APA Annotated Bibliography

Basic formatting guidelines for your APA annotated bibliography:

• use a 1-inch margin on all sides
• double-space throughout; the only exception is that you will add an extra double-space between the title and your name on the title page
• a variety of fonts are permitted in APA style papers
  • sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
  • serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern
• page numbers should be included on the top right corner of each page, including the title page

The title page should include the following pieces of information centered in the middle of the first page: 

1. Page Number:
   • top right corner
2. Title of Your Annotated Bibliography:
   • bold font
   • placed about one-third down the page
3. Your First and Last Name:
   • starts two double spaces below the title 
4. Name of Your School:
   • one double space below your name
5. Course Name:
   • one double space below your school
6. Instructor's Name:
   • one double space below the course name
7. Due Date:
   • one double space below the instructor's name
   • Example: July 31, 2023

Each citation should be arranged alphabetically depending on the first piece of information listed in the citation. Typically, this will be an author's last name, but it could also be the name of an organization, or if there isn't an author, the title. 

Example:

1. Bader, C. D., Baker, J. O., & Mencken, F. C. (2017). Paranormal [...]
2. Dickey, C. (2016, November 14). The broken technology of [...]
3. Lobato, E., Mendoza, J., Sims, V., & Chin, M. (2014). Examining the [...]
4. Society for Psychical Research. (n.d.). Notes for investigators [...]

On the second page . . .

• make sure the page number (2) is in the top right corner
• center the title of your annotated bibliography at the top of the page in bold font
• start with your first citation using hanging indent
• on the next line, add the annotation
  • indent 0.5 inches from the left margin
  • if you have more than one paragraph, indent the first line an additional 0.5 inches

From page 3 to the end . . .

• make sure the page numbers appear in the top right corner
• do not include the title of the annotated bibliography at the top of the page
• continue double-spacing

Check your understanding by answering these review questions. If you get one wrong, read back through the material and try again!