What is APA Format for a Paper

APA format is the rule set from the American Psychological Association that controls how a paper looks and how its sources are credited. In the current 7th edition, that means a title page, 1-inch margins, double spacing, a readable font, page numbers in the top right corner, a consistent heading system, in-text citations, and a reference list. This guide covers each rule, shows what changed from APA 6, and explains where your instructor or university can override the defaults. Every rule below was checked against APA Style pages and university writing centers on 24 September 2026.

What Is APA Format?

APA format is the layout and citation system published in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The 7th edition appeared in October 2019, and APA Style pages still document it as the current standard. Psychology, education, nursing, business, and other social science courses use it most often.

APA Style covers two things. Formatting decides how the pages look. Citation decides how you credit other writers, both inside the text and in a reference list. Students often master one and miss the other, so this guide treats them together.

The rules exist for readers, not for decoration. APA asks writers to choose an accessible font and use it consistently, keeps spacing uniform so instructors and editors can add comments, and uses author-date citations so a reader can trace any claim to its source in seconds.

Many websites still teach APA 6. The table below separates the old habits from the current rules.

Element	APA 6 habit	APA 7 rule
Running head label	“Running head:” on the title page	Label removed; student papers use no running head unless requested
Font	Times New Roman 12 point	Several accepted fonts, listed below
Spaces after a period	Two spaces allowed	One space
Three or more authors	List all on first citation	Use et al. from the first citation
DOI format	doi:10.xxxx	Full link, https://doi.org/xxxx
Publisher location	Included for books	Left out

Different writers need different parts of APA. The table shows where each group should focus.

Writer	Main need	Watch for
College students	Title page, citations, reference list	Instructor overrides and outdated APA 6 advice
Graduate students	Heading levels, tables, figures, accurate references	Mixing APA rules with department rules
Researchers	Professional title page, abstract, author note	Journal-specific instructions that replace APA defaults
Thesis and dissertation writers	Citation and reference rules	University handbooks that set their own layout

APA Formatting Basics: Spacing, Font Size, and Margins

Does APA format need to be double spaced? Yes. Under APA 7th edition, the whole paper should be double spaced. This covers the abstract, body text, block quotations, and the reference list. You don’t add extra blank lines between paragraphs, and you don’t use single spacing in the main text.

Is APA double spaces or single? It is double spaced, not single. Is APA 7 format double spaced? Yes, and that hasn’t changed from the 6th edition. Is APA double spacing required everywhere? Nearly, with a few exceptions:

• Title page: the title block is double spaced, but there is no extra spacing beyond that.
• Tables and figures: the content inside can use single, 1.5, or double spacing, whichever is most readable.
• Footnotes: these can be single spaced, with a double space between them.

Is APA size 11 or 12? Either can be correct, because APA 7 lets you choose from several accepted fonts:

• Times New Roman, 12 pt
• Calibri, 11 pt
• Arial, 11 pt
• Georgia, 11 pt
• Lucida Sans Unicode, 10 pt
• Computer Modern, 10 pt

Use one font consistently. If your instructor or publisher specifies a font size, follow that. Many students default to 12-point Times New Roman.

APA style margins are 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides: top, bottom, left, and right. Align text to the left, leaving the right edge ragged rather than justified, and indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inch. The reference list uses a hanging indent of 0.5 inch.

In short, an APA 7 paper is double spaced, set in an approved font at 11 or 12 pt depending on the typeface, with 1-inch margins on every side. Always check your assignment guidelines, since instructors sometimes set their own requirements.

Setting Up APA in Word and Google Docs

Paper size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Page numbers go in the top right corner of every page, starting with the title page. The steps below cover the two programs students use most.

Task	Microsoft Word	Google Docs
Double spacing	Home, Paragraph, set Line spacing to Double and Before and After to 0 pt	Format, Line and paragraph spacing, Double, then remove space before and after
Page number	Insert, Page Number, Top of Page, Plain Number 3	Insert, Page numbers, choose the top right option and show it on the first page
Hanging indent	Paragraph, Special, Hanging, 0.5 inch	Format, Align and indent, Indentation options, Special indent, Hanging

Menu names shift slightly between versions. Leave Word’s Different First Page option switched off, because APA 7 shows the number on page one as well. Both programs also offer ready-made APA templates in their template galleries. If you need a paper aligned to a specific journal rather than APA, a manuscript formatting service can handle that.

Student vs. Professional Papers

APA offers two versions of several elements. Use the student version unless your instructor or institution asks for the professional one. Professional papers are those prepared for publication, such as a journal manuscript.

Element	Student paper	Professional paper
Title page	Title, author, affiliation, course number and name, instructor, due date	Title, authors, affiliations, author note
Page header	Page number only	Shortened title in capitals (up to 50 characters), flush left, plus page number
Abstract	Only if the instructor asks	Included
Author note	Not used	Included

A professional abstract is a single paragraph of 150 to 250 words that summarizes the study, followed by a keywords line. If you need help writing one, see our abstract writing service.

Instructor rules come first. APA sets the baseline, but a professor may ask for a different font, an abstract, or a cover page layout. Thesis and dissertation writers should also follow their university handbook, which often overrides APA on margins, front matter, and page order. If you are turning a thesis into a paper, our thesis article extraction service can help restructure it for a journal.

APA Paper Structure

A typical paper runs in this order: title page, abstract if required, main text, references, then tables, figures, and appendices if you have them. Each starts on a new page.

1. APA Title Page Format

Place the title in bold, centered, three to four lines below the top margin. Leave one blank double-spaced line, then center the remaining details in plain text. On a student title page, the order is author name, department and university, course number and name, instructor, and due date. The professional version adds an author note.

2. APA Headings

APA allows five heading levels. Use only as many as your paper needs, and never skip a level. All headings are bold and in title case.

Level	Format
1	Centered, bold, title case
2	Flush left, bold, title case
3	Flush left, bold italic, title case
4	Indented, bold, title case, ending with a period; text continues on the same line
5	Indented, bold italic, title case, ending with a period; text continues on the same line

3. APA In-Text Citations

APA uses the author-date system. Give the author surname and year, and add a page number for direct quotations. Paraphrasing is preferred, since APA guidance advises limiting direct quotes. When you do quote, keep the words exact. Our literature search and citation service can help if you are managing a large source list.

Situation	Parenthetical	Narrative
One author	(Kim, 2023)	Kim (2023)
Two authors	(Guirrez & Castillo, 2020)	Guirrez and Castillo (2020)
Three or more authors	(Zheng et al., 2023)	Zheng et al. (2023)
Group author	(World Health Organization, 2022)	World Health Organization (2022)
No date	(Kim, n.d.)	Kim (n.d.)
Direct quotation	(Kim, 2023, p. 14)	Kim (2023) stated “…” (p. 14)
Secondary source	(Kim, 2010, as cited in Lee, 2023)	Kim (2010, as cited in Lee, 2023)

4. APA Reference List

The reference list starts on a new page after the text. Center and bold the label “References,” and alphabetize entries by the first author’s surname. Every source cited in the text needs an entry, and every entry needs a citation. Give DOIs as full links, and list up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis.

Source	Pattern
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/xxxxx
Book	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work in sentence case. Publisher.
Web page	Author or Group. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Before submitting, you can run your paper through a plagiarism check to confirm that all borrowed material is properly cited.

5. APA Tables and Figures

Label each table or figure with a bold number, such as Table 1, followed by an italic title case title. Add notes below, and mention every display item in the text. For complex charts, our formatting and artwork editing service can help before submission.

Quick Checklist and Common Mistakes

Run through this list before you submit. Each item pairs a check with the mistake it prevents.

Check	Common mistake it prevents
Spacing before and after set to 0 pt	Extra space between paragraphs
Text left-aligned, first line indented 0.5 inch	Justified text
Page number on every page, starting with the title page	Missing number on the title page
No running head on a student paper unless requested	Using a professional-paper header
Student title page with all required elements	Incomplete title page
Headings in correct levels, bold, title case	Skipped or inconsistent heading levels
Every citation matches a reference entry, and vice versa	Citations with no reference entry
References on a new page with a hanging indent	Wrong reference layout
Instructor requirements checked against this list	Following APA when the assignment says otherwise

Sources Checked for This Guide

Every rule here traces to APA guidance or a university writing center. Anything that can vary by institution is flagged in the text.

Source	Used for
APA Style, title page setup	Student and professional title page elements
APA Student Paper Setup Guide and checklists	Fonts, headings, page header, citation examples
Purdue OWL, general format	Running head length and professional header
University library guides	Reference list layout, tables, figures

To Conclude

So, what is APA format for a paper in practice? A consistent setup, a clear title page, correct headings, precise citations, and a clean reference list, all checked against your instructor’s requirements. Once the document is set up correctly, the rest is discipline.

If you are preparing a paper for journal publication and want expert help polishing it, Journal Publishing Expert offers editing and publication support for authors.

Before you submit, confirm your assignment brief and the APA Style website one last time, since both take priority over any third-party guide, including this one.

Frequently Asked Questions