APA Style — Paper format (7th edition)

• Use American letterhead (8.5 x 11 inches), with uniform 1-inch (approximately 2.54 cm) margins on all sides.

• Double-spaced throughout the entire document, including the cover page, body headings, block citations, tables and figure captions, and the reference list.

• Choose a legible and common font and maintain consistency. APA recommends fonts such as: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern (LaTeX).

• Left-align paragraphs and stagger the right sides; do not justify. Avoid using spaces for "formatting".

• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches, achieved through paragraph settings, not by manually typing spaces or tabs.

• Recommended chapter order: Cover page → Abstract (if needed) → Main text → References → Footnotes → Tables → Figures → Appendix.

• Starting with the cover page, number the page on the right side of the header of each page.

• Academic assignments (student papers) typically only display page numbers in the header, without an additional running head, unless specifically requested by the instructor.

• Professional papers (journal submissions, etc.) include a running head on the left side of the header: the abbreviated title of the paper, all capitalized, left-aligned, and no more than 50 characters long (including spaces and punctuation); the page number remains in the upper right corner.

• The cover page is page 1, using the same font and double line spacing as the main text, with all elements centered between the left and right margins.

• From top to bottom, it typically includes:

1. **Paper Title**: Bold, centered, headline-style capitalization, starting approximately several lines down from the top of the page. The title should be concise and avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

2. **Author Name**: First name + initials of middle name (if applicable) + last name. Do not include titles or degrees such as "Dr.", "Professor," or "PhD."

3. **Institutional Affiliation**: Department + full name of the university.

4. **Course Information**: Course number and course name.

5. **Instructor's Name**: Use the instructor's preferred title and spelling.

6. **Assignment Deadline**: Write the date in the format required by the university or course (e.g., "April 10, 2025").

• The header only includes the page number in the upper right corner; do not include a running head.

• Similar layout to student papers, using double line spacing and a uniform font.

• Key elements include:

1. **Title**: Bold, centered, headline-style capitalization.

2. **Author Names**: If multiple authors, list them on separate lines, using superscript numbers or other methods to correspond to their institutions if necessary.

3. **Institutional Affiliation**: Clearly indicate the work or study institution of each author; different institutions should be clearly identified.

4. **Author Note**: Located in the lower half of the cover, it may include ORCID iD and link, institutional change information, disclosure of funding and conflicts of interest, description of open data/materials, and contact information for the corresponding author.

• The left side of the header is the running head (abbreviated title, all capital letters), and the right side is the page number.

• The abstract starts on a new page, immediately following the cover. Centered at the top of the page, bold the word "Abstract" without quotation marks, underlines, or italics.

• The abstract should be a single, unindented paragraph, concisely summarizing the research question, participants, methods, results, and conclusions, typically no more than 250 words.

• If keywords are required, list them on a new line after the abstract, with the first line indented and the same font and line spacing as the main text; italicize "Keywords:", followed by several keywords separated by commas.

• Professional journals almost always require an abstract; whether student assignments require an abstract is determined by the instructor, who should confirm if unsure.

• Main text paragraphs should be left-aligned, with a first-line indent of 0.5 inches, double-spaced throughout, and without additional pre- or post-paragraph spacing.

• Longer citations (typically ≥40 English words) can be presented as block citations: Start on a separate line, indent the entire paragraph by 0.5 inches from the left, maintain double line spacing, do not use quotation marks, and indicate the source using parentheses or numbering.

• The list of references should start on a new page, with "References" centered and bold at the top, using double line spacing, and a 0.5-inch hanging indent for each reference.

• Tables and figures can be placed near the paragraph where they are first mentioned, or they can be grouped together at the end of the text; the specific practice depends on the journal or course requirements.

• Each table and figure should have clear numbering, a title, and captions, following APA guidelines regarding capitalization, abbreviations, and data source attribution.

• This document only covers layout aspects: paper, margins, font, line spacing, cover structure, etc.; for in-text citation format (author-year) and reference entry format, please refer to other pages of APA Style or the *Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.)*.

• When writing and submitting, the specific instructions from your instructor, course, or target journal should be the final guideline, and APA's official recommended practices should be followed as much as possible while meeting local requirements.