Using APA 7
As of October 2019, APA has updated to version 7. Some professors may sll require APA 6,
but be sure you’re using the right version for your paper. This page covers APA 7.
The Rundown
Generally, an APA 7 style paper should have
the following sections:
• Title page (cover page)
• The actual paper
• References
The paper title and the “References” title
should be centered and in bold.
For the font, line spacing, and margins, follow these
guidelines:
• Use a 12pt, legible font such as Times New Roman.
• Everything, including the title page and references,
should be double-spaced.
• Each page, including the title page, should have a
page number (no last name) in the top-right corner
and one-inch margins.
APA 7 standard for students does not require a running head. However, your professor may choose to
require one. If a running head is required, type the “TITLE OF PAPER” in all caps in the header, top left of
the page. The title page running head is not dierent from the rest of the pages.
Using In-Text Citations
WITH NAME IN THE SENTENCE (1 or 2 authors):
Lastname (2016) researched APA style and found that it was pretty cool (p. 1).
Lastname and Anothername (2016) found strong support for their claims (p. 2).
WITH NAME IN THE CITATION (1 or 2 authors):
Research has shown that using APA can be really easy with practice (Lastname, 2016, p. 1).
Interesting research has been done on the topic (Lastname & Anothername, 2016, p. 2).
3 OR MORE AUTHORS:
Lastname et al. (2016) have done great research.
Great research has been done on this interesting topic (Lastname et al., 2016).
SOURCES WITH NO AUTHOR:
According to this website, the organization is all about using APA style (“Article Title,” 2016).
Common Reference Entries
• Include the names of the rst 20 authors of a work, then leave the rest out with an […].
• Book and article titles are in sentence casing (only the rst word is capitalized, not every word) and journal
names are in title casing (every word capitalized).
• Book titles and journal names are italicized, and article titles are not.
• References should be listed in alphabetical order with a 0.5 inch hanging indent.
CITING A BOOK:
Lastname, F. N. (2016). Title of the book: Subtitle of the book. Publisher.
CITING A CHAPTER IN A BOOK WITH EDITOR(S):
Lastname, F. N. (2016). Title of the chapter. In F. N. Lastname & S. N. Lastname (Eds.) Title of
the book: Subtitle of the book (pp. 1-20). Publisher.
CITING AN ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLE:
Lastname, F. N. (2016). Title of the article: Subtitle of the article. Journal Name, 1(2), 123-456.
https://doi.org/0123456789
CITING A NEWS ARTICLE ONLINE (“Retrieved from” is not required):
Lastname, F.N. (2016). Title of the article. Site Name. https://www.website.com
CITING A WEBSITE WITH NO AUTHOR:
Title of the website. (2016, Month 12). https://www.fullwebsitegoeshere.com
Formatting
Setting up PAGE NUMBERS and the TITLE PAGE:
Insert → Page number → Place page numbers at the top right of the page
In the top half of your title page, type the following, centered and double-spaced:
• The full name of your paper in bold
• Your rst and last name
• Your aliated university
• The course number and name
• Your instructor’s name
• The assignment’s due date
Additional Resources
APA Style Site: https://apastyle.apa.org/
Excelsior College Online Writing Lab: https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/apa-style/
Note that APA 7 has dierent requirements for student
and professional papers. This formatting is the APA 7
standard for student papers.
Student papers only include a running head if the pro-
fessor requires it.
