APA Citation Guide (7th edition)

The overall formatting of your paper should include

• Margins - 1 inch on all sides, including top, bottom, left, and right.
• Font preference and size – Check with your instructor, more fonts are now allowed but your instructor may prefer you to use Times New Roman (12 font).
• Line Spacing - Double spacing should occur throughout the entire document, including the title page, reference list, and quotations of 40 or more words. NOTE: There are a few exceptions.
• Page Numbers should be located in the right corner of the header unless specified differently by your instructor. Be sure to include a page number on the title page.
• Paragraph Indentation - Indent 1/2 inch.

See APA Style-Paper Format and Sections 2.18-2.24, pp. 44-46 in the book for more information

APA Style created this checklist to use during the writing process to make sure your paper follows the correct formatting.

In the 7th edition, APA designates two kinds of paper formats Student Papers and Professional Papers. For examples visit APA Style: Sample Papers. 

Below is a Word document template for student papers. You can download it and enter your own paper's information to make sure you include all the necessary elements.

The first page of your paper is the title page.

• Student papers no longer require running heads (but you should check with your instructor because they may require it)
  • If you do need to use a running head, do not use the label ‘Running Head’, this is a change from the 6^th edition
• The title is three to four lines down and in bold print.
• Capitalize all major words in the title
• Authors on lines individually; double-spaced
• If authors have different affiliations, use superscripts to refer to addresses which will be below all authors’ names.
• In place of addresses, in student papers provide the course number and name, instructor name, and on the next line the deadline for the assignment.

See APA Style-Title Page Setup or Section 2.1

There are five levels of heading in APA Style. Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5

• Level 1
  • Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
• Level 2
  • Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading 
    
• Level 3
  • Left-aligned, Boldface, Italicized, Upper and Lowercase Heading  
• Level 4
  • Indented, Boldface, Upper and Lowercase Heading, Ending With a Period. 
• Level 5
  • Indented, Boldface, Italicized, Upper and Lowercase Heading, Ending With a Period. 

See APA Style-Headings and Section 2.26 on page 47 in the handbook for more information. 

APA has very specific rules about table and figure formating, you will need to check the APA Manual for specifics based on the table/figure you are including. Some general guidelines include

• The table number goes above the table in bold and the table title will be one double-spaced line below the number in italics.
• The figure number goes above the table in bold and the figure title will be one double-spaced line below the number in italics.
• Figure legends should be placed within the figure. Capitalize words in legend in title case.

See APA Style-Tables and Figures or Chapter 7 in the book for more information.

At the end of your paper, you will include your References. Follow these guidelines

• Begin the reference section on a new page (tip: insert a page break)
• The heading, 'References' is in bold and centered. 
• References are listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the reference 
• Follow the formatting for each type of resource as outlined in the APA Manual
  • Each resource type is formatted differently but follows a common order: Author's Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date published). Title of source. Publisher. (URL replaces publisher for most online sources)
  • Contributors are listed using their last name and then first/middle initials. Example: Erika J. Mustermann would be listed as Mustermann, E.J.
  • List 20 contributors before shortening to "et al." This is new for the 7th edition.
• Double spacing continues throughout the references section
• The first line of each reference should be flush left and all subsequent lines should be indented 0.5 inches (referred to as hanging indent).
• Things that should NOT be in the reference list.
  • Personal communications
  • Names of software or general mentions of websites
  • Sources of epigraphs
  • Quotations from research participants

See APA Style-References or Chapters 9 and 10 in the book for more information. Specific reference page/s formatting can be found in sections 9.43-9.49 in the book

Appendix labels and titles should be centered (and bold)

If you only have one, label it 'Appendix', but if you have more than one use capital letters to distinguish them (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.)

The structure of the appendix will be dependent on the type of content and should conform to other rules found in the manual.