apa format narrative essay

How to Write APA Papers in Narrative Style

How to Write a Technical Essay

Whether you are writing a story or an essay, narrative form is a way of communicating ideas by telling a story. The American Psychological Association, or APA, has a style guide for writing essays whether they are in argumentative or narrative form. The basic portions of an APA-style paper, such as the title page, abstract and bibliography, are essential parts of the essay. The narrative paper is more conversational and personal than other types of academic papers.

Format your paper with 1-inch margins on all sides, as well as a header that includes the title of your paper and the page number. Throughout your paper, double-space your document.

Include a title page that indicates important information about you and the work. In the top center of your title page, center the title of your paper. On the next line include your name. On the final line list your school. The title page should also feature a header at the top of the document.

Write a one-paragraph abstract that summarizes your essay. This is standard with every paper written in APA style. It summarizes the entirety of your paper in less than one page to give the reader a brief understanding of your argument. Even if you are not exactly positing a thesis for your narrative piece, the intent of your essay should be clear and introduced in this abstract.

Use a conversational tone throughout the body of the paper to engage the reader. This does not mean to ask rhetorical questions, provide excessive anecdotes or over-personalize the piece. Rather, it means to use idioms or slangs throughout the piece to keep it reader-friendly, instead of jargon and clunky phrasings.

Avoid excessive in-text citations that interrupt the flow of the narrative. While multiple in-text citations might be effective in other writing styles, they can make it hard for the reader to follow along in a narrative style. Pulled quotes and occasional citations are still effective, so long as they do not distract from the piece.

Include a thorough bibliography page titled "References" that credits your sources. Because in-text citations are not as common in narrative style, a very thorough bibliography is necessary to avoid plagiarism and give credit where required. Consider also adding numbered footnotes throughout to make the sources easy to reference.

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• Write Express: How to Write a Narrative Essay
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Liza Hollis has been writing for print and online publications since 2003. Her work has appeared on various digital properties, including USAToday.com. Hollis earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Florida.

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How to Write an Essay in APA Format

What is apa format, apa essay format basics.

• Steps to Follow

Frequently Asked Questions

If your instructor has asked you to write an APA format essay, it might at first seem like a daunting task, especially if you are accustomed to using another style such as MLA or Chicago. But you can master the rules of APA essay format, too.

An essay is one type of paper that can be written in APA format; others include lab reports, experimental reports, and case studies. Before you begin, familiarize yourself with some of the basic guidelines for writing a paper in APA format. Of course, it will also be important to follow any other formatting instructions that are part of your assignment.

How do you write an essay in APA format? The basic elements you need to include are:

• A title page
• An abstract
• An introduction, main body, and conclusion
• A reference section
• Proper APA formatting with regard to margins, layout, spacing, titles, and indentations

This article discusses how to write an essay in APA format, including the basic steps you should follow and tips for how to get started.

Whether you’re taking an introductory or graduate-level psychology class, chances are strong that you will have to write at least one paper during the course of the semester. In almost every case, you will need to write your paper in APA format, the official publication style of the American Psychological Association . It is also used for academic journals.

Such rules are generally the same whether you are writing a high school essay, college essay, or professional essay for publication.

APA format is used in a range of disciplines including psychology , education, and other social sciences. The format dictates presentation elements of your paper including spacing, margins, and how the content is structured.

Most instructors and publication editors have strict guidelines when it comes to how your format your writing. Not only does adhering to APA format allow readers to know what to expect from your paper, but it also means that your work will not lose critical points over minor formatting errors. 

While the formatting requirements for your paper might vary depending on your instructor's directions, writing APA essay format means you will most likely need to include a title page, abstract, introduction, body, conclusion, and reference sections.

Your APA format essay should have a title page . This title page should include the title of your paper, your name, and your school affiliation. In some instances, your teacher might require additional information such as the course title, instructor name, and the date.

• The title of your paper should be concise and clearly describe what your paper is about.
• Your title can extend to two lines, but it should be no longer than 12 words.

An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows the title page. It is not required for student papers, according to APA style. However, your instructor may request one.

If you include an abstract , it should be no more than 100 to 200 words, although this may vary depending upon the instructor requirements.

Your essay should also include a reference list with all of the sources that were cited in your essay,

• The reference section is located at the end of your paper.
• References should be listed alphabetically by the last name of the author.
• References should be double-spaced.
• Any source that is cited in your paper should be included in your reference section.

When writing in APA essay format, the text will include the actual essay itself: The introduction, body, and conclusion.

• There should be uniform margins of at least one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right sides of your essay.
• The text should be in Times New Roman size 12 font or another serif typeface that is easily readable.
• Your paper should be double-spaced.
• Every page should include a page number in the top right corner.
• The first word of each paragraph in your paper should be indented one-half inch.

For professional papers (usually not student papers), every page of the essay also includes a running head at the top left. The running head is a shortened form of the title, often the first few words, and should be no more than 50 characters (including spaces).

Steps to a Successful APA Format Essay

In addition to ensuring that you cite your sources properly and present information according to the rules of APA style, there are a number of things you can do to make the writing process a little bit easier.

Choose a Topic

Start by choosing a good topic to write about. Ideally, you want to select a subject that is specific enough to let you fully research and explore the topic, but not so specific that you have a hard time finding sources of information.

If you choose something too specific, you may find yourself with not enough to write about. If you choose something too general, you might find yourself overwhelmed with information.

Research Your Topic

Start doing research as early as possible. Begin by looking at some basic books and articles on your topic to help develop it further. What is the question you are going to answer with your essay? What approach will you take to the topic?

Once you are more familiar with the subject, create a preliminary source list of potential books, articles, essays, and studies that you may end up using in your essay.

Remember, any source used in your essay must be included in your reference section. Conversely, any source listed in your references must be cited somewhere in the body of your paper.

Write Your Rough Draft

With research in hand, you are ready to begin. Some people like to create an outline to organize their argument prior to drafting. You may want to start with a very rough outline, and then add details.

Once you have a detailed outline, the next step is to translate it from notes to complete sentences and paragraphs. Remember, this is a first draft. It doesn't have to be perfect.

As you write your paper in APA essay format, be sure to keep careful track of the sources that you cite.

How do you start an APA paper? Your paper should begin with an introduction that includes a thesis statement that presents your main ideas, points, or arguments. Your introduction should start on the third page of your paper (after the title page and abstract). The title of your paper should be centered, bolded, and typed in title case at the top of the page.

Review and Revise

After you have prepared a rough draft of your essay, it's time to revise, review, and prepare your final draft. In addition to making sure that your writing is cohesive and supported by your sources, you should also check carefully for typos, grammar errors, and possible formatting mistakes.

When citing information or quotations taken from an interview, APA format requires that you cite the source, how the information was collected, and the date of the interview. They should not be included in the reference section, however, because they are not something that can be located by a reader in any published source or searchable database.

Instead, the information should be cited parenthetically in the main body of the text. For example: “There was an increase in the number of college students who screened positive for depression/anxiety” (R. Heathfield, personal communication, May 9, 2021).

If the essay is in a chapter of a book, edited collection, or anthology, APA format states that you should cite the last name, first name, title of essay, title of collection, publisher, year, and page range. For example: Smith, John, "The Light House," A Book of Poems , editing by Peter Roberts, Allworth Press, 2005, pp. 20-25.

According to APA format, a two-part essay is formatted the same as an essay, however, you'll need to create two title pages.

If you're including a short direct quote in your APA-format essay, you will need to cite the author, year of publication, and page number (p.) or page number span (pp.). Quotations longer than 40 words should omit the quotation marks and be put in the text using block quotation formatting, on its own line and indented 1/2 inch from the left margin.

The cover page or "title page" in APA essay format should always include the title of your paper, your name, and school affiliation as well as the course title, instructor name, and date, if requested by your teacher.

Nagda S.  How to write a scientific abstract.   J Indian Prosthodont Soc.  2013;13(3):382-383. doi:10.1007/s13191-013-0299-x

American Psychological Association.  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; 2019.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Decode APA Style for Your Narrative Essays

The first question you are probably asking is, "What is a narrative essay?" So let us start with a narrative essay definition. In a nutshell, this assignment asks you to tell a story. Writing a narrative essay about the experience is common, especially if you have a story to share about a life lesson. A good example of this would be writing a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge.

On the other hand, it can be fiction as well. You should use colorful, descriptive language to engage the reader when writing a short narrative essay. The elements of a narrative essay remain the same as those of any type of storytelling: you need a purposeful plot, characters, a setting, conflict, and resolution.

However, your paper should limit its focus to one central theme since it is only meant to be around five paragraphs long. Since you are limited in the number of words you can write, you should get straight to the point in the first paragraph. Note that this assignment is often written as a first-person narrative essay, especially if it is meant to be an autobiographical one, although you can also tell a story about historical figures. For instance, you might be asked to write a narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass essay or other figures who contributed to civil rights. Ultimately, the type of narrative essay you write depends on your professor's instructions. But whether you are writing a personal narrative essay or something from your imagination, it must be compelling.

Main Features of the Narrative Essay Format

Now, let us discuss the narrative essay format. A good narrative descriptive essay should be meaningful and leave the reader feeling like they have learned something new. The length of a high school narrative essay will likely not exceed five paragraphs, while a college narrative essay might be longer and require more complexity. Either way, you should discuss this with your teacher/instructor so that you understand their expectations.

Here are the general formatting guidelines:

• Typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font;
• Double spaced
• One-inch margins
• One-half-inch indentation at the beginning of a paragraph
• No extra spacing between paragraphs
• Include a cover page (if in APA format. MLA typically does not require one).
• The page number on the upper right

While you might not think formatting matters, your professor would certainly beg to differ. Your essay should contain 1-inch margins on all sides, and if you are required to use APA guidelines, there should be a header containing the narrative's title along with the page number. APA also dictates that you include a title page. The title of your story should be centered on the top of the page; the next line should include your name, and the bottom line should list the name of your academic institution. The content of your paper should always be double-spaced, regardless of formatting style. While most essays require a reference page, this typically is not the case with a narrative essay unless it contains historical facts you researched from literary sources.

For those seeking expert help creating narratives that meet academic standards, consider exploring our narrative essay writing service . We offer personalized support to ensure your narrative essay is compelling, well-structured and adheres to all academic requirements.

Looking at a Narrative Essay Outline

Before you start writing your paper, it is important to draft a narrative essay outline. This will ensure that your narrative remains focused.

• Narrative Essay Introduction

As with virtually all essays, you must start with an introduction that lets the reader know what you will share. You need to set the scene, using vivid language to place the reader in that situation. It should contain a hook that attracts their attention. Something highly personal and emotionally moving can be effective, as can a surprising statement that catches the reader off guard.

• Narrative Essay Thesis

Unlike a research paper, you are not making an argument or proposing a theory. However, your narrative still needs to focus on a centralized idea, and therefore, it needs to contain a thesis statement. It can be something like, "Although I would not wish this on anybody else, it ultimately made me a stronger person" and then explain how this was the case through sharing the experience. You establish the conflict described in the main body and resolve it in the conclusion.

• Narrative Essay Main Body

This is where you go into full detail about the narrative, including your actions to overcome your circumstances. Remember that you will only focus on one plot since this type of essay is too brief to allow for subplots and elaborate twists and turns.

• Narrative Essay Characters

The interactions between the various characters are essential for driving the plot, but remember that you will not have much space to allow for much character development. Make the characters' roles clear and get to the point.

• Narrative Essay Conclusion

You will finish the story by discussing how the conflict was resolved and providing some reflection. The best way to end the story is to tie your conclusion back to the thesis.

How to Write a Narrative Essay Step By Step

Let us look at how to write a narrative essay step by step:

• Develop the Narrative Elements

Whether it is fiction or a real-life story, you will need to work on the plot, characters, setting (it could be something broad like Chicago or general like a gas station in some town that is never specified), conflict (the issue that created the tension), and resolution (how the problem was solved).

• Build the Story Around Your Thesis

As previously mentioned, a thesis will serve as the foundation for the entire story. It gives the story purpose and informs the reader about the narrative's takeaway, such as the lessons learned from the experience. Avoid including details that are irrelevant to the story.

• Use Clear Writing and Structure

Your narrative essay structure, as is your choice of words, is extremely important. You do not want to leave the reader confused or unclear about the direction of the narrative. As you write, the story might make sense in your mind, but that does not necessarily mean the audience will understand it. This is why asking a friend or family member to read your drafts is important. They will be able to point out any flaws or ambiguities.

• Revise Your Essay

When you finish writing your literacy narrative essay, you might feel tempted to turn it in as it is; however, this would be a mistake. Checking it for grammar mistakes, typos, and proper flow is important. Do not proofread immediately after you have completed the draft; you should sit on it for a few hours and then look it over with fresh eyes.

What Is a Thesis Statement for a Narrative Essay?

The thesis statement for a narrative essay is important because it provides direction for the entire paper. While, unlike a scientific research paper, you are not making an argument that you plan to support using scholarly sources, the key plot points of the story still need to revolve around your thesis statement. Right off the bat, you want the reader to understand the purpose of your story and what they can learn from it. It should be catchy and give the audience a reason to read the entire essay.

For instance, you would not want to write, "Visiting Paris for the first time brought out all sorts of emotions." A better thesis would be, "After smelling the freshly roasted coffee emitting from the cafes that lined the streets of Paris, I immediately realized I was in for a warm, cozy experience." In the second example, you are using colorful, vivid descriptions that the audience can relate to, giving them a taste of what to expect as they detail their trip to Paris.

How to Start a Narrative Essay?

Still not sure how to start a narrative essay? Here are some pointers. First of all, you must get it started on the right foot. After all, if you lose your readers right away, they will not be interested in reading your story. Therefore, you do not want it boring, nor should you strive to create an incoherent word salad. Your introduction can be humorous or serious and thought-provoking, but no matter what direction you take, it needs to be something the audience can relate to. Here are some good ways to capture the reader's attention:

• Start with a quote that is relevant to your narrative.
• Share an interesting fact, especially one that served as motivation for the choices you make in the story.
• Begin with a surprising statement
• Provide some details about the setting as a way to establish the mood
• Inform the reader with a few statistics that are related to your story

How to End a Narrative Essay: Useful Hints

Knowing how to end a narrative essay can go a long way in influencing the reader. You obviously will not conclude this paper the same way you would with an argumentative essay. In other words, summarizing the story and restating the thesis would not make sense for a narrative essay. However, concluding by reflecting on the lessons learned is still important. For example, if your narrative was based on an experience that took place a decade ago, you might now fast forward to the present and explain how the older, wiser version of you has changed due to what you went through.

Depending on your objectives, the conclusion of your narrative could serve as a way to tie up loose ends. On the other hand, if the point is to remind the reader that nothing is ever certain in life or that real life does not always turn out the way it does in fairytales, you can finish with a bittersweet statement acknowledging this. Sometimes, a narrative's conclusion is not true but a chance for the reader to imagine what happens next.

After all, not every narrative has to provide the reader with all the answers. Even if you end the story this way, you do not want to be too abrupt. For example, you might end the narrative with the character being left with a couple of choices but not reveal which one they ultimately decide. On the other hand, it would not make sense to have a character enter a restaurant in the final sentence and have that be the ending without establishing any motives or providing context.

Finally, a big mistake that inexperienced writers make when doing a narrative essay is that they want to spoon-feed the reader and tell them how they should feel. But this is not the right approach. Instead of telling the reader that they should be happy for the character, you should allow the character's actions and words to speak for themselves.

Crafting Impactful Narratives: Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, writing a narrative essay is both an art and a strategic endeavor. This form of essay is about recounting events and weaving a cohesive and engaging story that resonates with the reader's emotions and intellect. A successful narrative essay hinges on a clear, concise theme enriched with vivid descriptions and a personal touch, drawing the reader into the writer's world. It requires a balancing act of creativity and structure, beginning with a compelling hook, progressing through a well-defined thesis, and culminating in a conclusion that not only reflects on the journey but also emphasizes the broader implications of the narrative. By meticulously aligning these elements, writers can transcend beyond simple storytelling to deliver memorable but also insightful and reflective narratives. Such essays do more than satisfy academic criteria—they engage, inspire, and challenge readers to see the world differently.

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A step-by-step guide for creating and formatting APA Style student papers

The start of the semester is the perfect time to learn how to create and format APA Style student papers. This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections of a student paper: the title page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list. Finally, it concludes by describing how to organize student papers and ways to improve their quality and presentation.

The guidelines for student paper setup are described and shown using annotated diagrams in the Student Paper Setup Guide (PDF, 3.40MB) and the A Step-by-Step Guide to APA Style Student Papers webinar . Chapter 1 of the Concise Guide to APA Style and Chapter 2 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association describe the elements, format, and organization for student papers. Tables and figures are covered in Chapter 7 of both books. Information on paper format and tables and figures and a full sample student paper are also available on the APA Style website.

Basic setup

The guidelines for basic setup apply to the entire paper. Perform these steps when you first open your document, and then you do not have to worry about them again while writing your paper. Because these are general aspects of paper formatting, they apply to all APA Style papers, student or professional. Students should always check with their assigning instructor or institution for specific guidelines for their papers, which may be different than or in addition to APA Style guidelines.

Seventh edition APA Style was designed with modern word-processing programs in mind. Most default settings in programs such as Academic Writer, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs already comply with APA Style. This means that, for most paper elements, you do not have to make any changes to the default settings of your word-processing program. However, you may need to make a few adjustments before you begin writing.

Use 1-in. margins on all sides of the page (top, bottom, left, and right). This is usually how papers are automatically set.

Use a legible font. The default font of your word-processing program is acceptable. Many sans serif and serif fonts can be used in APA Style, including 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia. You can also use other fonts described on the font page of the website.

Line spacing

Double-space the entire paper including the title page, block quotations, and the reference list. This is something you usually must set using the paragraph function of your word-processing program. But once you do, you will not have to change the spacing for the entirety of your paper–just double-space everything. Do not add blank lines before or after headings. Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs. For paper sections with different line spacing, see the line spacing page.

Paragraph alignment and indentation

Align all paragraphs of text in the body of your paper to the left margin. Leave the right margin ragged. Do not use full justification. Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5-in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. For paper sections with different alignment and indentation, see the paragraph alignment and indentation page.

Page numbers

Put a page number in the top right of every page header , including the title page, starting with page number 1. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word-processing program to insert the page number in the top right corner; do not type the page numbers manually. The page number is the same font and font size as the text of your paper. Student papers do not require a running head on any page, unless specifically requested by the instructor.

Title page setup

Title page elements.

APA Style has two title page formats: student and professional (for details, see title page setup ). Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:

• Paper title.
• Name of each author (also known as the byline).
• Affiliation for each author.
• Course number and name.
• Instructor name.
• Assignment due date.
• Page number 1 in the top right corner of the page header.

The format for the byline depends on whether the paper has one author, two authors, or three or more authors.

• When the paper has one author, write the name on its own line (e.g., Jasmine C. Hernandez).
• When the paper has two authors, write the names on the same line and separate them with the word “and” (e.g., Upton J. Wang and Natalia Dominguez).
• When the paper has three or more authors, separate the names with commas and include “and” before the final author’s name (e.g., Malia Mohamed, Jaylen T. Brown, and Nia L. Ball).

Students have an academic affiliation, which identities where they studied when the paper was written. Because students working together on a paper are usually in the same class, they will have one shared affiliation. The affiliation consists of the name of the department and the name of the college or university, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychology, George Mason University). The department is that of the course to which the paper is being submitted, which may be different than the department of the student’s major. Do not include the location unless it is part of the institution’s name.

Write the course number and name and the instructor name as shown on institutional materials (e.g., the syllabus). The course number and name are often separated by a colon (e.g., PST-4510: History and Systems Psychology). Write the assignment due date in the month, date, and year format used in your country (e.g., Sept. 10, 2020).

Title page line spacing

Double-space the whole title page. Place the paper title three or four lines down from the top of the page. Add an extra double-spaced blank like between the paper title and the byline. Then, list the other title page elements on separate lines, without extra lines in between.

Title page alignment

Center all title page elements (except the right-aligned page number in the header).

Title page font

Write the title page using the same font and font size as the rest of your paper. Bold the paper title. Use standard font (i.e., no bold, no italics) for all other title page elements.

Text elements

Repeat the paper title at the top of the first page of text. Begin the paper with an introduction to provide background on the topic, cite related studies, and contextualize the paper. Use descriptive headings to identify other sections as needed (e.g., Method, Results, Discussion for quantitative research papers). Sections and headings vary depending on the paper type and its complexity. Text can include tables and figures, block quotations, headings, and footnotes.

Text line spacing

Double-space all text, including headings and section labels, paragraphs of text, and block quotations.

Text alignment

Center the paper title on the first line of the text. Indent the first line of all paragraphs 0.5-in.

Left-align the text. Leave the right margin ragged.

Block quotation alignment

Indent the whole block quotation 0.5-in. from the left margin. Double-space the block quotation, the same as other body text. Find more information on the quotations page.

Use the same font throughout the entire paper. Write body text in standard (nonbold, nonitalic) font. Bold only headings and section labels. Use italics sparingly, for instance, to highlight a key term on first use (for more information, see the italics page).

Headings format

For detailed guidance on formatting headings, including headings in the introduction of a paper, see the headings page and the headings in sample papers .

• Alignment: Center Level 1 headings. Left-align Level 2 and Level 3 headings. Indent Level 4 and Level 5 headings like a regular paragraph.
• Font: Boldface all headings. Also italicize Level 3 and Level 5 headings. Create heading styles using your word-processing program (built into AcademicWriter, available for Word via the sample papers on the APA Style website).

Tables and figures setup

Tables and figures are only included in student papers if needed for the assignment. Tables and figures share the same elements and layout. See the website for sample tables and sample figures .

Table elements

Tables include the following four elements: 

• Body (rows and columns)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the table)

Figure elements

Figures include the following four elements: 

• Image (chart, graph, etc.)
• Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the figure)

Table line spacing

Double-space the table number and title. Single-, 1.5-, or double-space the table body (adjust as needed for readability). Double-space the table note.

Figure line spacing

Double-space the figure number and title. The default settings for spacing in figure images is usually acceptable (but adjust the spacing as needed for readability). Double-space the figure note.

Table alignment

Left-align the table number and title. Center column headings. Left-align the table itself and left-align the leftmost (stub) column. Center data in the table body if it is short or left-align the data if it is long. Left-align the table note.

Figure alignment

Left-align the figure number and title. Left-align the whole figure image. The default alignment of the program in which you created your figure is usually acceptable for axis titles and data labels. Left-align the figure note.

Bold the table number. Italicize the table title. Use the same font and font size in the table body as the text of your paper. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the table note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Figure font

Bold the figure number. Italicize the figure title. Use a sans serif font (e.g., Calibri, Arial) in the figure image in a size between 8 to 14 points. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the figure note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Placement of tables and figures

There are two options for the placement of tables and figures in an APA Style paper. The first option is to place all tables and figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each table and figure within the text after its first callout. This guide describes options for the placement of tables and figures embedded in the text. If your instructor requires tables and figures to be placed at the end of the paper, see the table and figure guidelines and the sample professional paper .

Call out (mention) the table or figure in the text before embedding it (e.g., write “see Figure 1” or “Table 1 presents”). You can place the table or figure after the callout either at the bottom of the page, at the top of the next page, or by itself on the next page. Avoid placing tables and figures in the middle of the page.

Embedding at the bottom of the page

Include a callout to the table or figure in the text before that table or figure. Add a blank double-spaced line between the text and the table or figure at the bottom of the page.

Embedding at the top of the page

Include a callout to the table in the text on the previous page before that table or figure. The table or figure then appears at the top of the next page. Add a blank double-spaced line between the end of the table or figure and the text that follows.

Embedding on its own page

Embed long tables or large figures on their own page if needed. The text continues on the next page.

Reference list setup

Reference list elements.

The reference list consists of the “References” section label and the alphabetical list of references. View reference examples on the APA Style website. Consult Chapter 10 in both the Concise Guide and Publication Manual for even more examples.

Reference list line spacing

Start the reference list at the top of a new page after the text. Double-space the entire reference list (both within and between entries).

Reference list alignment

Center the “References” label. Apply a hanging indent of 0.5-in. to all reference list entries. Create the hanging indent using your word-processing program; do not manually hit the enter and tab keys.

Reference list font

Bold the “References” label at the top of the first page of references. Use italics within reference list entries on either the title (e.g., webpages, books, reports) or on the source (e.g., journal articles, edited book chapters).

Final checks

Check page order.

• Start each section on a new page.
• Arrange pages in the following order:
• Title page (page 1).
• Text (starts on page 2).
• Reference list (starts on a new page after the text).

Check headings

• Check that headings accurately reflect the content in each section.
• Start each main section with a Level 1 heading.
• Use Level 2 headings for subsections of the introduction.
• Use the same level of heading for sections of equal importance.
• Avoid having only one subsection within a section (have two or more, or none).

Check assignment instructions

• Remember that instructors’ guidelines supersede APA Style.
• Students should check their assignment guidelines or rubric for specific content to include in their papers and to make sure they are meeting assignment requirements.

Tips for better writing

• Ask for feedback on your paper from a classmate, writing center tutor, or instructor.
• Budget time to implement suggestions.
• Use spell-check and grammar-check to identify potential errors, and then manually check those flagged.
• Proofread the paper by reading it slowly and carefully aloud to yourself.
• Consult your university writing center if you need extra help.

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Undergraduate student resources

Writing A Narrative Essay

• Library Resources
• Books & EBooks
• What is an Narrative Essay?
• Choosing a Topic
• MLA Formatting
• Using Dialogue
• Using Descriptive Writing
• OER Resources
• Copyright, Plagiarism, and Fair Use

Additional links

MLA General Format 

Using MLA Format

MLA Formatting Libguide

GENERAL APA GUIDELINES

APA Formatting Libguide

Formatting a Narrative Essay

When written in story format, the Narrative essay must include all of the key components of a good story: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme and be written in a standard 5-paragraph essay format

A Narrative should include the following:

Plot:  The plot is the beginning, middle, and end of a story. It’s the connecting of ideas to make a clear and understandable narrative. Narratives are usually written in chronological order from beginning to end.

Setting: is where the narrative takes place, the characters actions, and the situation of the narrative.

Characters: people, animals, or objects that interact and push the story forward.  Typically, there are minor characters and main characters. 

Climax:  This is the turning point in the Narrative—the point of the highest tension and conflict. 

Conflict:   the challenge main characters need to solve to achieve their goals.

Theme: Purpose of the Narrative, the main question asked in the Narrative

Resolution:  Where you’ll give the answer to your story’s main question, thus resolving the conflict and bringing your story to a satisfying close

There are three main components to the structure of a narrative essay. They are: the introduction, the body and the conclusion.

Introduction:

Draw the reader in with a hook statement that grabs the readers attention. Ask a rhetorical question or make a statement about the topic of your story. Point out how the story relates to you. May state the moral of the story.

3 main body paragraphs:

1: setup the story, characters, background.

2: tell the story up to the climax. The heart of the story

3: finish the story. the resolution

Conclusion:  Your conclusion paragraph is where you wrap up the whole essay. Restate the point of your essay. You may want to leave reader with an open question about the topic.

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Citation Style: APA 7th edition

• Citation help
• Free citation generators
• Journal, magazine & newspaper articles
• Other resource types
• Citing indirect / secondary sources
• APA Style Reference Examples This link opens in a new window
• Quoting, paraphrasing and signal phrases
• In-text citations
• Annotated bibliography

APA 7th Edition: The Basics of APA In-Text Citations

Video from  Scribbr

In text citations: narrative vs. parenthetical citations

What is an in-text citation.

I n-text citations are citations that appear in the body of an essay or paper. In-text citations have two formats -  narrative and parenthetical:

• Narrative citations : Author last name/s are included in the text as part of the sentence. The publication year and page number (if applicable) follows in parentheses. The author’s last name can be included any place in the sentence where it makes sense.
• Parenthetical citations : Author last name/s and publication year and page number (if applicable) appear in parentheses. A parenthetical citation can appear within or at the end of a sentence.

Narrative citations

• Example: Walters (2003) wrote that most people tend to follow the path of least resistance.
• Exception : The year can be omitted from a citation only when multiple narrative citations to a work appear within a single paragraph; but you must make it clear that you're still using someone else's ideas. See the example below.

Koehler (2016) experimentally examined how journalistic coverage influences public perception of the level of agreement among experts. Koehler provided participants with quotations from real reviews for movies that critics either loved or loathed. He found that participants better appreciated the level of expert consensus for highly rated movies when only positive reviews were provided rather than when both positive and negative reviews were provided, even when the proportion of positive to negative reviews was indicated. These findings, in combination with similar research, demonstrate that providing evidence for both sides when most experts agree may lead to a false sense of balance (Koehler, 2016; Reginald, 2015).

• Page numbers must be used inside the parentheses after a direct quote (a direct quote is a word-for-word quote that is placed within quotation marks). If page numbers are not available, other locators are used, such as paragraph numbers  Example::   (para. 10). Page or paragraph numbers are not required when paraphrasing. 
• Book titles and the titles of other standalone works are formatted in title case and in italics. Example:   Little House in the Big Woods .
• Journal article titles and the titles of other parts of works are formatted in title case and in quotation marks. Example:  "The Iridescent History of Light."

Parenthetical citations

• A parenthetical citation is one where all the required information is placed in parentheses.
• In APA style, the information in parentheses consists of the last name(s) of the author(s), the year of publication, and page or paragraph number(s) in the case of an exact quote. Examples:  (Smith, 2017); (James, Vargas, & Rhodes, n.d.).
• For long titles, a shortened form of the title is used in parentheses. For example , the title "Milk Chocolate Is Better Than Dark, the End," would be shortened in the parentheses to "Milk Chocolate."

In-text citations and the References list

In-text citations (narrative or parenthetical) must parallel the entries on the References list. She the examples below -- parallel elements are in maroon.

Formatting narrative and parenthetical citations

• APA Style In-Text Citations
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Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 7th edition
• Beginner’s guide to APA in-text citation

APA In-Text Citations (7th Ed.) | Multiple Authors & Missing Info

Published on November 4, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on September 30, 2022.

In-text citations briefly identify the source of information in the body text. They correspond to a full reference entry at the end of your paper.

APA in-text citations consist of the author’s last name and publication year. When citing a specific part of a source, also include a page number or range, for example (Parker, 2020, p. 67) or (Johnson, 2017, pp. 39–41) .

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Table of contents

Apa in-text citations explained in 4 minutes, parenthetical vs. narrative citations, apa in-text citations with multiple authors, no author, date or page number, multiple sources in one parenthesis, avoiding ambiguity in apa in-text citations, citing indirect sources (“as cited in”), citing personal communication, general mentions of websites and software, example paragraph with in-text citations, frequently asked questions.

The in-text citation can be placed in parentheses or naturally integrated into a sentence.

• Parenthetical : There is a correlation between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in teenagers (Parker, 2019) .
• Narrative: Parker (2019) found a correlation between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in teenagers.

The publication year appears directly after the author’s name when using the narrative format. The parenthetical citation can be placed within or at the end of a sentence, just before the period. Check out a full example paragraph with in-text citations .

If a work has two authors, separate their names with an ampersand (&) in a parenthetical citation or “and” in a narrative citation. If there are three or more authors, only include the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”, meaning “and others”.

Group authors known by their abbreviations (e.g., CDC) are written in full the first time and are abbreviated in subsequent citations.

If the author of a source is unknown, try to determine if there is an organization or government responsible for creating the content. If so, include its name in the in-text citation (and reference entry).

Alternatively, use the source title in place of the author. Italicize the title if it’s italicized in the reference entry (except for court cases , which are italicized in the in-text citation but not the reference entry). Otherwise, enclose it in double quotation marks.

Apply title case capitalization, and shorten long titles. The first word of the title should always be included so readers can easily locate the corresponding reference entry.

• (“U.S. Flood Risk,” 2015)
• ( Thinking, Fast and Slow , 2017)

No publication date

If the publication date is unknown, write “n.d.” (no date) in the in-text citation.

No page number (alternative locators)

Page numbers are only required with direct quotes in APA . If you are quoting from a work that does not have page numbers (e.g., webpages or YouTube videos ), you can use an alternative locator, such as:

• (Liu, 2020, 03:26 )
• (Johnson, 2019, Chapter 3 )
• (McCombes, 2016, para. 4 )
• (Davis, 2016, Slide 15 )
• (Flores, 2020, Table 5 )
• (Streefkerk, 2020, “No page number” section )

Note that Bible citations always use chapter and verse numbers, even when page numbers are available:

If a statement is supported by multiple sources, the in-text citations can be combined in one parenthesis. Order the sources alphabetically, and separate them with a semicolon.

When citing multiple works from the same author, list the years of publication separated by a comma.

When in-text citations are ambiguous because they correspond to multiple reference entries, apply the solutions outlined in the table below.

If you want to refer to a source that you have found in another source, you should always try to access the original or primary source .

However, if you cannot find the original source , you should cite it through the secondary source that led you to it, using the phrase “as cited in”.

If the publication date of the primary source is unknown, include only the year of publication of the secondary source.

Only include a reference entry for the secondary source, not the primary source.

Personal communications , such as phone calls, emails, and interviews, are not included in the reference list because readers can’t access them. The in-text citation is also formatted slightly differently.

Include the initials and last name of the person you communicated with, the words “personal communication,” and the exact date in parentheses.

General mentions of a website or software don’t have to be cited with an in-text citation or entry in the reference list. Instead, incorporate relevant information into the running text.

• The website of Scribbr (www.scribbr.com) contains various useful resources.
• Statistical software SPSS (version 25) was used to analyze the data.

When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:

• Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15).
• Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section)
• Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)

Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.

If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

Always include page numbers in the APA in-text citation when quoting a source . Don’t include page numbers when referring to a work as a whole – for example, an entire book or journal article.

If your source does not have page numbers, you can use an alternative locator such as a timestamp, chapter heading or paragraph number.

If you cite several sources by the same author or group of authors, you’ll distinguish between them in your APA in-text citations using the year of publication.

If you cite multiple sources by the same author(s) at the same point , you can just write the author name(s) once and separate the different years with commas, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021).

To distinguish between sources with the same author(s) and  the same publication year, add a different lowercase letter after the year for each source, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021a, 2021b). Add the same letters to the corresponding reference entries .

In an APA in-text citation , you use the phrase “ as cited in ” if you want to cite a source indirectly (i.e., if you cannot find the original source).

Parenthetical citation: (Brown, 1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) Narrative citation: Brown (1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) states that…

On the reference page , you only include the secondary source (Mahone, 2018).

An APA in-text citation is placed before the final punctuation mark in a sentence.

• The company invested over 40,000 hours in optimizing its algorithm (Davis, 2011) .
• A recent poll suggests that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (Levring, 2018) .

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Streefkerk, R. (2022, September 30). APA In-Text Citations (7th Ed.) | Multiple Authors & Missing Info. Scribbr. Retrieved August 28, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/in-text-citation/

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Title Page Setup

A title page is required for all APA Style papers. There are both student and professional versions of the title page. Students should use the student version of the title page unless their instructor or institution has requested they use the professional version. APA provides a student title page guide (PDF, 199KB) to assist students in creating their title pages.

Student title page

The student title page includes the paper title, author names (the byline), author affiliation, course number and name for which the paper is being submitted, instructor name, assignment due date, and page number, as shown in this example.

Title page setup is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 2.3 and the Concise Guide Section 1.6

Related handouts

• Student Title Page Guide (PDF, 263KB)
• Student Paper Setup Guide (PDF, 3MB)

Student papers do not include a running head unless requested by the instructor or institution.

Follow the guidelines described next to format each element of the student title page.

Professional title page

The professional title page includes the paper title, author names (the byline), author affiliation(s), author note, running head, and page number, as shown in the following example.

Follow the guidelines described next to format each element of the professional title page.