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APA Style (Seventh edition): APA Style Overview

This guide will assist students in learning APA style and applying it when writing and formatting papers and other course assignments.

APA Style Overview

The APA style is used when writing research papers and documenting information sources. APA stands for the American Psychological Association.

APA style is based on the author-date system which requires citations to appear in two places in your work:

  • in the body of your text ("in-text citations")
  • in the reference list (at the end of your paper)

APA's Basic principles of citation provides an overview of the author-date system.

Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020 for additional information on APA style. Copies of the APA Publication Manual are located at your campus library.

Formatting Basics

The APA Student Paper Format Guide provides guidance on formatting a student paper. Examples are provided including the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list.

Formatting your Paper 

  • Insert a page number, flush right, in the header of every page.

  • Use a font that is accessible, i.e. 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 12-point Times New Roman. 

  • Double space the entire paper and reference list, with 1-inch margins on all sides. 

  • Indent the first line of every paragraph in the body of your paper by 0.5 inches. 

The Reference Page

  • Label the Reference page References capitalized, in bold, and centered at the top of the page.

  • Use a hanging indent for references. 

  • Organize references alphabetically by the surname of the first author. 

  • Insert page number flush right in the header.

 

American Psychological Association. (2020). Paper format. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format

Title Page

Follow your instructor's guidelines when determining what elements to include on the title page and how to format it. Otherwise, students should include the following elements on the title page.

Consult the Online Writing Lab (OWL) to see an example of a title page.

APA Handout for Student Title Page

Title Page

  • Title of the paper

  • Author's name

  • Institutional affiliation

  • Course number and name

  • Instructor name

  • Assignment due date

  • Page number flush right in the header

 

American Psychological Association. (2020). Title page setup. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/title-page

Changes to the 7th ed. APA Manual

Streefkerk, R. (2020, May 8). APA manual 7th edition: The most notable changes. Scribbr. https://youtu.be/zeSIXD6y3WQ