Why APA Matters in Nursing

The American Psychological Association (APA) format is the standard for nursing academic writing. Proper formatting demonstrates attention to detail - a critical nursing competency - and ensures your ideas are communicated clearly. Many nursing programs allocate 10-15% of paper grades to formatting alone.

This guide focuses on APA 7th edition (current since 2020), which introduced significant changes from previous versions. If you learned APA in an earlier program, review these updates carefully.

Key Changes in APA 7th Edition

The 7th edition introduced several important changes from APA 6th edition:

No running head for student papers
Simplified title page - no author note required for students
One space after periods (previously two was acceptable)
Bold headings at Levels 1 and 2
Up to 20 authors listed in references before using ellipses
DOI format changed to hyperlink style (https://doi.org/...)
Inclusive language guidelines added

Document Setup & Formatting Basics

Font and Spacing

12-point font: Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Georgia
Double-spacing throughout (including references)
1-inch margins on all sides
Align text left (ragged right edge - no full justification)
Indent first line of paragraphs 0.5 inch

Title Page for Student Papers

Required elements on the title page:

Paper title (bold, centered, positioned 3-4 lines down)
One blank line
Your name
Department and institution
Course number and name
Instructor name
Assignment due date

Title Page Tip

The title should be bold, in title case, and ideally no more than 12 words. It should clearly convey your paper's main topic without unnecessary words like "A Study of..." or "An Analysis of..."

Page Numbers

Page numbers appear in the top right corner of every page, including the title page. Use your word processor's header function with flush-right alignment.

Heading Levels

APA uses five levels of headings to organize content. Most nursing papers use Levels 1-3:

Level	Format
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, Ending With Period. Text begins on same line.
Level 5	Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With Period. Text begins on same line.

In-Text Citations

Parenthetical Citations

Citation appears at the end of the sentence in parentheses:

One author: (Smith, 2024)
Two authors: (Smith & Johnson, 2024)
Three or more: (Smith et al., 2024)
Direct quote: (Smith, 2024, p. 45)
Multiple sources: (Jones, 2023; Smith, 2024)

Narrative Citations

Author name is part of the sentence:

One author: Smith (2024) found that...
Two authors: Smith and Johnson (2024) reported...
Three or more: Smith et al. (2024) demonstrated...

Ampersand vs. "and"

Use & in parenthetical citations: (Smith & Johnson, 2024). Use "and" in narrative citations: Smith and Johnson (2024) found...

Secondary Sources

When citing a source you found in another source (not ideal, but sometimes necessary):

Example: Jones's study (as cited in Smith, 2024) found that... [Only Smith appears in your reference list]

Reference Page

General Format

Start on a new page
Title "References" centered, bold
Double-spaced throughout
Hanging indent (0.5 inch) for each entry
Alphabetical order by first author's last name
No extra space between entries

Common Nursing Source Formats

Journal Article with DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case and Italics, Volume(Issue), Page-Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Journal Article without DOI

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page-Page. URL if available

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book in sentence case. Publisher.

Chapter in Edited Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

Website

Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Nursing-Specific Citation Examples

NANDA-I Nursing Diagnoses

Herdman, T. H., & Kamitsuru, S. (Eds.). (2024). NANDA International nursing diagnoses: Definitions and classification 2024-2026 (13th ed.). Thieme.

Drug Reference

Vallerand, A. H., & Sanoski, C. A. (2024). Davis's drug guide for nurses (19th ed.). F.A. Davis.

CDC Guidelines

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, January 15). Guideline title. https://www.cdc.gov/xxx

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Common APA Mistakes in Nursing Papers

Incorrect et al. usage: Use "et al." from the first citation for 3+ authors
Missing page numbers: Direct quotes always require page numbers
Wrong DOI format: Use https://doi.org/xxxxx (no "doi:" prefix)
Inconsistent capitalization: References use sentence case for titles (except proper nouns)
Missing hanging indent: Every reference entry needs a 0.5-inch hanging indent
Double-spacing errors: References must be double-spaced (no extra space between entries)
Using old edition format: Make sure you're following 7th edition, not 6th

Quick Reference Checklist

☐ 12-point approved font throughout
☐ 1-inch margins on all sides
☐ Double-spaced throughout (including references)
☐ Page numbers in top right corner on every page
☐ Title page with all required elements
☐ Headings formatted correctly by level
☐ All in-text citations have matching references
☐ All references are cited in the paper
☐ References have hanging indent
☐ DOIs formatted as hyperlinks
☐ One space after periods

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APA Formatting Tips Every Nursing Student Should Know

🔑 Key Takeaways