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APA Citation & Format (7th ed.)

General APA Formatting Guidelines

APA (American Psychological Association) style is widely used for academic papers. Here are the key elements of APA paper formatting: 

  1. Page Setup:
    • Use standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11").
    • Set 1" margins on all sides.
  2. Font and Spacing:
    • Use a clear and readable font, such as Times New Roman, with a 12-point size.
    • Double-spaced the entire paper, including the title page, abstract, main text, references, and any other sections. 
  3. Title Page:
    • On the top-right corner of the page, insert the page number.
    • Note: APA has discontinued the use of the running head for student papers. However, your instructor may still require one. If that is the case, use the following instructions: 
      • Include a running head at the top-left corner of the page. It should be a shortened version of your paper's title (up to 50 characters) in all capital letters.

  4. In-Text Citations:

    • When referring to ideas or information from external sources within the text, use in-text citations.

    • In APA style, include the author's last name and the publication year in parentheses.

    • For direct quotations, include the page number as well.

  5. References:

    • Include a separate page titled "References" at the end of your paper.
    • List all the sources cited in your paper in alphabetical order by the author's last name.

Order of Pages

All papers, including student papers, generally include a title page, text, and references. They may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. Student papers generally do not include an abstract unless requested.

Arrange the pages of an APA Style paper in this order:

  1. title page
  2. abstract
  3. text
  4. references
  5. footnotes
  6. tables
  7. figures
  8. appendices

Title Page Setup

A title page is required for all APA Style papers. There are both student and professional versions of the title page. Students should use the student version of the title page unless their instructor or institution has requested they use the professional version. APA provides a student title page guide (PDF, 199KB) to assist students in creating their title pages.