FSM Online
- FSMHome
- Introduction
- 1. Research and Writing Responsibly
- 2. APA Documentation
- 3. APA Document Formatting
- 4. APA Conventions for Grammar and Mechanics
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3.1. Format Settings Applied to the Whole Document
The following settings should be applied to your whole word‐processer document. On occasion, you may have sections or passages that require minor adjustments, such as tables and appendices. These are covered later in the section.
3.1.1. Page layout settings
APA papers are laid out like most academic manuscripts, including ample margins for easy annotation, running page numbers for easy reference, and informative page headers.
- Margins: Set margins to one inch on all sides. Do not confuse the correct APA margins with the default page setup in Microsoft Word. Word 2007, for example, defaults to wider margins than desired on the left and right. Change the margin setup to one inch when you create your document.
- Page header with page numbers: A page header is an abbreviated version of your paper’s title and the page number. Using your word processor’s “header” command, insert in the upper lefthand corner of each page a short version of your paper’s title (or the title itself if not too long). Tab on the same line to the right edge of the header, inserting an auto‐incremented page number, which all word‐processors provide (check the Insert menu). The title page is always page 1. Note: Your instructor may prefer that you list your last name instead of the short title for the paper.
3.1.2. Paragraph and type settings
The following settings can be applied quickly to the whole paper using the “Select All” command (Ctrl + A in Windows).
- Font:Use a 11‐ or 12‐point Serif font, Times New Roman or similar. Your instructor may have specific preferences.
- Line spacing: Double space throughout, including the title and References Pages. Do not add line breaks manually, and let Microsoft Word determine when the line ends.
- Paragraph indentation and alignment: Indent the first line of each paragraph by .5”. Left align your paper; this means that the right‐hand margin of the paper will be ragged—not all lines will end at the same spot, as in a newspaper. Also, make sure automatic hyphenation is turned off.