The Ultimate APA Style Guide Quick Reference Cheatsheet (7th Edition)

Paper Formatting Essentials

Basic Document Setup

• Paper size: 8.5″ x 11″
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Font: Use a readable font at an appropriate size
  • Recommended: Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt, Times New Roman 12pt, Georgia 11pt
• Line spacing: Double-space the entire document
• Alignment: Left-aligned (not justified)
• Paragraph indentation: First line of each paragraph indented 0.5″
• Page numbers: Top right corner of every page

Paper Components (in order)

1. Title page
2. Abstract (if required)
3. Main text
4. References
5. Tables (if applicable)
6. Figures (if applicable)
7. Appendices (if applicable)

Title Page Format

• Page number: 1 in top right corner
• Title: Bold, centered, title case, upper half of page
• Author(s): Full name(s), centered, one double-spaced line below title
• Institutional affiliation: Centered, one double-spaced line below author
• Course number and name: Centered (student papers)
• Instructor name: Centered (student papers)
• Due date: Centered (student papers)
• Note: No running head needed for student papers (only for professional papers)

Headings Format

In-Text Citations

Basic Citation Formats

Specific Citation Situations

• Direct quote: Include page number

  • (Smith, 2020, p. 45)
  • Smith (2020) stated, “The results were significant” (p. 45).

• Multiple pages: (Smith, 2020, pp. 45-47)

• No page numbers: Use paragraph number, heading, or section

  • (Smith, 2020, para. 4)
  • (Smith, 2020, “Results” section)

• Multiple works by different authors:

  • (Jones, 2019; Smith, 2020)

• Multiple works by same author:

  • (Smith, 2019, 2020)
  • Same year: (Smith, 2020a, 2020b)

• Secondary source (citing a source cited within another source):

  • Johnson (as cited in Smith, 2020) argued that…
  • (Johnson, as cited in Smith, 2020)

• Personal communications (emails, interviews, etc.):

  • (J. Smith, personal communication, January 15, 2020)
  • Note: Not included in reference list

Reference List

General Guidelines

• Title: “References” (centered, bold)
• Arrangement: Alphabetical by author’s last name
• Format: Hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5″)
• Spacing: Double-space throughout

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• Format as URL: https://doi.org/xxxxx
• Include when available

Basic Reference Formats

Journal Article with DOI

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

Journal Article without DOI (Online)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page range. URL

Journal Article without DOI (Print)

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), page range.

Book

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

Edited Book

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Book Chapter

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. page range). Publisher.

Website

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

Webpage with Group Author

Group Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. URL

Report

Author, A. A., or Organization. (Year). Title of report. Publisher/URL

Conference Paper (Published)

Presenter, P. P. (Year). Title of contribution. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of conference proceedings (pp. page range). Publisher.

Dissertation/Thesis

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University Name]. Database or Archive. URL

Special Cases

Author Variations

One Author

Smith, J. R. (2020). Title of work. Publisher.

Two Authors

Smith, J. R., & Jones, M. K. (2020). Title of work. Publisher.

Three to Twenty Authors

List all authors.

Smith, J. R., Jones, M. K., & Johnson, P. L. (2020). Title of work. Publisher.

More Than Twenty Authors

List first 19 authors, insert ellipsis (…), then list final author.

Smith, J. R., Jones, M. K., Johnson, P. L., [continue listing names], ... Last Author, Z. Z. (2020). Title of work. Publisher.

Date Variations

Exact Date Known

Author, A. A. (2020, January 15). Title. Source.

No Date

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title. Source.

In Press

Author, A. A. (in press). Title. Journal Name.

Source Variations

Newspaper Article

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL

Magazine Article

Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of article. Magazine Name, Volume(Issue), page range.

Blog Post

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. Blog Name. URL

Social Media

Author [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Content of post up to first 20 words [Tweet/Facebook post/Instagram photo]. Site Name. URL

YouTube Video

Author, A. A. [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL

Podcast Episode

Host, H. H. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (Episode No.) [Audio podcast episode]. In Title of podcast. Publisher. URL

Tables and Figures

Table Format

• Number: Table 1 (in bold)
• Title: Below number, italicized, title case
• Notes: Below table (general, specific, probability)
• Include horizontal lines for top and bottom of table, and below header row

Figure Format

• Number: Figure 1 (in bold)
• Title: Below number, italicized, title case
• Image: Clear, high resolution
• Notes: Below figure
• Cite source if reproduced or adapted

Common Style Elements

Capitalization

• Title case: Used for titles in reference list, headings, table/figure titles
  • Capitalize: First word, proper nouns, first word after colon, major words
  • Do not capitalize: Articles (a, an, the), short prepositions, coordinating conjunctions

Numbers

• Words: Numbers below 10 (general usage)
• Numerals: Numbers 10 and above; all numbers in abstract, tables, figures; measurements; statistics; times; dates; ages; scores; points on scale; percentages

Abbreviations

• First mention: Full term (abbreviation)
• Subsequent mentions: Abbreviation only
• Do not use periods in abbreviations (PhD, US, APA)

Italics

• Use for: Book titles, journal names, newspaper names, volume numbers in references
• Also use for: Introducing key terms, foreign words, emphasis (sparingly)
• Do not use for: Foreign phrases common in English, chemical/biological terms

Quick Grammar and Mechanics Guide

Serial Comma

• Use comma before “and” or “or” in a series of three or more items
  • Example: red, blue, and green

Hyphenation

• Compound modifiers before nouns: evidence-based practice, two-way analysis
• No hyphen after adverbs ending in -ly: highly effective intervention

Punctuation with Quotations

• Periods and commas inside quotation marks
• Semicolons and colons outside quotation marks
• Question marks and exclamation points depend on meaning

Et Al.

• Latin abbreviation meaning “and others”
• Always with a period (al.)
• Use from first citation when work has three or more authors

Statistical Symbols

• Italicize: p, t, F, N
• Do not italicize: Greek letters, subscripts, superscripts

Bias-Free Language Guidelines

General Principles

• Be specific and precise
• Be sensitive to labels
• Acknowledge people’s humanity
• Use inclusive and accessible language

Age

• Use specific age ranges when possible
• Avoid terms like elderly, seniors (use older adults or persons 65 and older)

Disability

• Use person-first language: person with disability (not disabled person)
• Be specific about the disability when relevant
• Avoid negative terms: “person with schizophrenia” (not “schizophrenic”)

Gender

• Use singular “they” for generic references or unknown/unspecified gender
• Use gender-neutral terms: chair/chairperson (not chairman), police officer (not policeman)

Race and Ethnicity

• Be specific: Asian American, Black, White
• Capitalize racial and ethnic terms
• Respect preference: Indigenous peoples, Native peoples

Sexual Orientation

• Use terms people use for themselves: gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight
• Avoid terms with negative connotations

This cheatsheet provides a quick reference for the most common APA Style (7th edition) guidelines. For specialized situations or more detailed information, consult the APA Publication Manual or the official APA Style website.