How to Format a Paper in APA Style (7th Edition): Complete Guide

Key takeaways

• Use 1-inch margins on all sides, double spacing throughout, and a readable font such as 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Calibri or 11-pt Arial.
• Student papers need a title page with the title, your name, institution, course, instructor and due date. They do not need a running head.
• In-text citations follow the author–date format: (Smith, 2023) or Smith (2023).
• The reference list starts on a new page, is titled References (bold, centered), is alphabetized, and uses a 0.5-inch hanging indent.

APA (American Psychological Association) style is the most widely used citation style in psychology, education, nursing, business and the social sciences. The current version is the 7th edition, published in 2019. This guide covers everything a student paper needs.

General page setup

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on every side.
• Font: 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Calibri, 11-pt Arial, 10-pt Lucida Sans Unicode or 11-pt Georgia. Use one font throughout.
• Line spacing: double spacing everywhere, including the title page, block quotes and reference list.
• Alignment: left-aligned with a ragged right edge. Do not justify.
• Paragraph indent: 0.5 inch for the first line of each paragraph.
• Page numbers: top right corner of every page, starting with the title page as page 1.

The student title page

Place these elements in the upper half of the page, centered and double-spaced:

1. Paper title in bold title case, three or four lines down from the top
2. One blank line
3. Your name
4. Department and institution (e.g., Department of Psychology, University of Texas)
5. Course number and name (e.g., PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology)
6. Instructor's name
7. Due date (e.g., September 24, 2026)

Student papers do not need a running head unless your instructor asks for one. Professional papers submitted for publication do.

Headings

APA 7 has five heading levels. Most student papers only need levels 1 and 2.

Do not label your introduction "Introduction". The paper title at the top of the first page serves as its heading.

In-text citations

APA uses the author–date system.

• Parenthetical: (Nguyen, 2022)
• Narrative: Nguyen (2022) argued that…
• Two authors: (Lopez & Chen, 2021) or Lopez and Chen (2021)
• Three or more authors: use the first author + "et al." from the first citation: (Patel et al., 2020)
• Direct quotes: add a page number: (Nguyen, 2022, p. 14)
• Group author: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023) the first time, then (WHO, 2023)

Quotations of 40 words or more go in a block quote: a new line indented 0.5 inch, with no quotation marks.

The reference list

• Start on a new page with the title References, bold and centered.
• Alphabetize by the first author's last name.
• Use a 0.5-inch hanging indent and double spacing.
• Include a DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/…) whenever one exists.

Common reference formats

Journal article: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx

Book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book in sentence case (2nd ed.). Publisher.

Webpage: Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Tables and figures

Number tables and figures in the order they appear (Table 1, Figure 1). Put the bold number above the item, the italic title below the number, and any notes underneath the table or figure.

Common APA mistakes to avoid

• Using "et al." for two-author sources (only use it for three or more)
• Forgetting page numbers for direct quotes
• Title-casing article titles in the reference list (use sentence case)
• Missing hanging indents
• Adding a running head to a student paper when it isn't required

Other citation styles

Using a different style? See our guides to MLA 9th edition, Harvard referencing, ASA format for sociology papers and how to cite a website in any style.

Frequently asked questions

Does APA 7 require a running head for students?

No. APA 7 removed the running head requirement for student papers. Only include one if your instructor asks.

Do I need an abstract in a student APA paper?

Usually not. Student papers only need an abstract if the instructor requires one. If you include one, it goes on its own page after the title page and runs 150–250 words.

How do I cite a source with no date in APA?

Use "n.d." in place of the year: (Brown, n.d.).

What font should I use for APA 7?

APA 7 accepts several fonts, including 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Calibri and 11-pt Arial. Check whether your instructor prefers one.