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APA Style – Standard Paper Format & Citation Guide – 2022

A student or an essay service has to write a lot of research papers and essays. However, when writing a research paper, you are directed to write it in a specific format. Different writing formats in which a research paper can be written include APA, MLA, ASA, AMA, Chicago, Harvard, etc. Since writing a research paper by following a specific format, writing it in a particular citation style is yet more difficult. In this post, you’ll learn the basics of writing a research paper in APA style.

All the citation styles have specific formats for writing a paper and adding references. Below is a guide to writing the paper in APA style.

Formatting Basics

Following are some rules to write any paper in APA format:

  • Double spacing in the entire text.
  • All sides have one-inch margins.
  • The first line of each paragraph is indented.
  • Use a 12-point font.
  • All the pages are numbered.
  • Page numbering is given in the upper right-hand corner of the header.
  • Use one space after the punctuation marks.
  • ‘Running Head’ or a shortened version of the title is written in the upper left-hand corner of the header.
  • It uses in-text citations during the text with a Reference(s) page towards the document’s end.

You will find similar formatting followed in the paper of a reputed essay writer services also.

Title Page

The title page in the APA format includes the following components:

  • Title of your research paper.
  • Author(s) or writer’s name.
  • Institutional affiliation(s).
  • Title of the course with course code.
  • Instructor(s) name(s).
  • Submission date.
  • A running head.
  • Page number.

The First Page after the Title Page

This page contains:

  • The page number is in the upper right corner.
  • The title of the research paper – is boldfaced and centered on the top. Not underlined or italicized.
  • Start your paper with the introductory paragraph with the first line indented.

Referencing Rules

It is always important to acknowledge and cite your sources while writing a research paper. Otherwise, it will be considered plagiarism. I know it is difficult and often makes you consult a MyPerfectWords service writer, but it is not impossible. A reference is given to render all the information about a source, such as a title, author(s) name(s), Publishing year, URL, etc. In APA style, references are given at the end of the research paper after the conclusion.

Some guidelines for giving references include:

  • Given on the new page after the concluding paragraph(s).
  • The word ‘References’ is used, which is centered, not boldfaced or underlined.
  • The reference page contains full references of all the in-text citations used in the paper.
  • Sources included are left-aligned and are given alphabetically with the last name of the first author. If the name of the author is not known, the title must be arranged alphabetically.

These were some of the basics of writing a paper in APA format. However, some students find it difficult to format the paper themselves. When I used to do my essay or paper as an undergrad, I always found it challenging. As a result, I tried to find other ways to complete my work.

Since it was challenging for me to follow some formatting rules properly, I initially adopted two methods, either requesting my close ones to write my papers or paying for essays to the essay writing service providers. However, with time, I learned the skills and practiced a lot, due to which I was able to write good essays that were properly formatted in a specific writing format.

Therefore, if you are a student, you will find this post very helpful in giving you an overview of the basics of writing a paper in APA style.

Major Types of Citation Styles 

Almost every student and researcher has to conduct research and write many research papers and essays at a university level. While an essay may have more leeway, writing a research paper requires a thorough understanding of specific citation styles. A research paper can be written in different citation styles such as MLA, ASA, AMA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, etc. Writing a research paper is tricky in the first place. Writing it in a specific citation style becomes more challenging at times, so students take help from a paper writing service. In this post, you’ll get a brief overview of the major citation styles.

Any citation style is a patterned set of rules about citing sources or references in academic writing. Every time we use or allude to someone’s work, we must give a citation to avoid plagiarism. All the citation styles have specific formats for writing or structuring a research paper and adding references – in-text citations, footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography. Some of the most commonly used citation styles include:

  • APA style in psychology or education.
  • MLA style in humanities.
  • Chicago author-date in sciences and notes & bibliography in history.

Every essay writer uses any one of these or some other citation style to cite sources in essay help. Before explaining the details that involve differences, it should be noted that all these formats use double spacing, one-inch margins on all sides, a 12-point legible font such as Times New Roman, indented the first line of each new paragraph, page numbering, and normally one space after punctuation marks. Their specifics are given below.

APA

It was developed by American Psychological Association. Originally, it was used in psychology as well as sciences. But today, a lot of disciplines use it. Some of its common features are:

  • Includes a separate title page.
  • The title page contains the research paper’s title, name of the writer, institutional affiliation, course title with a code number, instructor’s name, submission date, page number, and running head in the header.
  • ‘Running Head’ is the shortened title written in the upper left-hand corner in the header section. The right-hand corner includes the page number.
  • After the title, the page contains the page number. The title of the research paper should be boldfaced and centered on the top. The introduction starts with the first line indented below the title.
  • It provides the use of up to five levels of headings and subheadings.
  • It uses in-text citations in the text with the name of the author and year of publication.
  • It uses a ‘References’ list at the end for all the sources used in fuller detail.

MLA

It was created by the Modern Language Association. It is commonly used in literary studies and languages. Some of its common features are:

  • The first page includes the name of the writer, the name of the professor, the course code, and the date written and aligned towards the left. It doesn’t require a separate cover page unless specifically asked. In that case, the cover pages will include all this aforementioned information.
  • The title is aligned in the center, written after the submission date.
  • The introduction starts below the title with the indented first line.
  • The header includes the last name of the writer with page numbering aligned towards the right.
  • It uses in-text citations containing the name of the author and page number(s).
  • It includes works cited page where all the references used in the paper are included.

Chicago

It was published by The Chicago Manual of Style involving two versions, i.e., Chicago author-date – parenthetical citation in the text with a bibliography of all references at the end, and Chicago notes-bibliography – citing in footnotes in the document with a bibliography of all references at the end.  Some commonly accepted formatting measures of the Chicago style used by any essay writing service, researcher, instructor, or institute are as follows:

  • A separate title page includes the title of the research paper (in upper case letters), name of the writer, name of the teacher, course, and code, and submission date.
  • The page number is given at the top right corner of each page, along with the writer’s last name.
  • The page after the title page directly starts with the introduction with the indented first line.
  • The author-date version uses in-text citations during the text with the name of the author and page number.
  • Notes-bibliography version includes footnotes at the bottom of each page.
  • All the references are given in the Bibliography at the end.

These were some of the major citation styles of writing a research paper used in different fields. However, many students and even some researchers find it tricky to format the paper themselves. When I was made to do my papers for the first time, I did not know what I should do as it was challenging for me. So, initially, I tried to find other ways to complete such tasks.

As it was difficult for me initially, I approached an essay writing service to get my essays and papers done. Of course, I had to pay for an essay and acquire what I demanded. But I knew that I should have a thorough understanding of all the styles, so I practiced a lot to learn all the citation styles.

if you are weak in essay writing then ask a writing service to write your paper with complete instructions, you just have to pay them for their writing services and their payment depends on how much an essay

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