APA guide · Printable

APA quick card

Title page (student)

  • Title: 3–4 lines down, centered, bold, title case
  • Author names: centered, next line ("and" for two; comma + "and" for three or more)
  • Affiliation: department, then institution
  • Course number and name
  • Instructor name
  • Assignment due date
  • Page number "1," top right corner
  • No running head unless your instructor asks for one

Headings

  • 1 — Centered, Bold, Title Case
  • 2 — Flush Left, Bold, Title Case
  • 3 — Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case
  • 4 — Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period. (same line)
  • 5 — Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period. (same line)
  • No "Introduction" heading — the title itself acts as Level 1

In-text basics

  • One author: (Luna, 2020) · Luna (2020)
  • Two authors: (Salas & D'Agostino, 2020) · Salas and D'Agostino (2020)
  • Three or more: (Martin et al., 2020) · Martin et al. (2020), every time
  • Group, first mention: (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2020) · after: (NIMH, 2020)