If your paper will follow strict APA formatting, you can follow the steps using the tabs on this page. Your paper should have three major sections: the title page, main body, and references list. The Publication Manual covers these guidelines in Chapter 2; the APA website also provides information on paper formatting.
These guidelines will cover how to set up a student paper in APA format. The 7th edition now has specific formatting for student papers versus a professional paper (i.e. one being submitted for publication). If your instructor has requested a different format or additional elements, use your instructor's preferences. The examples provided use Microsoft Word, but the general guidelines apply regardless of the word processing program you use.
Please note:
APA does not specify a specific font or size, just that it must be legible. Their only guidelines is that the same font should be used throughout the paper. Some suggestions are 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia.
If your instructor has specified a font or font size, follow those guidelines.
The margins of the paper should be set to 1" (one inch) all around.
The line spacing for the paper should be set to double (2.0).
Go to the Home tab
In the Paragraph box, click the icon that looks like two up/down arrows with text to the right
Pick 2.0
Alternate Method: You can also press the Control Key along with the number 2 to quickly double space.
Your title should summarize the main topic of your paper. Try not to be too wordy or off-topic. The APA style website states: "There is no maximum length for titles; however, keep titles focused and include key terms."
Insert the page number in the right area of the header. Use the built-in page numbering system; do not attempt to type each page number manually.
Depending on your instructor's directions, on the first page you may need to include the following information:
Title of Your Paper
Your Name
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Course Number: Course Name
Instructor
Due Date
This information will be centered, and will be a few lines down from the top.
Go to the top of the first page.
Press Enter 3-4 times.
Center your text.
Type in the title of your paper, in bold.
Press Enter twice, in order to have one blank line between the title and the next element.
On the next line, type your full name.
On the next line, type Florida State College at Jacksonville.
On the next line, type your course number, a colon, and your course name.
On the next line, type your instructor's name.
On the next line, type the due date of the paper.
The references list should be on a new page, and should be the last section of your paper.
The heading at the top of the reference list should say References at the top (not Bibliography or Works Cited, unless your instructor tells you otherwise) and bolded.
All reference lists should have a hanging indent.
To create a hanging indent in Word, you can press the Control key along with the letter T.
Line spacing in the reference list should be set to double (2.0).
When organizing your references list, you must alphabetize your references. Generally, you will organize by the author's last name. Go letter by letter and ignore spaces, hyphens, punctuation etc.
If a work has no author, use the title to alphabetize. You will use the first significant word to alphabetize; this means you skip words like the, a, and an.
Example of Proper Order:
Alcott, L. M. (1868)...
Alcott, L. M. (1893)...
Anonymous. (1998). Beowulf...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017).
Etiquette in Florida. (n.d.).
Grammar Girl. (2009, May 21)...
Johnson, C. L., & Tuite, C. (Eds.). (2009)...
Johnson, S. K. (2003)...
Oxford English dictionary (2nd ed.). (1989)...
A prescription for health care. (2009). Consumer Reports...
Southeast Asia. (2003). In The new encyclopaedia Britannica...
Source: Publication Manual, 2.12; 9.44-9.49
APA Style experts will show simple ways to set up student papers (typeface, line spacing, margins, page numbers, etc.), with an emphasis on how default word-processing software settings align with seventh edition style. The experts will then focus on the sections included in all student papers: title page, text, and reference list, with a brief discussion of tables and figures as well. They will walk through the elements needed for each section and then systematically address any needs for different typeface, line spacing, and alignment within those sections—for example, how those factors affect the format of headings, section labels, block quotations, and table and figure labels. The session will conclude with final steps for organizing papers and strengthening their overall quality and presentation.