Every page needs a header with the paper's title in the top-left, and the page number in the top-right.Highlight all the text in your document, then select Double in this menu to turn on double-spacing. Meanwhile, you can enable double-spacing with the Line & paragraph spacing menu in the toolbar above your document.

If you want to double-check or change them anyway, you can change the margins using the Page Setup menu or ruler feature.

Your entire document needs to have one-inch margins and double-spaced lines.Īll Google Docs documents have one-inch margins by default, so you probably don't need to worry about that.Your font and font size need to be readable. If you're trying to change text that you've already written, just be sure to highlight it first. You can change your font and font size using the toolbar at the top of the screen. Some common choices are 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Arial, and 11-point Calibri. It just needs to be legible, and you need to use the same font throughout your entire paper (with exceptions for figures, computer code, and footnotes). The font needs to be readable and consistent.ĪPA isn't strict about what font you should use, or even what size it should be.Important: Below are the standard APA 7 rules, but you should always follow your instructor's specific guidelines, even if they differ from the official rules. And no matter which version of APA format you're using, you can set it all up using Google Docs. It has specific rules for what your essays should look like, and how they should be structured.ĪPA format has changed a few times over the decades (right now we're on APA Seventh Edition, or 'APA 7'), but the basics have stayed the same. APA - short for American Psychological Association - is a standardized format for writing academic papers, especially in the fields of sociology, psychology, and other behavioral or social sciences. While some students write in MLA format, others write in APA format. Visit Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Google Docs' templates page includes pre-made APA 6 and APA 7 documents you can use as well.

The basics of APA 7 format include double-spaced lines, a running header, and a title page - all of which can be done in Google Docs.

You can write an APA formatted paper in Google Docs using its built-in tools or a template.

Google Docs offers several methods for setting up an APA format essay.

Apa format example google docs