Writing An APA Research Paper: Basic Quoting Rules


Writing an academic research paper requires a standardized documentation style. APA or American Psychological Association is one among the most preferred and commonly practiced documentation techniques which observes predefined methods to be implemented. Apart from that reference citation, heading placement, text formatting, figure depiction, annotation placements and writing appendices also gets counted in writing the thesis.

Some elaborate APA writing rules for writing your research-

Page Format:

  • A white paper of 8.5” x11” should be used for typing.
  • The page should have 1” margins from all the four sides with double line spacing.
  • All the pages should have a header on which the author’s name should be mentioned on the top right corner after the page number.
  • The First page should highlight the author’s name, the course name, the instructor’s name and finally the submission date on the top left corner.

Reference Citation:

  • The text reference citation should have a format where phrase quotation should be displayed. It includes Author’s name, year of publication and page number (It should be written as p.xx).
  • The author’s name can also be written with year of publication and quotation (p.xx).
  • Usually, these documents should be written with complete source information at the end of the essay.

Listing References:

  • The resources cited in the text should be arranged in alphabetical order. They should be listed on a fresh blank page. This page comes at the end of the essay.
  • The source addresses should be centrally aligned and should be visible as “References”.
  • The title of the sources should be written in italicized or underlined format.

One you have written your entire essay, ensure that you proofread it. The above mentioned guidelines are stated just to provide you hint. In case, you need further assistance to have a complete understanding of the writing style, you should offer your essay a touch of professionalism. The best part of APA documentation is that the readers find it more comprehensible. Provide a unique and innovative touch to your writing. Make sure that it is plagiarism free and you do not copy the content intentionally or unintentionally. Genuineness is an integral part of your essay. Furthermore, to provide a more effective look to your essay consult your professors, seniors, scholars and refer to the dissertations of previous students. If nothing works, you can even take assistance of custom paper writing agencies.