{"id":3952,"date":"2026-05-25T06:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T01:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/cheat-sheet-american-psychological-association-apa-manual-of-style\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T09:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:56:33","slug":"cheat-sheet-american-psychological-association-manual-of-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/cheat-sheet-american-psychological-association-manual-of-style","title":{"rendered":"Formatting in American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition Style: Guidelines, Template, Citation Generator"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The APA (American Psychological Association)\u00a0Manual of Style is one of the most popular and respected style guides used in scholarly publications. While intended for the field of psychology, aspects of APA style are adopted and required by many journals from a wide variety of disciplines, such as medicine, social and natural sciences, and the humanities.<\/p>\n<p>The manual provides exhaustive guidelines on different aspects of manuscript preparation, including paper format and organization, mechanics of style, tables\/figures, and citations and reference lists.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, you\u2019ll learn about<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161309\">Page Setup &amp; General Formatting<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161310\">Which font can I use in APA style?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161311\">APA 7 formatting template<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161312\">How to format a title page in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161313\">Student vs. Professional Title Pages<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161314\">Title Page Formatting Rules<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161315\">How to format the abstract and keywords in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161316\">Abstract Requirements<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161317\">What to Include in the Abstract<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161318\">How to format keywords in APA style<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161319\">How to format headings and structure a paper in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161320\">The 5 Heading Levels at a Glance<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161321\">Visual Reference for Heading Levels<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161322\">Key Heading Rules<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161323\">How to format the body text in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161324\">Paragraph Formatting<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161325\">How to format numbers in APA style<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161326\">What does APA style require in terms of bias-free language?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161327\">How to format in-text citations in APA style?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161328\">Basic Citation Formats + Free Citation Generator<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161329\">How to format secondary sources in APA style?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161330\">How to format quotations in APA style?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161331\">Short vs. Block Quotations<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161332\">Examples of quotations in APA style<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161333\">How to format tables and figures in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161334\">Tables<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161335\">Table Label \/ Title Format<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161336\">Figures<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161337\">Figure Caption Format<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161338\">Table vs. Figure: When to Use Which<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161339\">How to format the reference list in APA style<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161340\">Reference List Formatting Rules<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161341\">Author Name Formatting<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161342\">Common Reference Types<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161343\">Quick Reference: Source Type Cheat Sheet<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161344\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161345\">Where can I get a template and sample papers for APA 7 formatting?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><a href=\"#_Toc230161346\">What if my journal guidelines ask for APA 7 formatting but also have their own requirements?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#_Toc230161347\">How long should a paper be in APA 7 style?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121989\">Page Setup &amp; General Formatting<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before writing a single word, configure your document to meet APA 7 standards. These settings apply to&nbsp;<strong>every page<\/strong>&nbsp;of the manuscript.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Setting<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>APA 7th Edition Requirement<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Paper Size<\/td><td>8.5 \u00d7 11 inches (US Letter)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Margins<\/td><td>1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Font<\/td><td>One consistent font throughout (see options below)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Font Size<\/td><td>12 pt for body text; some elements may use 10\u201311 pt<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Line Spacing<\/td><td>Double-spaced throughout, including references<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Paragraph Indent<\/td><td>0.5 inch (first line of every paragraph)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Alignment<\/td><td>Left-aligned (flush left, ragged right)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Page Numbers<\/td><td>Top-right corner, starting with page 1 on title page<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Running Head<\/td><td>Required for manuscripts submitted for publication only<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121990\">Which font can I use in APA style?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/style-grammar-guidelines\/paper-format\/font\">APA 7 allows several fonts<\/a>. Choose one and use it consistently throughout the entire paper:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Font Family<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Recommended Size<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Notes<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Times New Roman<\/td><td>12 pt<\/td><td>Most traditional choice; widely accepted<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Arial<\/td><td>11 pt<\/td><td>Clean sans-serif option<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Calibri<\/td><td>11 pt<\/td><td>Default in Microsoft Word; acceptable<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Georgia<\/td><td>11 pt<\/td><td>Readable serif; good for screen reading<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lucida Sans Unicode<\/td><td>10 pt<\/td><td>Compact but clear<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Computer Modern<\/td><td>10 pt<\/td><td>Common in LaTeX documents<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Key Change from APA 6:<\/strong>&nbsp;APA 7 no longer requires only Times New Roman. It also eliminates the running head for student papers, requiring it only for manuscripts submitted for publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a>APA 7 formatting template<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a free template for APA 7<sup>th<\/sup> edition formatting, for a research paper meant to be submitted to a journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-8a8bf29b-e88b-42ad-b33e-fb585d15bf70\" href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/APA7_Journal_Article_Template.docx\">APA7_Journal_Article_Template<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/APA7_Journal_Article_Template.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-8a8bf29b-e88b-42ad-b33e-fb585d15bf70\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121991\">How to format a title page in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>APA 7 distinguishes between two types of title pages. Ensure you are using the correct format for your context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121992\">Student vs. Professional Title Pages<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The requirements for a title page differ if you are a student writing a thesis\/dissertation\/essay or a researcher\/professional writing a research paper meant for a journal. Check the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Element<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Student Paper<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Professional \/ Manuscript<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Paper Title<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Author Name(s)<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Institutional Affiliation<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Course Number &amp; Name<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u274c Not included<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Instructor Name<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u274c Not included<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Assignment Due Date<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><td>\u274c Not included<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Running Head<\/td><td>\u274c Not required<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Author Note<\/td><td>Optional<\/td><td>\u2705 Required<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ORCID iD<\/td><td>Optional<\/td><td>Recommended<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121993\">Title Page Formatting Rules<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>paper title<\/strong>&nbsp;appears approximately 3\u20134 lines down from the top of the page, centered and in&nbsp;<strong>bold<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Titles should be&nbsp;<strong>12\u201315 words maximum<\/strong>; capitalize all major words (title case).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The author&#8217;s name appears one double-spaced line below the title, centered, in standard (non-bold) text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Institutional affiliation appears one double-spaced line below the author name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All title page content is&nbsp;<strong>centered and double-spaced<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not use &#8220;by&#8221; before the author&#8217;s name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multiple authors are listed in the order of their contribution; separate with commas and &#8220;and&#8221; before the last author.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Visual example of a title page in APA 7 style<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"472\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-title-page-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-title-page-1.jpg 472w, https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-title-page-1-300x332.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121994\">How to format the abstract and keywords in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121995\">Abstract Requirements<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The abstract appears on&nbsp;<strong>page 2<\/strong>, on its own page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The word&nbsp;<strong>&#8220;Abstract&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;is centered, bolded, and appears at the top of the page \u2014 do not italicize or underline it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The abstract body is a single,&nbsp;<strong>non-indented paragraph<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Word limit:&nbsp;<strong>150\u2013250 words<\/strong>&nbsp;(check with your journal or instructor).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It must be&nbsp;<strong>self-contained<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 fully understandable without reading the paper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write in&nbsp;<strong>third person<\/strong>&nbsp;and use&nbsp;<strong>past tense<\/strong>&nbsp;for completed work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not cite references in the abstract unless absolutely necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121996\">What to Include in the Abstract<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Component<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Description<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Research Problem<\/td><td>What question or problem the study addresses<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Participants \/ Materials<\/td><td>Who or what was studied (sample size, characteristics)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Method<\/td><td>Key methodological approach used<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Results<\/td><td>Main findings of the study<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Conclusions<\/td><td>Implications or significance of the findings<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121997\">How to format keywords in APA style<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keywords appear&nbsp;<strong>below the abstract<\/strong>, on the same page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Start with the label&nbsp;<em>Keywords:<\/em>&nbsp;in italics, followed by a colon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>List 3\u20135 keywords,&nbsp;<strong>lowercase<\/strong>, separated by commas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keywords are&nbsp;<strong>not<\/strong>&nbsp;bolded and not followed by a period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Keywords:<\/em>&nbsp;cognitive load, working memory, educational psychology, metacognition<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121998\">How to format headings and structure a paper in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>APA 7 uses a 5-level heading system. Use only as many levels as needed \u2014 start with Level 1 and work downward. Do not skip levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230121999\">The 5 Heading Levels at a Glance<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Level<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Format<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Example<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>Centered, Bold, Title Case<\/td><td><strong>Method<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>Left-aligned, Bold, Title Case<\/td><td><strong>Participants<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>Left-aligned, Bold, Italic, Title Case<\/td><td><strong><em>Inclusion Criteria<\/em><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>Indented, Bold, Title Case, ends with period. Text begins on same line.<\/td><td><strong>Age and Gender.<\/strong>&nbsp;Participants ranged\u2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>Indented, Bold, Italic, Title Case, ends with period. Text begins on same line.<\/td><td><strong><em>Recruitment Procedure.<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;Volunteers were\u2026<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122000\">Visual Reference for Heading Levels<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"903\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image.jpeg 903w, https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-300x164.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-768x419.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 903px) 100vw, 903px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122001\">Key Heading Rules<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The section label&nbsp;<strong>&#8220;Introduction&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;is&nbsp;<em>never<\/em>&nbsp;used as a heading. The paper&#8217;s title at the top of page 3 implies the introduction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>&#8220;References&#8221;<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>&#8220;Abstract&#8221;<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>&#8220;Appendix&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;are centered and bolded. They follow Level 1 style.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not number or letter your headings (e.g., avoid &#8220;1. Method&#8221; or &#8220;A. Participants&#8221;).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Each heading level must appear at least twice; if only one subsection is needed, integrate it into the parent section.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udca1Tip:<\/strong>&nbsp;Most research papers only need Levels 1\u20133. Reserve Levels 4 and 5 for complex, multi-layered manuscripts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122002\">How to format the body text in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122003\">Paragraph Formatting<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Indent the&nbsp;<strong>first line of every paragraph<\/strong>&nbsp;by 0.5 inch using the paragraph settings (not the Tab key).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All text is&nbsp;<strong>double-spaced<\/strong>. There is no line break or extra spacing between paragraphs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write in&nbsp;<strong>active voice<\/strong>&nbsp;where possible (&#8220;The researchers analyzed\u2026&#8221; rather than &#8220;The data were analyzed\u2026&#8221;).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use the&nbsp;<strong>past tense<\/strong>&nbsp;for describing your study and completed research; use the&nbsp;<strong>present tense<\/strong>&nbsp;for established findings and your own conclusions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid contractions, colloquialisms, and jargon not defined for your audience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122004\">How to format numbers in APA style<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>APA style has the following rules about using numbers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Use Words For\u2026<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Use Numerals For\u2026<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Numbers zero through nine<\/td><td>Numbers 10 and above<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Numbers beginning a sentence<\/td><td>Numbers before a unit of measurement<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Common fractions (one-third)<\/td><td>Exact statistical values (p = .03)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rounded large numbers in text (approximately four million)<\/td><td>Scores and scale points (scored 7 on a 10-point scale)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122005\">What does APA style require in terms of bias-free language?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>APA 7 places strong emphasis on precise, respectful language. Key principles include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use&nbsp;<strong>person-first language<\/strong>&nbsp;unless the individual or group prefers identity-first (&#8220;person with a disability&#8221; vs. &#8220;disabled person&#8221; [follow community preference]).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use&nbsp;<strong>singular &#8220;they&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;for gender-neutral references to a single person.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Specify group characteristics only when relevant to the research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid outdated or offensive terminology; consult the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/about\/apa\/equity-diversity-inclusion\/language-guidelines\">APA Inclusive Language Guide<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122006\">How to format in-text citations in APA style?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>APA 7 uses an&nbsp;<strong>author-date citation format<\/strong>. Every citation in the text must have a corresponding entry in the Reference List, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122007\">Basic Citation Formats<\/a> + Free Citation Generator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The table below gives an overview of how to format in-text citations in APA style. If you\u2019re short on time, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/paperpal.com\/tools\/citation-generator\/apa-citation-generator\">Paperpal\u2019s free APA citation generator<\/a> to format your citations and reference list too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Scenario<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Format<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Example<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1 author \u2014 parenthetical<\/td><td>(Surname, Year)<\/td><td>(Miller, 2021)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1 author \u2014 narrative<\/td><td>Surname (Year)<\/td><td>Miller (2021) found\u2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2 authors<\/td><td>(Surname &amp; Surname, Year)<\/td><td>(Chen &amp; Park, 2020)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3 or more authors<\/td><td>(First Surname et al., Year)<\/td><td>(Brown et al., 2019)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Group \/ organization<\/td><td>(Full Name, Year) \u2192 abbreviate after first use<\/td><td>(World Health Organization [WHO], 2023); then (WHO, 2023)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No author<\/td><td>(&#8220;Title,&#8221; Year)<\/td><td>(&#8220;Annual Report,&#8221; 2022)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No date<\/td><td>(Surname, n.d.)<\/td><td>(Garcia, n.d.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Multiple works (same parentheses)<\/td><td>Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons<\/td><td>(Adams, 2018; Liu, 2020; Wang, 2022)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122008\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to format secondary sources in APA style?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Cite the original work in your text, then attribute it to the source you actually read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Bandura&#8217;s social learning theory (as cited in Johnson, 2022) emphasizes observational learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only the secondary source (Johnson, 2022) appears in your Reference List \u2014 not Bandura&#8217;s original work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Key Change from APA 6:<\/strong>&nbsp;APA 7 uses&nbsp;<em>et al.<\/em>&nbsp;from the first citation for works with three or more authors. APA 6 required writing all author names the first time for works with up to five authors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122009\">How to format quotations in APA style?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122010\">Short vs. Block Quotations<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><\/td><td><strong>Short Quotation (&lt; 40 words)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Block Quotation (\u2265 40 words)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Formatting<\/td><td>Inline within paragraph, enclosed in double quotation marks<\/td><td>New paragraph, indented 0.5 inch from left margin, no quotation marks<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Citation placement<\/td><td>After closing quotation mark, before period<\/td><td>After the final punctuation mark of the quotation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Line spacing<\/td><td>Double-spaced (same as body text)<\/td><td>Double-spaced<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Page number<\/td><td>Required<\/td><td>Required<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122011\">Examples of quotations in APA style<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Short Quotation Example<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>As Vygotsky argued, &#8220;learning is a fundamentally social process&#8221; (Kozulin, 2003, p. 15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Block Quotation Example<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Block quotes are fully indented 0.5 inches from the margin, and the page number is given at the end. See the image below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"835\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-block-quote.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-47133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-block-quote.jpg 835w, https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-block-quote-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA-style-block-quote-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 835px) 100vw, 835px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to modify quotations in APA style<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use&nbsp;<strong>[brackets]<\/strong>&nbsp;to add words or clarify meaning within a quotation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use an&nbsp;<strong>ellipsis (\u2026)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 three spaced periods \u2014 to omit words from the middle of a quotation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use&nbsp;<strong>[sic]<\/strong>&nbsp;in italics after an error in the original to indicate it was not your mistake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use&nbsp;<strong><em>italics<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;for emphasis you have added, followed by [italics added] in brackets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122012\">How to format tables and figures in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122013\">Tables<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tables are numbered consecutively:&nbsp;<strong>Table 1, Table 2<\/strong>, etc. (in bold).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>title<\/strong>&nbsp;appears one double-spaced line below the label, in italic title case, flush left, not bold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The table itself follows one double-spaced line below the title.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use horizontal borders only (above and below column headings, and at the bottom of the table); avoid vertical lines and heavy borders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A&nbsp;<em>Note<\/em>&nbsp;below the table explains abbreviations, special characters, or copyright attributions. Start with &#8220;Note.&#8221; in italics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122014\">Table Label \/ Title Format<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Table 1<\/strong><br><em>Demographic Characteristics of Study Participants (N = 120)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122015\">Figures<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Figures are numbered consecutively:&nbsp;<strong>Figure 1, Figure 2<\/strong>, etc. (in bold).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<strong>caption<\/strong>&nbsp;appears&nbsp;<em>below<\/em>&nbsp;the figure (unlike tables, where the title is above).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Captions include a brief descriptive title in italic, followed by additional detail in non-italic text if needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All figures must be referenced in the text before they appear (e.g., &#8220;As shown in Figure 2\u2026&#8221;).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Images must be high resolution (minimum 300 dpi for print).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122016\">Figure Caption Format<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Figure 1<\/strong><br><em>Mean Response Times by Condition Across Four Time Points<\/em><br>Note. Error bars represent \u00b11 SD. *p &lt; .05.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122017\">Table vs. Figure: When to Use Which<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Use a Table When\u2026<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Use a Figure When\u2026<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Presenting exact numerical values<\/td><td>Showing trends or patterns over time<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Comparing multiple attributes across groups<\/td><td>Illustrating relationships between variables<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Displaying structured text data<\/td><td>Displaying photographs, diagrams, or maps<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>The reader needs to look up specific values<\/td><td>The overall shape of the data matters most<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122018\">How to format the reference list in APA style<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122019\">Reference List Formatting Rules<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The reference list begins on a&nbsp;<strong>new page<\/strong>&nbsp;after the body of the paper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The heading&nbsp;<strong>&#8220;References&#8221;<\/strong>&nbsp;is centered and bold at the top of the page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All references are&nbsp;<strong>double-spaced<\/strong>&nbsp;with no extra space between entries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a&nbsp;<strong>hanging indent<\/strong>: the first line of each entry is flush left; subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>References are listed in&nbsp;<strong>alphabetical order<\/strong>&nbsp;by the first author&#8217;s surname.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include a&nbsp;<strong>DOI or URL<\/strong>&nbsp;for all works that have one \u2014 format as a hyperlink.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do&nbsp;<strong>not<\/strong>&nbsp;include a retrieval date unless the source content changes over time (e.g., wikis).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122020\">Author Name Formatting<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Scenario<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Format<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1 author<\/td><td>Surname, I. (no &#8220;and&#8221;)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2\u201320 authors<\/td><td>List all: Surname, I., Surname, I., &amp; Surname, I.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21+ authors<\/td><td>List first 19 authors, insert an ellipsis (\u2026), then add the final author&#8217;s name<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Group \/ organization as author<\/td><td>Write out the full name (no abbreviation)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No author<\/td><td>Move the title to the author position<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Editor instead of author<\/td><td>Surname, I. (Ed.) or (Eds.) after names<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u26a0\ufe0f Key Change from APA 6:<\/strong>&nbsp;APA 7 lists up to 20 authors before truncating. APA 6 stopped at 6. Also, the place of publication is no longer required for books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122021\">Common Reference Types<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The four key elements of any APA reference are:&nbsp;Who&nbsp;When&nbsp;What&nbsp;Where<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Journal Articles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Format<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surname, I. I., &amp; Surname, I. I. (Year). Title of article in sentence case.&nbsp;<em>Journal Title in Title Case and Italics, Volume<\/em>(Issue), Page\u2013Page. https:\/\/doi.org\/xxxxx<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nolen-Hoeksema, S., &amp; Watkins, E. R. (2011). A heuristic for developing transdiagnostic models of psychopathology.&nbsp;<em>Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6<\/em>(6), 589\u2013609. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1745691611419672<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Books<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Format<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surname, I. I. (Year).&nbsp;<em>Title of book in sentence case and italics<\/em>. Publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kahneman, D. (2011).&nbsp;<em>Thinking, fast and slow<\/em>. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Edited Book Chapters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Format<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chapter Author, I. I. (Year). Title of chapter. In I. I. Editor &amp; I. I. Editor (Eds.),&nbsp;<em>Title of book<\/em>&nbsp;(pp. xx\u2013xx). Publisher. https:\/\/doi.org\/xxxxx<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Websites &amp; Webpages<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Format<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Surname, I. I. (Year, Month Day).&nbsp;<em>Title of webpage<\/em>. Site Name. URL<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, March 15).&nbsp;<em>Understanding COVID-19 vaccines<\/em>. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/covid-19\/index.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"_Toc230122022\">Quick Reference: Source Type Cheat Sheet<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Source Type<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Italicize<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Volume\/Issue<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Publisher<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DOI\/URL<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Journal article<\/td><td>Journal name + volume<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>If available<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Book<\/td><td>Book title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>If available<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Edited book chapter<\/td><td>Book title only<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>If available<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Website<\/td><td>Webpage title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>No (use site name)<\/td><td>Always<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Report<\/td><td>Report title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>If available<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dissertation \/ Thesis<\/td><td>Title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>Database name<\/td><td>If available<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Podcast episode<\/td><td>Episode title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Always<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>YouTube video<\/td><td>Video title<\/td><td>N\/A<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Always<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I get a template and sample papers for APA 7 formatting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We have a free template to format a journal article as per APA 7<sup>th<\/sup> edition: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-49dfb487-d326-4f41-bd26-3f23a8050381\" href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA7_Journal_Article_Template.docx\">APA7_Journal_Article_Template<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/APA7_Journal_Article_Template.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-49dfb487-d326-4f41-bd26-3f23a8050381\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/style-grammar-guidelines\/paper-format\/sample-papers\">download sample papers directly from APA<\/a>, with or without annotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if my journal guidelines ask for APA 7 formatting but also have their own requirements?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s any conflict between the journal guidelines and APA 7 guidelines, <strong>follow the journal guidelines<\/strong>. Use APA 7 for any aspects that are not covered in the journal guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, your journal may ask for APA 7 formatting but also ask for the \u201cIntroduction\u201d heading to be used. In that case, use the \u201cIntroduction\u201d heading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long should a paper be in APA 7 style?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>APA style doesn\u2019t have strict limits for paper length. You should check the guidelines of your target journal and shorten or lengthen your paper accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The APA (American Psychological Association)\u00a0Manual of Style is one of the most popular and respected style guides used in scholarly publications. While intended for the field of psychology, aspects of APA style are adopted and required by many journals from a wide variety of disciplines, such as medicine, social and natural sciences, and the humanities. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":47142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2402,2427],"tags":[2469,874,770,2643,2611],"new_categories":[],"new_tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-3952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-references-acknowledgements","category-style-format","tag-apa-style","tag-citation-style","tag-formatting-tables","tag-formatting-tips","tag-manuscript-formatting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>APA 7 Style: Formatting Guidelines, Template, Citation Generator | Editage Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn key formatting requirements of the American Psychological Association style manual (7th edition) + free template &amp; citation generator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/cheat-sheet-american-psychological-association-manual-of-style\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cheat sheet: American Psychological Association (APA) Manual of Style\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Adhering to the guidelines prescribed by an exhaustive manual such as the American Psychological Association Manual (APA) of Style can be daunting. 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