Skip to Main Content

APA Citation Guide (7th Edition)

The APA 7th edition was published in October 2019. Please check with your instructor about which edition should be used for your work.

Formatting Your Paper

  • Title Page with the Paper Title, Author Name(s), Due Date, Author Affiliation (your school name), Course Number and Name, and Instructor Name
  • Page numbers in the upper right corner
  • Times New Roman 12 Point Font (or other acceptable font: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Computer Modern)
  • Double Spacing Throughout
  • 1" Margins
  • Text aligned left
  • The first line of each paragraph is indented
  • Headings with multiple levels to organize your paper 
  • Reference list alphabetized with hanging indent for each citation
APA citations in the References list are in hanging indent format. That means the first line goes all the way to the left, and subsequent lines start .5 inches to the right. In Word, you can create a hanging indent by highlighting the citation, right-clicking on the highlighted portion, choosing Paragraph, and then choosing Hanging Indent in the Spacing section.

""

""

Formatting Your Paper

Basics of APA Style

Learn the basics of seventh edition APA Style, including paper elements, format, and organization; academic writing style; grammar and usage; bias-free language; mechanics of style; tables and figures; in-text citations, paraphrasing, and quotations; and reference list format and order.

Academic Writer

© 2025 American Psychological Association.

Alphabetizing the Reference List

Learn how to arrange entries in the reference list, including how to alphabetize multiple works by the same author, the same author and date of publication, different authors with the same surname, group authors, or no author.

Academic Writer

© 2025 American Psychological Association.