APA Format Template Word — Free Download (.docx)

APA format is the most widely required citation style in psychology, education, nursing, business, and the social sciences. If your professor requires APA 7th edition and you need a properly formatted paper to start from, this page gives you a ready-to-use APA format template for Word — download it, replace the placeholder content, and submit.

Download APA Format Template for Word

The template follows APA 7th edition (2020) requirements throughout. It includes a title page, abstract with keywords, double-spaced body with in-text citation examples, a sample results table with a note, and a complete reference list with nine entries.

Free download · APA 7th edition · Microsoft Word compatible · No registration needed

What’s Included in the APA Template

• Title page — Paper title, author name, institutional affiliation, course name and number, instructor name, and due date — all correctly formatted per APA 7th edition student paper guidelines
• Abstract — Single unindented paragraph with keywords line below
• Body sections — Introduction (using the paper title as the heading), Method with three subsections (Participants, Materials, Procedure), Results, Discussion, and Conclusion
• In-text citation examples — One author, two authors, three or more authors (et al.), direct quotes with page numbers, and multiple citations in one set of parentheses
• Sample table — Table 1 in APA format with table number, title, body, and note below
• Reference list — Nine entries: journal articles, books, edited books, and a DOI-formatted source — all in APA 7th edition style

APA Format Requirements: The Complete Guide

APA 7th edition introduced several changes from the 6th edition (2010). If your course materials or institution references an older version, check with your professor. The template follows 7th edition standards throughout.

Page Setup

APA papers use US Letter paper (8.5 × 11 inches) with 1-inch margins on all sides. Body text is set in 12pt Times New Roman (or 11pt Calibri or 11pt Arial — all are acceptable in APA 7th edition). All text is double-spaced, including the reference list. There are no extra spaces between paragraphs. The first line of every paragraph is indented 0.5 inches, with two exceptions: the abstract and block quotations are not indented.

Title Page: Student vs. Professional Paper

APA 7th edition distinguishes between student papers and professional papers. The template uses the student format, which is what most course assignments require. The student title page includes: paper title (bold, centered), author name, institutional affiliation (department and university), course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date. Professional papers additionally include an author note and a running head — if your professor asks for a running head, add it as a header in Word with the paper title in all caps.

The Abstract

The abstract appears on its own page after the title page. It is a single paragraph of 150–250 words, written without indentation. The heading «Abstract» is centered and bold. Below the abstract, include a keywords line: the word Keywords in italics, followed by a colon, then three to five keywords in lowercase (unless a proper noun) separated by commas. The abstract page is page 2; the first body page begins on page 3.

Body Headings: APA’s Five Levels

APA uses five levels of heading. Most student papers use only two or three.

• Level 1 — Centered, bold, title case. Used for major sections: Introduction (presented as the paper title), Method, Results, Discussion, References.
• Level 2 — Left-aligned, bold, italic, title case. Used for subsections within Method (Participants, Materials, Procedure) and Discussion.
• Level 3 — Left-aligned, bold, italic, title case, ending with a period. The paragraph text begins on the same line.
• Level 4 — Indented, bold, title case, ending with a period. Paragraph text begins on the same line.
• Level 5 — Indented, bold, italic, title case, ending with a period. Paragraph text begins on the same line.

In-Text Citations

APA citations appear in parentheses within the text. The basic formats:

• One author: (Smith, 2024) or Smith (2024) found that…
• Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2024) — use «&» inside parentheses, «and» in a sentence
• Three or more authors: (Brown et al., 2023) — use et al. from the first citation
• Direct quote: (Smith, 2024, p. 45) — always include the page number
• Multiple citations: (Brown et al., 2023; Smith & Jones, 2024) — alphabetical order, semicolons
• Organisation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020) first citation; (APA, 2020) thereafter
• No date: (Smith, n.d.)

APA Reference List Format

The reference list starts on a new page after the body. The heading «References» is centered and bold. Entries are double-spaced with a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches). List all references alphabetically by first author’s last name.

APA Reference Format for Every Source Type

Journal Article

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

Example: Brown, T., Williams, K., & Patel, S. (2023). Longitudinal effects of intervention on academic outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(4), 812–829. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000000

Book

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (edition). Publisher.

Example: Clarke, E., & Hall, R. (2022). Research methods in the behavioral sciences (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Book Chapter (Edited Volume)

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor & F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Website

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Note: In APA 7th edition, DOIs are formatted as hyperlinks (https://doi.org/xxxxx). URLs are also included without «Retrieved from» unless the content is likely to change over time.

Report or Government Document

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx). Publisher. URL

APA Tables and Figures

Tables

In APA 7th edition, table formatting follows specific rules. The table number (Table 1) appears above the table in bold, on its own line. The table title appears on the next line in italic title case, not bold. The table body follows. Below the table, a note (introduced by Note. in italic) explains abbreviations, provides additional context, or credits the source.

APA 7th edition changed table formatting from 6th edition: horizontal lines are used sparingly (above the header row, below the header row, and at the bottom of the table), and vertical lines are not used at all. The template’s sample table demonstrates these rules.

Figures

Figures are numbered separately from tables (Figure 1, Figure 2). The figure number appears in bold above the figure. The figure title appears on the next line in italic title case. A note below the figure provides additional context if needed. Every figure and table must be referenced in the text before it appears.

APA 7th Edition: Key Changes from the 6th Edition

If you’ve previously used APA 6th edition, here are the most important changes in APA 7th edition (2020) that affect student papers:

• Running head removed for student papers — Only professional papers require a running head. Student papers only need a page number in the top right header.
• Up to 20 authors in the reference list — Previously, only the first six authors were listed before «et al.» Now, list all authors up to 20; use et al. only when there are 21 or more.
• Two-author in-text citations don’t change — Unlike the 6th edition, APA 7th edition always cites two-author works as (Smith & Jones, 2024) — never switching to et al.
• DOIs as hyperlinks — Format DOIs as https://doi.org/xxxxx (not «doi:» or the older format).
• Publisher location removed from book references — In APA 7th edition, you no longer need to list the city and state for book publishers.
• New student title page format — The student title page is simpler than the professional version and does not include an author note or running head.
• Singular «they» endorsed — APA 7th edition endorses use of singular «they» as a gender-neutral pronoun.
• Bias-free language expanded — Expanded guidelines on person-first language and identity-related terminology.

How to Use the APA Template: Step-by-Step

1. Fill in the title page — Replace the paper title, your name, department, university, course information, instructor name, and due date. The title should be bold.
2. Write your abstract — Replace the placeholder abstract text. Remember: no indentation, 150–250 words, no citations. Update the keywords.
3. Repeat the title at the top of the body — The first page of text starts with the paper title (bold, centered) — not the word «Introduction.»
4. Use Level 1 headings for major sections — Method, Results, Discussion are all centered and bold. Replace them as needed for your paper type.
5. Use Level 2 headings for subsections — Participants, Materials, and Procedure are left-aligned, bold, and italic.
6. Replace citation examples — The template contains (Smith & Jones, 2024) and (Brown et al., 2023) as placeholders. Replace them with your actual sources.
7. Update Table 1 — Replace the column headers, row labels, and data. Keep the table number (bold), title (italic), and note format.
8. Build your reference list — Replace the nine example references with your actual sources. Keep the hanging indent and alphabetical order.

Common APA Format Mistakes in 2026

• Adding «Introduction» as a heading — APA 7th edition does not use the heading «Introduction.» The paper title appears at the top of the first body page instead.
• Using «&» in the sentence body — Use «&» only inside parentheses: (Smith & Jones, 2024). In the sentence itself, write «and»: Smith and Jones (2024) found…
• Indenting the abstract — The abstract is the only paragraph in an APA paper that is not indented. Write it as a flush-left block.
• Including the publisher’s city — APA 7th edition removed city from book references. Just list the publisher name.
• Formatting DOIs incorrectly — Use the full hyperlink format: https://doi.org/xxxxx. Do not write «doi:» or abbreviate.
• Forgetting the table note — Every APA table should have a note if it contains abbreviations. The note begins with Note. in italics followed by a period.
• Single-spacing the reference list — The entire paper, including the reference list, is double-spaced. Each reference is not separated by an extra blank line — the double spacing handles the visual separation.
• Putting the date before the author’s name — APA uses author-date order in the reference list: Last, F. F. (Year).

APA vs. MLA vs. Chicago: Which One Does Your Class Use?

APA is the standard in psychology, education, nursing, social work, business, and most social sciences. MLA is used in English literature, languages, and humanities. Chicago/Turabian is used in history, philosophy, theology, and the arts. The citation format your class requires depends on the discipline — when in doubt, check your syllabus or ask your instructor.

The main practical differences between APA and MLA: APA uses author-date citations (Smith, 2024), MLA uses author-page citations (Smith 45). APA requires a title page and abstract; MLA uses a header instead. APA calls the bibliography section «References»; MLA calls it «Works Cited.»

Frequently Asked Questions

Does APA 7th edition require a running head?

Not for student papers. APA 7th edition removed the running head requirement for student papers — this is one of the most significant practical changes from the 6th edition. You only need a page number in the top right header. Professional papers (submitted for publication) still require a running head.

What font does APA 7th edition require?

APA 7th edition accepts several accessible fonts: 12pt Times New Roman, 11pt Calibri, 11pt Arial, 11pt Georgia, and 10pt Lucida Sans Unicode. Times New Roman 12pt remains the most widely accepted and is what the template uses. Check with your instructor if they have a specific preference — some courses still specify Times New Roman regardless of the APA flexibility.

How do I cite a source with no author in APA?

When a source has no author, use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation, in italics for books and websites, in quotation marks for articles. For example: (Merriam-Webster’s, 2026) or («APA Format Guide,» 2026). In the reference list, the title moves to the author position.

Does APA require a doi for every source?

Include a DOI whenever one is available. If no DOI exists for a journal article, include a URL if the article is freely available online. If neither exists (for example, a print-only article), simply omit the URL/DOI field. For books, include a DOI if available — most print books do not have one, and that is acceptable.

How do I cite a source I found through another source (secondary citation)?

APA calls this a secondary source citation. If you read Smith (2020) who cites Jones (2015), and you cannot access Jones directly, cite as: (Jones, 2015, as cited in Smith, 2020). In your reference list, include only Smith — the source you actually read. APA recommends finding and reading the original source whenever possible; secondary citations should be used sparingly.

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