Use 1-inch margins on all sides
Use double spacing throughout the paper
Use a readable font such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Arial, or 11-point Calibri
Include a page number in the top right corner of every page
Add a title page with the paper title, author name, institutional affiliation, course name, instructor name, and due date
Center the title on the title page in bold
Place the title in title case
Begin the paper with the title centered at the top of the first page of text
Use a running head only if required by your instructor or edition of APA being used
Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches
Use left alignment for the text
Use proper in-text citations for all sources
Include the author’s last name and year of publication in in-text citations
Include page numbers in in-text citations for direct quotes
Add a reference page at the end of the paper
Center the word References at the top of the reference page in bold
Alphabetize references by the author’s last name
Use hanging indent format for each reference entry
Follow APA rules for formatting books, journal articles, websites, and other sources
Use clear, formal academic language
Avoid slang, contractions, and informal wording
Check spelling, grammar, punctuation, and APA formatting carefully
Follow the specific APA edition required by your instructor
Cite every source used in the paper
Make sure in-text citations match the reference list entries