APA style emergency!

December 1, 2011 3:46 AM

APA style emergency -- I usually write in MLA. I am writing a short (2-page) paper in APA, and I don't know the proper way to head it (you know, my name, date, etc.). My paper's due in 4 hours, I still have to write it, and I don't have time to wade through Google when it's only telling me how to do a title *page* -- not what I need!

This is what I have done, but it's based mainly off MLA:

My Name
CLASS ###
Dr. Professor'slastname
December 1, 2011

I can find how to do a title page, but that's not required for this. It's a 2-page response paper. If I'm not doing this right, please tell me how. A link would be cool, too, but not really needed at this time.

posted by DoubleLune to writing & language (13 answers total)

Did you check the Purdue OWL? I dOnt have time for a link but I would check there
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 4:09 AM on December 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Does this help? It's from Diana Hacker's website.

Halfway down the page is a section on running heads.

Ignore if this is not helpful, it has been a while since I had anything to do with this sort of thing.
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:10 AM on December 1, 2011

Neither... I already used OWL for everything else, but couldn't find what I need. Ditto for the other link, though it is a nicely concise resource.
posted by DoubleLune at 4:18 AM on December 1, 2011

APA doesn't require the date or prof name.
Have a header on each page, all in caps, with the page number of the right and a short version of the title on the left.
The cover page is where you put your name. About halfway down the page, put The title, next line is your name, next line is your school. No date, no teacher, no course, etc. The header on the title page has the words running head before the short title. I'm writing this is class so sorry if it's jumbled!
posted by whalebreath at 4:19 AM on December 1, 2011

Is this it?
posted by semp at 4:21 AM on December 1, 2011

whalebreath's answer is helpful, but I am looking specifically not for how to do a title page.

My assignment just has the "name, title, etc." at the top of the page, and then the text starts...

Like:

Name
School
Whatever Else
(centered) Title: Subtitle
(indent) Beginning of paper

What I need to make sure is I get the "whatever else" in there.
posted by DoubleLune at 4:37 AM on December 1, 2011

If you google APA format name date there are a couple of PDFs in the first few items returned (linnbenton.edu links) that have the information you need. I'm being dense and don't know how to link these directly (damn you firfox/mac for not having a reasonable PDF plug in, or me for not having one installed)

good luck on your paper.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:21 AM on December 1, 2011

If you don't have a title page, then there is no official APA way to have your name etc. on the paper. See sample paper on OWL and here [pdf].
posted by audi alteram partem at 5:22 AM on December 1, 2011

and one more.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:23 AM on December 1, 2011

My assignment just has the "name, title, etc." at the top of the page, and then the text starts...

What I need to make sure is I get the "whatever else" in there.

As audi points out, official APA style does not address this type of heading; it only addresses title pages. Therefore, there is no "whatever else" that should be included because it does not exist. Your instructor may or may not have their own idiosyncratic expectations about what else should be included in their version of APA, but we won't be able to predict it.
posted by puritycontrol at 6:32 AM on December 1, 2011

Is this possibly helpful? It may be the 13th hour (so you don't want to change from writing in Word or whatever to using LaTeX), but they have many examples of what these things are supposed to look like.

Maybe in the future, you could use LaTeX. Let LaTeX handle the formatting, you control the content. Never worry about APA/MLA/WTFA ever again!
posted by King Bee at 6:37 AM on December 1, 2011

Thanks... No wonder I couldn't find it on Google! Sorry about the frantic tone... It was one of those weeks where I was semi-sick and thus exhausted all week yet had 4 major assignments due today, thus stayed up all night to get them done.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:42 AM on December 1, 2011

When I tell my students to use APA or ASA formatting, I'm not referring to, nor do I give a crap about, what your concern is here and I very much doubt your prof does. I want APA style citations and bibliography. What students do with names and titles is irrelevant, aside from the fact that I hate title pages and ask them to leave them out. As long as I get a name, I'm good.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 1:41 PM on December 1, 2011 [2 favorites]