Writing in the style prescribed by the American Psychological Association (2001), Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), can be a daunting experience for both students graduates and faculty (Polly Proofreader, personal communication, January 4, 1999). Green and Gold (1996) suggest that additional guidance can be helpful, minimizing the need to search the APA's sometimes confusing and highly detailed text. This article presents an analysis of the information used most often by students. Format Considerations The most common errors made by students are in margins, running heading, heading, and reference page format (Green & Gold, 1996). Additional errors reported by faculty include in-text citations of direct quotes or paraphrased material (Maka Mistake, personal communication, September 20, 2001). Correct Margins Margins should be equal to one inch. That is, if the top and side margins are one inch, the bottom margin must also be one inch on each page of text. This rule does not apply to the last page of text, which can end anywhere above the one-inch margin. The rule is broken to avoid placing a single heading on the last line of the page or a single line of text at the top of the next page. Running Head The Running Head appears only on the title page, in the left and top margins. You can use the entire title if it contains 50 or fewer characters, counting spaces between words, excluding the words Running head. If the title is longer than 50 characters, an abbreviated version should be used (APA, 2001). An example of a correctly positioned running head is shown on the title page of this article. Page Header The header contains the first two or three words of the title and appears on the third line from the top edge of each page, above the margin, in the right corner, five spaces to the left of the page number. The automatic function of a word processing program should be used to print the headings and page numbers consecutively on the sheet, with 1 appearing on the title page. Reference page The hanging indent is used for the reference page; that is, the first line of the reference, usually the author's name, rests in the left margin, and subsequent lines are indented 5 or 7 spaces or inches. APA (2001) recommends setting the tab key to inches.