How to do APA format in Google Docs

Quick answer: APA format in Google Docs

These steps are for a student paper in APA 7th edition, in Google Docs in a browser on a computer. Each step is explained below, with the changes for a professional paper.

APA settings at a glance

The rules in the middle column match the Purdue OWL summary of APA general format and the paper format pages on the APA Style site. If your instructor gives different requirements, follow your instructor.

Set the font, double spacing and 1-inch margins

Do this first, in an empty document, so everything you type afterwards is already formatted. If the paper is already written, press Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on a Mac) to select all of it before steps 1 and 2.

1. Font. Click the font name in the toolbar and choose Times New Roman. Set the size box next to it to 12.
2. Double spacing. Click Format > Line & paragraph spacing > Double. Do not add extra space before or after paragraphs.
3. Margins. Click File > Page setup. With Pages selected at the top of the window, set Top, Bottom, Left and Right to 1, then click OK.
4. Alignment. Keep the text left aligned (Ctrl + Shift + L, or Cmd + Shift + L). Do not justify it. The right edge stays uneven.

APA 7 accepts more than one font. Pick one and use it in the whole paper:

Margins, headers and page numbers are not available in pageless documents. If you do not see the margin boxes, switch the document to Pages in the same Page setup window.

Add page numbers and, if needed, a running head

APA puts the page number at the top right of every page. The title page is page 1. A student paper has nothing else in the header.

Student paper: page number only

1. Click Insert > Page elements > Header. The cursor moves into the header.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac) to align the header to the right.
3. Click Insert > Page elements > Page number, then choose Page number.
4. Select the number and set it to the same font and size as the paper.
5. Leave the Different first page box unchecked, so the number also appears on the title page.

Professional paper: running head and page number

A running head is a short version of the paper’s title. It is written in capital letters at the top left of every page, including the title page, and it can be up to 50 characters long, counting spaces and punctuation. APA 7 does not use the label “Running head:”.

1. Click Insert > Page elements > Header and keep the header left aligned.
2. Type the short title in capital letters, for example SLEEP AND EXAM RESULTS.
3. If the ruler is hidden, click View > Show ruler. Click the ruler at the right margin and choose Add right tab-stop.
4. Press Tab. The cursor jumps to the right margin.
5. Click Insert > Page elements > Page number, then choose Page number.

Student papers do not need a running head unless the instructor asks for one. Do not write “p.” or “page” before the number.

Make the APA title page

Every APA paper has a title page. All of it is centered and double spaced. Press Ctrl + Shift + E (Cmd + Shift + E on a Mac) to center a line.

Student title page

1. Press Enter three times, so the title sits three or four double-spaced lines below the top margin.
2. Type the title in bold (Ctrl + B or Cmd + B), in title case. Turn bold off afterwards.
3. Press Enter twice. This leaves one blank double-spaced line under the title.
4. Your name: first name, middle initial, last name. No titles or degrees.
5. Your department and university, separated by a comma.
6. The course number and name.
7. Your instructor’s name.
8. The assignment due date.
9. Press Ctrl + Enter (Cmd + Enter on a Mac) to start page 2.

It should look like this, centered in the upper half of the page:

Professional title page

A professional paper drops the course, instructor and due date and adds two things.

The APA Style title page guide shows both versions with labels.

Start the first page of text

1. On the first line of the new page, center the line and type the full title again in bold.
2. Press Enter, turn bold off and switch back to left alignment with Ctrl + Shift + L (Cmd + Shift + L).
3. Press Tab and start your first paragraph. Tab gives the 0.5 inch first-line indent APA asks for.

Do not add a heading called “Introduction”. The title at the top of the page does that job. Do not leave extra blank lines between the title and the text, or between paragraphs.

If you need an abstract

Professional papers have an abstract. Student papers need one only if the instructor asks. Put it on page 2, between the title page and the text:

1. Center the first line and type Abstract in bold.
2. Press Enter, switch to left alignment and write one paragraph of up to 250 words. Do not indent its first line.
3. Press Ctrl + Enter to start the text on page 3.

Format APA headings

APA has five heading levels. Use them in order, starting with Level 1 for main sections such as Method, Results and Discussion. Short papers often need only Level 1 and Level 2. All headings use the same font and size as the text.

The built-in Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles in Google Docs are larger than the body text and are not bold, so they do not match APA as they come. You have two options:

• Format by hand. Type the heading as normal text, then use the bold, italic and center buttons in the toolbar.
• Update the styles. Format one heading by hand and click in it. Then click Format > Paragraph styles > Heading 1 > Update ‘Heading 1’ to match. Do the same for Heading 2 and Heading 3. Your headings then also show in the document outline.

See the APA Style headings guide for an example of each level.

Set up the reference list and hanging indent

1. Click at the end of your last paragraph and press Ctrl + Enter (Cmd + Enter on a Mac) to start a new page.
2. Center the first line and type References in bold.
3. Press Enter, turn bold off, switch to left alignment and type or paste your entries, one paragraph per source.
4. Put the entries in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name.
5. Keep double spacing throughout, with no extra blank line between entries.
6. Select all the entries and click Format > Align & indent > Indentation options.
7. Under “Special indent”, choose Hanging. Check that the box next to it says 0.5, then click Apply.

What it should look like

Rivera, J. A. (2022). Sleep habits and exam results in first-year students. Example Journal of Education, 18(2), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

This entry is invented to show the layout. The first line starts at the left margin and every line after it moves in by half an inch.

If the hanging indent does not work

To build the entries themselves, use the APA citation generator, or see our guides on how to cite a website and how to cite a PDF. Writing in MLA instead? See MLA format in Google Docs.

The Google Docs APA template and its limits

Google Docs has a ready-made APA report template. On the Google Docs home screen, open the Template gallery and look in the Education group for the report labeled APA. It opens as a new document with a title page, body and reference page that you type over.

The template saves a few minutes, but check these points before you rely on it:

• The header. A student paper needs the page number only. If the template shows a running head, delete it unless you are writing a professional paper. If it shows the words “Running head:”, delete them in every case.
• The title page. Make sure the title is bold and that the course, instructor and due date lines are there for a student paper.
• The abstract. Delete the abstract page if your assignment does not ask for one.
• The headings. Compare them with the five levels in the table above.
• Pasted text. Text pasted from another file brings its own font and spacing. Paste with Ctrl + Shift + V (Cmd + Shift + V).

The template does not format your citations or check your reference entries. If your school gives you its own APA template, use that one. Setting up a blank document with the steps on this page takes about five minutes and you know every setting is right.

Check the paper before you submit

• Every page shows a page number at the top right, starting with 1 on the title page.
• The whole document is double spaced in one font and size, including the header and references.
• The title is bold on the title page and again at the top of the first page of text.
• There is no “Introduction” heading.
• Every source cited in the text has a reference entry, and every entry is cited in the text.
• References are in alphabetical order with a hanging indent.