How do you format a question and answer in APA?

Answer

To format questions and answers in APA format:

  • Begin the question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period. 
  • Type the discussion question in one of the following:
    • Times New Roman font, 12 point size
    • Calibri font, 11 point size
    • Arial font, 11 point size
    • Georgia font, 11 point size
    • Lucida Sans Unicode font, 10 point size
    • Computer Modern font, 10 point size
  • Use double spacing and one inch margins.
  • Separate the answer from the question by beginning the answer on a new line.
  • Continue to use the same format for fonts and spacing for the whole document.
  • Continue the list of questions on a new line and align the number 2 under the 1.

If the Instructor has specific instructions about bold type, follow their preference, but APA does not require it.

Example in APA format:

1.   What year was slavery abolished in America?

Slavery was officially abolished in the United States in 1865, although many states abolished slavery for themselves at various dates between 1777 and 1864.

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  • Last Updated May 19, 2022
  • Views 320224
  • Answered By Baker Librarians

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Comments (11)

  1. My professor says the question should be bold and the answer should be indented.
    by James on Jan 05, 2017
  2. I have seen some just have a Q. With the question
    And others say 1.and the question (both are in bold) what is the right way?
    by Brenda Ramirez on Feb 01, 2018
  3. Begin your question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period.
    Type the discussion question in Times New Roman font, 12 point size- do not bold.

    Please let us know if you have any further questions!
    by Patrick Mullane on Feb 05, 2018
  4. If you are one of 4 people doing a case analysis together, do you state an introduction to your question?
    by Veronica on Feb 27, 2018
  5. Depending on what your Instructor/Professor assigned, a short introduction would make the case analysis easier for your reader to understand.
    by ASK US Librarian on Feb 28, 2018
  6. How do you format any extra paragraphs when using APA question/answer format?
    ie. The question, when written out in the paper isn't indented, and the follow up paragraph/answer isn't indented, but if your answer is multiple paragraphs, are those paragraphs indented? Thanks!
    by Mark on Sep 19, 2018
  7. Since the question/answer is double spaced, there should be an empty line between paragraphs, but the second paragraph does not need to be indented. (Your Instructor/Professor may have a different opinion and, as always, defer to their preference.)
    by ASK US Librarian on Oct 10, 2018
  8. When writing a question and answer case study should there be headings?
    by Tara on Oct 05, 2019
  9. The APA Help guide has a Sample Paper with headings. https://guides.baker.edu/apahelp
    by ASK US Librarian on Oct 23, 2019
  10. Hi, for question/answer type assignments, are introduction and conclusions necessary? Thank you
    by A. Sellers on Mar 31, 2020
  11. Always defer to what the Professor/Instructor assigned, but APA format does call for an Introduction and Conclusion in a research paper. See guides.baker.edu/apahelp for a Sample Paper. Since your assignment is not a research paper, the Instructor may not require those sections.
    by ASK US Librarian on Apr 01, 2020

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