Have you ever spent hours hunting through the APA manual for a simple formatting answer?

You’re not alone. Every semester, thousands of students and researchers find themselves stuck on the same APA formatting questions — wondering about margins, stressing over running heads, or double-checking how to cite a website with no author. The APA 7th edition manual is over 400 pages, and nobody has time to read the whole thing just to format a paper.

That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive FAQ covering the most common APA 7th edition formatting questions. Whether you’re writing a first-year essay or a dissertation, these answers will save you time and help you get it right the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What font and size should I use for APA 7th edition?

APA 7th edition gives you several acceptable font options. You can use 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Arial, 11-point Calibri, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, or 10-point Computer Modern. The key rule is consistency — use the same font throughout the entire paper, including the title page, headings, body text, and references. No mixing fonts, no decorative typefaces. Stick to one, and you’ll be compliant.

What are the APA 7th edition margin requirements?

APA 7th edition requires 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all four sides of every page — top, bottom, left, and right. This applies to every single page: the title page, abstract, body, references, appendices, and any tables or figures. Do not justify text to create a straight right margin; APA prefers left-aligned (ragged right) text for better readability.

Does APA 7th edition require a running head?

This is one of the most common sources of confusion. In APA 7th edition, a running head is only required for professional manuscripts intended for publication. Student papers do not need a running head at all. This was a significant change from APA 6th edition, where every paper needed one. If you’re submitting to a journal, include a running head of up to 50 characters in all caps, left-aligned in the page header.

How do I format an APA title page?

A student APA 7th edition title page includes the following elements, all centered and double-spaced: the paper title (bold, title case), a blank line, the author’s name, institutional affiliation, course name and number, instructor name, and assignment due date. For professional papers, add an author note and a running head. The title should be no more than 12 words and should not contain abbreviations.

How many heading levels does APA 7th edition have?

APA 7th edition defines five heading levels. Level 1 is centered, bold, and uses title case. Level 2 is left-aligned, bold, and title case. Level 3 is left-aligned, bold italic, and title case. Level 4 is indented, bold, title case, and ends with a period. Level 5 is indented, bold italic, title case, and ends with a period. Most student papers will only need Level 1 and Level 2 headings. Use the full hierarchy only for complex, multi-section papers.

How do I format in-text citations in APA 7th edition?

APA uses the author-date citation system. A parenthetical citation includes the author’s last name and year separated by a comma: (Smith, 2023). For narrative citations, integrate the name into your sentence: Smith (2023) found that… For works with two authors, use “and” in narrative citations and an ampersand (&) in parenthetical ones. For three or more authors, use the first author’s name followed by “et al.” from the very first citation. Always include page numbers for direct quotations.

What is the hanging indent, and how do I create one?

A hanging indent means the first line of a reference entry is flush with the left margin while every subsequent line is indented 0.5 inches. Every entry in your APA reference list must use a hanging indent. In Microsoft Word, you can set this by going to Paragraph settings > Special > Hanging. In Google Docs, use Format > Align & Indent > Indentation Options > Special > Hanging. Or upload your paper to Formatly and let it format the entire reference list for you in seconds.

How should I format an APA abstract?

The abstract appears on page 2 of your paper, immediately after the title page. It should be a single paragraph between 150 and 250 words, with no indentation on the first line. Place the label “Abstract” in bold and centered at the top of the page. After the abstract, indent and italicize the word “Keywords” followed by a colon, then list 2–5 keywords separated by commas. The abstract should summarize the paper’s purpose, methods, findings, and conclusions.

How do I cite a website with no author in APA 7th edition?

When a website or online work has no identifiable author, move the title to the author position in both the in-text citation and the reference list. For in-text citations, use a shortened version of the title in double quotation marks and the year: (“Climate Change Impacts,” 2023). In the reference list, use the full title followed by the date in parentheses, then the URL. If the website is authored by an organization, use the organization name as the author instead.

How many authors do I list before using et al. in APA 7th edition?

For works with three or more authors, use the first author’s name followed by “et al.” from the very first citation onward. This simplified rule is one of APA 7th edition’s most welcome changes from APA 6th, which required listing up to five authors before abbreviating. For works with one or two authors, always list both names every time. For works with a group author, use the full group name unless it has a well-known abbreviation.

What is the correct APA format for a DOI?

In APA 7th edition, DOIs are formatted as hyperlinks: https://doi.org/xxxxx. Do not include the “DOI:” or “doi:” prefix. The DOI should be the final element in any reference entry that has one. APA recommends using the DOI format rather than URLs whenever a DOI is available. If a work has both a DOI and a URL, include only the DOI.

How should I format page numbers in APA 7th edition?

Page numbers appear in the top-right corner of every page. Use Arabic numerals only, starting from 1 on the title page. Do not use Roman numerals or prefixes like “Page” or “p.” In in-text citations, use “p.” for a single page and “pp.” for a page range: (Smith, 2023, p. 42) or (Smith, 2023, pp. 42–49). For direct quotations, a page number is always required.

Still Have Questions?

APA formatting can be frustrating, especially when every detail matters for your grade or publication acceptance. If you’re still unsure about any element of your APA paper, Formatly can format your entire document in about 30 seconds — title page, headings, citations, references, and all. No manual, no guesswork, just perfectly formatted APA 7th edition papers every time.

For more APA formatting guidance, check out our APA 7th Edition Complete Formatting Guide or learn about what changed between APA 6th and APA 7th. You can also visit the official APA Style website for the complete manual.

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