Writing Skills
Formatting an APA Paper:
Quick Reference Guide to the 7th Edition
Page numbers
Identify the title page with page number 1. The remaining pages should be
numbered consecutively, using Arabic numerals.
A page number will also be on the References page.
Page numbers are located at the top right hand side of the document in the header.
A running head is not required for student papers.
Margins/Font
Leave uniform margins of at least 1 inch (2.54 cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right
of every page.
Use a consistent font throughout the paper that is legible and accessible for screen
readers. The manual suggests 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 12-point Times New
Roman, among others.
Student Title page
The title page for student papers includes seven elements: title, author’s name,
institutional affiliation, course number and name, instructor name, assignment due
date, and the page number.
o See the example below.
Leave an extra double-spaced blank line after the bolded title of the paper.
Spacing/Paragraphs/Indentation
Double space between all text lines of the document including the title, headings,
block quotations, references, and figure captions.
o Be mindful that you do not leave extra spacing between paragraphs.
Last Updated: 2020
Single space footnotes, table bodies, and words within an image.
Indent the first line of every paragraph. For consistency, use the tab key.
Quotations of 40 or more words should be offset as block quotations, indented 5
spaces (1 tab) and be double spaced. Do not use quotation marks to enclose these
quotations.
Headings/subheadings
The heading style recommended by APA consists of five possible formatting options,
according to the number of levels of subordination.
The heading structure for all sections follows the same top-down progression (Level
1 heading to Level 5 heading).
o For subheadings of sections, use different formatting to indicate the level of
subordination. For example, the heading Methods could be an example of
heading level 1. Therefore, APA states it should be centred and bold. A
subheading in the Methods section could be called Sample and Participant
Selection. Since it is a level 2 heading (remember, Methods was a level 1 and
the heading structure follows a top-down progression), APA states it should
be flush left and bold.
o Do not label headings with numbers or letters. If only one level of heading is
needed, use Level 1; for a paper with two levels of heading, use Levels 1 and
2, and so forth.
Heading Level Guidelines
Level 1 Centred, Bold, Title Case Heading
Level 2 Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading
Level 3 Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading
Level 4 Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text begins
on the same line.
Level 5 Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text
begins on the same line.
Incorporating a figure or a table
Place items that are to be compared next to each other.
Place labels so that they are clearly about the elements they are labelling.
Use fonts that are large enough to be read without the use of magnification.
Include all of the information needed to understand it within the table or figure.
Avoid novel abbreviations, use table notes, and label graphical elements.
Number all tables and figures with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are
first mentioned in the text; that is, label them as Table 5, Table 6, and Table 7 or
Figure 5, Figure 6, and Figure 7.
If the document includes an appendix with tables or figures, identify those elements
of the appendix with capital letters and Arabic numerals (e.g. Table A1 is the first
table of Appendix A or of a sole appendix that is not labelled with a letter; Figure C2
is the second figure of Appendix C).
