APA Style Guide | Part 1 | Title Page, In text References, Headings, and Quotations
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APA 7th edition manuscripts use double spacing throughout, 1-inch margins on all sides, and half-inch paragraph indents.
Briefing
APA style in the 7th edition is a formatting and citation system used across disciplines such as nursing, business, social work, education, and other behavioral and social sciences. The core requirement is straightforward: manuscripts must help readers identify who wrote the work and how current and relevant the sources are, using consistent rules for layout, in-text citations, headings, and quotations.
Manuscripts should be typed on standard 8.5 x 11 paper with 1-inch margins on all sides and double spacing throughout. Paragraphs are indented by half an inch (using the Tab key), and the right margin should not be aligned. The document uses a 12-point Times New Roman or Georgia font. Page numbering appears at the top right starting with the title page, and the header includes a running head: a short title (no more than 50 characters) placed at the top left on the first page. Subsequent pages carry only the short title in all caps. Spacing rules are also specific: one space after punctuation such as commas, semicolons, and colons within sentences, and no extra blank lines before or after headings. Headings and paragraph spacing must stay tight—no added vertical gaps beyond what APA prescribes.
The title page follows a clear structure. The running head (short title in all caps) appears on page one, and the title itself is centered and roughly 12 words long. The author’s name (including first name, middle initial, and last name) is centered, followed by institutional affiliation, also centered. The transcript notes that the title page can include an author note with correspondence details, and it provides an example layout showing the running head, page number, title, author names separated by “and,” affiliations, and the author note.
In-text citations come in two main forms. Parenthetical citations place the author and year in parentheses separated by a comma. Narrative citations emphasize the author’s name in the sentence, with the year in parentheses. For multiple authors, two authors are joined with “and” (shown as “&” in the transcript’s examples for parenthetical form), while three or more authors use “et al.” in the seventh edition. Quotations require additional precision: short quotations under 40 words go in double quotation marks and include a signal phrase plus the page number. Long quotations over 40 words must be formatted as block quotations—double spaced, indented 0.5 inches from the left margin, and without quotation marks—along with the appropriate citation details.
Headings follow a five-level hierarchy with distinct alignment and styling. Level 1 is centered, bold, and in title case. Level 2 is flush left, bold, and title case. Level 3 is flush left, bold italic, and title case. Level 4 is indented, bold, title case, ends with a period, and the text begins immediately after. Level 5 is indented, bold italic, title case, ends with a period, and also begins immediately after. The introduction section does not receive a heading, and the transcript emphasizes that headings should not be marked with letters or numbers.
Cornell Notes
APA 7th edition formatting hinges on consistent layout rules and precise citation mechanics. The manuscript uses double spacing, 1-inch margins, a 12-point Times New Roman or Georgia font, half-inch paragraph indents, and a running head on the first page with page numbers starting at the title page. In-text citations use author–date formats: parenthetical citations put author and year in parentheses, while narrative citations place the author in the sentence and the year in parentheses. For three or more authors, “et al.” is used. Quotations under 40 words use double quotation marks with page numbers; quotations over 40 words become block quotations (double spaced, indented 0.5 inches, no quotation marks) with proper citation placement. Headings follow five levels with specific alignment and bold/italic rules, and the introduction has no heading.
What are the baseline APA 7th edition manuscript formatting requirements mentioned here (spacing, margins, font, and indentation)?
How should the title page be structured, including the running head and the main title length?
How do parenthetical and narrative in-text citations differ, and how are multiple authors handled?
What rules govern short versus long quotations in APA style, including indentation and quotation marks?
What are the five APA heading levels and how do alignment and styling change across them?
Review Questions
- What formatting details must remain consistent across the entire paper (including spacing, margins, and paragraph indentation)?
- When would a quotation be formatted as a block quotation instead of using quotation marks?
- How do APA heading levels 1 through 5 differ in alignment and whether they are italicized?
Key Points
- 1
APA 7th edition manuscripts use double spacing throughout, 1-inch margins on all sides, and half-inch paragraph indents.
- 2
Use 12-point Times New Roman or Georgia, and place page numbers at the top right starting with the title page.
- 3
Include a running head on page one (short title in all caps, max 50 characters) and only the short title on subsequent pages.
- 4
In-text citations follow author–date logic: parenthetical citations put author and year in parentheses; narrative citations put the author in the sentence and the year in parentheses.
- 5
For three or more authors, use “et al.” in in-text citations.
- 6
Quotations under 40 words use double quotation marks plus page numbers; quotations over 40 words become block quotations (double spaced, 0.5-inch indent, no quotation marks).
- 7
Headings follow five levels with specific alignment and bold/italic rules, and the introduction section has no heading.