Mastering the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association means shifting away from rigid, print-era formatting toward cleaner, digitally adapted guidelines. Released in late 2019 and widely adopted since 2020, this revision modernized rules for student papers, scholarly manuscripts, and online reference citations.
If you're staring down a term paper, thesis, or journal submission, you need to know what changed, how to format your pages, and how to avoid costly citation errors. This guide breaks down the core mechanics of APA style with concrete examples so you can write with confidence.
Document Setup and Page Layout
Before writing a single sentence, your document must meet specific typographic and spatial standards. Unlike earlier editions, the 7th edition offers flexibility with font choices while tightening rules on margins and headers.
Set your page margins to exactly 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right). Use a readable font consistently throughout the entire document. Acceptable options include 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern. Double-space all text, including the title page, abstract, main body paragraphs, block quotes, and reference lists. Don't add extra blank lines between paragraphs.
Page numbering requires a right-aligned Arabic numeral in the header of every page, starting with the title page as page 1. For student papers, running heads are no longer required unless your instructor specifically requests them. Align your text to the left, leaving the right margin ragged rather than justified. Indent the first line of every paragraph exactly 0.5 inches using the tab key or your word processor's automatic indent tool.
Crafting the Title Page
The title page introduces your work and establishes academic credibility. The 7th edition provides distinct title page formats for student papers versus professional journal submissions.
For student papers, center the title on the upper half of the page in bold font. Use title case, capitalizing major words. Skip a double-spaced line, then write your name, followed by your institutional department and affiliation, the course number and name, your instructor's name, and the due date on separate double-spaced lines.
For professional papers intended for publication, include a running head flush left in the header, consisting of the shortened title in all uppercase letters. The center of the title page features the paper title, author names, and institutional affiliations, followed by an author note at the bottom containing ORCID iDs, disclosures, and contact information.
In-Text Citation Mechanics
Giving credit where it's due prevents plagiarism and strengthens your arguments. APA style uses the author-date citation system, pointing readers to full entries in your reference list.
In-text citations appear in two primary forms: parenthetical and narrative. In parenthetical citations, enclose the author's last name and publication year in parentheses at the end of the sentence. In narrative citations, weave the author's name directly into the sentence flow, followed immediately by the publication year in parentheses.
When citing a work with one or two authors, include all names every time. For works with three or more authors, include only the first author's name followed by et al. right from the first citation.
- Parenthetical example: Recent findings indicate that structured feedback accelerates skill acquisition among undergraduate writers (Miller & Davis, 2021).
- Narrative example: Miller and Davis (2021) demonstrated that structured feedback accelerates skill acquisition among undergraduate writers.
- Three or more authors: Henderson et al. (2022) surveyed over 500 remote workers to evaluate ergonomic stress.
When quoting directly, always include the page number or paragraph locator. For quotes shorter than 40 words, integrate them into your sentence using double quotation marks and append the page number abbreviation, such as (p. 45) or (pp. 112–114).
Building the Reference List
Your reference list provides the roadmap for every source cited in your text. Begin the reference list on a new page at the end of your paper. Center the bold title "References" at the top. Apply a hanging indent to every entry, meaning the first line of each citation aligns flush left while subsequent lines indent 0.5 inches. Sort entries alphabetically by the author's last name.
Modern digital sources require consistent formatting that prioritizes DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) and stable URLs. Here is how to format the most common source types:
Journal Articles
List the authors' last names and initials, followed by the publication year in parentheses. Add the article title in sentence case, italicize the periodical name and volume number, and include the issue number in parentheses. Finish with the page range and the DOI hyperlink.
- Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2021). Title of the article. Journal Name, 15(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Books
Provide the author name, publication year, italicized book title in sentence case, and the publisher name. If the book has a DOI or stable URL, append it at the end.
- Format: Smith, J. R. (2019). Understanding modern cognitive psychology. Academic Press.
Website Content
When citing online articles or reports, include the author, publication date (or "n.d." if undated), article title in italics or plain text depending on context, website name, and direct URL.
- Format: World Health Organization. (2023). Global guidelines on physical activity. https://www.who.int/guidelines
Inclusive and Bias-Free Language
Academic writing demands precision, objectivity, and respect. The 7th edition emphasizes inclusive language guidelines to ensure your writing avoids bias regarding age, disability, gender, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation.
Avoid using demographic labels as adjectives when describing groups unless it's directly relevant to your research question. Use person-first language for disabilities when appropriate (e.g., "a person with diabetes" rather than "a diabetic"), though you should always respect individual preferences for identity-first phrasing (e.g., "an autistic person"). Ensure your pronouns match individuals' stated identities, using singular they when referring to a person of unspecified or non-binary gender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to include a DOI for every journal article?
Yes, whenever a DOI is assigned to an article, you must include it in the reference list entry, formatted as an active URL starting with https://doi.org/. If an article doesn't have a DOI but has a stable URL from an academic database, include the URL instead.
How do I cite a source with no publication date?
When a reliable source lacks a publication date, write "n.d." (which stands for "no date") inside the parentheses where the year would normally go. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).
What is the difference between a footnote and an endnote in APA?
APA style discourages extensive footnotes because they distract readers. However, if you use content footnotes to provide brief, supplementary explanations, place them at the bottom of the relevant page or list them on a separate page after the references.
How do I handle online sources without page numbers for direct quotes?
If a digital source lacks page numbers, direct readers to the specific location using another identifiable marker, such as a paragraph number with the abbreviation "para." (e.g., Smith, 2022, para. 4) or a section heading combined with the paragraph number.
