Apa Formatting

Heading levels (student/professional papers)

Level 1: Centered, Bold, Title Case.

Level 2: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case.

Level 3: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case.

Level 4: Indented, Bold Title Case, ends with period. Text follows.

Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic Title Case, ends with period.

Match journal instructions if they override APA defaults.

Tables and figures

Number sequentially; each has a title (italic for table title in APA tables) and note if needed. In qualitative work, tables may display themes, exemplar quotes, coding frequencies (if used)—ensure tables support claims without replacing analysis.

Manuscript sections (empirical article pattern)

Title page; abstract; keywords; introduction; method; results/findings; discussion; references; appendices.

Qualitative articles may label findings “Results” or “Findings” per venue—follow journal.

DOI formatting

Prefer https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. If no DOI, use stable URL; omit “Retrieved from” except when needed for archival pages (see APA manual for current arcane cases).

“et al.” rules (in-text)

For works with 3+ authors, use first author + et al. after first citation (APA 7 simplifies from APA 6 in many cases—verify examples for your source type).

Block quotes (40+ words)

Indent 0.5 in.; omit quotation marks; cite after final period.

Numbers

Spell out zero through nine in general prose; numerals for 10+ and for units, ages, dates, statistics (many exceptions—consult APA tables).

GT methodology references (examples to copy-check against current edition)

• Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.
• Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity: Advances in the methodology of grounded theory. Sociology Press.
• Glaser, B. G. (1998). Doing grounded theory: Issues and discussions. Sociology Press.
• Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage.

Always re-verify italics, capitalization, and publisher details against your copy of APA 7 and publisher records.

Qualitative-specific tips

When citing unpublished interviews, follow APA interview citation formats; protect confidentiality in public documents. For reproduced excerpts in appendices, note IRB permissions if required.

Checklist

• In-text matches reference list (spelling/year).
• DOIs/URLs formatted consistently.
• Heading levels logical; no skipped levels.
• Tables/figures numbered with notes as needed.
• Block quotes formatted and cited correctly.

References (starting points)

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).