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APA Format Checklist
The formatting rules to check before you hand in an APA 7th edition student paper.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
Saved in this browser. Send it to Clear to keep it on your phone.
Margins are 1 inch on every side, and the first line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 inch. Both library guides agree on those numbers, and on double spacing throughout, reference list included, though each points to exceptions. Royal Roads University adds that in the 7th edition a running head is required only for manuscripts going to publication, not for student papers unless your instructor asks. This list covers the student paper format. It leaves out professional title pages, tables, figures and how to format each reference entry by source type. Where your instructor's rules differ, follow your instructor.
Why these items are on the list
- Set margins to 1 inch. All sides. A publisher may require different margins for a thesis headed to print.
- Double-space the whole paper. That includes the title page, headings, block quotations, reference list and appendices, with no extra lines between paragraphs.
- Pick one accessible font. Towson lists 11-point Calibri or Arial, 12-point Times New Roman, or 11-point Georgia. Use it throughout.
- Indent paragraphs 0.5 inch. Applies to the first line of every paragraph. The abstract and block quotes are the exceptions.
- Left-align all text. Leave the right edge ragged. Headings are the only exception.
- Number pages from the title page. Top right corner, flush right. Some instructors start at 2 on the second page, so ask.
- Skip the running head. Student papers don't need one unless your instructor or institution requests it.
- Build the title page. Title, author, affiliation, course, instructor and due date, centered. Spell out the month in the date.
- Repeat the title above the text. Centered, bold, title case. It starts on a new page after the title page or abstract.
- Leave the introduction unlabeled. The first section is assumed to be the introduction, so don't head it "Introduction".
- Format headings by level. Level 1 is centered and bold. Level 2 is flush left and bold. Level 3 adds italics.
- Drop numbers from headings. Section headings shouldn't be labeled with letters or numbers.
- Place periods after short quotes. For quotations of 39 words or fewer, the period goes after the citation.
- Set long quotes as blocks. At 40 words or more, the period comes before the citation.
- Start references on a new page. Title it "References", centered and bold.
- Add a 0.5 inch hanging indent. First line flush left, later lines of each entry indented, all double-spaced.
- Alphabetize reference entries. Sort by the first author's last name. Same-author works go oldest first.
- Confirm your instructor's rules. Assignment instructions win, including whether they want student or professional format.
Keep the checklist open beside your document on your phone and tick each setting as you confirm it in the file. Nothing gets ticked until you have looked at the page itself.
When to use it
Use it after your draft is finished and before you submit the paper for grading.