APA Citation: Formatting Your Paper

Download template to create a document in MS Word that conforms to APA style, 7th Edition.

• VCC Style Guide to APA  (PDF)
• Title page set up 
• Title page guide
• Reference list set up
• Inset a running head and page numbers (MS Word)

APA Paper Format

Every APA paper follows the same format. This helps readers focus on the content of your paper, rather than its presentation, and makes it easy for your instructor to provide feedback and check references. Most word processing programs like Word or Google Docs have automatic formatting settings to help you set up your paper. 

An APA style paper has three major sections:

1. Title page
2. Main body
3. Reference list

New to APA paper formatting? Check out this APA Sample Paper example!

See below for some basic formatting guidelines to follow when writing your APA paper. 
 

Font and size 

Use the same font throughout the text of the paper. Check with your instructor for their preferences. APA recommends the following fonts:

• sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
• serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern

Line Spacing

Double space all parts of your APA paper, including the title page, reference list, and block quotations. 

Margins

Double space all parts of your APA paper, including the title page, reference list, and block quotations. 

Page Numbers 

Page numbers should be located in the right corner of every page, including your title page.

Paragraph Indentation 

Paragraphs should be indented 1/2 inch.

Reference List 

The reference list appears at the end of your paper, with references in alphabetical order, by the last name of the first author (or corporate author). The second and all subsequent lines of each reference are indented. This is called a hanging indent. Watch the video tutorial below to learn how to use hanging indents and refer to the Reference List page for more details.

Title Page

Your title page needs to provide information about your paper's topic in a clear and engaging manner. It doesn't need to be long or "academic" sounding - think, short but sweet! The title page should also include the author name (most likely you!) and important course details. See the example below and refer to the APA Title Page setup resource for more information. 

Example Titles 

(Source: Simmons University, Simmons Library APA Citation Guide)

• Attitudes of College Students Towards Transportation Fees
• Effect of Red Light Cameras on Traffic Fatalities
• Juror Bias in Capital Punishment Cases

Image from APA Style, Title Page Setup.