APA 7: Formatting a Paper

Paper format is covered in Chapter 2 of the APA Publication Manual

All Merced College students have access to Microsoft 365 (formerly branded as Office 365), which includes Word, through student email.

• Use a legible typeface, such as:
  • 11-point Calibri
  • 11-point Arial
  • 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode
  • 12-point Times New Roman
  • 11-point Georgia
  • normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
• Double-space the entire paper
• Use 1 inch margins
• Use one space after periods and other punctuation marks
• Indent paragraphs with the tab key on your computer keyboard
• Student papers no longer need:
  • running head
  • abstract
  • author note
• Every page, including the title page, should have a page number in the top-right corner
• The title page should include:
  • Title in bold & centered
  • First and last name
  • Name of department & college
  • Course title
  • Professor first & last name
  • Date (Month Day, Year)
• Use the new guidelines for headings
• Use bias-free language
  • Use singular "they" or "their" when gender is unknown or not relevant.
  • Gendered pronouns (he/she, him/her) are only appropriate when referring to a specific individual who identifies with that pronoun​

Office 365 was rebranded to Microsoft 365 in 2020. "This video walks you step-by-step through setting up an Office 365 Word document in APA 7th edition format" (lsccyfairlibrary, 4:25). 

"APA format is easy in Google Drive! This video is based on the student guidelines for APA 7th edition, which came out near the end of 2019" (Amy Whitson, 3:32).