Running head: HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
How to Format an APA-Style Document for College Writing
Stephanie Tolliver Osborne
Gaston College Writing Center
Writing Center 101
Dr. Professor
December 2, 2015
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HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
Formatting an American Psychological Association (APA) -style document is often
required for academic writing in many college courses. Typically, courses in the social sciences
utilize this particular format due to its emphasis on dates and currency of research. Courses in
psychology, human services, mathematics, sociology, and education customarily require this
format because it is the standard format of scholarly work in those disciplines. There are several
elements of an APA-style document that are required for proper formatting.
Basic Components of APA
Essays written in APA require a cover page, an abstract, the use of subheadings within
the body of the essay itself, and a references page. Some basic characteristics of an APA
document include double-spaced lines (not paragraphs) throughout the essay, size 12 Times New
Roman font, bold subheadings, and a double-spaced references page with a hanging indent.
Other elements include the use of a running head on the cover page and a header on each
subsequent page that displays a page number.
Setting up the Document
The attached handout provides click-by-click instruction on setting up an APA-style
essay using Microsoft Word 2010. One suggestion to consider is saving a document as an APA
template once you have created the settings on the computer you most frequently use so that you
can simply open it and modify it for each APA-style essay you write. This can save time in
creating the settings and ensure accurate format each time you begin to compose an essay in this
style. If you need assistance, come by the Gaston College Writing Center. We are located on the
Dallas Campus in RCB 236 and on the Lincoln Campus in LC 202. Any of our coaches can
assist you with this task and will be happy to do so! Open the Microsoft Word program on your
computer, and follow the instructions on the next pages to design your document.
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HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
1. To create a running head, click on the Insert tab in the toolbar.
2. Next, click Page Number in the Header and Footer box. Choose “Top of
Page” in the drop-down menu, and then select “Plain Number 3.”
3. Go to the box called “Header and Footer Tools.” In the Design box, check the
box that says “Different First Page.”
4. Click inside the header and type the words Running head with a colon
followed by a shortened version of the paper’s title, in all capital letters, then hit
tab twice to type the page number in the upper right corner. Type the number 1.
Highlight all the text inside the header and change the font to Times New Roman
size 12. Click Close Header and Footer.
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HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
5. Click inside the body of the document where you will type the paper. Hit Ctrl
and Enter at the same time to create a page break, which will make the second
page of the document appear.
6. Click inside the header on the second page, and move the cursor to the left of
the page number. Hit the space bar one time. Next, type only the shortened title
of the paper that you listed as your running head, in all capital letters. Hit tab
twice. Highlight the entire text of the header with the mouse and change the font
to Times New Roman, size 12.
8. Close the Header and Footer. You may now navigate inside the document to
begin typing the cover page (page 1), as well as the first page of the essay (which
will begin on page 2 of the document). Make sure to set the font to Times New
Roman, size 12 on the cover page. You have already set it for the header, but the
program treats the body of the document separately and needs this setting to be
applied a second time. Follow the next instruction to set spacing before typing the
information on the cover page. You should hit enter approximately nine times
from the first line of the document to type the essay title; hit enter approximately
seven times from the institution name to space down for the class name, etc.
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HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
9. Set the document’s double spacing prior to typing the essay itself. Click the
tiny arrow to the right of the word “Paragraph” in the toolbar.
10. The screen below will appear. Set the “Line Spacing” to Double using the
drop-down menu.
11. Make sure to check “Do not add space between paragraphs of the same
style.” Select “OK.”
The document will now have proper spacing throughout. Refer back to step #8 if
you would like to format your cover page at this time.
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HOW TO FORMAT AN APA-STYLE DOCUMENT
Tips for the Reference Page
You can also use the Ctrl + Enter shortcut to create a page break for the
References page, which should be the last page of the document following the
essay’s conclusion. The spacing will already be correct; all you will need to do is
set a Hanging Indent to indent the second and subsequent lines of the reference
entries.
After typing the word “References” at the top of the final page, click on
“Paragraph” in the toolbar. Using the same screen above, under “Indentation,”
select the drop-down box under “Special” and click “Hanging.” Click “OK.”
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