The document provides guidelines for setting up a paper in APA format, emphasizing the need for proper citation and formatting details such as margins, spacing, font style, and title page structure. It includes a checklist for essential elements like in-text citations, reference sheets, and formatting specifics. Additionally, it warns against plagiarism and outlines consequences according to the college's student conduct policy.

1. Setting up an APA paper

2. APA Format
The APA format is a set of rules for how your paper should
look
Find APA information in the student portal or at the
Purdue On-line Writing Lab -
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Cite (give the original source credit for) anything that is
not common knowledge
To be safe, cite anything that you did not know before you
read it
Give credit to the resources you use in a reference list
Write your paper first, THEN worry about formatting

3. Starting Your Paper
Create a folder on the S Drive
Click on the Word icon to open a new document
Save the document as “yourlastname_APA” in the
new folder on the S drive

4. APA checklist: Margins
In the Page Layout tab -> Margins

5. APA checklist: Spacing
<Ctrl A> to select whole
document
Home -> Paragraph Box
arrow
Line spacing: dropdown
APA format requires double
spacing, so choose the double
spacing option

6. APA checklist: Fonts
<Ctrl A> to select whole
document
Home tab -> Font
Dropdown boxes for
Font and Size
For APA style, choose
Time New Roman
12 pt font

7. APA checklist: Title page
For fresh page at beginning of paper
Go to top of paper
<Ctrl><enter>
Write:
Full title
Your name
Virginia College
Instructor’s name
Class number

8. APA checklist: Title page
Center it:
Select title page with mouse
Align on Home tab
Double spaced
Move to middle

9. APA checklist: Heading
Insert tab
Page Number dropdown
Choose Top of Page -> Plain Number 3

10. APA checklist: Heading part 2
Type your heading in next to the page
number
Hit the Tab key twice to space your title to
the left

11. Adjust typography
Center and bold section headings
Redo any long quotes that need to be indented
Italicize if needed (names of books)

12. APA Checklist: Citations
IN THE TEXT
(Authors, date, p. #)
REFERENCE SHEET
New sheet. <ctrl><enter>
Alphabetical order by last name or title if there’s no last
name

13. Hanging indent
Highlight or Select your citations
Select Home tab -> Paragraph arrow
A box opens
Under Indentation-> Special
Choose Hanging from the dropdown
.5 in the next box

14. APA Reference sheet:
Article from web
McGhee, P. (n.d.). 25 ideas for building fun into your work
setting. Retrieved from
http://www.laughterremedy.com/articles/25_ideas.html
Newton, P.J., Mulcahy, T.M., & Martin, S.E. (2008). Finding
victims of human trafficking. (NCJRS Publication No.
224393). Retrieved from
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/224393.pdf
Smith, M., Kemp, G., &Segal, J. (2010, May).Laughter is the
best medicine: the health benefits of humor. Retrieved from
http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_heatlh.htm

15. APA Reference sheet:
Article from journal
Shahidi, M., Mojtahed, A., Modabbernia, A.,
Mojtahed, M., Shafiabady, A., Delavar, A., & Honari,
H. (2011). Laughter yoga versus group exercise
program in elderly depressed women: a randomized
controlled trial. International Journal of Geriatric
Psychiatry, 26(3), 322-7.

16. APA Reference sheet: Book
American Psychological Association. (2010).
Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th
ed). Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.

17. of APA
Reference
Page
Alphabetical order by
author’s last name or
article title
Indent every line
after the first
Citationmachine.net
can help you create a
reference list

18. Use citations to avoid plagiarism
VC’s student conduct policy states:
The College reserves the right to place a student on
probation or exclude him/her from class or school for…
Verified acts of cheating including the usage of another
student’s work either verbally or in writing on class
assignments, homework assignments, projects, quizzes,
and examinations

19. Before you print
File tab
Print
Look

20. Student Portal
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