at 1” all around. To set the margins, click “Format,” “Document” and click on “Margins.” Set all the top, bottom, left, and right margins at 1”.
Spacing
The entire paper is double spaced. At no point should you have extra spaces between paragraphs or sections; this includes the reference page.
Titles
APA papers must have a title, which is neither underlined, in all caps, in quotes, in a larger or different font, bolded, or in italics. Here are some examples:
Revolutionary Diagnostics: Seeing with Sound Waves
Waldorf Education: Head, Heart and Hands
Fat Tax: Force-Feeding Healthy Choices
Center the title in the top half of your cover page, hit enter once and type your full legal name. Hit enter once more, type the name of the college you attend. Your title page information is complete. A note about titles: notice that it is possible to make a clear assumption of the topic and goal of the paper simply based on the title. The topic is before the colon, the goal is after the colon.
Header
Now you need to add the header. Setting the header is not an easy task, as the header is different in the first page than it is in the rest of the essay. Go to “Page Setup” and click on “Different First Page.” Now go to the Header on the title page and type in Running head: TITLE, then tab over the to the left and type in 1 (Example Running head: REVOLUTIONARY DIAGNOSTICS. Now go to the header in page two, type in the TITLE on the left (Example: REVOLUTIONARY DIAGNOSTICS, tab over to the right and put in the page number by clicking “Insert,” “Page Number.” You will need to adjust the page number formatting so that it starts at page 2. Yep, that was confusing. That’s why I did it for you in this document. You are welcome.
After the Title Page
You are now ready to move on to the content of the paper. Do not hit enter 20 times to get to the next page. Simply click “Insert,” select “Break,” “Page Break” and you will be on a new page.
Oh look, here we are on a new page. You can see that the smarty-pants computer has already decided to number this as page 3.
Font and Sections Titles
APA requires Times New Roman 12 pt font – don’t try to get fancy or creative with the font. Save the creativity for your word choice and essay content. Section titles are required. Don’t get fooled by the section titles in the example in the DK Handbook; this example shows an author who actually conducted research. You are using research to defend your opinion, so your sections titles will be different. The easiest way to create section titles is to look at the topic of the section – this is then the section title (as I have done in this document – you know exactly what the section with be about based on the title). Ah, simplicity.
The References Page
Once you finish the writing content of your paper and have included all necessary components, it’s time for the reference page. The references get a page all to themselves. Click “Insert, “Break,” “Page Break” to start a new page. Center the first line and type References. Hit enter once (remember, no extra spaces), then left justify the line. References go in alphabetical order by author last name (no author? Review the guidelines in the DK Handbook). The second and subsequent lines are indented by .5 inches (use a hanging indent). See the example on the following page. Note: Nothing should be in bold font. The bold font is to point out the formatting for each example.
Now It’s Your Turn!
Well, there you have it. A document formatted following APA guidelines. Be sure to reference these directions and examples often – this should be your go to document for APA formatting concerns. It is my hope that with this template, you can turn your focus on the content of the paper rather than on the form.
References
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Publication Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Pages. doi:
Tsai, A. G., Williamson, D. F., & Glick, H. A. (2011). Direct medical cost of overweight and obesity in the USA: a quantitative systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 12(1), 50-61. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00708.x
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Publication Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), Pages. Retrieved from publisher URL (no doi available).
Twining, H., Arluke, A., & Patronek, G. (2000). Managing the Stigma of Outlaw Breeds: A Case
Study of Pit Bull Owners. Society & Animals, 8(1), 25-52. Retrieved from http://www.brill.nl/society-animals
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Online Publication Name. Retrieved from URL
Taibbi, M. (2012, January 28). A victory for the public on foreclosures? Rolling Stone. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog
PAGE