Use 1-inch margins on all sides
Use double spacing throughout the paper
Use a readable 12-point font, such as Times New Roman
Include a title page with the paper title, author name, institution, course, instructor, and due date
Place the page number in the top right corner of every page
Center the title on the title page in bold
Use a running head only if required by your instructor or specific APA version
Start the main text on a new page
Center and bold major section headings
Use left-aligned text with a ragged right margin
Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches
Cite sources in the text using author-date format
Include page numbers for direct quotations
Add a references page on a new page
Center the word References at the top of the references page
Alphabetize references by the first author’s last name
Use hanging indents for reference entries
Match every in-text citation with a reference list entry
Follow APA rules for headings, citations, and reference formatting
Proofread for grammar, spelling, and formatting consistency