APA Format Essays Are Not That Complicated

When you are writing a paper for a class that is defined as a Social Science class you will most likely be writing all of your essays in what is known as APA style format. Most of the papers that you have written growing up, and specifically in English class, have been in what is called MLA format. There are a number of core differences that you should note before getting started with typing up the first draft of your paper. The formatting differences are easy to spot if you are trained in reading APA format, so do not try to try your teacher or professor, the guidelines are easy to follow if you have them in easy terms. So here are some tips on quickly and easily following APA format for essays.

  • Your essay must be typed
  • The paragraphs on your paper have to be double-spaced
  • Essay must be typed on standard sized paper (8.5” by 11”)
  • Must have 1 inch margins around the entire paper
  • Must be written in 12 point Times New Roman font
  • Include a page header, or running header, at top of every page
  • Include page numbers flush right

These are some high level tips on how to format your APA style essay for your Social Sciences classes. Your teacher or professor will be able to quickly identify if you have formatted your paper properly by glancing at the aesthetics of the font and paragraphs through out your paper. There are other guidelines; however, these are the most quickly identifiable.

As far as the map of your paper goes, there is a very definitive “map” of sections that will have to be included in your APA style essay. When you are writing an APA style essay there are four sections that your teacher or professor will be looking for right off the bat. The four sections that your teacher or professor will be looking for include:

  • The Title Page
  • The Abstract
  • The Main Body
  • The References

These four sections will have their own non-bolded, and centered heading at the beginning of each section so that they are readily identifiable.

If you are writing an essay that has to be in APA format for a Social Sciences class, then following these guidelines, and tips, is a great start to having the perfect format down in order to ace that essay!

Posted by July 7th, 2016

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