How to Write a Paper in APA Format (7th Edition)

5 November 2026 · 7 min read

To write a paper in APA format (7th edition), use 1-inch margins, a readable font such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri, double spacing throughout, and a page number in the top right corner of every page. Include a title page, the body of the paper with APA-style headings, author-date in-text citations, and a reference list on a new page with hanging indents. Student papers and professional papers differ slightly, mainly on the title page, running head and abstract.

This guide follows the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, the current edition at the time of writing. Your instructor's requirements always take priority, so check the assignment brief for any changes.

Student paper vs professional paper

APA 7 introduced separate guidelines for students and for authors submitting to journals.

Most of this guide focuses on student papers, with notes on professional differences.

General formatting

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides.
• Font: APA 7 accepts several fonts, including 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 11-point Georgia and 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode. Use the same font throughout.
• Line spacing: Double-space everything, including the title page, block quotations and reference list. There are a few exceptions, such as table contents and footnotes, where single spacing can be used.
• Alignment: Left-aligned with a ragged right edge. Do not justify the text.
• Paragraph indent: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inch, using the tab key or paragraph settings.
• Page numbers: In the top right corner of every page, starting with the title page as page 1.

Step 1: Create the title page

For a student paper, center the following in the upper half of the page, placing the title three or four lines down from the top margin:

1. Paper title in bold, title case. Leave one blank double-spaced line after it.
2. Author name(s)
3. Affiliation: usually the department and university, for example "Department of Psychology, University of Example"
4. Course number and name, for example "PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology"
5. Instructor name
6. Assignment due date, written in the format used in your country

For a professional paper, the title page includes the title, author names, affiliations and an author note, plus a running head. The running head is a shortened title of no more than 50 characters, written in all capitals, flush left in the page header on every page.

Keep titles focused and informative. APA suggests avoiding unnecessary words such as "A Study of".

Step 2: Write the abstract (if required)

Student papers usually do not need an abstract unless your instructor asks. Professional papers usually do.

• Start on a new page after the title page.
• Write the label Abstract, bold and centered.
• Write the abstract as one paragraph without a first-line indent. Many journals set a limit of around 250 words; follow the specific limit you are given.
• If keywords are requested, add a new line below, indented, with the label Keywords: in italics followed by the keywords in regular type.

Step 3: Start the body

On the first page of text, repeat the paper's full title at the top, bold and centered. Then begin your introduction. Do not label the introduction with a heading such as "Introduction", because the title serves that purpose.

If you are still working out the order of your sections, plan them before you draft. A clear outline makes APA headings much easier to apply consistently.

Step 4: Use APA headings

APA 7 has five heading levels. Most student papers only need one or two.

Use levels in order. A section with level 2 headings must sit under a level 1 heading. For a typical empirical paper, the main sections (Method, Results, Discussion) are level 1 headings.

Step 5: Cite sources in the text

APA uses the author-date system. Every in-text citation must match an entry in your reference list, and vice versa.

Parenthetical and narrative citations

• Parenthetical: (Nguyen, 2021)
• Narrative: Nguyen (2021) found that...

Number of authors

• One author: (Nguyen, 2021)
• Two authors: (Nguyen & Patel, 2021) in parentheses; Nguyen and Patel (2021) in narrative citations. Cite both names every time.
• Three or more authors: (Nguyen et al., 2021) from the first citation.
• Group author: (World Health Organization, 2020). If a group has a well-known abbreviation, you can introduce it at first citation and use it afterward.

Direct quotations

Include a page number, or another locator such as a paragraph number for unpaginated sources.

(Nguyen, 2021, p. 14)

Nguyen (2021) described the effect as "small but consistent" (p. 14).

Quotations of 40 words or more go in a block quotation: start on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch, double-space it, and omit quotation marks.

APA encourages paraphrasing over long quotation. Page numbers are not required for paraphrases, though you may include them to help readers find the passage.

Step 6: Build the reference list

• Start on a new page after the body (and before any tables, figures or appendices placed at the end).
• Write References in bold, centered at the top.
• Double-space all entries.
• Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inch: the first line of each entry is flush left, and following lines are indented.
• Order entries alphabetically by the first author's surname.

Common reference formats

Journal article

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case, Volume(Issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxx

Example (invented for illustration):

Nguyen, T. H., & Patel, R. (2021). Sleep timing and exam performance in first-year students. Journal of Student Health, 12(3), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.0000/jsh.2021.0003

The journal name and volume number are italic; the issue number in parentheses is not.

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book in sentence case (Edition if not first). Publisher.

Morales, L. (2019). Writing clearly for science (2nd ed.). Example Press.

APA 7 does not require the publisher's location.

Chapter in an edited book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. page–page). Publisher.

Web page

Author, A. A., or Group Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name. Include a retrieval date only for pages designed to change over time.

APA 7 lists up to 20 authors in a reference entry before using an ellipsis, and presents DOIs as full URLs beginning with https://doi.org/.

Formatting references by hand is where most errors creep in. An APA citation generator can produce the basic layout from your source details. Always check the output against the rules above, especially capitalization of titles, which tools sometimes get wrong.

Step 7: Tables and figures

Number tables and figures in the order they appear in the text (Table 1, Figure 1). Above each one, put the number in bold, then on the next line the title in italic title case. Refer to every table and figure in your text. You can place them in the text after first mention or at the end of the paper after the references, each on its own page.

Step 8: Check before you submit

• Page numbers on every page, top right
• Title page has all required elements
• Double spacing throughout
• 0.5-inch first-line indents in paragraphs
• Title repeated in bold on the first page of text
• Headings follow APA levels
• Every in-text citation matches a reference entry
• References alphabetized, with hanging indents
• Word count within the assignment limit

A word counter helps with the last point, and a final pass with the grammar checker catches typos that formatting reviews miss.

FAQ

Do student papers in APA 7 need a running head?

No. Student papers do not need a running head unless your instructor asks for one. They do need page numbers.

What font should I use for APA format?

APA 7 allows several fonts, including 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial and 11-point Georgia. Choose one and use it throughout, unless your instructor specifies a particular font.

Do I need an abstract for a student paper?

Only if your instructor or assignment asks for one. Professional papers submitted to journals usually require an abstract.

How do I cite a source with three authors in APA 7?

Use the first author's surname followed by "et al." and the year from the very first citation, for example (Nguyen et al., 2021). In the reference list, list all authors up to 20.