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APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual provides guidelines for clear communication , citing sources , and formatting documents. This article focuses on paper formatting.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:

  • Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.
  • Double-space all text, including headings.
  • Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
  • Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
  • Include a page number on every page.

APA format (7th edition)

Let an expert format your paper

Our APA formatting experts can help you to format your paper according to APA guidelines. They can help you with:

  • Margins, line spacing, and indentation
  • Font and headings
  • Running head and page numbering

owl apa sample paper

Table of contents

How to set up apa format (with template), apa alphabetization guidelines, apa format template [free download], page header, headings and subheadings, reference page, tables and figures, frequently asked questions about apa format.

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owl apa sample paper

References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).

Why set up APA format from scratch if you can download Scribbr’s template for free?

Student papers and professional papers have slightly different guidelines regarding the title page, abstract, and running head. Our template is available in Word and Google Docs format for both versions.

  • Student paper: Word | Google Docs
  • Professional paper: Word | Google Docs

In an APA Style paper, every page has a page header. For student papers, the page header usually consists of just a page number in the page’s top-right corner. For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head .

A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length. Longer titles are abbreviated .

APA running head (7th edition)

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APA headings have five possible levels. Heading level 1 is used for main sections such as “ Methods ” or “ Results ”. Heading levels 2 to 5 are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently.

Want to know how many heading levels you should use, when to use which heading level, and how to set up heading styles in Word or Google Docs? Then check out our in-depth article on APA headings .

APA headings (7th edition)

The title page is the first page of an APA Style paper. There are different guidelines for student and professional papers.

Both versions include the paper title and author’s name and affiliation. The student version includes the course number and name, instructor name, and due date of the assignment. The professional version includes an author note and running head .

For more information on writing a striking title, crediting multiple authors (with different affiliations), and writing the author note, check out our in-depth article on the APA title page .

APA title page - student version (7th edition)

The abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper. An abstract is usually required in professional papers, but it’s rare to include one in student papers (except for longer texts like theses and dissertations).

The abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page . At the top of the page, write the section label “Abstract” (bold and centered). The contents of the abstract appear directly under the label. Unlike regular paragraphs, the first line is not indented. Abstracts are usually written as a single paragraph without headings or blank lines.

Directly below the abstract, you may list three to five relevant keywords . On a new line, write the label “Keywords:” (italicized and indented), followed by the keywords in lowercase letters, separated by commas.

APA abstract (7th edition)

APA Style does not provide guidelines for formatting the table of contents . It’s also not a required paper element in either professional or student papers. If your instructor wants you to include a table of contents, it’s best to follow the general guidelines.

Place the table of contents on a separate page between the abstract and introduction. Write the section label “Contents” at the top (bold and centered), press “Enter” once, and list the important headings with corresponding page numbers.

The APA reference page is placed after the main body of your paper but before any appendices . Here you list all sources that you’ve cited in your paper (through APA in-text citations ). APA provides guidelines for formatting the references as well as the page itself.

Creating APA Style references

Play around with the Scribbr Citation Example Generator below to learn about the APA reference format of the most common source types or generate APA citations for free with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator .

Formatting the reference page

Write the section label “References” at the top of a new page (bold and centered). Place the reference entries directly under the label in alphabetical order.

Finally, apply a hanging indent , meaning the first line of each reference is left-aligned, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

APA reference page (7th edition)

Tables and figures are presented in a similar format. They’re preceded by a number and title and followed by explanatory notes (if necessary).

Use bold styling for the word “Table” or “Figure” and the number, and place the title on a separate line directly below it (in italics and title case). Try to keep tables clean; don’t use any vertical lines, use as few horizontal lines as possible, and keep row and column labels concise.

Keep the design of figures as simple as possible. Include labels and a legend if needed, and only use color when necessary (not to make it look more appealing).

Check out our in-depth article about table and figure notes to learn when to use notes and how to format them.

APA table (7th edition)

The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers.

Alternatively, you can watch Scribbr’s 5-minute step-by-step tutorial or check out our APA format guide with examples.

APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example:

  • Times New Roman (12pt.)
  • Arial (11pt.)
  • Calibri (11pt.)
  • Georgia (11pt.)

The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head , page numbers, headings , and the reference page . Text in footnotes and figure images may be smaller and use single line spacing.

You need an APA in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is different from a book citation .

Use Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator to generate flawless citations in seconds or take a look at our APA citation examples .

Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-aligned in the page header.

To insert page numbers in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, click ‘Insert’ and then ‘Page number’.

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved February 19, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/format/

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APA Style, 7th edition

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APA Style Formatting Steps

Setting up page numbering for apa.

1. Set font as Times New Roman and size 12.

2. Click on Insert.

3. Click on Page Number.

4. Click on Top of Page.

5. Click on Plain Number 3 box.

6. Finish cover page (see pages 11 and 12 of the APA guide).

7. Go to second page.

8. Type your title in bold at the top and centered.

9. Close Header/Footer box.

  • APA Style Citations Video [PDF] Video Transcript

Sample Paper

  • Purdue OWL: APA Sample Paper [PDF] An example of a correctly formatted APA style research paper. From Purdue University Online Writing Center (OWL).
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  • Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024 11:39 AM
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APA Sample Paper

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The following PDF provides a sample paper written in the APA style to demonstrate visually how the guidelines work in action. This PDF is used with thanks and full credit to the  Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) , which maintains a robust online guide to a variety of style guides, avoiding plagiarism, and writing at the academic level in general. They are strongly recommended as a resource if you need something more in depth than this guide provides.

“APA Sample Paper.”  APA Sample Paper - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University , Purdue OWL / Purdue University, 30 Jan. 2020, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html. Accessed on 2 Feb. 2024.

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Purdue Owl: APA Formatting & Style Guide

Developed by Purdue's Online Writing Lab. Contains resources on in-text citation and the references page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

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Citation management tools help you track and organize the articles you are gathering for your research.  Citation management tools also generate in-text citations, import records from databases, and reference pages.   NOTE : Errors do occasionally occur with citation managers, so always check your citations and references.

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APA Style from OWL Purdue

  • APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) guide to APA gives a user friendly overview of APA style. The linked overview should help you better understand how to cite sources using APA 7th edition, including how to format the reference page and in-text citations.
  • APA General Format This webpage provides an overview of the format of an APA style paper.
  • Reference List: Basic Rules This webpage review the basic format of the APA style reference list.
  • Reference List: Articles in Periodicals This webpage describes how to cite articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers.
  • Reference List: Books This webpage shows how to cite books and book chapters in APA style.
  • APA Sample Paper This webpage has an annotated paper that show what an APA style looks like.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: 7th Edition

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Table of Contents: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

  • Scholarly Writing and Publishing Principles​
  • Paper Elements and Format​
  • Journal Articles Reporting Standards​
  • Writing Style and Grammar​
  • Bias-Free Language Guidelines​
  • Mechanics of Style​
  • Tables and Figures​
  • Works Credited in the Text​
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  • Publication Process

APA Style Blog

  • APA Style Blog Stay up-to-date on the lastest in APA Style.

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How to cite ChatGPT  (April 7, 2023)

How to capitalize medication names (June 15, 2022)

Introducing APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards for Race, Ethnicity, and Culture  (November 2, 2023)

APA Style Overview

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COMMENTS

  1. APA Sample Paper

    Purdue OWL Research and Citation APA Style (7th Edition) APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here.

  2. PDF APA 7 Student Sample Paper

    In this sample paper, we've put four blank lines above the title. Commented [AF3]: Authors' names are written below the title, with one double-spaced blank line between them. Names should be written as follows: First name, middle initial(s), last name. Commented [AF4]: Authors' affiliations follow immediately after their names.

  3. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

    The Basics General guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay Author/Authors How to refer to authors in-text, including single and multiple authors, unknown authors, organizations, etc. Reference List Resources on writing an APA style reference list, including citation formats Cite your source automatically in APA Cite

  4. Sample papers

    Download and edit sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style for different paper types, such as literature review, mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative. The sample papers show the format and content requirements for professional and student papers, and the annotations provide references to the Publication Manual.

  5. APA Style

    Find annotated bibliography, argumentative, cause and effect, classification and division, definition, illustration, process and narrative essays in APA style. Learn how to cite sources, format and organize your paper according to APA style.

  6. APA format for academic papers and essays

    Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).

  7. APA Formatting and Style Guide

    Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 5th edition of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.

  8. PDF ELEMENTS & FORMAT Sample Papers

    Sample Papers • 51 Sample Professional Paper (continued) Level 2 heading in the introduction, 2.27, Table 2.3, Figure 2.4 narrative citation, 8.11; paraphrasing, 8.23 parenthetical citation of a work with one author, 8.17 parenthetical citation for works with the same author and same date, 8.19 parenthetical citation of multiple works, 8.12

  9. PDF Sample Student Paper

    Sample Student Paper (continued) 66 • PAPER ELEMENTS AND FORMAT journal article reference, 10.1 YouTube video reference, 10.12 short URL, 9.36 book reference, 10.2 report reference, 10.4 blog post reference, 10.1 conference presentation reference, 10.5 edited book chapter reference, 10.3 shortDOI, 9.36 ELEMENTS & FORMAT

  10. Formatting Your Paper

    Setting up page numbering for APA. 1.Set font as Times New Roman and size 12. 2.Click on Insert. 3.Click on Page Number. 4.Click on Top of Page. 5.Click on Plain Number 3 box. 6.Finish cover page (see pages 11 and 12 of the APA guide). 7.Go to second page. 8.Type your title in bold at the top and centered.

  11. Research Guides: Citation Guides: APA Sample Paper

    "APA Sample Paper." APA Sample Paper - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University, Purdue OWL / Purdue University, 30 Jan. 2020, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html. Accessed on 2 Feb. 2024.

  12. APA Style

    APA Style | How To Format in APA | Excelsior OWL Citation & Documentation » APA Style APA Style 7th Edition6th Edition You will often use sources for academic writing, and it's important to know how to responsibly cite and integrate those sources into your own writing.

  13. Purdue Owl: APA Formatting & Style Guide

    /citations/purdue-owl-apa-formatting-style-guide Developed by Purdue's Online Writing Lab. Contains resources on in-text citation and the references page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

  14. APA Style Guide

    ISBN: 9781433832161 Publication Date: 2019-10-01 The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) provides instruction on how to use APA 7th. Below are a few topics covered by the OWL. APA Style Introduction APA 7th

  15. APA Sample Paper

    Purdue OWL Research and Citation APA Style (6th Edition) APA Formatting and Style Guide (6th Edition) APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper Note: This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. The equivalent APA 7 page can be found here. Media File: APA Sample Paper

  16. APA Citation Style

    AGR 201: Communicating Across Culture APA Tutorials The Basics of APA Style tutorial A self-paced tutorial for the beginner. Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) tutorials Short YouTube videos on the APA style. APA Guidelines & Expectations Download the Guidelines for APA Writing Style and Format file. Using APA to Cite Sources

  17. APA Citation Format

    APA 7th Edition Citation Format instructions--Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) APA Style Manual. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. by American Psychological Association. Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2020 (three copies at HSSE reference desk, one in HICKS)

  18. PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition

    7th Edition Student Paper Setup Guide This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper. Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list. Basic Setup

  19. APA

    Purdue OWL: APA APA Guidlines Videos on the Basics of APA General Format In-Text Citations: The Basics Reference List: The Basics Types of APA Papers APA Changes 6th Edition General APA Facts APA Sample Paper Purdue OWL: Writing Tips Choosing a Topic Where Do I Begin? Developing Strong Thesis Statements Writing a Research Paper Citation Management

  20. Sample Papers

    This resource lists all of the sample papers found on the Purdue OWL. Please click on the link to view or download the media file. APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper for Nursing Students (note: this link will open the PDF of the sample paper) APA Sample Paper for Experimental Psychology MLA Sample Paper MLA Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions

  21. LibGuides: PSYC 6020 Course Guide: APA Style

    Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2020, 3rd Floor Stacks, Las Vegas (Main Library) ISBN: 9781433832154. Publication Date: 2019-10-01. The newest official release of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. It is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors ...

  22. PDF A NOVEL TEACHER EVALUATION MODEL 1 Commented [AF1]

    In this sample paper, we've put three blank lines above the title. Commented [AF4]: Authors' names appear one double-spaced line below the title. They should be written as follows: First name, middle initial(s), last name. Omit all professional titles and/or degrees (e.g., Dr., Rev., PhD, MA).