Autor: Claudia Samudio

In APA 7th edition, figures include any visual display that is not a table: graphs, charts, maps, photographs, diagrams, and drawings. Every figure needs a number, a title, and a note if the source needs attribution. The label, title, and note all appear below the figure — not above it.

APA Figure Format: The Four Components

Source: APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, Sections 7.22–7.36.

Correct Label and Caption Layout

All four components appear below the figure, flush left, double-spaced:

Figure 1
Mean Test Scores by Sleep Duration Group

[Figure appears here]

Note. Error bars represent one standard deviation. Data collected from 312 undergraduate participants at a single university. Adapted from «Sleep and Academic Performance,» by Walker and Smith (2023, p. 45). Copyright 2023 by Academic Press.

Types of Figure Notes

Numbering Figures

Number figures sequentially in the order they are first mentioned in the text: Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3. Do not use letters or subsection numbers (not «Figure 2a» or «Figure 3.1» for main text figures).

Figures in appendices use the appendix letter: Figure A1, Figure A2, Figure B1.

Figure Placement in the Paper

Referencing a Figure in the Text

Always mention every figure in the text before it appears:

«Figure 1 shows the distribution of scores across all four conditions.»
«As illustrated in Figure 3, response times decreased significantly with practice.»

Figure Formatting Details

Common Figure Mistakes

For APA table formatting rules — which differ significantly from figure rules — see the APA Format Guide.

An APA appendix contains supplementary material that supports your paper but would interrupt the flow of the main text — survey instruments, raw data tables, lengthy statistical output, stimuli, or detailed procedures. Each appendix starts on its own page and is labeled with a capital letter: Appendix A, Appendix B, and so on.

APA Appendix Format Rules

Source: APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, Section 2.14.

How to Label an Appendix

The label and title appear at the top of the appendix page:

Appendix A
Survey Instrument Used in Study 1

If you have only one appendix, label it simply «Appendix» — no letter. If you have two or more, use letters in the order the appendices are first mentioned in the text.

How to Reference an Appendix in the Text

Every appendix must be mentioned at least once in the body of the paper. Reference it by letter:

What Belongs in an Appendix

Tables and Figures Within an Appendix

Tables and figures inside an appendix use the appendix letter in their labels rather than sequential numbers from the main text:

Common Appendix Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an appendix have its own reference list?

No. All sources cited within an appendix must appear in the main reference list. Do not create a separate reference list within the appendix.

Does the appendix need a page number?

Yes. Page numbers continue sequentially through the appendix, just as they do throughout the rest of the paper.

What if my appendix is a form or document created by someone else?

Include it with a note about its source and cite it in the reference list. If it is copyrighted, you may need written permission from the copyright holder before reproducing it in a published work.

For complete APA paper structure including tables, figures, and reference list format, see the APA Format Guide.

The APA reference page is the last section of your paper — a complete, alphabetically ordered list of every source cited in your text. It is titled «References» (not «Bibliography» or «Works Cited»), starts on its own page, and follows strict formatting rules for each source type.

Reference Page Format Requirements

Source: APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, Chapter 9.

Reference Format by Source Type

Journal article

Format: Last name, I. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example:
Walker, M. P., & Stickgold, R. (2023). Sleep, memory, and plasticity. Annual Review of Psychology, 74(1), 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070307

Book

Format: Last name, I. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Example:
Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.

Book chapter (edited volume)

Format: Last name, I. (Year). Title of chapter. In I. Last name (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Example:
Smith, J. (2022). Memory consolidation during sleep. In R. Brown (Ed.), Handbook of sleep science (pp. 112–145). Academic Press.

Website

Format: Last name, I. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL

Example:
American Psychological Association. (2023, March 15). How to cite sources in APA format. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/learn/quick-guide-on-references

Newspaper article

Format: Last name, I. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL

Example:
Carey, B. (2023, October 12). Scientists uncover new findings on sleep deprivation. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/health/sleep-research.html

Government or institutional report

Format: Author or Agency. (Year). Title of report (Report No. XXX). Publisher. URL

Example:
National Institutes of Health. (2023). Sleep disorders research plan (NIH Publication No. 23-7982). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep

Alphabetical Ordering Rules

How to Create a Hanging Indent in Word

1. Select all reference entries.
2. Right-click → Paragraph.
3. Under Indentation → Special, select Hanging.
4. Set the By value to 0.5″.
5. Click OK.

Common Reference Page Mistakes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

A reference list contains only sources cited in the text. A bibliography may include additional sources you consulted but did not cite. APA uses reference lists — not bibliographies.

Should I include the access date for websites?

Only when the content is likely to change over time — like wikis, social media posts, or frequently updated pages. For stable web pages (reports, articles with a clear publication date), no access date is needed.

What if a source has no publication date?

Use «n.d.» in place of the year: Smith, J. (n.d.). Title. Publisher.

For complete in-text citation rules that correspond to each reference type above, see the APA In-Text Citation Guide.

An APA abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper that appears on its own page, directly after the title page. It gives readers a complete but concise overview of your paper’s purpose, method, results, and conclusions — enough to decide whether to read the full paper.

APA Abstract Format Requirements

Source: APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition, Chapter 2, Section 2.9.

Do Student Papers Need an Abstract?

Not always. APA 7th edition states that student papers do not require an abstract unless the instructor or institution requests one. For short course papers (5–10 pages), an abstract is typically not needed. For longer research papers, theses, and dissertations, it is generally expected.

When in doubt, check your syllabus or ask your professor before spending time writing an abstract.

Structured vs. Unstructured Abstracts

Example: Unstructured Abstract

This study examined the relationship between sleep duration and academic performance among undergraduate students at a large public university. A survey of 312 students collected data on self-reported sleep hours, grade point average, and study habits over one semester. Students sleeping fewer than six hours per night showed significantly lower GPAs compared to those sleeping seven or more hours (p < .001). Perceived stress mediated the relationship between sleep and GPA in approximately 40% of cases. These findings suggest that institutional sleep health interventions may produce measurable academic benefits at relatively low cost.

Keywords: sleep duration, academic performance, undergraduate students, GPA, stress

Example: Structured Abstract

Objective: To examine whether mindfulness-based interventions reduce test anxiety in high school students.

Method: A randomized controlled trial with 180 students assigned to an 8-week mindfulness program or a waitlist control condition. Anxiety was measured using the Test Anxiety Inventory at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Results: Intervention students showed significantly lower test anxiety at post-intervention (d = 0.72) and at follow-up (d = 0.58) compared to controls.

Conclusions: Mindfulness training produces meaningful reductions in test anxiety that persist at 3-month follow-up. School-based implementation is feasible within existing curriculum structures.

How to Format the Keywords Line

The keywords line appears directly below the abstract paragraph, on the same page. Format it as follows:

• Start with the label Keywords: in italics, followed by a colon.
• List 3–5 keywords in lowercase, separated by commas.
• No period at the end of the keywords line.
• Keywords should reflect the main concepts of your paper — the terms someone would search to find your work.

Correct format:
Keywords: academic writing, APA format, citation style, student papers, reference list

What to Include in Each Part of the Abstract

Abstract Word Count by Paper Type

Common Abstract Mistakes

APA 6 vs APA 7: Abstract Changes

The core abstract requirements stayed the same between editions. The main change in APA 7 is that student papers are no longer required to include an abstract (it was previously expected for all papers). The keywords line was also formalized in APA 7 — in APA 6, keywords were sometimes placed before the abstract rather than after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should the abstract mention the title of the paper?

No. The title already appears on the title page and as a header on the first page of the body. The abstract should stand on its own — a reader who sees only the abstract should understand the paper’s purpose, method, and findings without needing the title.

Can I use abbreviations in the abstract?

Define abbreviations on first use within the abstract itself, even if you define them again in the body. The abstract is read independently and cannot rely on definitions from the body of the paper.

Does the abstract count toward the paper’s word limit?

It depends on your instructor’s instructions. Most course assignments with a word limit refer to the body text only. When in doubt, ask. Professionally submitted manuscripts typically count abstract and body words separately.