Has a professor ever returned your literature review covered in red ink over formatting issues that had nothing to do with your actual research?

You spent weeks reading, synthesizing, and writing — only to lose points because your APA headings were wrong, your citations were inconsistent, or your margins were off by a quarter-inch. It’s frustrating, and it’s far too common.

A literature review is one of the most challenging academic documents to write. When you combine the intellectual demands of synthesizing dozens of sources with the mechanical burden of APA 7th edition formatting, it’s easy to see why so many students struggle. This guide walks you through everything you need to know about formatting a literature review in APA 7th edition, from structure and headings to citations and automation.

What Is a Literature Review in APA?

In academic writing, a literature review is a critical summary and synthesis of existing research on a specific topic. Unlike an annotated bibliography (which describes each source individually), a literature review groups sources by theme, methodology, or finding — showing how the conversation has evolved and where your research fits in.

APA 7th edition doesn’t have a dedicated “literature review” template because literature reviews appear in different contexts. They can be:

• A standalone assignment in a graduate or undergraduate course
• A section within a thesis or dissertation (typically Chapter 2)
• A section within a research article or capstone project
• A published review article in an academic journal

Regardless of the context, the formatting rules are the same. APA 7th edition provides specific guidance on headings, citations, spacing, and references that apply directly to literature reviews.

Step 1: Set Up Your APA 7th Edition Document Basics

Before you write a single word, configure your document to APA 7th edition standards. This saves you from fixing formatting issues after you’ve already written 20 pages.

Document Margins and Spacing

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides
• Font: Times New Roman 12-point (or Arial 11-point, Calibri 11-point, Georgia 11-point)
• Line spacing: Double-spaced throughout, including the reference list
• Paragraph alignment: Left-aligned (not justified)
• First-line indent: 0.5 inches for every paragraph

Running Head and Page Numbers

• Student papers: No running head required. Just page numbers flush right in the header.
• Professional papers: A running head (shortened title in ALL CAPS, max 50 characters) flush left, page numbers flush right.

Title Page

Your literature review needs an APA title page with:

• Paper title (bold, centered, upper and lowercase)
• Author name(s)
• Institutional affiliation
• Course name and number
• Instructor name
• Assignment due date

Student papers include the last four items. Professional papers omit them and add an author note and ORCID iD instead.

Step 2: Structure Your Literature Review

A literature review in APA 7th edition follows a standard structure, but the body sections depend on your topic and scope. Here’s the general framework:

Introduction

State your topic, why it matters, and how you’ll organize the review. Include a thesis statement that previews the key themes or debates you’ll cover. In APA format, the introduction doesn’t get a heading — it’s assumed from the paper title.

Body Sections (Thematic Organization)

Organize the body by theme, methodology, or chronology. Use APA heading levels to create a clear hierarchy:

Level	Format	Example
1	Centered, Bold, Title Case	Historical Context of Bilingual Education
2	Flush Left, Bold, Title Case	Cognitive Benefits of Bilingualism
3	Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case	Executive Function Studies
4	Indented, Bold, Title Case, Period	Inhibition Tasks.
5	Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Period	Stroop Test Paradigm.

Pro tip: Most literature reviews only need Level 1 and Level 2 headings. Use Level 3 sparingly — too many heading levels make your review harder to read, not easier.

Thematic Grouping Example

If you’re writing about social media and mental health, your body sections might look like:

• Depression and Social Media Use (Level 1)
• Anxiety Correlates in Adolescent Users (Level 2)
• Sleep Disruption Pathways (Level 2)
• Body Image and Social Comparison (Level 1)
• Intervention Studies (Level 1)

Each section should include multiple sources that agree, disagree, or extend one another. Don’t just summarize one source after another — synthesize them. Show how Study A built on Study B, or why Study C contradicts Study D.

Conclusion

Summarize the key findings, identify gaps in the literature, and explain how your research will address those gaps. In APA, use a Level 1 heading (“Conclusion” or “Future Directions”) for this section.

Step 3: Master APA 7th Edition In-Text Citations

Literature reviews live and die by proper citation. APA 7th edition uses the author-date system, and getting this right is critical.

Basic In-Text Citation Formats

Type	Format	Example
Narrative	Author (Year)	Williams (2023) found that…
Parenthetical	(Author, Year)	(Williams, 2023)
Two authors	Author & Author (Year)	(Chen & Patel, 2022)
Three+ authors	Author et al. (Year)	(Rodriguez et al., 2024)
Multiple sources	Alphabetical order	(Chen & Patel, 2022; Rodriguez et al., 2024; Williams, 2023)

Writing With Multiple Sources

In a literature review, you’ll frequently cite several sources in the same paragraph. Here’s how to weave them naturally:

Several studies have linked screen time to disrupted sleep patterns in adolescents (Kim, 2023; Okafor & Lee, 2022). However, Thompson et al. (2024) argued that content type matters more than duration. Their longitudinal study found that passive scrolling had minimal sleep impact compared to interactive gaming before bedtime.

Notice how the example above groups citations by idea rather than listing them one per sentence. This synthesis is the hallmark of a strong literature review.

Step 4: Build Your Reference List

The reference list appears on a new page after your conclusion. Center and bold the heading “References” (Level 1). Every source cited in your literature review must appear here, and every entry here must be cited in your text.

Key APA 7th Reference Rules

• Hanging indent: 0.5 inches for every entry
• Double spacing: Throughout, no extra space between entries
• Alphabetical order: By author last name
• DOIs: Always include as hyperlinks (https://doi.org/...)
• Up to 20 authors: List all; don’t use et al. in the reference list

Common Reference Types

Source Type	APA 7th Format
Journal article	Author. (Year). Title. Journal, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI
Book	Author. (Year). Title. Publisher.
Book chapter	Author. (Year). Chapter title. In Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp.). Publisher.
Website	Author. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site Name. URL
Dissertation	Author. (Year). Title [Doctoral dissertation, University]. Database.

Step 5: Common Literature Review Pitfalls to Avoid

After reviewing thousands of student literature reviews, we’ve identified the most common formatting and writing mistakes:

• Annotation, not synthesis. If your paragraphs read like a list of “Smith said X, then Jones said Y, then Brown said Z,” you’re not synthesizing. Group sources by what they contribute to the conversation.
• Missing citations. Every claim that isn’t your own original thought needs a citation. If you’re unsure, cite it.
• Wrong heading levels. A literature review is not a five-level outline. Stick to Levels 1 and 2 for most reviews.
• Inconsistent font or spacing. APA 7th edition is strict about uniformity. No mixing fonts, no extra spaces between paragraphs.
• Reference list mismatches. Every citation in your text must appear in the reference list and vice versa. It sounds basic, but it’s the most common error we see.

Simplify Your APA Literature Review With Formatly

Formatting a literature review manually is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. Between managing 40+ sources, getting heading levels right, and ensuring every citation is in APA 7th edition format, it’s easy to make mistakes that cost you points.

Formatly handles the entire formatting process in about 30 seconds. Upload your document, select APA 7th edition, and receive a perfectly formatted file with tracked changes so you can see exactly what was fixed. No more hunting through the Publication Manual for margin requirements or hungrily scanning citation examples.

We cover APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 17th, Harvard, and Turabian — so whether you’re writing a literature review, a dissertation, or a journal article, the formatting is one less thing to worry about.

Upload your draft and format your literature review in seconds →

More Resources

• APA 7th Edition: Complete Formatting Guide
• How to Format In-Text Citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago
• How to Format a Reference List in APA 7th Edition
• 5 Common APA Formatting Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
• APA 7th Edition Student vs Professional Paper: Key Differences

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Booth, A., Sutton, A., & Papaioannou, D. (2016). Systematic approaches to a successful literature review (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.