APA 7th Edition: Complete Formatting & Citation Guide

If you are an international student submitting research papers, dissertations, or journal articles, chances are your university requires APA format. The American Psychological Association (APA) released its 7th edition in October 2019, and it remains the standard for academic writing in psychology, education, nursing, social sciences, and many other disciplines. This guide walks you through every formatting and citation rule you need to know — from the title page to the reference list — so you can submit with confidence.

What Changed in APA 7th Edition?

Before diving into the rules, it helps to understand what the 7th edition changed compared to the 6th. If your professor or supervisor learned APA years ago, they may still follow older conventions. Here are the key differences:

• Title page: The 7th edition introduced separate formats for student papers and professional papers. Student papers no longer require a running head.
• Running head: Professional papers still use a running head, but the label "Running head:" before the title has been removed. You simply type the shortened title in uppercase.
• Font flexibility: You are no longer restricted to 12-point Times New Roman. APA 7 accepts Calibri 11-pt, Arial 11-pt, Lucida Sans Unicode 10-pt, Georgia 11-pt, and several other accessible fonts.
• In-text citations: For works with three or more authors, you now use "et al." from the very first citation. The 6th edition required you to list all authors up to five in the first citation.
• DOI format: DOIs are now presented as full URLs (e.g., https://doi.org/xxxxx) rather than the older "doi:" prefix format.
• Publisher location removed: You no longer need to include the publisher's city and state for books. Just the publisher name is sufficient.
• Up to 20 authors: In the reference list, you now include up to 20 author names before using an ellipsis. The 6th edition capped it at seven.

Title Page Format

The title page is the first impression your paper makes. APA 7 distinguishes between student and professional papers:

Student paper title page includes:

• Paper title — bold, centred, positioned in the upper half of the page
• Author name(s) — one double-spaced line below the title
• Institutional affiliation — the name of your university or department
• Course number and name
• Instructor name
• Assignment due date
• Page number in the top-right header

Professional paper title page includes:

• Paper title — bold, centred, upper half
• Author name(s) and affiliation(s)
• Author note (ORCID iD, disclosures, correspondence details)
• Running head in the top-left header
• Page number in the top-right header

The title itself should be specific, concise, and no longer than 12 words. Avoid abbreviations and unnecessary phrases like "A Study of" or "An Investigation Into."

General Page Formatting Rules

Consistent formatting throughout your paper shows academic rigour. Follow these rules on every page:

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides — top, bottom, left, and right.
• Line spacing: Double-space the entire paper, including the title page, abstract, body text, and reference list. Do not add extra space before or after paragraphs.
• Paragraph indentation: Use a 0.5-inch (1.27 cm) first-line indent for every new paragraph. Do not indent the abstract, block quotations, or headings.
• Page numbers: Flush right in the header on every page, starting with the title page as page 1.
• Alignment: Left-align all body text. Do not use justified alignment, as it creates uneven spacing between words.

APA Heading Levels

APA 7 uses five heading levels to organise your paper. Most student papers will only need Levels 1 through 3. Each level has specific formatting:

• Level 1: Centred, Bold, Title Case — text begins on a new line with a paragraph indent.
• Level 2: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case — text begins on a new line with a paragraph indent.
• Level 3: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case — text begins on a new line with a paragraph indent.
• Level 4: Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line.
• Level 5: Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line.

Use headings consistently. If you have a Level 2 heading, you should have at least two Level 2 headings under the same Level 1 section. Never use a single subheading on its own.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations connect the ideas you discuss in your paper to their original sources. APA uses an author-date citation system. There are two main forms:

Parenthetical citations place the author and year inside parentheses at the end of the sentence:

• One author: (Sharma, 2024)
• Two authors: (Sharma & Patel, 2024)
• Three or more authors: (Sharma et al., 2024)

Narrative citations integrate the author's name into the sentence and place the year in parentheses:

• Sharma (2024) found that...
• Sharma and Patel (2024) argued that...
• Sharma et al. (2024) demonstrated that...

Direct quotations require a page number or paragraph number in addition to the author and year:

• Parenthetical: (Sharma, 2024, p. 45)
• Narrative: Sharma (2024) stated that "direct quote here" (p. 45).

If your source does not have page numbers — such as a website — use a paragraph number (para. 4) or section heading instead.

Block Quotations

When a direct quotation is 40 words or longer, format it as a block quotation:

• Start the quotation on a new line, indented 0.5 inches from the left margin.
• Double-space the entire block quotation.
• Do not use quotation marks around the text.
• Place the parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation.

Use block quotations sparingly. Overuse suggests that you are relying too heavily on other authors' words rather than synthesising ideas in your own voice.

Reference List Formatting

The reference list appears at the end of your paper on a new page. The word "References" is centred and bold at the top. Follow these formatting rules:

• Alphabetical order: Arrange all entries alphabetically by the first author's surname.
• Hanging indent: The first line of each entry is flush left, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.
• Double spacing: Double-space all entries with no extra space between them.
• Italics: Italicise titles of books, journals, reports, and other stand-alone works. Do not italicise article or chapter titles.

Reference Examples by Source Type

Here are the most common source types international students encounter, with the correct APA 7 format for each:

Journal article with DOI:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume(Issue), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Book:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (Edition, if not first). Publisher Name.

Edited book chapter:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher Name.

Website:

Author or Organisation. (Year, Month Day). Title of the page. Site Name. URL

Conference paper:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Days). Title of the paper [Conference presentation]. Name of Conference, Location.

Thesis or dissertation:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the thesis [Doctoral dissertation, Name of University]. Database or Archive Name. URL

When in doubt, follow this general pattern: Who. (When). What. Where. — Author, date, title, and source information.

The Abstract

The abstract appears on page 2 of your paper, immediately after the title page. It is a single paragraph, typically 150 to 250 words, that summarises your research question, methods, results, and conclusions. Key rules:

• The label "Abstract" is centred and bold at the top of the page.
• Do not indent the first line of the abstract paragraph.
• Write in a single block paragraph without line breaks.
• Include 3 to 5 keywords on the line below the abstract, indented and preceded by the label Keywords: in italics.

Tables and Figures

APA 7 unified the format for tables and figures, making them much simpler than the 6th edition. Both now follow the same structure:

• Number: Bold, flush left (e.g., Table 1 or Figure 1).
• Title: Italic, flush left, one double-spaced line below the number.
• Body: The table or figure itself.
• Note: Flush left below the body, starting with the word "Note." in italics.

Number tables and figures separately in the order they are first mentioned in the text. Refer to each one in the body of your paper (e.g., "As shown in Table 3...").

Bias-Free Language

APA 7 places strong emphasis on inclusive, bias-free language. As an international student, this is especially important when writing about diverse populations. Follow these principles:

• Use person-first language: "people with disabilities" rather than "disabled people."
• Be specific about age groups: "older adults" rather than "the elderly."
• Use the singular "they" when the gender of a person is unknown or when referring to a nonbinary individual.
• Avoid terms that imply a deficit or negative judgement about a group.
• When discussing racial or ethnic groups, capitalise proper nouns (e.g., Black, Asian, Hispanic).

Common Mistakes International Students Make

After reviewing thousands of papers from students across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa, here are the most frequent APA errors we see:

• Missing DOIs: Always include the DOI if one exists. Use Crossref.org to find DOIs for published articles.
• Inconsistent citation style: Mixing APA with Harvard, MLA, or other citation formats within the same paper. Stick to one style throughout.
• Incorrect use of "et al.": Remember, in APA 7, use "et al." for three or more authors from the very first citation.
• Wrong date format: In-text citations use only the year: (Sharma, 2024). The full date is only used in references for specific source types like websites and magazine articles.
• Reference list not alphabetised: Every entry must be in strict alphabetical order by the first author's surname.
• Not matching citations to references: Every source cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and every reference must be cited in the text. No orphan entries.
• Using "&" vs. "and" incorrectly: Use "&" inside parenthetical citations: (Sharma & Patel, 2024). Use "and" in narrative citations: Sharma and Patel (2024).
• Wrong capitalisation in titles: In the reference list, use sentence case for article and book titles (only capitalise the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon). Use title case for journal names.

Quick APA 7 Checklist

Before you submit your paper, run through this checklist:

• Title page follows the correct student or professional format.
• Entire paper is double-spaced with 1-inch margins.
• Font is one of the APA-approved options (e.g., Times New Roman 12-pt, Calibri 11-pt).
• Page numbers appear in the top-right corner on every page.
• Headings follow the correct APA level formatting.
• All in-text citations use author-date format with "et al." for 3+ authors.
• Direct quotes include page or paragraph numbers.
• Reference list is alphabetised with hanging indents.
• DOIs are formatted as full URLs.
• Every citation has a matching reference and vice versa.
• Bias-free, inclusive language is used throughout.

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