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APA Style 7th Edition

This guide explains the basics of APA Style 7th Edition.

Formatting

Consistent formatting allows a scholarly paper to be easily read and understood. If the formatting changes too much, it can distract readers and make them focus on how the paper looks instead of what it says. Formatting includes things like font, line spacing, margins, paragraph alignment, indentation, and headers. APA 7th Edition now differentiates between student and professional papers. See below for common formatting for APA style papers.

Papers using APA style formatting will:

  • Use a font that is accessible to everyone. (APA recommends sans serif fonts.)
  • Double-space most text.
  • Use 1 inch margins.
  • Use a left-aligned running head (not required for student papers, unless indicated by instructor).
  • Use right-aligned page numbers.

This guide will focus on the formatting style for student papers. For more information on formatting professional APA style papers, check out the APA's webpage for sample papers.

Essay Format:

  • Font - While you still can use Times New Roman 12, you are free to use other fonts. Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans 10, and Georgia 11 are all acceptable.
  • Headers - No running headers are required for student papers.
  • Tables and Figures - There is a standardized format for both tables and figures.

Style, Grammar, Usage:

  • Singular "they" required in two situations: when used by a known person as their personal pronoun or when the gender of a singular person is not known.
  • Use only one space after a sentence-ending period.

Citation Style:

  • Developed the 'Four Elements of a Reference" (Author, Date, Title, Source) to help writers to create references for source types not explicitly examined in the APA Manual.
  • Three or more authors can be abbreviated to First author, et al. on the first citation.
  • Up to 20 authors are spelled out in the References List.
  • Publisher location is not required for books
  • Ebook platform, format, or device is not required for eBooks.  
  • Library database names are generally not required
  • Hyperlinks -
    • No "doi:" prefix, simply include the doi.
    • All hyperlinks retain the https://
    • Links can be "live" in blue with underline or black without underlining

APA 7th Edition: Most Notable Changes

Learn the 17 most notable changes in the APA 7th Edition.

APA 7th Edition Style Manual Overview

A brief overview of the 7th edition of the APA Publication Style Manual.

Helpful Links