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WEEK FOUR OVERVIEW
What Exactly is APA Format?
Since you have started classes at University of Phoenix, you have probably heard more than once that you need to write your papers in APA style. At first, you may have known nothing about APA format, but by now, you are probably familiar with some of it. We will discuss the rudiments of APA style, which fall into two categories: formatting your paper, and doing references. Although at first it may seem foreboding to learn these details, it really is not very difficult. The first part of it – formatting – will be simple to memorize. The second part of it, doing references, is something you do not have to commit to memory. Just knowing there is a reference book to use (and using it) is all you need.

Let us start with the easier part – formatting your paper. There are a few basic rules that always apply. Use a good quality white paper and print only on one side. Your margins should be one inch all around. The left margin is flush and the right margin is ragged or uneven, not justified. It is recommended to use a conventional typeface such as Times New Roman or Courier with 12-point font size. These things can be set on your computer so that they naturally are there for you whenever you type a document.

There are a few other issues to address in formatting. An APA document has a cover page or title page that shows the title of the paper, your name, and the institution, i.e. University of Phoenix, in that order. This information goes in a block in the upper half of the page. Each line is centered and is double-spaced. You can create a template for this that you keep in your documents, so that for each new assignment you can merely change the information. By doing this you will not have to count the spaces again and recreate a new cover sheet, which is a time and energy saver for you. Do not copy someone else’s cover sheet and forget to change the name. It could be embarrassing.

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