

APA 7: Sample Paper
- Paper Sections
- Quote & Paraphrase
- Format in Word
- In-Text Citations
- Reference List
- Sample Paper
Examples of the Different Paper Sections
- Title Page - APA 7 Example
- References Page
- Student Paper - Example in APA Format Includes title page, body, and references.
- Sample Annotated Student Paper in APA Style
- APA 7 Quick Reference Guide
Optional Paper Sections
- Headings - APA 7 Style Guide
- Accessible Use of Colors in APA 7
- Figures - APA 7 The basics of figure setup, including figure components, principles of figure construction, and placement of figures in a paper.
- Tables - APA 7 The basics of table setup, including table components, principles of table construction, and placement of tables in the paper.
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Sample Papers
This page contains sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style. The sample papers show the format that authors should use to submit a manuscript for publication in a professional journal and that students should use to submit a paper to an instructor for a course assignment. You can download the Word files to use as templates and edit them as needed for the purposes of your own papers.
Most guidelines in the Publication Manual apply to both professional manuscripts and student papers. However, there are specific guidelines for professional papers versus student papers, including professional and student title page formats. All authors should check with the person or entity to whom they are submitting their paper (e.g., publisher or instructor) for guidelines that are different from or in addition to those specified by APA Style.
Sample papers from the Publication Manual
The following two sample papers were published in annotated form in the Publication Manual and are reproduced here as PDFs for your ease of use. The annotations draw attention to content and formatting and provide the relevant sections of the Publication Manual (7th ed.) to consult for more information.
- Student sample paper with annotations (PDF, 4.95MB)
- Professional sample paper with annotations (PDF, 3MB)
We also offer these sample papers in Microsoft Word (.docx) format with the annotations as comments to the text.
- Student sample paper with annotations as comments (DOCX, 42KB)
- Professional sample paper with annotations as comments (DOCX, 103KB)
Finally, we offer these sample papers in Microsoft Word (.docx) format without the annotations.
- Student sample paper without annotations (DOCX, 36KB)
- Professional sample paper without annotations (DOCX, 96KB)
Sample professional paper templates by paper type
These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different professional paper types. Professional papers can contain many different elements depending on the nature of the work. Authors seeking publication should refer to the journal’s instructions for authors or manuscript submission guidelines for specific requirements and/or sections to include.
- Literature review professional paper template (DOCX, 47KB)
- Mixed methods professional paper template (DOCX, 68KB)
- Qualitative professional paper template (DOCX, 72KB)
- Quantitative professional paper template (DOCX, 77KB)
- Review professional paper template (DOCX, 112KB)

This guidance is new to the 7th edition.
Related handouts
- Heading Levels Template: Student Paper (PDF, 257KB)
- Heading Levels Template: Professional Paper (PDF, 213KB)
Other instructional aids
- Journal Article Reporting Standards
- APA Style Tutorials and Webinars
- Handouts and Guides
- Paper Format
Sample student paper templates by paper type
These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.
APA does not set formal requirements for the nature or contents of an APA Style student paper. Students should follow the guidelines and requirements of their instructor, department, and/or institution when writing papers. For instance, an abstract and keywords are not required for APA Style student papers, although an instructor may request them in student papers that are longer or more complex. Specific questions about a paper being written for a course assignment should be directed to the instructor or institution assigning the paper.
- Discussion post student paper template (DOCX, 31KB)
- Literature review student paper template (DOCX, 37KB)
- Quantitative study student paper template (DOCX, 53KB)
Sample papers in real life
Although published articles differ in format from manuscripts submitted for publication or student papers (e.g., different line spacing, font, margins, and column format), articles published in APA journals provide excellent demonstrations of APA Style in action.
APA journals began publishing papers in seventh edition APA Style in 2020. Professional authors should check the author submission guidelines for the journal to which they want to submit their paper for any journal-specific style requirements.
Credits for sample professional paper templates
Quantitative professional paper template: Adapted from “Fake News, Fast and Slow: Deliberation Reduces Belief in False (but Not True) News Headlines,” by B. Bago, D. G. Rand, and G. Pennycook, 2020, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 149 (8), pp. 1608–1613 ( https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000729 ). Copyright 2020 by the American Psychological Association.
Qualitative professional paper template: Adapted from “‘My Smartphone Is an Extension of Myself’: A Holistic Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Using a Smartphone,” by L. J. Harkin and D. Kuss, 2020, Psychology of Popular Media , 10 (1), pp. 28–38 ( https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000278 ). Copyright 2020 by the American Psychological Association.
Mixed methods professional paper template: Adapted from “‘I Am a Change Agent’: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Students’ Social Justice Value Orientation in an Undergraduate Community Psychology Course,” by D. X. Henderson, A. T. Majors, and M. Wright, 2019, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology , 7 (1), 68–80. ( https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000171 ). Copyright 2019 by the American Psychological Association.
Literature review professional paper template: Adapted from “Rethinking Emotions in the Context of Infants’ Prosocial Behavior: The Role of Interest and Positive Emotions,” by S. I. Hammond and J. K. Drummond, 2019, Developmental Psychology , 55 (9), pp. 1882–1888 ( https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000685 ). Copyright 2019 by the American Psychological Association.
Review professional paper template: Adapted from “Joining the Conversation: Teaching Students to Think and Communicate Like Scholars,” by E. L. Parks, 2022, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology , 8 (1), pp. 70–78 ( https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000193 ). Copyright 2020 by the American Psychological Association.
Credits for sample student paper templates
These papers came from real students who gave their permission to have them edited and posted by APA.
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APA (7th Edition)
Apa student sample paper.
- Getting Started
- APA the title page and the running head
- APA Abstracts and Other Format Best Practices
- APA 7th Edition General Notes and Updates
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- APA 7th Edition Citation Examples
- Bias Free Langauge
- APA Reference Page
- APA Student Sample Paper Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. However, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.
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APA 7 – Example, Format, PDF
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Step 1: Search Online for the Basic APA Format Details
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APA Basics: APA 7 STUDENT PAPER TEMPLATE & Formatting Guidelines
- APA 7 STUDENT PAPER TEMPLATE & Formatting Guidelines
- Database Search Strategies
- Finding Journal Articles
- Official APA Tutorial and APA FAQs
- In-Text Citations
- Cite a YouTube Video or Website
- How to Do an Annotated Bibliography
- 4 Steps to Creating Your Annotated Bibliography
- APA Format Checklist
- Downloadable APA Resources
Monroe College & APA Style
Monroe college uses apa 7 style guidelines for all student papers. , you can download our detailed apa 7 formatting tutorial here ., if your instructor's directions conflict with any apa rules, follow the instructor's directions., download the apa 7 student paper template.
- APA 7 Student Paper Template (.docx) Download this 7th-edition template, and use it to format your APA-style Research Paper. Simply download and save a new copy of the document and paste the contents of your paper into the appropriate fields within the template.
- APA 7 Paper Template WITH ABSTRACT This version of the template includes the ABSTRACT page. Ask your instructor whether the Abstract is required for your paper.
- APA 7 Student Paper Template PDF
APA Title Page
Please note: In 7th edition format, student papers do not include a running head unless requested by the instructor or institution.
About the Font
As noted in the apa style blog : in the 7th edition, a variety of fonts are permitted. , monroe college uses times new roman size 12 font by default..
Sample APA 7th Edition Title Page
Adapted from the APA Style Blog
APA Abstract
See sample abstract below .
- Sample APA 7 Abstract - (Click to view in a new tab) This is the abstract used on the official APA 7 website. Note the format details highlighted above.
7th Edition APA Section Headings
Apa 7 section headings.
- Running heads are no longer required for student papers.
- written in title case
- Level 1 and 2 Section Headings APA 7
This is an excerpt. The full Annotated Sample Student Paper can be downloaded from the official APA Style Website here .
References Page
Note: in apa 7th edition, the running head is no longer required for student papers..
Y our references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay.
Title this page References centered and bolded at the top of the page.
All text should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay.
Citations are listed in alphabetical order.
Whichever font you choose, the selected font should be used consistently throughout the entire paper. View sample citations for online media in various formats on the APA website.
- Sample APA 7 References Page Click the links in the green boxes for more info on each type of citation.
Section-by-Section Instructions
You can view basic 7th-edition guidelines and samples for each section of an APA Student Paper by clicking the links below:
Quick Sheet: APA 7 Citations
Quick help with apa 7 citations.
- Quick Sheet - Citing Journal Articles, Websites & Videos, and Creating In-Text Citations A quick guide to the most frequently-used types of APA 7 citations.
In-text Citations
Click on the slides below, or, for full details, visit the in-text citations libguide ..

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- Formatting In-text Citations, Full Citations, and Block Quotes In APA 7 Style
Purdue OWL 7th Edition Changes Guide

Great News! The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) has created a handy guide to Changes in the 7th edition of the APA Style Manual
We've done our best to lay out the basic standards for the two different editions here, but you can go to the OWL for a more comprehensive breakdown of the new APA standards.
VIDEO: Citation Styles
Excelsior OWL APA Formatting Quiz
Test your apa 7th ed. formatting knowledge, take this quiz from the excelsior college online writing lab , official apa sample paper, view an example of a student paper from the official apa style website., a sample student paper in apa 7 format, with hints and tips for good formatting and style can be seen below. for more info, go to the apa website ..
- Sample Student Paper in APA Format
Downloadable Presentation: How to Format Your APA Paper
- APA Formatting Basics Presentation - (Click to open presentation in a new tab)
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APA Style 7th Edition: Reference List and Sample Papers
- Advertisements
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- Personal Communication (Interviews & Emails)
- Social Media
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- What is a DOI?
- When Creating Digital Assignments
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Sample Paper & Reference List
- APA Sample Paper Template This sample paper includes a title page, sample assignment page and references list in APA format. It can be used as a template to set up your assignment.
- APA 7th Edition Student Sample Paper This example from Idaho State University presents guidelines for student papers following the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual 7th edition.
- Student APA 7th Edition Sample Paper Example of student APA 7th edition paper with notations from Antioch University Writing Center.
- APA Headings If your instructor requires you to use APA style headings and sub-headings, this document will show you how they work. This sample demonstrates and describes how to use different levels of headings in APA format.
- APA Sample Paper Template - with Appendix If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with APA guidelines: The Appendix appears after the References list If you have more than one appendix you would name the first appendix Appendix A, the second Appendix B, etc. The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your essay Each appendix begins on a new page
APA End of Paper Checklist
- End of Paper Checklist Finished your assignment? Use this checklist to be sure you haven't missed any information needed for APA style.
Quick Rules for an APA Reference List
Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. Here are nine quick rules for this Reference list.
- Start a new page for your Reference list. Centre the title, References, at the top of the page.
- Double-space the list.
- Start the first line of each reference at the left margin; indent each subsequent line five spaces (a hanging indent).
- Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the reference. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
- For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first (and middle, if listed) initials followed by periods.
- Italicize the titles of these works: books, audiovisual material, internet documents and newspapers, and the title and volume number of journals and magazines.
- Do not italicize titles of most parts of works, such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document.
- In titles of non-periodicals (books, videotapes, websites, reports, poems, essays, chapters, etc), capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, and all proper nouns (names of people, places, organizations, nationalities).
- If a web source (not from the library) is not a stable archived version, or you are unsure whether it is stable, include a statement of the accessed date before the link.
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How to Write a Research Paper in APA Format — A Complete Guide

Completed your research experiments and collated your results? Does it feel like you have crossed a major hurdle in your research journey? No, not even close! What lies next is — publishing your research work for it to reach the science world! The process of publishing a research paper is so intricate, if you miss one aspect, you could end up struggling with revisions and reworks or getting a rejection! Thus, there is a necessity of following an exceptional mode of writing. The APA style research format comes to a researcher’s rescue.
This article discusses how to effortlessly write an APA style research paper and how it is necessary to understand the basic elements of APA style research paper in order to write an article in APA style research format.
Table of Contents
What Is APA Style?
The APA format is the official style of American Psychological Association (APA) and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education and social sciences. APA research paper format is widely used in the research publishing industry.
Students and researchers usually get confused with various research paper writing formats and are unclear about the requirements from the research publication journals. Therefore, the best way to deal with beginning to write a research paper is to first know the journal’s requirement and then follow the guidelines accordingly.
Though the reference section may change over the course of time, the information related to the other sections in APA research paper format is similar and could be referred to, for writing an exemplary research paper.

Guidelines for APA Style Paper (7th edition)
An APA style research format is different as compared to a term paper, a creative writing paper, a composition-style paper, or a thought paper. Throughout the paper you need to apply these guidelines while writing the paper –
Page Layout:
Type the content and keep double-space on standard-sized paper (8.5” x 11”), with 1” margins on all sides.
You should indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches
Include a page number on every page.
You could use an accessible font like Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.
APA Research Paper Sections
The APA research paper format is based on seven main components: title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references. The sections in APA-style paper are as follows:
1. Title Page
As per the APA research paper format, the title should be between 10-12 words and should reflect the essence of the paper. After writing the title, write your name followed by name of the college. Furthermore, create a page header using the “View Header” function in MS Word and on the title page include a running head — a short title that appears at the top of pages of published articles (flush left) and page number on the same line (flush right). The running head should not exceed 50 characters, including punctuation and spacing. Moreover, you could use the toolbox to insert a page number, so that it automatically numbers each page.

2. Abstract
Abstract should contain no more than 120 words , and should be one paragraph written in block format with double spacing. Additionally, state the topic in a sentence or two. Also, provide overview of methods, results, and discussion.

APA Style – Abstract in APA Style
3. Introduction
An introduction of APA research paper format is the most difficult section to write. A good introduction critically evaluates the empirical knowledge in the relevant area(s) in a way that defines the knowledge gap and expresses your aim for your study and why you conducted it. However, the challenge here is to keep the reader’s interest in reading your paper.
A good introduction keeps readers engaged with your paper. For writing an interesting introduction, researchers should introduce logical flow of ideas which will eventually lead to the research hypothesis . Furthermore, while incorporating references into your introduction, do not describe every single study in complete detail. Summarize the key findings from the article and do not quote from the articles, instead paraphrase the content .
The method section in APA research paper format is straightforward. However, the protocol and requirements should be mentioned precisely. The goal of this section is to describe your study and experiments in detail, so that there is no issue in reproducibility of results and other researchers could duplicate your methods effectively.
This section includes Materials and/or Apparatus and Experiments/Procedures/Protocols. Furthermore, keep the procedures brief and accurate, and make sure to read through so as to not repeat the steps or avoid redundancy.
In this section, you could describe how you analyzed the data and explain your findings. If your data analyses are complex, then break the section into subsections, ideally a subsection for each hypothesis and elaborate the subsections by using statistical analysis and including tables or figures to represent results visually. Most importantly, do not share interpretation of the results here. You can interpret and explain the results in the discussion section.
6. Discussion
Results are interpreted and understood in this section. Discussion section helps understand the research hypothesis better and places the results in the broader context of the literature in the area. This section is the reversal of introduction section, wherein you begin with the specifics and explain the general understanding of the topics.
In discussion, you start with a brief of your main findings, followed by explaining if your research findings support your hypothesis. Furthermore, you could explain how your findings enhance or support the existing literature on the topic. Connect your results with some of the literature mentioned in the introduction to bring your story back to full circle. You could also mention if there are any interesting or surprising findings in your results. Discuss other theories which could help you justify your surprising results.
Explain the limitation of your study and mention all the additional questions that were generated from your study. You could also mention what further research should be conducted on the topic and what are the knowledge gaps in the current body of research. Finally, mention how your results could relate to the larger issues of human existence and highlight “the big picture” for your readers.
7. References
Provide an alphabetical listing of the references. Do not keep extra spaces between references and double-space all the references. The second line of each reference should be intended. You could refer to the examples (mentioned below) to know how to format references correctly.
I. Journal Article:
Only first letter of the first word of the article title is capitalized; the journal name and volume are italicized. If the journal name had multiple words, each of the major words are capitalized.
Example: Ebner-Priemer, U. W., & Trull, T. J. (2009). Ecological momentary assessment of mood disorders and mood dysregulation. Psychological Assessment, 21 , 463-475. doi:10.1037/a0017075
II. Book Chapter:
Only the first letter of the first word of both the chapter title and book title are capitalized.
Example: Stephan, W. G. (1985). Intergroup relations. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 599-658). New York: Random House.
Example: Gray, P. (2010). Psychology (6th ed.). New York: Worth
There are various formats for tables, depending upon the information you wish to include. So, be thorough and provide a table number and title (the latter should be italicized). Tables can be single or double-spaced.
Be sure to mention x- and y-axes clearly. Underneath the figure provide a label and brief caption. The figure caption typically includes variables and units of measurements. Also, include error bars in your bar graphs, and note what the bars represent in the figure caption – Error bars represent one standard error above and below the mean.
VI. In-Text Citation:
- Mention the authors’ names and publication date while citing sources in your paper.
- When including the citation as part of the sentence, use AND: “According to Jones and Smith (2003), the…”
- When the citation is written in parentheses, use &: “Studies have shown that priming can affect actual motor behavior (Jones & Smith, 2003; Kiley, Bailey, & Hammer, 1999). The studies in parentheses should appear alphabetically by first author’s last name, and separate it with semicolons.
- You should avoid quoting directly, but in case you do – along with the name and date, include the page number.
- For sources with three or more authors, once you have listed all the authors’ names, you may write “et al.” on subsequent mentions: “Klein et al. (1999) found that…”.
- Meanwhile, when source has six or more authors, the first author’s last name and “et al.” are used every time the source is cited.
VII. Secondary Source:
It is a term used to describe material that is cited in another source. Avoid using secondary sources in your papers. Try to find the primary source and read it before citing in your work. However, if you must mention a secondary source, refer to the APA style paper example below:
Primary source author’s last name (as cited in secondary source author’s last name, year) argued that…
7 Tips for Writing an Error-free APA Style Research Paper

- Although there are exceptions, minimize using first person while writing.
- Avoid including personal statements or anecdotes.
- Although there are exceptions, use past tense while writing.
- Do not use contractions. (e.g., “it does not follow” rather than “it doesn’t follow”)
- Avoid biased language – Be updated with appropriate terminologies, especially if you are writing a paper that includes gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.
- Be certain to cite your sources.
- Try to paraphrase as much as possible, and do not directly quote from source articles.
This article contains only a few aspects of an APA research paper format. There are many APA style rules which can be explored before you begin to write an APA style research paper. Many of the APA research paper format rules are dynamic and subject to change, so it is best to refer to 7 th edition (latest) of the APA Publication Manual and be thorough with every section’s format before writing a research paper.
Have you used an APA research paper format to write your article? Do write to us or comment below and tell us how your experience writing an APA style paper was?

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APA Research Paper Outline: Examples and Template
06 Mar 2022
Quick Navigation
❔Why Is Research Paper Format Necessary?
☝️Concept & Purposes of Research Paper Outline
📑Understanding the APA Outline Format
✒️The Basic APA Outline Format
📃APA Style Outline Template Breakdown
📌Full Sentence Outline Format
📝Decimal Outline Format
💡Tips to Writing an Outline: Organize Your Ideas
Why Is Research Paper Format Necessary?
Detect plagiarism in your paper for free, concept & purposes of research paper outline, purpose of research paper outline.
- APA paper outline discusses the study's core concepts.
- The research paper outlines define the link between your ideas and the thesis.
- It provides you with manageable portions that you can handle.
- The research paper APA outline enables the detection of structural faults or gaps.
- As shown in the example, it must offer a clear comprehension of the subject at hand.
APA outline example
Understanding the apa outline format, apa paper outline example.
- Headings & Subheadings
- 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right.
- Page number on upper right corner.
- Introduction
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Introduction:
Conclusion:.
- Summarize your key arguments.
- Explain how these concepts support your ultimate stance, as shown in APA outline example below.
The Basic APA Outline Format
Apa style outline template breakdown, full sentence outline format, apa research paper outline example, know how to structure your paper.
- 12-point Times New Roman
- 0" between paragraphs
- 1" margin all around
- double spaced (275 words/page) / single-spaced (550 words/page)
- 0.5" first line of a paragraph
PapersOwl editors can also format your paper according to your specific requirements.
APA Paper Outline Format Example
Decimal outline format, first paragraph: hook and thesis.
- The first paragraph is a sentence or two that introduces the central concept of your article.
- Introduce your topic or subject of study where your research is applicable as a context for further research.
- Explain why the mentioned issue is essential or relevant to the audience.
- A thesis statement is a claim that you make throughout your whole essay.
- The topic phrase is the first point in any writing to support a thesis statement.
- Give an explanation or provide evidence to support your point.
- Provide verifiable facts, figures, and/or citations from credible sources in your writing. It helps in substantiating assertion.
- Include as many supporting statements and related evidence in your decimal outline.
Decimal APA outline format example
Decimal apa outline format layout, tips to writing an outline: organize your ideas, a definite goal, parallelism, coordination, subordination, avoid redundancy, wrap it up in a good way.
- Thesis statement
- Techniques employed
- Body of paper
- Conclusions section
- List of references
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APA Formatting and Style (7th ed.) for Student Papers
- What's New in the 7th ed.?
- Principles of Plagiarism: An Overview
- Basic Paper Formatting
- Basic Paper Elements
- Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Apostrophes, Numbers, Plurals
- Reference Page Format
- Periodicals (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers)
- Books and Reference Works
- Webpage on a Website
- Company Information & SWOT Analyses
- Dissertations or Theses
- Online Images
- Online Video
- Computer Software and Mobile Apps
- Missing Information
- Two Authors
- Three or More Authors
- Group Authors
- Missing Author
- Secondary Sources
- Block Quotations
- Fillable Template and Sample Paper
- Government Documents and Legal Materials
- APA Style 7th ed. Tutorials
- Additional APA 7th Resources
- Writing Center - Writing Skills
- Smarthinking
APA 7th ed. Fillable Word Template and Sample Paper
- APA 7th ed. Template Download this Word document, fill out the title page and get writing!
- Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Our APA sample paper shows you how to format the main parts of a basic research paper.
- APA 7th Sample Papers from Purdue Owl
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- Next: Government Documents and Legal Materials >>
- Last Updated: Feb 8, 2023 3:24 PM
- URL: https://national.libguides.com/apa_7th

How to Format Your Research Paper
Writing your paper: apa 7th edition, apa style papers 7th edition.
- MLA Paper Format
- Chicago Paper Format
- Hanging Indents
- Ask a Librarian
APA 7th Edition Resources
- APA Style Blog The style and grammar guidelines pages present information about APA Style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition.
- Purdue OWL: APA Style Guide This Purdue OWL style guide will help you in citing your sources in the APA Style commonly used to cite sources within the area of social sciences.
Printable APA 7th Edition Guides
Creating citations using APA 7th Edition:
- APA 7th Edition Citations - PDF
- APA 7th Edition Citations - Word
Creating in-text citations using APA 7th Edition:
- APA 7th In-Text Citations - PDF
- APA 7th In-Text Citations - Word
Integrating sources into the text of your paper using signal phrases:
- Integrating Sources - PDF
- Integrating Sources - Word
Things to know before you begin:
- Sans serif fonts: Arial (11-point), Calibri (11-point), or Lucinda Sans Unicode (10-point)
- Serif fonts: Times New Roman (12-point), Georgia (11-point), or Computer Modern (10-point)
- Margins: 1 inch on all sides
- Paragraphs: All paragraphs (except in the Abstract) should be indented
- Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced (title page included)
Typical APA style papers have four main sections:
See the tabs below for a breakdown of how each portion should be formatted.
- Paper Templates
- Sample Papers
- APA 7 Citations
Below you will find templates for APA Style papers. Click the link to make a copy of the file.
- Google Docs : To make a copy of these templates you must first sign in to your Google account. After you’re signed in, click "File" and then click “Make a Copy.”
- Microsoft Word : To make a copy of these templates download the file.

- APA Style Student Paper Template (7th Edition) - Word Download a copy of this Word Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own.
APA Style Report Templates: These templates include multiple heading levels and should be used for report style papers.

- APA Style Student Report Template (7th Edition) - Word Download a copy of this Word Doc and change the pre-filled information to your own.
Below you will find an example of an accurately formatted APA Style student paper.
- APA Style Student Paper Sample (7th Edition) - PDF Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted APA style student paper.
- APA Style Student Paper Sample (7th Edition) - Word Click here to see a sample of an accurately formatted APA style student paper.

Place only page numbers in the header.
Your paper should have the full title in bold. Place an extra space beneath the title and before your name.
Your name, your affiliation, the course title, professor’s name, and due date should be double spaced beneath the title.
All of this should be in the center of the title page.

- Put the word “Abstract” on the top of the page. Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.
- Do not indent any paragraphs on this page.
Indent all other paragraphs throughout the body of the paper.

- Place the entire title of your paper in Title Case on the top line of a new page.
- Be sure it is center-aligned and in bold.

- Center-align the word “References” on the first line of a new page, be sure that it is in bold.
- Your citations should be alphabetized.
- Entries are double-spaced with no extra lines between them.
- Be sure to use a hanging indent for any citations that require more than one line.
Need help formatting your APA style citations using the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ? Click the image or link below to go to the citation guide.

- APA 7th Edition Citations
Need help learning what hanging indents are and how to create them using Google Docs or Microsoft Word?
- Hanging Indents This page gives a brief description of what they are, where to find information on when and how to properly use them, and also video tutorials on how to create them.
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- Next: MLA Paper Format >>
- Last Updated: Dec 2, 2022 11:41 AM
- URL: https://necc.mass.libguides.com/formatting
To cite this LibGuide use the following templates:
APA : Northern Essex Community College Library. (Date updated). Title of page . Title of LibGuide. URL
MLA : Northern Essex Community College Library. "Title of Page." Title of LibGuide, Date updated, URL.
Generate accurate APA citations for free
The Scribbr Citation Generator will automatically create a flawless APA citation
- Knowledge Base
- APA Style 7th edition
- APA headings and subheadings
APA Headings and Subheadings | With Sample Paper
Published on November 7, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on October 24, 2022.
Headings and subheadings provide structure to a document. They signal what each section is about and allow for easy navigation of the document.
APA headings have five possible levels. Each heading level is formatted differently.

Table of contents
Additional guidelines for apa headings, how many heading levels should you use, when to use which apa heading level, section labels vs headings, sample paper with apa headings, using heading styles in word or google docs.
As well as the heading styles, there are some other guidelines to keep in mind:
- Double-space all text, including the headings.
- Use the same font for headings and body text (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt.).
- Don’t label headings with numbers or letters.
- Don’t add extra “enters” above or below headings.
Depending on the length and complexity of your paper, you may not use all five heading levels. In fact, shorter student papers may have no headings at all.
It’s also perfectly fine for some sections in your paper to go as deep as five levels, where others use only heading level 1.
Scribbr Citation Checker New
The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:
- Missing commas and periods
- Incorrect usage of “et al.”
- Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
- Missing reference entries

Heading level 1 is used for main sections like “ Methods ”, “ Results ”, and “ Discussion ”. There is no “ Introduction ” heading at the beginning of your paper because the first paragraphs are understood to be introductory.
Heading level 2 is used for subsections under level 1. For example, under “Methods” (level 1) you may have subsections for “Sampling Method” and “Data Analysis” (level 2). This continues all the way down to heading level 5.
Always use at least two subheadings or none at all. If there is just one subheading, the top-level heading is sufficient.
In addition to regular headings, APA works with “section labels” for specific parts of the paper. They’re similar to headings but are formatted differently. Section labels are placed on a separate line at the top of a new page in bold and centered.
Use section labels for the following sections in an APA formatted paper :
- Author note
- Paper title
- Reference page

Instead of formatting every heading individually, you can use the “Styles” feature in Word or Google Docs. This allows you to save the styling and apply it with just a click.
The first time you use APA Style, you need to update the default heading styles to reflect the APA heading guidelines. Click here for the instructions for Microsoft Word and Google Docs .
An added benefit of using the “Styles” feature is that you can automatically generate a table of contents .
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Streefkerk, R. (2022, October 24). APA Headings and Subheadings | With Sample Paper. Scribbr. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-headings/
Is this article helpful?
Raimo Streefkerk
Other students also liked, apa title page (7th edition) | template for students & professionals, creating an apa style table of contents, apa format for academic papers and essays, scribbr apa citation checker.
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- Central Piedmont Library
- APA 7 Sample Paper
- How Citations Work
- MLA In-Text Citations
- Hanging Indents
- MLA Sample Paper
- APA 7 In-Text Citations
- Infographics, Images, and Tables
- Citing in Presentations
- Chicago Manual of Style (Purdue OWL)
- IEEE Citations (Purdue OWL)
- Annotated Bibliographies
APA 7 Sample Papers for Download
- APA 7 Sample Paper (Microsoft Word) APA 7 Sample Paper with Title Page, Body, and References Page in Microsoft Word Format
- APA 7 Sample Paper (PDF Format) APA 7 Sample Paper with Title Page, Body, and References Page in PDF Format.
APA 7 Guidelines for Formatting Papers
- Page Number on Every Page
- Title Page has Title in Bold centered partially down the page, two spaces, and then First Name Last Name, School, Course, Instructor, and Date in centered rows.
- Body Page has Title in Bold centered, and then body text following as standard, indented paragraphs.
- In-Text Citations are Parentheses (Author, Year) Close Parentheses.
- References page has References in bold, centered, at the top.
- References in APA 7 Format are listed in alphabetical order with a hanging indent.
APA Sample Paper Annotated Images

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- Last Updated: Feb 21, 2023 10:17 AM
- URL: https://researchguides.cpcc.edu/citations
Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts

Sample Papers

Welcome to the Purdue OWL
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Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.
The resources in this section contain links to all the sample paper media files found on the Purdue OWL.
This resource lists all of the sample papers found on the Purdue OWL. Please click on the link to view or download the media file.
APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper for Nursing Students (note: this link will open the PDF of the sample paper)
APA Sample Paper for Experimental Psychology
MLA Sample Paper
MLA Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions
CMS Author Date Sample Paper
CMS NB Sample Paper

IMAGES
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COMMENTS
APA 7: Sample Paper Examples of the Different Paper Sections Title Page - APA 7 Example Main Body References Page Student Paper - Example in APA Format Includes title page, body, and references. Sample Annotated Student Paper in APA Style APA 7 Quick Reference Guide Optional Paper Sections Headings - APA 7 Style Guide
APA Sample Paper APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) General Format In-Text Citations: The Basics In-Text Citations: Author/Authors Reference List: Basic Rules Reference List: Author/Authors Reference List: Articles in Periodicals Reference List: Books Reference List: Other Print Sources Reference List: Electronic Sources
This page contains sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style. The sample papers show the format that authors should use to submit a manuscript for publication in a professional journal and that students should use to submit a paper to an instructor for a course assignment.
APA Student Sample Paper Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head.
The American Psychological Association often significantly changes the format, outline, or outline format of their research papers. The APA 7th edition format allows researchers and scholars to have a larger reference list for their APA in-text citations and citations. One can find one of the major differences between the Apa 7th edition format ...
Download this 7th-edition template, and use it to format your APA-style Research Paper. Simply download and save a new copy of the document and paste the contents of your paper into the appropriate fields within the template. ... A sample student paper in APA 7 format, with hints and tips for good formatting and style can be seen below. For ...
Student APA 7th Edition Sample Paper Example of student APA 7th edition paper with notations from Antioch University Writing Center. Headings APA Headings If your instructor requires you to use APA style headings and sub-headings, this document will show you how they work.
Title page setup is covered in Section 2.3 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition In the title page, include the following: Author names (the byline) Author affiliation Course number and name Instructor name Assignment due date Page number Page Header Page headers are covered in Section 2.18 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition
6 rule appears in the APA-7 itself. In your academic papers, however, it is critical to include the required author(s) and year, as applicable, for all citations that are included; this may include
The APA research paper format is based on seven main components: title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references. The sections in APA-style paper are as follows: 1. Title Page As per the APA research paper format, the title should be between 10-12 words and should reflect the essence of the paper.
The research paper APA outline enables the detection of structural faults or gaps. As shown in the example, it must offer a clear comprehension of the subject at hand. APA outline example This research paper outline example will guide you in formatting the layout for a clear direction to work on.
APA 7th ed. Fillable Word Template and Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Template Download this Word document, fill out the title page and get writing! Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Our APA sample paper shows you how to format the main parts of a basic research paper. APA 7th Sample Papers from Purdue Owl Last Updated: Feb 8, 2023 3:24 PM
APA 7th Edition allows for the use of the fonts listed below. Sans serif fonts: Arial (11-point), Calibri (11-point), or Lucinda Sans Unicode (10-point) Serif fonts: Times New Roman (12-point), Georgia (11-point), or Computer Modern (10-point) Margins: 1 inch on all sides Paragraphs: All paragraphs (except in the Abstract) should be indented
sample apa-7 paper for graduate/doctoral students 6 The title of your paper goes on the top line of the first page of the body (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, section 2.11).
writing (American Psychological Association, 2019). For example, papers that do not describe primary research or original experimental data may omit the method, results, and discussion Level 1 heading (see p. 2) Use singular "they" New in APA 7: Use "et al." for three or more authors Title is bolded and centered, Capitalize
Sample paper with APA headings Using heading styles in Word or Google Docs Additional guidelines for APA headings As well as the heading styles, there are some other guidelines to keep in mind: Double-space all text, including the headings. Use the same font for headings and body text (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt.).
APA 7 Sample Paper with Title Page, Body, and References Page in PDF Format. APA 7 Guidelines for Formatting Papers Page Number on Every Page No Headers Title Page has Title in Bold centered partially down the page, two spaces, and then First Name Last Name, School, Course, Instructor, and Date in centered rows.
Download Apa Research Paper Example Psychological Association College Physics Post-polio Syndrome Pocket Guide to APA Style The POCKET GUIDE TO APA STYLE, 5E is an essential tool for writing research papers across the disciplines. Concise and thorough, the POCKET GUIDE Page 7/134
APA Seventh Edition Sample Paper This example presents guidelines for student papers following the 2020 Publication Manual, th7 edition, of the American Psychological Association (APA). Lines are double-spaced and left-aligned. Margins are set at one inch. There are no extra spaces between paragraphs and none before or after any title or header.
APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper for Nursing Students (note: this link will open the PDF of the sample paper) APA Sample Paper for Experimental Psychology. MLA Sample Paper. MLA Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions. CMS Author Date Sample Paper. CMS NB Sample Paper. Resources