How to format your student paper in APA style, 7th ed.
Great guides from the official APA style site
- Use the top section about student title pages, not the lower section for professional ones.
A quick, basic overview of the student format
Elements that you must include
- A title page
- The body of your paper, with your in-text citations
- A list of references
- [Your instructor may require an abstract, too. Ask!]
The whole paper: these rules apply to every section
- Double spaced
- Font: Times New Roman 12pt
- Each page has a page number (upper right), starting with 1 on the title page
- Directions for Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Title page: format
- Here is a sample. Adapt it to your situation. This information should be in the upper half of the page.
- This page will be numbered: 1.
The body of the paper: format
- Begin on a new page.
- Give the title (again) at the top, centered and in bold font. Don't add extra line spaces.
- Each paragraph has its first line indented 0.5".
- Exception: when you are quoting a source using a block quote, the entire block is indented 1.0".
- Every time you borrow words, facts, or ideas from a work, you mark this with an in-text citation. This citation refers to one of your listed references.
- How to create in-text citations.
- Your paper may call for additional sections with headings. Examples: Discussion, or Conclusion. Ask about this.
References list: format
- Begin the list of references on a new page, following the body. Insert References as a centered heading at the top. Don't add additional line spacing.
- How to order your list.
- Hanging indentation
- Each reference begins at the left margin. Apply a hanging indent to all of your references. This means that when a reference "wraps" that the next lines are all indented 0.5".
- How add hanging indents in Microsoft Word and in Google Docs
- If you have a long URL that doesn't fit on one line, let your word processor decide how to wrap it. Don't mess with it.
Less common situations: formats not covered here
- Additional headings and subheadings
- Appendix or appendices
- Figures and tables in the body
- Formats other than for a paper, such as a presentation
Format your document: Spacing, Font, Page numbers
Microsoft Word
1. Open a blank document
2. Right-click on the page: Paragraph | Line spacing | Double
3. Ribbon: Layout tab | Margins |Normal
4. Ribbon: Select Times New Roman, 12pt
5. Double-click the page about ½ inch from the top. This selects the header.
- Page number | Top of page | Plain Number 3
6. Double-click lower on the page. This unselects the header
Google Docs
1. Open a blank document
2. Ribbon: Select Times New Roman font, size = 12
3. Ribbon: Format tab | Line and paragraph spacing | Double
4. Double-click ½ inch from the top of the page: The selects the header
5. Options: Page numbers, then this keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+R
6. Click anywhere lower on the page. This unselects the header.
Return to Format your document: Spacing, Font, Page numbers.
Add hanging indentation to Microsoft Word or Google Docs (References list)
Microsoft Word
- At first, enter your citations without any indentation
- Select all text in the list, and then right-click it.
- From the pop-up menu, select Paragraph.
- To add a hanging indent, under Indentation, Special, select Hanging.
Google Docs
- At first enter all your citations without any indentation
- Select all text in the list.
- Format | Align and Indent
- Indentation Options
- Special - Hanging
- Apply.