APA Format Guide
Follow these APA (7th edition) paper formatting rules to ensure your document meets the required standards. This guide covers font, margins, spacing, title page, headers, and reference list formatting.
Paper Formatting
Below are the core formatting requirements for papers written in APA (7th edition) style.
- Font
- 12 pt Times New Roman, 11 pt Arial, 11 pt Calibri, or 10 pt Lucida Sans Unicode
- Font Size
- 12 pt (Times New Roman) or 11 pt (Arial/Calibri)
- Margins
- 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides
- Spacing
- Double-spaced throughout, including the reference list
- Title Page
- Separate title page with paper title, author name, institutional affiliation, course info, instructor name, and due date
- Headers / Page Numbers
- Running head in uppercase on every page; page numbers top-right
Reference List Formatting
Your reference list must follow these rules to be correctly formatted in APA style:
- Title the page "References" (centered, bold) at the top
- Start on a new page after the body of the paper
- Use a hanging indent (0.5 inches) for each entry
- Double-space all entries with no extra space between entries
- Alphabetize by the first author's last name
- Include DOIs as hyperlinks when available
- Italicize titles of books, journals, and volumes
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Cite in APA Now →Frequently Asked Questions
- What font and size should I use for APA format?
- APA (7th edition) requires 12 pt Times New Roman, 11 pt Arial, 11 pt Calibri, or 10 pt Lucida Sans Unicode. The standard font size is 12 pt (Times New Roman) or 11 pt (Arial/Calibri).
- What are the margin requirements for APA?
- APA papers require 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides. This applies to the top, bottom, left, and right margins of every page.
- Does APA require a title page?
- Separate title page with paper title, author name, institutional affiliation, course info, instructor name, and due date