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Formatting guide

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Apa Formatting Guide

Formatting guide is the document that describes how to prepare the academic documents and contribution for submissions. The recommended guidelines are important to be read since they define the criteria for the documents, their design, style and content. Before submission it is necessary `that the contents are well summed up according to the needs, either in print or online, particularly if you have not submitted to the journal recently.

APA style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource is revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. The parts of a paper in APA style are the title page, abstract, text, reference list, and appendices. For all of your written work, you will need a title page and text. If you use research, you will need a reference list while an abstract and appendices are less common.

Title

Every paper needs a good title on its first page (the title page) to hook the reader. When writing a title, there is a need to identify the specific topic. Show the paper’s purpose (your thesis or recommendation or other main idea should be clear from the title). Then title page should catch the readers' interest (use vivid, specific language) with a use no more than 12 words (APA recommendation).

Header

The header is a separate section; it is not part of the text.using the Header/Footer tools, you enter the header section, type the title once, and insert the page number. Your header will automatically appear on every page with the appropriate page number.

Title Page

The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. Include the page header (described above) flush left with the page number flush right at the top of the page. Please note that on the title page, your page header/running head should look like this:

Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
Pages after the title page should have a running head that looks like this:
TITLE OF YOUR PAPER

Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may take up one or two lines. All text on the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.

Beneath the title, type the author's name: first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (PhD).

Spelling and Grammar Check

It is advisable for the document to be submitted, that it must run on the spelling and grammar check. Grammarly is a popularly used tool for this purpose.

Text

The text begins from page 2 and key formatting issues related to the text of the paper are as follows:

  • Start the text on the first line of the page.
  • The text should be straight along the left margin (“align left”). It should not be straight along the right margin.
  • The first line of every paragraph should be indented ½ inch (0.5”) or 1.27 centimetres.

Reference List

The reference list includes all the sources that are used in the paper. More details about creating the reference list are given in a later section. This section will just discuss the format.

  • The reference list starts on a new page after the end of your text. The reference list has the header with the appropriate page number.
  • Type and centre the word “References” on the first line of the page.
  • On the next line, start the first source. Each source will start on a separate line.

Appendices

One should include an appendix, or appendices, with the paper if one would like to give more detailed information about something, but it is too distracting to put it into your main text. And of course, you should include appendices if the assignment requires them.

  • Start each appendix on a separate page after the reference list.
  • Each appendix should have the header and appropriate page number.
  • If there is only one appendix, centre “Appendix” on the first line of text. If there are multiple entries within appendices, the first one is “Appendix A” and the next “Appendix B” and so on.

Harvard Formatting and Style Guide

Cover Page

Harvard formatting requires a very specific title page. About halfway down the page is the title of the paper, in all capital letters. Following this (about three lines down) is the name of the author. This is not in capital letters. Move four lines down and then put the name of the class, and, on the line after that, the name of the professor. Next line is the name of the school, then the city and state where it is located, and, finally the date.

Header

The header contains a short description of the title and a sequential page number. There are several key components to note. First, the title is right justified instead of the normal left or centre. There is only a partial title expressing the main idea of the topic.

The Harvard Template: TitlePage

The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State where it is located
The Date

The title is centered and capitalized whereas subheadings are “Italicized”and are for subsections. Content goes as same that of the APA format. Additionally, Harvard style typically asks students to use a standard font (such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier New for Windows, or Times, Helvetica, or Courier for Mac) at size 12.The whole paper should be double-spaced with smooth left margins and jagged right margins. In Harvard style, the titles of books, movies, long plays, TV shows, journals, newspapers, magazines, and websites are Italicized.

References

An actual References list is alphabetized by author’s last name and is double spaced with a hanging indent, which means that the first line of each entry is flush against the left margin while the second and subsequent lines are indented one-half inch. Note: There are several variations of Harvard style used in different countries and thus universities have developed their own manual for Harvard referencing.

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