APA Style, 7th Edition

Formatting your paper

Student papers written in APA Style are made up of three main parts:​

      1. A title page

      2. The body of your paper

      3. A reference page

All parts of your document must be formatted in APA Style. ​To begin, download the pre-formatted APA 7 Word template, or format your document yourself using the following guidelines:

      1. Title Page: This is like the cover of your project. It should have the title of your paper, your name, and your school information. It's like the first impression when someone looks at your work.

      2. The Body of Your Paper: This is where you put all your information, ideas, and arguments. Think of it as the main content, like the actual stuff you want people to pay attention to.

      3. Reference Page: You list all the sources you used for your information. It's important to give credit to the people whose ideas you included in your paper.

Now, just like when you're setting up your project display, there are some rules to follow:

     • Margins: Leave some space around the edges of your paper, just like you leave space on your display board. It makes everything look clean and organized. All pages must have 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins. 

     • Font and Spacing: Text must be in an easy-to-read font such as: Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, or Georgia, the size must be either 11 or 12, and all text must be double (2.0) spaced.

     • Page Numbers: Number all your pages, including the title page, at the top right corner. It's like putting a number on each section of your display so people can follow along. 

     • Reference Entries: When you list your sources on the reference page, make sure they look neat and organized. The first line is like the title of each source, and the rest of the information is indented a bit, like when you want to show that something is part of a bigger category. Highlight your references and use these keyboard shortcuts: CTRL T (on a PC computer) or COMMAND T (on a MAC computer)

When you follow all these guidelines, your paper will look neat and organized!

The title page provides your instructor with information about the contents of your paper. Use the example below as a guide:

The body of your paper contains the text that makes up the majority of the document. Use the example below as a formatting guide. For additional parts like tables and figures, use APA's Student Paper Setup Guide (7th edition)

 References are listed alphabetically on the last page of your paper. Use the example below as a formatting guide: