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APSA Citation Guide

This guide will provide outlines, examples, and tips for citing in APSA citation style. The APSA style is used mostly in the political sciences.

Formatting

The APSA (American Political Science Association) citation style, often used in political science, includes specific formatting guidelines for a title page. This closely resembles Chicago Manual Style. Here's what a typical APSA title page should look like based on the APSA's guidelines:

Title Page Format for APSA Citation Style

  1. Title of the Paper:

    • The title should be in title case (capitalize the first letter of each major word), centered on the page, and bold.
    • The title should be descriptive and succinct.

  2. Author(s):

    • The author's name(s) should appear directly below the title, centered.
    • Use your full name(s), with no titles such as “Dr.” or “Mr.”

  3. Institutional Affiliation:

    • Beneath the author's name(s), list the institution or university to which the author is affiliated (centered).
    • This may also include a department or school, if needed.

  4. Course Information (optional):

    • If this paper is for a class, include the course number and name beneath the institutional affiliation.
    • This should be centered and in plain text.

  5. Instructor’s Name (optional):

    • If relevant, list the instructor’s name beneath the course information (centered).

  6. Date:

    • At the very bottom, include the submission date (centered).

Title of Your Paper
(Centered, Bold, Title Case)

Author’s Full Name
(Centered, No Titles)

Institution or University Name
(Centered, Department or School, if relevant)

Course Name and Number
(Centered, if relevant)

Instructor’s Name
(Centered, if relevant)

Date of Submission
(Centered, at the bottom)

The guidelines for APSA formatting come from the APSA Style Manual for Political Science, which is the official publication used to standardize citation and formatting within political science.

You can download a Microsoft Word document with a template for APSA format in the box titled "APSA Paper Template."

Usually, the settings for font format and spacing are much like other citation styles, or what your professor specifies for your assignment. 

Here are the specifics for Chicago Manual Style:

  • Font:

    • Use a legible, serif font such as Times New Roman.
    • The font size should be 12-point.

  • Spacing:

    • Double-spacing is required throughout the entire paper (including title page, text, footnotes, and bibliography).
    • No extra space between paragraphs.

  • Margins:

    • Set 1-inch margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).

  • Page Numbers:

    • Page numbers should be placed in the upper right corner of each page.
    • Start numbering on the first page of the paper (though the title page can be numbered as page 1 in some cases).

  • Title Page:

    • As mentioned previously, the title page should include the paper's title, author’s name, institutional affiliation, course information (if applicable), instructor’s name, and the date of submission, all centered on the page.
    • Title and Subtitle: Ideally 12 words or fewer
    • Subtitles
      • Start with a capital letter
      • Separated from the title by a colon, question mark, or exclamation point.

  • Indentation:

    • Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches (use the "Tab" key on your keyboard).

  • References:

    • The references should also be double-spaced.
    • They should be in alphabetical order based on author last name.
      • When citing several sources by the same author, place them in chronological order, with the earliest single-authored source first, followed by multiauthored sources.
      • When citing multiple sources from by the same author from the same year, references should be alphabetized by title, with letters attached to the year (i.e., 2009a; 2009b; 2009c)
    • Entries should use hanging indent formatting (i.e., the first line of each citation is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches).