APA Style and Formatting Guide for Academic Papers
Most professors expect that the layout or format for your written assignments will be
clear, concise, and consistent. We recommend that you consult your course syllabus or
professor for the format preferred or required in your course. If no format guidelines are
specified or available, the following information provides one basic document format,
abridged from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed.
(2009), published by the American Psychological Association.
Header: Page
Number
All pages in the
paper, including
the title page,
are numbered
consecutively in
the upper right-
hand corner of
the header, 0.5”
from the top and
flush with the
right margin.
Header:
Running head
An abbreviated title,
known as the run-
ning head, is placed
flush left in the
header on each page
of the document.
However, the words
“Running head:” only
appear on the cover
page. The shortened
form of the title
stands alone in the
header on
subsequent pages.
Font
Acceptable fonts
are Times New
Roman, 12 pt. or
Courier New, 12
pt.
•
Title Page: APA style requires a title page. The title, author, and institution are centered
in the upper half of the page.
•
Margins: All margins — top, bottom, left, and right — are set to 1” throughout the paper.
Spacing
The paper is double
spaced throughout,
including the title
page, all quotations,
notes, and the refer-
ences page.
