Source: Purdue OWL APA Style Guidelines Overview (APA 7th Edition)
Difficulty: Beginner | Prerequisites: None. This is foundational material for any course requiring APA-formatted papers.
APA (American Psychological Association) style is the dominant formatting standard in the social sciences, education, business and nursing. If your course requires "APA format," this is the rulebook your instructor is referencing: the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the APA. Getting the formatting right is not optional window-dressing; marks are routinely deducted for incorrect margins, missing headers, or a botched title page. If you have never written a formal research paper before, start here. Everything else in APA (citations, references) sits on top of these page-layout rules.
APA papers use 8.5 x 11" paper, 1-inch margins on all sides, double spacing, and a legible 10–12 pt font. Every page carries a running head (shortened title in capitals, flush left) and a page number (flush right). The title page, abstract (if required) and body each have their own layout rules, and APA provides a five-level heading system to organise sections within the paper.
Running head (page header)
A shortened version of your paper's title, typed in ALL CAPITALS, flush with the left margin of every page. Must be 50 characters or fewer.
In simple terms, it is the abbreviated title that sits at the very top of each page so a reader always knows which paper they are looking at.
Double spacing
Every line of text in the paper, including the title page, abstract, body and references, is separated by one blank line's worth of space. No extra space between paragraphs.
Think of it as: the entire document uses the same line spacing throughout, with no exceptions.
Abstract
A single paragraph of 250 words or fewer, placed on its own page immediately after the title page, summarising the paper's purpose, method, findings and conclusions.
In simple terms, it is a compact preview of the whole paper. Note: abstracts are not typically required for student papers.
Heading levels (1 through 5)
APA's five-tier system for organising content within a paper. Each level has a specific combination of alignment, boldface, italics and casing. Level 1 is the most prominent; Level 5 is the most granular.
Think of it as: a nested outline built into the paper itself, so readers can see the hierarchy at a glance.
Title case
A capitalisation style where major words are capitalised and minor words (articles, short prepositions, conjunctions) are lowercase, unless they begin the title. Used in most APA headings.
In simple terms, capitalise the important words and leave the small connecting words lowercase.
Paper size: 8.5 x 11 inches (standard US letter)
Margins: 1 inch on all four sides
Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the entire document
Font: Any legible font, 10 to 12 pt (e.g. Times New Roman 12 pt, Calibri 11 pt)
Page header: Shortened title in ALL CAPS, flush left, 50 characters max. Page number flush right. Appears on every page.
The running head appears in the header area
Upper half of the page, centred on separate lines:
Paper title
Author name
Author affiliation
Student papers add further lines:
Course number and name
Instructor's name
Assignment due date
Starts on a new page (page 2)
The word "Abstract" is centred at the top
A single, double-spaced paragraph follows on the next line
250 words or fewer
Not typically required for student papers; check your assignment brief
Begins on the page after the abstract (or after the title page if no abstract)
Header and page number at the top of every page
1-inch margins on all sides
First line of each paragraph indented 0.5 inch from the left margin
APA uses five levels of headings to create a visual hierarchy:
Level 1: Centred, boldface, title case
Level 2: Left-aligned, boldface, title case
Level 3: Left-aligned, boldface italic, title case
Level 4: Indented 0.5", boldface, title case, ending with a period. The paragraph text begins on the same line.
Level 5: Indented 0.5", boldface italic, title case, ending with a period. The paragraph text begins on the same line.
Levels 1 through 3 each stand alone on their own line. Levels 4 and 5 run into the paragraph.
"The running head is only on the title page." It appears on every page. The title page is not special in this regard.
"Single spacing is fine between paragraphs if the rest is double-spaced." APA requires uniform double spacing everywhere. No extra spacing between paragraphs, no single-spaced sections.
"Any font is acceptable." The font must be legible and between 10 and 12 pt. Decorative or script fonts are not permitted.
"Level 4 and 5 headings get their own line." They do not. The paragraph text starts on the same line, right after the period that ends the heading.
⚠️ Instructors frequently test the exact margin size (1 inch), spacing rule (double) and font size range (10–12 pt). These numbers come up in multiple-choice questions.
⚠️ The five heading levels and their formatting are a classic exam target. Know the difference between centred (Level 1), left-aligned (Levels 2–3) and indented/run-in (Levels 4–5).
⚠️ The running head character limit (50) and its placement (ALL CAPS, flush left) are easy marks on a quiz.
⚠️ Student title pages differ from professional title pages. Expect a question asking which elements appear only on a student paper (course name, instructor, due date).
True or false: APA papers should have 1.5-inch margins on the left and right.
False. All four margins are 1 inch.
Fill in the blank: The running head must be ______ characters or fewer.
50
True or false: Level 4 headings appear on their own line, separate from the paragraph text.
False. The paragraph begins on the same line as the heading.
True or false: An abstract is always required in a student paper.
False. Abstracts are not typically required for student papers.
Fill in the blank: The first line of each body paragraph is indented ______ inch from the left margin.
0.5 (one-half inch)
Q: What are the standard margin and spacing requirements for an APA paper?
A: 1-inch margins on all four sides, double-spaced throughout the entire document, with a legible font in 10–12 pt size.
Q: Describe what appears in the page header of an APA paper and where each element is positioned.
A: The running head (shortened title in ALL CAPS, 50 characters or fewer) is flush with the left margin. The page number is flush with the right margin. Both appear on every page.
Q: List the elements that appear on a student title page in APA 7th edition.
A: Paper title, author name, author affiliation, course number and name, instructor's name, and assignment due date. All centred in the upper half of the page.
Q: How does a Level 2 heading differ from a Level 4 heading in APA format?
A: A Level 2 heading is left-aligned, boldface, title case, on its own line. A Level 4 heading is indented 0.5 inch, boldface, title case, ending with a period, and the paragraph text begins on the same line.
Q: When is an abstract required, and what are its formatting rules?
A: An abstract is typically required for professional papers but not for student papers. It appears on its own page, with the word "Abstract" centred at the top, followed by a single double-spaced paragraph of 250 words or fewer.
This connects directly to APA in-text citations and reference lists, which have their own formatting rules that build on the page layout covered here. The heading system is particularly important when writing literature reviews, where you need multiple subsections to organise sources by theme.
If your course also covers MLA or Chicago style, note that the margin and spacing rules are similar, but the header, title page and heading conventions differ significantly.
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