Home Scholarship Education Writing a Paper in APA Format: Tips and Tricks for Students

Writing a Paper in APA Format: Tips and Tricks for Students

It’s impossible to imagine studying in any educational institution without writing academic papers. Students consider them torture, a challenge thrown by professors, and they are partly right. However, these challenges have an important purpose — to help young people remember the information they got in classes, search for the information, practice academic writing, and many more. All these skills they obtain will benefit them in the future. 

But, to say that the most difficult thing in academic writing is writing itself won’t be right. Many students feel difficulties formatting and making their papers comply with the standards of a certain formatting style. However, if you can’t boast good writing skills and can’t master writing, it’s okay to pay someone to write your paper cheap. It’s okay to need help when you’re studying, and AffordablePapers offers students an opportunity to get affordable essays and other academic papers fast.

There aren’t many reliable online services, so you shouldn’t neglect this recommendation. You won’t find a better helper online. But our aim today is to tell you some valuable recommendations on writing a paper in APA, so let’s start. 

Ins and Outs of Writing In APA Format

There are many formatting styles besides APA, but this one is most commonly used in social and behavioral sciences (psychology papers); however, the scope of application of this style isn’t limited to these fields of science. So you shouldn’t get surprised if your professor asks you to format a history essay in APA. We know there are many guides and articles about writing and formatting, students use them, but they still can miss important points. This task is rather challenging, especially when you do it first. 

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Let’s go over the main aspects of APA writing. Read this information carefully and be sure your paper will be graded high.

  • The proper structure. Students who start writing an academic paper should always keep the notion of structure in mind all the time. We won’t describe the content of each section because it will differ depending on the type of paper you’re working on. On the whole, all APA papers have the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, result, references, tables, etc. If you write an essay, it will contain only the title, the essay itself, and references. Each heading should be bold and centered, whereas the sub-headings are bold and left-justified; the pages are numbered in the upper right corner.
  • Remember how in-text citations should look. It’s easy to get confused in all formatting styles and their rules. There are many online citing tools, and it’s okay to use them sometimes. However, you should anyway know the rules because tools save your time, not fill the knowledge gap. (Jones, 1996) — this is how the in-text citation in APA should look like. We advise you to keep an eye on the updates because formatting styles’ rules change with time, and new editions may change everything. 
  • Writing is impersonal. If you prepare to write a paper in APA, it’ll probably be research, thesis, or other scientific paper. It means that the student should focus on research findings, statistics, and other relevant information. Avoid mentioning “I,” “me,” and other personal pronouns in your paper. Editing and proofreading should help you to avoid these mistakes. However, there always are some exceptions as well.
  • Be attentive to language. APA style is not just about formatting. It’s about proper academic writing. Avoid using contractions like don’t, hadn’t, and so on. We also ask you not to use biased language. If you have to deal with a complicated topic, please, learn the vocabulary first and be confident about the meaning of all words you use. Check APA Manual to find out what words are allowed to be used.
  • Format your Title page well. You may be surprised, but teachers often “judge the book by its cover.” That’s why students must do their best to make a good impression from the very first word in their paper. The title page containing mistakes will hardly show you from the best side. The essay title shouldn’t have more than 12 words. It should be centered and located on the upper half of the page. Remember that all APA papers are double spaced, and this rule also applies to the title. 
  • Use the appropriate font. Times New Roman 12 pt. is a standard font for all papers written in APA style. Use it while writing unless your professor stated otherwise. All headings and subheadings should also be written in Times New Roman. However, more and more sources state that students may use any legible format like Arial, Calibri, etc. We still advise you to check the information in the APA Manual.
  • Apply the same margins throughout the paper. For example, the APA Manual standard is 1 in. margins on every side of the paper. 

We seemed to mention all the key aspects of APA paper writing. At least 90% of students make mistakes in these sections, so we want you to join 10% of the most attentive and successful students. We have already asked you to read this article carefully and repeat it once. However, you should also pay attention to the teacher’s requirements. Teachers and professors can modify the rules sometimes, especially if the paper is assigned just to practice a certain skill.

If you notice that the APA Manual and professor’s requirements contradict each other, don’t be afraid to contact your professor and ask them what to do. It’s better to clarify the issue at once to avoid getting a low grade. APA formatting style seems complicated only at first sight. If you devote enough time to studying this information, academic writing won’t torture you. Anyway, there are still reliable online helpers like Affordable Essays, where you can always order essays, research papers, case studies, or anything else. Professional writers will care about content and formatting, and all you’ll need to do is submit a paper and get the A grade.