General Formatting

  • Overview
    • The paper should be: typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins on all sides, Times New Roman, font size 12.
    • The paper has four main sections (Title page, abstract, main body, and reference list) and many possible sub-sections, such as the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.
  • Running head and page numbers
    • The running head is a shortened title (no more than 50 characters, including spaces) that appears on every page.
    • The words “Running head:” precede the running head on the title page only; after that, just include the actual running head of your paper.
    • All pages, beginning with the title page, will have a page number on the upper right corner of the document.
  • Title page
    • The title page includes the following five elements: Running head, title, byline, institutional affiliation, and author note (if applicable).
    • The title page is always numbered Page 1.
  • Lists
    • Each item on a list is punctuated at the end by a comma, semicolon, or period – this depends on the grammatical structure of the specific list.
    • Numbers are followed by periods, and are never put in parentheses.
    • If a list is being made in-text, the items are designated by letters in parentheses.
      • Example: (a) item one, (b) item two, (c) item three, etc.

 (All information derived from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx)