APA Style Guide | Part 2 | Format Tables, Figures, and References

APA Style Guide (7th edition) formatting rules for tables, figures, and references hinge on a consistent structure: bold identifiers, italic titles/notes, matching fonts, and disciplined spacing and alignment. Tables should start with a bold table number, followed by an italic table title, then the table itself using “Without Borders” formatting with borders only between data rows. After the table comes an optional note in italics, set in the same font as the paper body. Alignment is specific: the table number and title are left-aligned; the table content is left-aligned for the leftmost column; table headings are centered; and data are centered when short but left-aligned when long. Spacing is equally strict: the table is double-spaced, and the table note uses the same font as the main text, with double spacing between the note and the table elements.

Figures follow a parallel template. A figure uses a bold figure number, an italic figure title, the image, and an optional italic note. The note should use the same font as the body text, and spacing between the figure number and title follows the default image settings (double spacing). Alignment mirrors the table approach: the figure number and title are left-aligned, the image is left-aligned, and the note is left-aligned. The key takeaway is that tables and figures aren’t just “inserted”—they’re formatted to match APA’s typography and layout conventions so readers can scan them quickly and consistently.

Placement rules add another layer of control. Tables and figures can be embedded in the body of the paper, but if an instructor requires end-of-paper placement, APA provides options referenced in the APA Publication Manual and APA’s professional sample paper. Regardless of placement choice, the text must call out the table or figure before it appears. When placed at the end, the table or figure should appear at the bottom of the page or, more commonly, on the next page by itself after the callout. A practical rule is to avoid positioning tables and figures in the middle of a page, which can disrupt readability and pagination.

Reference formatting then shifts to citation mechanics across source types. For journal articles, APA requires the author’s last name and first name, followed by the year, the journal title in italics, volume number, issue number, page range, and a DOI when available. Books require author names, year, the book title in italics, publisher information, and DOI when applicable. Edited book chapters follow a chapter title plus the editors’ names, edition details, and page numbers. The transcript also notes that APA supports many other source categories—magazine articles, websites, reports, conference papers, dissertations/theses, and unpublished work—and points viewers to APA’s broader examples and guides for those formats. Links to the referenced APA resources and student paper guides are intended to be provided for deeper, source-specific templates.