apa essay format title page

APA Title Page (Cover Page) Format, Example, & Templates

Saul McLeod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

In APA Style (7th edition), the cover page, or title page, should include:

• A running head (professional papers only) and page number
• The title of the paper
• The name of the author(s)
• The institutional affiliation
• An author note; optional (professional papers only)
• A student paper should also include course information

Note : APA 7 provides slightly different directions for formatting the title pages of professional papers (e.g., those intended for scholarly publication) and student papers (e.g., those turned in for credit in a high school or college course).

Professional paper APA title page

Student paper APA title page

Formatting an APA title page

Note : All text on the title page should be double-spaced and typed in either 12-point, Times New Roman font. In the 7th edition, APA increaded the flexibility regarding font options: which now include Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, or Georgia 11. All words should be centered, and capitalize the first letter of important words.

Running Head

In the 7th edition of the APA style manual, running heads are only required for professional papers that are being submitted for publication (student papers do not require a running head, but still need a page number).

Your title page should contain a running head that is flush left at the top of the page and a page number that is flush right at the top of the page.

Place the running head in the page’s header:

• The running head is the abbreviated title of the paper (IN UPPERCASE LETTERS) aligned left on the page header of all pages, including the title page. APA (7th edition) guidelines require that running heads be a maximum of 50 characters (spaces count as characters).
• The “Running head:” label used in the APA sixth edition is no longer used.
• Place the page number in this same header, but align right, beginning with page number 1 on the title page.
• This header should be 1 inch from the top. Some instructors allow for 1/2 inch, too, but the default is 1 inch.

Paper Title

Position the title of the paper in the upper half of the page. The title should be centered and written in boldface, and important words should be capitalized.

The APA recommends that your title should be a maximum of 12 words and should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose.

Author Name(s)

Institutional affiliation.

Position the school or university’s name below the author(s) name, centered.

A student paper should also include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.

Further Information

• APA Student Title Page Guide
• APA Referencing
• How to Write a Lab Report
• Essay Writing Guide for Psychology Students
• APA Style Citations & References
• Example of an APA Formatted Paper

• The Complete Guide to APA Format in 2020

APA Title Page / Cover Page

• Headings and Subheadings
• Discussion Section
• Websites and Online Sources
• Journals and Periodicals
• Other Print Sources
• Other Non-Print Sources
• In-text Citations
• Footnotes and Endnotes
• Using MyBib Responsibly
• Miscellaneous Questions

Details to include

The title page (also known as the cover page) is the front page of your paper. It should contain:

• The running head , a header at the top of the page.
• The first page number .
• The title of the paper
• The institution for which you writing.

Running head

The running head should be in the top-left corner of the page in uppercase. It should include a shortened title of your paper. On the front page only, it should also be prepended with "Running head:".

First page number

The first page number -- generally page 1 -- should be in the top-right corner of the page. Both the page number and the running head should be a half inch from the top of the page.

The title of the paper can contain upper and lowercase letters, and ideally should be no more than 12 words in length. It should be direct, and should not contain abbreviations or other unnecessary words. It should not span longer than 2 lines. The first letter of each word should be uppercase, except for articles (a, an, the), and conjunctions (and, but, for, or, yet).

Underneath the title should be your name (or the author's name if you're not the author). It should be displayed as the first name , middle initial , and last name . Do not add titles (such as Dr.) to the beginning, or qualifications (such as PhD) to the end of an author's name.

Your institution

Finally, underneath the author's name, state the full name of the institution or school you're writing the paper for.

The font for all text on the title page should be Times New Roman, size 12pt, with double line-spacing.

A correct title page will look like the below image:

After completing your title page you will move on to writing an abstract of your paper.

Citation Style: APA 7th Edition: Title Page & Abstract

• Avoiding Plagiarism
• APA Style Guides
• Basic Formatting
• Title Page & Abstract
• The Main Body
• The References Page
• Reference Citation Examples
• Citation Generation Tools
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 7th Edition vs. 6th Edition

The Title Page

Your title page should follow all of the rules outlined in the Basic Formatting tab. In addition, it should be centered in the upper-half of the page. It must include the following information (and your instructor might prefer you to add more):

• The full title of your paper in title case
• Your name (First Last)
• Your institution (Keuka College)
• Your Instructor's Name with their preferred title (example: “Dr. Jill Smith,” or “J. Smith, PhD” or “Professor J. Smith”)
• Date assignment is due, with the month written out in full (example: November 10, 2019)

See the example below (click it to view a larger version):

The Abstract

An abstract is a brief summary of what your paper is all about. Your instructor may or may not require you to include an abstract, so ask them. If they do require an abstract, find out how long they would like it to be. Generally, an abstract is 150 to 250 words long. It is recommended that you write the abstract after you have written your paper. It's a good idea when you're first setting up your document, to include a placeholder page for the abstract on the 2nd page (after the title page).

Your abstract page should follow all of the rules outlined in the  Basic Formatting  tab. Left-align, but do not hit the tab key or indent in any way at the beginning of the abstract. The word "Abstract" should be bolded and centered at the top of the page.

See the example below (click it to view larger):

Reference Librarian

• << Previous: Basic Formatting
• Next: The Main Body >>
• Last Updated: Jul 29, 2024 1:45 PM
• URL: https://libguides.keuka.edu/apa

Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 6th edition
• APA title page (6th edition)

APA Title Page (6th edition) | Guidelines, Example, Template

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk .

An APA title page must include:

• A running head (including page number)
• The title of your paper (one or two lines long)
• The full name of the author(s)
• Your university or institution

Additional information, such as a course number or an author’s note, should be placed on a separate line below the institution.

APA title page template

Table of contents

Apa title page example, general formatting guidelines, running head, paper title, author name(s), setting up the title page.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

The APA cover page adheres to the  general APA formatting guidelines :

• 12 pt Times New Roman
• Double line spacing
• 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins

The formatting requirements for each element on the APA title page are listed below.

Write “Running head:” followed by a (shortened) version of your paper’s title. It must be:

• Left aligned
• Capitalized
• Maximum 50 characters (not including the words “running head:”)

Read more on how to  insert and format a running head .

Use an informative, striking title that summarizes the main idea of your paper.

• Apply title case ( capitalize the first letter of each word, except small words such as articles and short prepositions )
• Keep it shorter than 12 words
• Don’t use abbreviations or contractions
• Place the title in the center of the page

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

The names of the authors are written in full (first name, initial of middle name(s), last name). Include the names of all authors in order of contribution. Don’t include titles (Dr., Prof.) or degrees (PhD, MSc).

APA title page with multiple authors

There are specific guidelines for multiple authors. The formatting guidelines depend on whether the authors have the same affiliation.

This video will demonstrate how to set up the title page in Google Docs.

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. (2020, November 06). APA Title Page (6th edition) | Guidelines, Example, Template. Scribbr. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-title-page/

Is this article helpful?

Raimo Streefkerk

Scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!

How to Write an APA Format Title Page

When it comes to academic writing, most professors and editors require students and writers to follow the APA style.

The APA writing format is an official style first developed 80 years ago by the American Psychological Association (thus the acronym).The APA style was designed by a group of social scientists who “wished to establish sound standards of communication” especially in the fields of education, and social and behavioral sciences. Since then, the APA style has been adopted in various fields and is continuously used today as a standard for proper academic writing.

The APA format emphasizes “simple and straightforward” presentation of ideas. The goal of APA style writing is to deliver the message with the least possible distraction and maximum precision. To achieve this clarity in communication, the APA format provides guidelines in:

• Punctuation and abbreviations;
• Construction of tables;
• Selection of headings;
• Citation of references; and
• Presentation of statistics.

Table of Content

• 1 First Impression
• 3 Example of a Title Page

First Impression

When writing and submitting an academic paper, your title page is your first impression. A correctly done APA format title page helps establish the aptitude of the student or the writer, and gives the reader and reviewer (either your editor or your professor) a clear representation of the rest of your paper.

An APA format title page has five essential elements: the article title, the author’s name, the author’s school affiliation, the running head and the page number.

In writing the actual title, it is important to be specific and on-point. Remember that your title summarizes your entire work. A helpful way to structure your title is to “look at your hypothesis and experimental variables.” For example: “The Effects of (Independent Variable) on (Dependent Variable) ”

An APA format title can also be written as a question. Consider this example from the Athabasca University Centre for Psychology website : “What are the Psychology and Law Perspective with Respect to Sexual Assault?”

• Typeface or Font. Use Times New Roman, 12-point.
• Line-Spacing. Double-spaced including title, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and figure captions
• Margins. One-inch margins at the top, bottom, right and left of every page
• Alignment. Do not justify the right margin (make it even); for text use, flush left. Do not divide words at the end of a line and do not use hyphenation.
• Title. Capitalize major words but not the minor ones.
• Running Head. Your APA format title page should have a running head. This refers to the abbreviated title printed at each page of your manuscript. It should be no more than 50 characters (including spaces and punctuations). This is the first line of your title page. It should be left-aligned at the top.
• Byline. Format should be: First name, middle initial, last name. If you have co-writers, include their names as well. Alphabetize according to surname.
• Institutional Affiliation. This should refer to the organization for which you are writing the paper. If it is an academic paper for a school requirement, type the full name of your school.
• Page Number. The title page is your first page. The number one (typed numerically as in 1) should be located in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Also note that your title, name and school should be centered on the page. Your professor might want to include your class name and number or the due date so it is always wise to check for further instructions aside from the standard elements of an APA format title page.

Example of a Title Page

Image Source

The APA format title page is usually the easiest part of an academic paper so this should be a breeze for most students and writers. As in everything else, when in doubt, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.

BibGuru Blog

Be more productive in school

• Citation Styles

APA cover (title) page: format and templates

There are two types of title page required for APA style papers, a professional and a student version.

Student APA cover page

As long as students do not have any specific guidance from their instructors in regards to a cover page format, they should include the following elements on their cover page:

• Running head : only for APA 6th you write "Running head: TITLE" as a header. APA 7th does not require a running head.
• Title of the paper : three to four lines down from the top of the title page, centered and in bold for APA 7 (APA 6 does not have a title in bold).
• Name of author(s) : include a double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author name(s).
• Affiliation for each author (the university attended, including department)
• Course number and name
• Name of instructor
• Due date of the assignment (date format used in your location)
• Page number (included on all pages), cover page is number 1.
• Times New Roman is the preferred font, 12-point .
• Double spacing
• 1 inch margins

We created a a student APA cover page template of both 6th & 7th edition, which you can download:

Professional APA cover page

A professional APA cover page should include the following elements:

• Name of each author : include a double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author names.
• Affiliation for each author: give the name of the institution at which the research was carried out.
• Author note : see the specific instructions below.
• Running head (included on all pages): for APA 6th you write "Running head: TITLE" and for APA 7th only the title in caps is required (omitting the phrase running head).
• Page number (included on all pages): page 1 is the cover page.
• Times New Roman is the preferred font, 12 -point.

Since there are a few slight differences between the professional cover page in APA 6th and 7th edition, we created a template for each version, which you can download.

APA cover page: Author note format

An author note in a professional paper can be found at the bottom of the cover page. It is usually composed of four paragraphs.

• In the first paragraph : for APA 6, give the name of the author and their affiliation. For APA 7, give the authors' ORCID iDs. Omit this part if the authors don't have ORCID iDs.
• Second paragraph : Specify any changes of affiliation (for both APA 6 & 7). Use the following format: “[Author’s name] is now at [affiliation].” This paragraph may also clarify the death of an author.
• Third paragraph : give any confidentiality disclosures and/or acknowledgments.
• Fourth paragraph : give the contact information of the author(s).

Format : start this section in the bottom half of the title page, below the affiliations. Leave a minimum of one blank line between the affiliation and the author note title. Center the title “Author Note” in bold. The first line of each paragraph should be indented and all aligned to the left.

Further reading

For more details not covered in this guide, take a look at the following sources:

📝 Student and Professional APA cover page (7th ed.)

🌐 APA 6th cover page tutorial

Frequently Asked Questions about APA cover (title) page

The title page of a student paper serves as a representation of the author. It is a mere formality, as it makes your paper appear more academic. As a student, the title page helps your instructor identify on a glance who wrote the paper, what the topic is, and for what course. In sum, a student should add a title page when indicated.

The title page of a professional paper serves as a representation of the author. For professionals, the function of a title page is to introduce the reader to the main facts of the paper, such as the author, the topic, the year of publication, and contact information. In sum, a professional should add a title page to comply with academic standards.

No. According to APA style, the title's font of a title page should not include any type of Word Art or "fun" fonts of any kind. APA style indicates titles should be written in the same font as the rest of the text, it should centered and in bold (for APA 7).

Yes, APA style's title page should be formated as page 1 of the paper, followed by the abstract page as page 2.

If you learn better by watching than by reading, here are two YouTube tutorials that will help you create a title page: APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting and APA Style 7th Edition: Professional Paper Formatting by Samuel Forlenza, PhD.

Make your life easier with our productivity and writing resources.

For students and teachers.

• Reference List

APA Format: Formatting Rules Explained

Hannah berry (ph.d.).

• Published on 04/17/2021
• Updated on 07/01/2024

This page outlines the basic rules you should use to format an academic paper in APA style. It has been compiled by our citation experts, and the information comes from the most recent version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition).

Please note that some teachers and institutions might have their own specific requirements. You should always follow their guidelines where applicable, and remember that the most important thing when formatting an academic essay is to be consistent throughout. 

A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE APA FORMAT

Unfortunately, there is no quick tool you can use as an APA formatter for your essay, but the basic rules are easy enough to learn. Here’s an overview of the main points:

• Sans serif: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode.
• Serif: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern.
• Double-space your essay’s abstract, main text, title, and reference list. Use your word processor’s default formatting (single-spaced) for any footnotes and endnotes.
• Include a title page, then begin your essay on a new page with the title repeated, centered and in bold at the top. Centralize first-level subheadings throughout your paper, but left-justify any second-level subheadings. Place all subheadings in bold.
• Use one-inch margins on every side of your paper unless your professor or your institution specifies otherwise.
• Left-justify the main body of your text. Do not fully justify the text. Indent the first line of every paragraph by an additional half an inch.

THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF A PAPER

An APA paper should generally include each of the following elements in order. We provide more details about the formatting for each specific section below.

• The title page includes the title of the paper, the author’s name, and the institutional affiliation. It may also include a running head (a shortened version of the title) and a page number.
• Abstract and keywords (note that, unless specifically requested, these are only required for a professional paper and not for a student essay).
• The main text is the body of the paper, including the introduction, method, results, discussion, and conclusion sections. It presents the research, arguments, and findings.
• The references section lists all the sources cited in the paper, formatted according to APA guidelines. This allows readers to locate the original sources.
• Endnotes or footnotes provide additional information or citations that are not included in the main text. Endnotes are typically listed at the end of the paper, while footnotes appear at the bottom of the relevant page.
• Tables are used to present numerical data or other information in a concise, organized manner. Each table should have a number and a title and should be referenced in the main text.
• Figures include charts, graphs, photographs, or other visual aids. Each figure should be numbered and include a caption explaining the content. Figures should also be referenced in the main text.
• Appendices provide supplementary material that is relevant to the paper but too lengthy or detailed to include in the main text. Each appendix should be labeled with a letter (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) and a title.

GIVE YOUR CITATIONS A BOOST TODAY

Start your TypeCite Boost 3 day free trial today. Then just $4.99 per month to save your citations, organize in projects, and much more.

HOW TO FORMAT TITLE PAGES USING APA STYLE

Every paper should include an APA format title page. This is presented prior to the main text on a separate sheet of paper. Note again that this is in addition to the title that appears at the top of the first page of your main text. 

There are different rules for the title pages of student essays and for those of professional papers. In what follows, we outline the formatting styles for both.

STUDENT TITLE PAGES

The first page of a student paper should include the title of the essay, centered and in bold, positioned three to four double-spaced lines down from the top of the page. You should capitalize major words, and the subtitle should be placed on a subsequent line, following the main title.

Below this, miss a double-spaced blank line and then list your full name, centered but not in bold. If you authored the paper with someone else, use the word “and” between their name and yours. If there were three or more authors, include commas between each of the names, and the word “and” before the final name.

On the next four lines, list the following information, centered and not in bold:

The Name of Your Department or School, The Name of Your College Course Number: Course Title Professor’s Name Assignment Due Date

In the top right corner, include the page number (“1”). Page numbers should then follow on every subsequent page.

The following is an annotated sample title page for a student paper:

PROFESSIONAL TITLE PAGES

Professional papers written for submission to academic journals and presses contain slightly more detail than student papers. The same rules for formatting the title and the names of contributors apply. However, if the contributors have different affiliations (if they belong to different colleges, for example), then superscript figures are used to connect them. These affiliations then appear on subsequent, double-spaced lines, alongside the corresponding superscript figures, like so:

First Author Name 1 , Second Author Name 2 , Third Author Name 1 , and Fourth Author Name 3,4   1 First and Third Author’s Department, First and Third Author’s Institution 2 Second Author’s Department, Second Author’s Institution 3 Fourth Author’s Primary Department, Fourth Author’s Primary Institution 4 Fourth Author’s Secondary Department, Fourth Author’s Secondary Institution  

Note that, if all of the authors have the same affiliation, superscript figures are not used. The affiliation is simply listed beneath the authors’ names.

Beneath the affiliations, most professional papers will also include an “Author Note,” the title for which should be centred and written in bold. Beneath the title, the author’s note is left-justified and composed of a number of different paragraphs (however many are relevant). These paragraphs appear in the following order:

• ORCID iDs for any authors who have one. This unique identifier helps accurately attribute the work to the correct individuals.
• Note any updates to the authors’ institutional affiliations since the paper was written or mention if any authors have passed away, to acknowledge their contribution.
• Disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that might influence the research. Acknowledge contributions from individuals or organizations that assisted with the research. Declare any financial support or funding sources for the research.
• Provide the email address and institutional affiliation of the author responsible for handling inquiries about the paper.

As well as a page number in the top right corner, professional title pages should also include a running head with a shortened version of the title in all-capital letters in the top left corner. Both the running head and the page number should then appear on every subsequent page of the paper.

Here is a sample of a professional title page:

SUMMARY TABLE FOR STUDENT AND PROFESSIONAL TITLE PAGES

THE LIST OF REFERENCES

All APA papers should include a list of “References” after the main text and before any tables, figures, or other additional materials. The list should include all of the sources directly used to support the ideas and claims made in the main body of the argument. This is different from a bibliography, which includes background materials and wider reading. 

To format your reference list, start a new page after the end of your main text and include “References” as a title, centered and in bold.

On the next line, alphabetize your references by author surname and indent any additional lines after the first one by an extra inch. A sample APA format citation would therefore look like this:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Date). Title of work with first word capitalized (Edition if not the first). Publisher. DOI or URL 

Please see our other more targeted pages for information on how to format different types of sources.

FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES

If used, footnotes appear throughout a paper at the bottom of the page on which the relevant note occurs. Endnotes, by contrast, appear on their own page at the end of the document, after the list of references. Both footnotes and endnotes can be used to provide supplementary information that is not essential to the main body of your argument. 

To form either kind of note, include a superscript number in the relevant position in the text after any punctuation apart from a dash (—), like so. 1 If a footnote number needs to be placed next to a dash, then it should precede it—like it does here 2 —though you should generally delay the footnote marker to the end of the sentence. Only include a footnote in the middle of a sentence if it is necessary for clarity’s sake. 

Use the footnoting feature on your chosen word processor to automatically create footnotes and endnotes. You should also use the word processor’s default formatting settings, typically a 10-point version of the paper’s main font, single-spaced.

ORGANIZING TABLES AND FIGURES

Tables show either numbers or text arranged in columns and rows. Figures are any other way of presenting information visually, such as charts, photographs, illustrations, drawings, infographics, and more.

Both tables and figures can either be embedded in the main body of your text when they are first mentioned or they can be presented on separate pages at the end of your document. If they are embedded, they can either take up a whole page or, if they are small enough, then they can appear with text on the same page. In the latter case, you should place them either at the top or the bottom of the page, not in the middle. You should also leave a blank, double-spaced line between your text and the table or figure.

HOW TO FORMAT TABLES

Tables should be labelled sequentially as they occur in your text (for example, Table 1). This label then appears above the table in bold, followed by a title in italics with any important words capitalized. The font for the table should be the same as that for your paper. 

Tables may include a number of headings based on how the data is categorized. That said, every column should include a heading , even the leftmost column (sometimes known as the stub column). If no heading readily presents itself for this column, then “Variable” is often used. 

Center all column headings and capitalize the important words. Left-align the information in the leftmost column (apart from the column heading), but center the information in all the other cells (unless left-justifying would improve readability). 

See the sample paper below for an APA format example of a table.

HOW TO FORMAT FIGURES

Figures are also labelled sequentially as they occur in your text (for example, Figure 1). As with tables, this label should then appear above the figure in question in bold, followed by an italicized title with important words categorized. The figure then follows at a size large enough to understand and read. If any text occurs in the figure (such as axis labels), style it in a sans serif font between 8 and 14 points. If necessary, provide a legend or key within the borders of the figure. 

NOTES FOR TABLES AND FIGURES

Beneath any tables or figures, you can also include any of the following kinds of notes: general notes, specific notes, and probability notes. These help to clarify elements in the tables or figures that might not otherwise be understood.

• A general note should be titled “ Note .” This title is written in italics and followed by a period. The note then follows (not in italics), typically detailing any abbreviations or definitions used within the table, as well as any copyright attributions or sources.
• Specific notes then come in subsequent paragraphs beneath. They are designated by superscript Latin letters (*) that occur wherever they are relevant in the figure or table itself. 
• A probability note (for p values) follows as a separate paragraph beneath any specific notes. All probability notes appear within a single paragraph. 

SAMPLE APA FORMAT PAPER

The following is an example of a student paper:

American Psychological Association . (2020) . Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) . https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Hannah Berry has lectured at several colleges and teaches at the WEA. Besides publishing extensively, she has taught citation skills and written multiple style guides.

APA Document Formatting (7th Edition)

Apa paper formatting, apa references list formatting, hanging indents for references list, formatting a powerpoint using apa style, additional resources.

Headings - APA Style Tips for formatting headings and using the automatic headings function of their word-processing program to create headings.

Sample Papers in APA Format Includes student and professional papers.

Paper Pre-Submission Checklist (APA Style)   A checklist to use before submitting your paper to ensure it follows proper APA formatting.

• Last Updated: Aug 8, 2023 11:22 AM
• URL: https://libguides.umgc.edu/apa-document-formatting

Paragraph Alignment and Indentation

APA Style includes guidelines for paragraph alignment and indentation to ensure that papers are formatted in a consistent and readable manner. All writers should follow these guidelines.

Paragraph alignment

Align the text of an APA Style paper to the left margin. Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.” Do not use full justification for student papers or manuscripts being submitted for publication.

Do not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks ( such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry ).

Paragraph indentation

Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in. from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation.

Exceptions to these paragraph-formatting requirements are as follows:

• title page: For professional papers, the title (in bold), byline, and affiliations should be centered on the title page . For student papers, the title (in bold), byline, affiliations, course number and name, instructor, and assignment due date should be centered on the title page .
• section labels: Section labels (e.g., “Abstract,” “References”) should be centered (and bold).
• abstract: The first line of the abstract should be flush left (not indented).
• block quotations: Indent a whole block quotation 0.5 in. from the left margin. If the block quotation spans more than one paragraph, the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs of the block quotation should be indented another 0.5 in., such that those first lines are indented a total of 1 in.
• headings: Level 1 headings should be centered (and in bold), and Level 2 and 3 headings should be left-aligned (and in bold or bold italic, respectively). Level 4 and 5 headings are indented like regular paragraphs.
• tables and figures: Table and figure numbers (in bold), titles (in italics), and notes should be flush left.
• reference list: Reference list entries should have a hanging indent of 0.5 in.
• appendices: Appendix labels and titles should be centered (and bold).

Paragraph alignment and indentation are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 2.23 and 2.24 and the Concise Guide Sections 1.22 and 1.23

Related handout

• Student Paper Setup Guide (PDF, 3MB)

From the APA Style blog

APA Style student papers webinar

A new APA Style webinar, “A Step-by-Step Guide for APA Style Student Papers,” taking place on September 10, 2020, will provide detailed guidance on creating, formatting, and organizing APA Style student papers.

How to Cite in APA Format (7th edition): Citation Style Guide

Table of Contents

What is APA 7th Edition ?    

The American Psychological Association (APA) introduced the latest edition of the APA Style Manual (i.e., APA 7 th edition ) in 2019. APA Style has its origins in 1929 , when a group of academics and professionals decided to develop a set of guidelines that would standardize scientific writing. The earliest form was a seven-page guide published in the Psychological Bulletin . The first formal edition of the APA Publication Manual was published in 1952, with subsequent editions appearing in 1974, 1983, 1994, 2001, 2009, and most recently, in 2019.  

Over the years, the APA style guide has evolved considerably to meet the changing needs of a wide range of disciplines, from social and behavioral sciences to health care, natural sciences, and humanities. APA Style is widely used by academic journals and books.  

As APA 7 th edition is the current and most updated version, students and researchers should familiarize themselves with the style guidelines, including the reference and citation styles.  

Who Should Use APA 7th Edition ?    

The aim of style guides such as the APA Style Guide is to simplify the work of editors and make it easier for readers to understand a text by ensuring a uniform format for a given publication. For example, the APA Style Guide will contain guidelines that lay down the APA reference format and APA style citation for authors to follow.  

The APA Style Guide can be a valuable reference when writing and formatting academic papers, irrespective of discipline. However, this style is primarily used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social sciences (e.g., sociology, psychology, anthropology), behavioral sciences, education, business, and nursing.  

If you are a student, you may consult with an instructor to check what style your discipline uses before using APA Style in your work. Most importantly, be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you plan to publish in to ensure APA 7 th edition is the correct style to use.   

APA In-text Citations    

Researchers rely on citations and references to give credit to original sources, support their arguments, and guide readers to additional information for further study. Let us now look at how to cite sources in APA format. The formatting requirements of APA 7th edition citation for referring to secondary sources in your text are as follows.  

The APA citation format includes the author’s last name and the year of publication. When referring to a particular part of a source, the page number may be included, e.g., “(Rawat et al., 2018, p. 115).”  

APA style citation in the text may be parenthetical or narrative.  

In parenthetical citation, the author’s name and the year of publication are placed in parentheses within the text. This style is used at the end of a sentence. See below for an example:  

• Gender, age, education, and income determine a person’s risk and adaptive capacities (Birkmann et al., 2022).  

In narrative citation, the author’s name appears as a part of the sentence, followed by the publication year in parentheses. See below for an example:  

• Birkman et al. (2022) note that gender, age, education, and income determine a person’s risk and adaptive capacities.

Table 1: How to cite sources in APA format when there are multiple authors and organizations as authors  

*First time with an abbreviation: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016); all subsequent citations: (WHO, 2016)  

Table 2: How to cite sources in APA format when some information is missing  

  APA Reference Format    

After APA citations , let us now look at the APA reference format. As an academic, you might use a wide array of source types. According to the APA style guide , each type is formatted in a certain manner. The most commonly used sources are journal articles, books, and dissertations. However, you occasionally might need to cite webpages, podcasts, and news article. How would all these appear in an APA 7 reference page ? You will find your answers in Table 3!  

Table 3: How to format various sources in the APA reference list  

Formatting the APA Paper    

Papers formatted according to APA 7th edition typically contain the following elements:  

Title page with the title (bold, centered), running head and page number in the header, author names and affiliations, and author notes (ORCID ID, conflicts of interest, etc.); see below:  

Next comes the abstract . It should be double spaced and use consistent font. The keywords appear below the abstract, with an indent.  

For the main text, margins are 1 inch on all four side s. T he text is double spaced . T he font used should be consistent . H eadings are used to separate sections , and d etails on heading levels are as follows:  

Source: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/headings

Finally, the APA 7 reference page contains the references to all sources used in the paper. References are double-spaced and use hanging indents :  

Style guides in academic writing serve to standardize formatting, citations, and language use across scholarly works. They provide readers with cues they can use to follow the text more efficiently and to locate information of interest to them. In other words, it avoids distraction of unfamiliar or non-uniform formatting.  

In this piece about APA 7th edition , we have explained in detail the nuances of APA citations , including how to cite in APA format and how to format the APA 7 reference page . A brief primer on formatting a manuscript in line with APA 7th edition is also provided.  

Frequently Asked Questions    

• What are the major changes from APA 6th to APA 7th Edition ?  

The updates from APA 6th to APA 7th Edition reflect a commitment to improving clarity, inclusivity, and usability in scholarly writing. The salient differences from APA 6 th edition are as follows:  

• Title page format: The title page has been updated for professionals. The author note includes information such as ORCID IDs and conflict of interest disclosures.
• Running head: The running head format has been simplified for professional authors.
• Font flexibility : There is greater flexibility in font specifications to enhance accessibility.
• Bias-free language guidelines: The guidelines for bias-free language have been updated to promote inclusivity and respect when writing about various identities.  
• Reference formatting: In APA 7th edition , the number of authors included in a reference entry has changed to allow up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis. The presentation of DOIs and URLs has been standardized.  
• In-text citations: In-text citations for works with three or more authors have been simplified to include only the first author’s name followed by “et al.”
• Accessibility: APA 7th edition emphasizes accessibility for users with disabilities, ensuring that guidelines support various modalities, including screen readers.  
• How do I cite a journal article in APA 7th Edition ?  

According to APA 7 th edition , a reference would appear as below:  

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, volume number (issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy .  

The in-text citation would include the author name(s) and year of publication, e.g., (Andriolatou, 2007).   

• How should multiple authors be cited in APA 7th Edition?  

APA 7 citation style would vary depending on the number of authors and whether you are citing the source parenthetically or narratively:  

Single author, parenthetical: (Bik, 2020)  

Single author, narrative: Bik (2020) reported that…  

Two authors, parenthetical: (Bik & Urs, 2019)  

Two authors, narrative: As demonstrated by Bik and Urs (2019), …  

Three or more authors, parenthetical: (Bik et al., 2023)  

Three or more authors, narrative: Bik et al. (2023) have published…  

• How do I format in-text citations for a direct quote?  

When someone else’s words are copied verbatim in your paper, it refers to a direct quote.   

For APA 7 citation of short direct quotes (<40 words), use quotation marks around the quote and cite the author, year, and page number:  

Another way to look at it is how people “get a broader range of experience than they would on a feature” (Catmull, 2014, p. 209).  

For APA 7 citation of longer quotes, or block quotes, the sentence preceding the quote ends in a colon and is followed by the quoted text. No quotation marks are used. The quote is indented and cited without a period at the end (see the figure below).   

Figure: How to cite block quotes in APA citations

To conclude  

Over the years, the APA style guide has evolved significantly. The current version, APA 7th edition , has expanded in both scope and size to accommodate the needs of wide-ranging fields and to address changing times. Despite these changes, the core intention—to provide clear, consistent guidelines for effective communication—remains at the heart of APA Style .   

For busy researchers, not only is it difficult to remember the different elements of citations and references and the subtle differences in formatting, but it also a tedious task to manually format in-text citations and reference lists and ensure consistency between them. In addition, you might need to format (and even re-format) your manuscript according to different journals, which might follow styles different from APA 7th edition (MLA, Chicago, AMA, etc.)! But there is no need to worry…help is at hand!

Citation generators are online tools that format references in different styles. There are a number of citation generators available, and Paperpal has launched its new citation generator , which stands out from the others in many ways. As a part of Paperpal’s writing workflow, you can easily find and cite sources accurately in a matter of seconds.

This free citation generator supports the updated recent versions of 10,000+ styles, including APA 7th edition . Therefore, it can serve as an APA 7th edition citation generator if you need one! What’s more, you don’t need to switch between multiple tools to search, save, or format your citations. You can rely Paperpal’s citation generation feature for help with citing sources accurately and consistently in your writing. Explore Paperpal for free now!  

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed.  Try for free or  upgrade to Paperpal Prime  starting at US$19 a month  to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing –  Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

Related Reads:

Mla works cited page: format, template & examples.

• 7 Best Referencing Tools and Citation Management Software for Academic Writing
• How to Write Your Research Paper in APA Format
• Cite Sources Accurately in 10,000+ Styles with Paperpal’s New Citation Generator

How Paperpal Enhances English Writing Quality and Improves Productivity for Japanese Academics

Introducing ai review, paperpal’s new virtual research coach for busy academics, you may also like, how to write your research paper in apa..., how to choose a dissertation topic, how to write a phd research proposal, how to write an academic paragraph (step-by-step guide), research funding basics: what should a grant proposal..., how to write the first draft of a..., academic editing: how to self-edit academic text with..., measuring academic success: definition & strategies for excellence, phd qualifying exam: tips for success .

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Headings and Seriation

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

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 .

APA Style uses a unique headings system to separate and classify paper sections. Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading. There are 5  heading levels  in APA. Regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1. The format of each level is illustrated below:

Thus, if the article has four sections, some of which have subsections and some of which don’t, use headings depending on the level of subordination. Section headings receive level one format. Subsections receive level two format. Subsections of subsections receive level three format. For example:

Method  (Level 1)

Site of Study  (Level 2)

Participant Population  (Level 2)

Teachers  (Level 3)

Students  (Level 3)

Results  (Level 1)

Spatial Ability  (Level 2)

Test One  (Level 3)

     Teachers With Experience.  (Level 4)

     Teachers in Training.  (Level 4)

     Teaching Assistants .  (Level 5)

Test Two  (Level 3)

Kinesthetic Ability  (Level 2)

In APA Style, the Introduction section never gets a heading and headings are not indicated by letters or numbers. For subsections in the beginning of a paper (introduction section), the first level of subsection will use Level 2 headings — the title of the paper counts as the Level 1 heading. Levels of headings will depend upon the length and organization of your paper. Regardless, always begin with level one headings and proceed to level two, etc.

Special headings called section labels are used for certain sections of a paper which always start on a new page.

• Paper title
• Appendix A (and so on for subsequent appendices)

These labels should be positioned on their own line at the top of the page where the section starts, in bold and centered. 

APA also allows for seriation in the body text to help authors organize and present key ideas. For lists where a specific order or numbered procedure is necessary, use an Arabic numeral directly followed by a period, such as:

On the basis of four generations of usability testing on the Purdue OWL, the Purdue OWL Usability Team recommended the following:

• Move the navigation bar from the right to the left side of the OWL pages.
• Integrate branded graphics (the Writing Lab and OWL logos) into the text on the OWL homepage.
• Add a search box to every page of the OWL.
• Develop an OWL site map.
• Develop a three-tiered navigation system.

Numbered lists should contain full sentences or paragraphs rather than phrases. The first word after each number should be capitalized, as well as the first word in any following sentence; each sentence should end with a period or other punctuation.

For lists that do not communicate hierarchical order or chronology, use bullets:

In general, participants found the user-centered OWL mock up to be easier to use. What follows are samples of participants' responses:

• "This version is easier to use."
• "Version two seems better organized."
• "It took me a few minutes to learn how to use this version, but after that, I felt more comfortable with it."

Authors may also use seriation for paragraph length text.

For seriation within sentences, authors may use letters:

On the basis of research conducted by the usability team, OWL staff have completed (a) the OWL site map; (b) integrating graphics with text on the OWL homepage; (c) search boxes on all OWL pages except the orange OWL resources (that is pending; we do have a search page); (d) moving the navigation bar to the left side of pages on all OWL resources except in the orange area (that is pending); (e) piloting the first phase of the three-tiered navigation system, as illustrated in the new Engagement section.

Authors may also separate points with bullet lists:

On the basis of the research conducted by the usability team, OWL staff have completed

• the OWL site map;
• integrating graphics with text on the OWL homepage;
• search boxes on all OWL pages except the orange OWL resources (that is pending; we do have a search page);
• moving the navigation bar to the left side of pages on all OWL resources except in the orange area (that is pending);
• piloting the first phase of the three-tiered navigation system, as illustrated in the new Engagement section.

If your bulleted list is part of the sentence and is not preceded by a colon, treat the bullets like a part of the sentence, adhering to standard capitalization and punctuation. This option is helpful for complex or longer bulleted sentences that may be more difficult to read without the aid of punctuation. For items in a bulleted list that are phrases rather than sentences, no punctuation is necessary.

• Ask a Librarian

Research Guide for Online Communication Students

• Find Sources
• Citing & Writing
• APA Formatting & Style Guide From Purdue's OWL.
• APA Style Help Overviews, tutorials, and FAQs

Online Writing Lab

Organizing and Managing Citations

Citation management software can help you manage your research and easily organize and format your citations in a wide variety of citation styles. Check out the links below for more information about these useful programs. 

• Citation Management Basics This guide provides an overview of citation management software options, including basic functions and the differences between the various options available, including EndNote, EndNote Web, and Zotero. Also provided is contact information for Purdue librarians available to provide citation management support for Purdue faculty, students, and staff.
• EndNote at Purdue This guide provides detailed how-to and FAQ for EndNote citation management software, the desktop version.
• EndNote Basic EndNote Basic is an online citation management program that is freely available for all Purdue users. This guide highlights how-to, key functions, and FAQ, as well as differences between the desktop and online versions of this product.
• Zotero Zotero is a free and open, web-based citation management program. This guide provides info on getting started and carrying out key functions, for students and instructors. It also includes video tutorials.

Avoid Plagiarism

• Types of Plagiarism Plagiarism.org presents Plagiarism 101: What is Plagiarism?
• Citing Sources Plagiarism.org's useful guide to everything about citing sources.
• Avoiding Plagiarism Tips on how to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources without plagiarizing from the Purdue OWL. Use the links on the left to navigate.
• << Previous: Find Sources
• Next: FAQ >>
• Last Edited: Aug 26, 2024 4:29 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/onlinecomm

• Using Academic Writer
• Grammar Guidelines
• Inclusive Language
• Punctuation Guidelines
• Writing Guidelines
• Abbreviations
• References (Creating and Editing)
• Additional Reference Examples
• Student Paper Template
• Creating APA Style Tables and Figures
• Copyright Information
• Discussing Statistics In-text
• Formatting Appendices (APA)
• Dissertation to Journal Article This link opens in a new window
• MLA Resources
• AMA Resources This link opens in a new window

Types of References

Select a reference type from the box below for an example of an APA formatted reference. Be sure when adding a reference to your reference list that you use a hanging indent. 

APA Style Reference for a Video:

Director, D. D. (Year). Title of video . [Video]. Production Company.

Doe, J. (2019). Exploring the Universe . [Video]. Space Studios.

APA Style Reference for a Photograph:

Photographer, P. P. (Year). Title of photograph . [Photograph]. Website Name. URL

Smith, J. (2020). Sunset over the Mountains . [Photograph]. Nature Photography. https://www.example.com

APA Style Reference for a Book with DOI:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle . Publisher. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Smith, J. (2020). Understanding Psychology . Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123

APA Style Reference for an Authored Book with DOI:

Jones, R. (2021). Advanced Mathematics . Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1000/abc456

APA Style Reference for One Volume of a Multivolume Work:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Vol. X). Publisher.

Miller, L. (2018). History of Ancient Civilizations (Vol. 2). History Press.

APA Style Reference for a Work in an Anthology:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of Anthology (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.

Davis, P. (2019). Modern Poetry. In R. Carter (Ed.), Anthology of Contemporary Poetry (pp. 34-56). Poetry Press.

APA Style Reference for a Paper Presentation or Poster Session:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster. Paper or poster presented at the meeting of Organization Name, Location.

Lee, M. (2022, March). Innovations in Education. Paper presented at the Annual Education Conference, Boston, MA.

APA Style Reference for a Data Set:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of Data Set . Publisher. DOI or URL

Johnson, H. (2021). Global Temperature Data . Climate Research Institute. https://doi.org/10.1000/data123

APA Style Reference for a Dissertation:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation (Publication No.). [Doctoral dissertation, University]. Publisher.

Martinez, R. (2020). Social Dynamics in Urban Areas (Publication No. 123456). [Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

APA Style Reference for a Policy Brief:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of policy brief . Organization. DOI or URL

Brown, K. (2019). Health Policy Recommendations . World Health Organization. https://doi.org/10.1000/policy789

APA Style Reference for a Journal Article with DOI:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical , volume number(issue number), pages. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy

Doe, J. (2021). Cognitive development in children. Journal of Psychology , 25(3), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsycho.2021.03.002

APA Style Reference for a Journal Article without DOI:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical , volume number(issue number), pages.

Lee, S. (2020). Effects of Sleep on Memory. Health Journal , 34(2), 78-89.

APA Style Reference for a MOOC:

Instructor, I. I. (Year). Title of course. Platform Name . URL

Anderson, T. (2021). Introduction to Sociology. Coursera . https://www.coursera.org/learn/sociology

APA Style Reference for an OER (Open Educational Resource):

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of OER. Publisher. DOI or URL

Williams, J. (2019). Introduction to Economics. OpenStax. https://doi.org/10.1000/oer456

APA Style Reference for a Webpage (Individual Author, Dated):

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Website Name. URL

Thompson, L. (2020, May 5). How to learn Python. Programming Blog. https://www.example.com

APA Style Reference for a Webpage (Group Author, Dated):

Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. URL

World Health Organization. (2021, June 15). Global health initiatives. https://www.who.int/initiatives

APA Style Reference for a Webpage (Group Author, Undated):

Organization Name. (n.d.). Title of webpage. URL

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Preventing chronic diseases. https://www.cdc.gov/preventing

Main Parts of a Reference

Identifying these four (4) elements will help you create a reference for almost any resource.  

Please refer to these pages for additional reference examples.

• Academic Writer Sample References
• APA Style References Page
• << Previous: Tables
• Next: References (Creating and Editing) >>
• Last Updated: Aug 23, 2024 3:48 PM
• URL: https://resources.nu.edu/APAStyle