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How to Format Your Research Paper

Get help formatting your research papers

Writing Your Paper: APA 7th Edition

Things to know before you begin:

  • Font & Font Size: Be sure to use the same font throughout your entire paper. APA 7th Edition allows for the use of the fonts listed below.
    • Sans serif fonts: Arial (11-point), Calibri (11-point), or Lucinda Sans Unicode (10-point)
    • Serif fonts: Times New Roman (12-point), Georgia (11-point), or Computer Modern (10-point)
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides
  • Paragraphs: All paragraphs (except in the Abstract) should be indented
  • Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced (title page included)

Typical APA style papers have four main sections:

  1. Title Page
  2. Abstract
  3. Main Body
  4. References

See the tabs below for a breakdown of how each portion should be formatted.

APA Style Papers 7th Edition

Below you will find templates for APA Style papers. Click the link to make a copy of the file. 

  • Google Docs: To make a copy of these templates you must first sign in to your Google account. After you’re signed in, click "File" and then click “Make a Copy.”
  • Microsoft Word: To make a copy of these templates download the file. 

APA Style Report Templates:
These templates include multiple heading levels and should be used for report style papers.

Below you will find an example of an accurately formatted APA Style student paper. 

 

Sample of an accurately formatted APA 7th edition title page

  • Place only page numbers in the header. 

  • Your paper should have the full title in bold. Place an extra space beneath the title and before your name.

  • Your name, your affiliation, the course title, professor’s name, and due date should be double spaced beneath the title.

  • All of this should be in the center of the title page.

Sample of an accurately formatted APA 7th edition style Abstract page

  • Put the word “Abstract” on the top of the page. Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.
  • Do not indent any paragraphs on this page.

  • Indent all other paragraphs throughout the body of the paper. 

Sample of an accurately formatted APA style 7th edition main body page

  • Place the entire title of your paper in Title Case on the top line of a new page.
  • Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.

Sample of an accurately formatted APA 7th edition style references page

  • Center-align the word “References” on the first line of a new page, be sure that it is in bold.
  • Your citations should be alphabetized.
  • Entries are double-spaced with no extra lines between them.
  • Be sure to use a hanging indent for any citations that require more than one line.

Need help formatting your APA style citations using the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association? Click the image or link below to go to the citation guide.

cover image of the citation research guide

 

Need help learning what hanging indents are and how to create them using Google Docs or Microsoft Word? 

Title slide of "creating hanging indents with Google Docs" video Title slide of "creating hanging indents with MS Word" video

To cite this LibGuide use the following templates:

APA: Northern Essex Community College Library. (Date updated). Title of page. Title of LibGuide. URL

MLA: Northern Essex Community College Library. "Title of Page." Title of LibGuide, Date updated, URL.