APA GENERAL FORMAT: FORMATTING

Paper Format is covered in Sections 2.16-2.25 of the APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition

For more details, see Paper Format

It is always recommended to check with your instructor for any specific requirements regarding formatting of your papers.

Order of pages

The pages of an APA Style paper should be in the following order:

• title page (page 1)
• abstract (student papers do not usually require an abstract unless required by instructor)
• text (start on a new page after the title page, if paper does not have an abstract)
• references (start on a new page after the end of the text)
• footnotes (start on a new page after the references)
• tables (start each on a new page after the footnotes)
• figures (start each on a new page after the tables)
• appendices (start each on a new page after the tables and/or figures)

Page Header

All APA Style papers should have the page number, in the top right corner, in the header of each page.

For student papers, the page header needs only the page number.

Note: Student papers do not require a running head unless requested by the instructor.

 

Font

Use the same font throughout your paper. Exceptions to that rule are discussed here.

A few different fonts are permitted in APA Style papers. They include the following:

• a sans serif font such as: 11-point Arial, 11-point Calibri, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
• a serif font such as: 11-point Georgia, 12-point Times New Roman, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (this is the default font for LaTeX)

Line Spacing

Double-space the entire APA Style paper, unless an instructor has specified otherwise.

Double-space the title page, abstract, text, headings, block quotations, reference list, table and figure notes, and appendices.

Do not add blank lines before or after headings, even if a heading comes at the end of a page.

Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs.

Note: There are some exceptions to the double line spacing rule in regards to the title page, tables, figures, footnotes, and displayed equations.

For more details, visit Line Spacing

Margins

Use 1 in. (2.54 cm.) margins on all sides (left, right, top, and bottom) of the page of an APA Style paper.

Note: Dissertations or theses may have different requirements specified by an instructor or institution.

Margins

Paragraph Alignment & Paragraph Indention

Align the text of an APA Style paper to the left margin and leave the right margin uneven (“ragged”). Do not use full justification. Do not divide words manually at the end of a line or insert hyphens to break up words at the end of lines.

Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 in. The rest of the lines of the paragraph should be left-aligned.

Paragraph Alignment and Indentation: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/paragraph-format 

Heading Levels

In APA Style, concise headings help readers track the development of the argument. Headings organize a paper and act as indicators of newly introduced information.

 APA uses five possible heading levels. The number of headings to use in a paper depends its length and complexity.

The introduction of the paper does not require a heading since the first part of the paper is assumed to be the introduction. Thus, do not begin a paper with an “Introduction” heading. 

For more details, please visit APA Headings (including a table demonstrating how to format headings): 

Title Page Example

A title page is required for all APA Style papers. There are different versions of the title page for a student and a professional paper. Students should use the student version of the title page unless their instructor has specified otherwise.

The title page for a student paper should include the:

• title of the paper
• name of the author(s) of the paper
• affiliation of each author, usually this is the university attended (include the name of the department, followed by the name of the university)
• course number and name for which the paper is being submitted
• instructor name (check with instructor to see what is preferred)
• due date of assignment
• page number (all pages of paper should have page numbers)

Note: Student papers do not require a running head unless requested by the instructor.

Student Title Page Guide (7th Edition)

Title Page Setup

Page Format Example

APAStyle.org has a robust selection of examples of student and professional papers.  Please visit their site to view the examples.