Format Your Assignment in APA Style Like a Pro NOW

29 Jun 2019 2916 share it:

Kudos! For completing your assignment!

But, wait! Are you sure that it is ready to be submitted? Will it save your grades?

Well, if it is correctly formatted, then why not? But, if you have missed on this aspect of your document, our experts suggest that to get your dream grades on the same, you should format it accordingly. In order to help you with the same, here is an easy and perfect way to format your document.

To begin with, our communication assignment help providers have prepared a small FAQ for you pertaining to the APA style so, first let us consider that and continue further.

A Basic FAQ About APA

What does APA stand for?

American Psychological Association.

For what subjects is it applicable?

By and large, it covers social and behavioral sciences

Which edition is currently used?

The current running edition is the 6th one.

Now that you have a basic overview of APA, let us begin with the formatting task now.

Disclaimer: Don't think of this task as a daunting one!

According to our experts, the best way to deal with it is-

Just break your assignment into smaller sections and deal with each one of them individually.

*For this write-up we have taken an example communication assignment and formatted the same*

So, let us break our communication assignment to make it a perfect one!

Section 1: The Cover Page

It is often referred to as a title page. This is the first page that your professor will be reviewing so make sure it is pitch-perfect. To ensure that it abides by the APA style, here is a checklist for you to consider:

• To begin with, you should have a note of the following information
  • Your name (write it without any title and degree).
  • The title of your assignment (it should not be more than 12 words in total).
  • The name of the institution. 
  • Details of co-author (if any)
    
    

• The font style to follow is Times New Roman and the font size should be 12.
• Do not boldface, underline, and italicize any of the above-mentioned information.
• Write it halfway through the page and place it in the centre of the page.
• Double space the information that is being presented.

Sample Template to Refer to:

Section 2: The Header

The running head and the page number that you might have noticed above form the header of your document. Some basic rules to keep in mind here are:

• The font style and the font size is Times New Roman and 12 respectively.
• It is written one inch below the starting of the page.
• It consists of three parts:
  
  • The text- Running head:
  • The gist of the title
  • • Capitalize it and make it as short and precise as possible.
    • It should not have more than 50 characters (with spaces).
    • Place it at the top-left corner.
  • The page number-
    • It begins with the title page.
    • It is written in Arabic format only.
    • It is placed at the top-right corner.

  With this, your header for the document is ready.

  Section 3: Abstract

  If your assignment demands for an abstract, then re-read and it keep marking the checks that are mentioned in the list below:

  • The abstract page is titled as ‘Abstract' without a bold face or any other formatting. However, it is centralized.
  • Align it towards the left and do not indent it.
  • It is written in the word limit of 150-250 words.
  • Add a list of keywords consisting of at least 5 words. Indent it by one and a half inch too.
  • Italicize the keywords.

  Sample Template to Refer to:

  

  Section 4: The Content

  Now let us shift our focus to writing the content for your assignment. There are some basic things to keep in your mind here which are:

  • Indent your each paragraph by one and a half inch.
  • Be careful with your words, as according to APA, the terms that are found in the below-mentioned three resources are only considered to be valid and credible:
    • Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary(American English).
    • Webster's Third New International Dictionary.
    • American Psychological Association's Dictionary of Psychology.
  • Start the main topics with a new head and give them a bold face 
  • The sub-headings should be italicized.
    

  With these checks, your content is all formatted as per the APA style.

  Section 5: In-Text Citations

  An important element of your assignment that has to be formatted as per the APA style is in-text citation. There are two ways to make use of it in your document. But, before learning about it, here is a tip:

  For every resource that you are taking information from and wish to add it is as an in-text citation, make a note of the following elements-

  • The author's name.
  • The co-author's name (if any).
  • The page number.
  • The year of publication.

  Now that you have the relevant data, here are two ways in which you can use them:

  1.Narrative In-Text Citation

  Here the author is narrating his own study. In other words, when the author name is in the sentence this citation is used. The proper way to cite it is:

  Author's name (year of publication)... text... (page number)

  Sample Template to Refer to:

  

  2.Parenthetical Citation

  If you are not writing the name of the author in the body of the content but you are citing his work, then use this citation. Here is the format to cite it:

  Text... (Author's name, year of publication, p. page number)

  Sample Template to Refer to:

  

  Section 6: The Reference List

  The most difficult part for a student is to prepare a reference list for their assignment as, one dot (.) and change the entire reference. Therefore, one has to be precise on it. However, as there are numerous sources of information, it becomes cumbersome to deal with it. But, to help you with the same, our experts have tried and simplify the format of some basic resources for you, as much as possible. So, now it is time to learn about them.

  

  Expert Tip: Make use of our free reference generator tool to get a precise and perfect reference to add in your assignment.

  And Voila! Your document is all ready as per the APA style of formatting. See, it wasn't that difficult if you divide it into smaller parts! Thus, proving that baby steps can make you fly!

  Now, imply the same on your assignment and impress your professor.

  Good Luck!

Read this blog on 'how to write an Appendix' to understand the nuances of a flawless Appendix.