Format the Abstract Page in APA Style, 6th Edition

Author:
Brian Scott
Updated date:
Apr 27, 2022

Learn how to create the Abstract page for your paper

If you are writing a paper according to APA style—guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association—you may need to include an Abstract page as part of your paper. Although the Abstract page is optional, many professors and readers find this page useful (especially as part of a long dissertation or thesis paper) and, thus, your professor may request that you include one. The Abstract page plays an important role in summarizing the overall purpose of your paper to help readers decide if your paper is worth reading.

In this special article, I will show you exactly how to format the Abstract page in APA style, 6th edition and what you must include on this page. I have added visual examples so you can easily remember the format, layout and specs of a correct Abstract page.

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The Abstract Page

This is what an Abstract page looks like as part of a paper adhering to APA style.

Let us look at some of the elements that format the Abstract page correctly.

Elements of the Abstract Page

A Different View of the Same Abstract Page

The Purpose of the Abstract Page

The Abstract page has one function: to summarize—in one paragraph—the main points of your paper. Your Abstract needs to identify all four components of an "empirical" paper (i.e., the Introduction, the Method, the Results, and the Discussion).

Your Abstract may include:

1) Your research topic
2) Questions you will attempt to answer
3) Data analysis that you've conducted
4) Any conclusions that you've reached.

You need to write the abstract concisely and succinctly. Do not explain odd terminology--you can do this later in the main body of your paper. Even though the Abstract is the second page of your paper, you can work on it last after you've completed the majority of your paper. It is much easier to write an abstract once you have fully fleshed out the premise of your paper. You can easily write a purposeful abstract by briefly discussing each of the four questions above.

One caution: NEVER copy the first few paragraphs of your main body text and place it on the Abstract page to save time.

Parts of the Abstract Page

Let me elaborate on the individual parts that compose a correct Abstract page.

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Part 1: THE TITLE

The Abstract page should have a single-word title, "Abstract" at the top of the page, on the line just under the heading. The word Abstract is always singular, never plural (so never add an "s" to it). Center the title between the right and left margins.

Part 2: THE MAIN BODY

The paragraph that contains the Abstract should follow on the line after the title. Because we are double-spacing, this paragraph is two lines below the title. Use the same font as the rest of the paper, which is a 12-point, Times New Roman. Use your own words to compose the abstract; do not include any citations, quotes, or outside sources on this page.

Part 3: PARAGRAPH INDENTS

Do NOT indent the paragraph; it should be in a block format. All lines of the abstract should be flush against the left margin of the paper. The abstract should only be one paragraph in length.

PART 4: SPACING

As with the rest of your paper, you will double-space the entire Abstract page. Also use the same margin sizes, which are 1 inch on all four sides of the paper.

PART 5: KEYWORDS (Optional)

You can include a single brief paragraph of keywords under the abstract body text if your professor or publisher requests you too; otherwise you can skip this.

Journal publishers sometimes want keywords on the Abstract page so that when they distribute and/or index your paper online or in databases, readers and researchers can find your paper quickly and more easily.

On the line after the abstract paragraph, indent the next paragraph and type "Keywords:" in italics. Then list your keywords in normal text, with each keyword separated by a comma. Adding a keywords paragraph is optional.

Length of Abstract Paragraph

Unless your professor has requested a different word count, you should aim for 150 to 200 words to meet with APA style. This equates to 10 and 20 lines of text. You will have no problem fitting your abstract in one text block on one page. Most professors prefer a word count under 200 words.

Additional Tips

1) Do not use bold, italics, or underlined text anywhere in the abstract paragraph.

2) Capitalize all proper nouns, just as you would in the main text.

3) One aspect of the Abstract page that differs from the main text is using numbers in the block paragraph. Use numerals (Arabic numerals) for all numbers inside the Abstract block of text, rather than spelling out the word for any number. The exception is if you begin a sentence with a number, then you spell out the number.

4) Write in third person—avoid "I," "we," "us," and "you."

5) The Abstract page is always page number 2.

It is common to wind up with plenty of white space in the lower half of the Abstract page. In fact, if your text runs into the lower half of the page, this may indicate that your Abstract is going above the word limit. Never start your main text on the lower half of the Abstract page. Just leave the white space as is, and start the main body of text on the third page of your paper.