Nearly every written assignment in Liberty's nursing, healthcare, business and psychology courses asks for current APA format, and many rubrics give APA its own row. The format is easy points when it is done from the start and lost points when it is patched on the night before.
Page counts at Liberty
Course guides usually state length in pages of content, and they often say the count excludes the title page, abstract and reference page. NURS 501's Health Policy Issue paper, for example, is 12 to 15 pages not including the title page, abstract or references; PSYC 255's Case Study Paper is 2 to 4 pages of content plus a title page and reference page. Some business guides also set the font: 12-point Times New Roman, double spaced. A double-spaced page in that font holds roughly 250 to 300 words.
The title page
Liberty instructors usually expect the student version of the APA 7 title page: paper title, your name, Liberty University, the course code and name, the instructor and the due date. Some instructors ask for a running head; check your rubric.
Headings
Use APA level 1 headings for the main sections and level 2 for the parts inside them. A good rule is to turn the elements the assignment instructions list into the headings, in the same order. The grader can then find each required element in seconds.
Citations and references
| Element | What to check |
|---|---|
| In-text citations | Author and year for every paraphrase; page or paragraph number for every quotation |
| Reference list | Every in-text citation has an entry and every entry is cited |
| Currency | Many guides ask for sources from the last five years |
| Scripture | Version named in the first in-text citation, and a reference entry for the edition used (APA 7) |
| DOIs | Included as https://doi.org/ links where an article has one |
Before you submit
- The paper meets the page or word count without the title and reference pages.
- Headings follow the order of the instructions.
- Every source the guide requires (number and type) is cited in the body.
- The file type is the one Canvas asks for, usually a Word document.
Questions students ask
Does the page count include the title page?
Usually not. Most Liberty course guides state length as pages of content and exclude the title page, abstract and reference page. Check the wording in your instructions.
Which APA edition does Liberty use?
Assignments ask for current APA format, which is the 7th edition.
Do Liberty papers need an abstract?
Only when the instructions ask for one. NURS 501's Health Policy Issue paper does; most shorter papers do not.
Stuck on a Liberty assignment?
Tell a tutor the course and week; you will get a plan for the draft.