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APA 7 in Word 1

APA 7th Edition Formatting

A Step-by-Step Microsoft Word Tutorial for Pre-Licensure Nursing Students

A Nursing Program Scholarly Writing Resource

How to Use This Guide This guide pairs each APA 7 rule with the exact clicks needed in Microsoft Word (desktop version, Windows and Mac menus are nearly identical). Menu paths are written as Tab > Group > Button. Set up your document using Section 1 before you start typing, then use Sections 2–6 as you build your paper. A Quick Reference table and formatting checklist are included at the end.

1. Setting Up a Clean Document Before You Start Typing

Complete these steps before you type a single word. Fixing formatting after a paper is finished takes far longer than setting it up correctly from the start.

1.1 Set the Margins

1. Click the Layout tab on the ribbon.

2. Click Margins, then choose Normal. APA 7 requires 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right of every page.

1.2 Set the Font

APA 7 permits several accessible fonts. Common choices approved by most nursing programs:

• Times New Roman, 12-point

• Calibri, 11-point

• Arial, 11-point

Confirm the required font with your instructor, then set it before typing:

1. Click the Home tab.

2. In the Font group, use the font-name dropdown to select your font.

3. Use the font-size dropdown beside it to select the correct size.

Tip Highlight your entire document later (Ctrl+A, or Cmd+A on Mac) and reapply the font/size if you ever paste text from another source — pasted text often carries its original formatting with it.

2. Double-Spacing the Entire Document Correctly

This is the formatting step students get wrong most often. Simply clicking the "double space" button is not enough, because Word automatically adds extra space after paragraphs and headings by default. APA 7 requires double spacing everywhere with no additional space before or after paragraphs or headings.

2.1 Apply True APA Double Spacing

1. Select your entire document: press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac). If you have not typed anything yet, simply place your cursor at the top of the blank page — the settings you choose will apply going forward.

2. Click the Home tab.

3. In the Paragraph group, click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the group (the Paragraph Dialog Launcher). This opens the Paragraph dialog box.

4. Under Spacing, set Before to 0 pt and After to 0 pt.

5. Under Spacing, find the Line spacing dropdown and select Double.

6. Confirm the checkbox "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style" is checked (this box appears in the same dialog in most Word versions).

7. Click OK.

Why This Matters Word's default paragraph style (Normal) is programmed to add 8–10 points of space after every paragraph, even when line spacing is set to double. This creates uneven, inconsistent spacing that violates APA 7 formatting even though the text looks double-spaced at a glance. Setting Before and After to 0 pt removes that hidden extra space.

2.2 Make This the Default for Every New Document (Optional but Recommended)

1. After completing Section 2.1 above, open the Paragraph dialog again (Home tab > Paragraph group > Dialog Launcher).

2. Confirm Line spacing is Double and Before/After are both 0 pt.

3. Click the Set As Default button in the bottom-left of the dialog box.

4. Choose "All documents based on the Normal template" when prompted, then click OK.

This step ensures every new blank document you open already meets APA spacing requirements, so you never have to repeat Section 2.1.

3. Inserting the Page Number in the Upper Right Corner

APA 7 requires a page number in the top-right corner of every page, including the title page. Do not type page numbers manually — manually typed numbers will not update as pages are added or removed, and they are easy to lose track of. Word inserts and updates page numbers automatically.

3.1 Insert an Automatic Page Number

1. Click the Insert tab on the ribbon.

2. In the Header & Footer group, click Page Number.

3. Hover over Top of Page, then choose Plain Number 3 from the gallery. This option is already right-aligned, which is exactly what APA 7 requires.

4. Word will automatically switch to Header & Footer editing view and insert the page number. Click Close Header and Footer on the ribbon (or double-click anywhere in the body of the document) to return to normal editing.

Tip If the page number appears centered or on the left instead of the right, click into the header, click the Home tab, and click the Align Right button (or press Ctrl+R) while your cursor is in the header line.

3.2 Student Papers vs. Professional Papers

APA 7 has two paper formats. Most nursing courses use the student paper format, which requires only the page number in the header (no running head text). Professional papers, such as those intended for publication, also include a running head. Ask your instructor which format your assignment requires.

Common Error Do not add the label "Running head:" before the page number. This label was required in APA 6 but was removed in APA 7 for student papers.

4. Building the APA 7 Student Title Page

The student title page includes five centered elements, stacked in this order, starting about one-third of the way down the page:

• Paper title (bold)

• Author's name (your name)

• Institutional affiliation (your school and department, e.g., "School of Nursing, [University Name]")

• Course number and name

• Instructor's name, followed on the next line by the assignment due date

4.1 Build and Center the Title Page

1. On the first page of your document, press Enter about 3–4 times to move your cursor roughly one-third down the page.

2. Click the Home tab, then click the Center button (or press Ctrl+E) so your typing will be centered.

3. Type the paper title in bold (use the Bold button or Ctrl+B). Titles longer than one line should be double-spaced like the rest of the paper — do not manually add a blank line between the two lines of a wrapped title.

4. Press Enter once, turn off bold, and type your name.

5. Press Enter once and type your institutional affiliation.

6. Press Enter once and type the course number and course name (as listed in your syllabus).

7. Press Enter once and type your instructor's name, then press Enter once more and type the assignment due date, written out as Month Day, Year (e.g., March 4, 2026).

Tip Because you already set Before/After spacing to 0 pt and Line Spacing to Double in Section 2, pressing Enter once between each title-page line will automatically create correctly spaced double-spaced lines — you do not need to press Enter twice.

5. Formatting APA 7 Headings

APA 7 uses five possible heading levels, each with a distinct format. Most nursing papers only need Levels 1 and 2. Apply heading formatting manually using Bold/Italics/Center/Left-align buttons on the Home tab rather than Word's built-in "Heading 1/2/3" styles, unless your instructor specifically asks you to use Word's built-in styles for a table of contents.

Action	How to Do It in Microsoft Word
Level 1	Centered, Bold, Title Case. Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.
Level 2	Left-aligned, Bold, Title Case. Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.
Level 3	Left-aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case. Text begins on the next line.
Level 4	Indented 0.5", Bold, Title Case, ends with a period. Text begins on the same line, immediately after the period.
Level 5	Indented 0.5", Bold Italic, Title Case, ends with a period. Text begins on the same line, immediately after the period.

"Title Case" means capitalizing the first letter of most words (e.g., Nursing Interventions for Postoperative Pain), unlike the sentence-style capitalization used in reference titles.

6. In-Text Citations at a Glance

Every source cited in the body of your paper must include the author's last name and the year of publication. Use quotation marks and a page or paragraph number for direct quotes.

• Narrative citation: Smith (2023) found that early mobilization reduced complications.

• Parenthetical citation: Early mobilization reduces complications (Smith, 2023).

• Direct quote (include page number): (Smith, 2023, p. 45)

• Two authors: (Smith & Lee, 2023)

• Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2023)

Tip Word's built-in References tab (References > Citations & Bibliography) can auto-generate citations and a reference list. Many nursing faculty prefer students format references manually until the rules are second nature, since the auto-generated APA style in Word is sometimes outdated. Confirm with your instructor before relying on it.

7. Formatting the Reference Page with a Hanging Indent

Every entry on the References page uses a hanging indent: the first line of each reference starts at the left margin, and every line after the first is indented 0.5 inches. This makes it easy for a reader's eye to find where one reference ends and the next begins.

7.1 Start the Reference Page Correctly

1. Insert a page break after the last line of your paper's body so the References list starts on its own new page: click the Insert tab, then click Page Break (or place your cursor at the end of the text and press Ctrl+Enter).

2. Center and bold the word References at the top of the new page (this is a Level 1 heading).

3. Press Enter once and switch back to left alignment (Ctrl+L) before typing your first reference.

7.2 Apply the Hanging Indent

Method 1 — Paragraph Dialog Box (most reliable):

1. Type or paste all of your references first, pressing Enter once between each one (do not add extra blank lines — double spacing is already handled by Section 2).

2. Select all of the reference entries by clicking and dragging over them, or click at the start of the list and Shift+Click at the end.

3. Click the Home tab, then click the Paragraph Dialog Launcher (the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Paragraph group).

4. Under Indentation, find the Special dropdown and select Hanging.

5. Confirm the value next to it reads 0.5". Click OK.

Method 2 — Keyboard Shortcut (fast, once text is selected):

1. Select all of your reference entries as described above.

2. Press Ctrl+T (Windows) or Cmd+T (Mac). This applies a 0.5" hanging indent instantly.

3. To undo a hanging indent, select the text and press Ctrl+Shift+T.

Common Error Do not create the hanging-indent look by pressing Tab or the Spacebar at the start of wrapped lines. This may look correct on screen, but it breaks as soon as a reference is edited, will not survive being pasted into another document or an online submission portal, and is not a true hanging indent.

7.3 Alphabetize the List

References are listed in alphabetical order by the first author's last name. Word can help:

1. Select all of your reference entries.

2. Click the Home tab, then click the Sort button (A-Z icon with a downward arrow) in the Paragraph group.

3. In the Sort Text dialog, confirm "Paragraphs" and "Text" are selected, choose Ascending, and click OK.

Tip Run the Sort tool after you have finished the hanging indent — sorting does not undo the indent formatting, but it is good practice to double-check both after sorting.

8. Quick Reference: Keyboard Shortcuts and Menu Paths

Action	How to Do It in Microsoft Word
Select entire document	Ctrl+A (Windows) / Cmd+A (Mac)
Open Paragraph settings	Home tab > Paragraph group > Dialog Launcher (small arrow, bottom-right corner)
Set double spacing, 0 pt before/after	Paragraph dialog > Spacing > Line spacing: Double; Before: 0 pt; After: 0 pt
Insert page number, top right	Insert tab > Header & Footer > Page Number > Top of Page > Plain Number 3
Center text	Ctrl+E
Left-align text	Ctrl+L
Bold text	Ctrl+B
Italicize text	Ctrl+I
Insert a page break	Ctrl+Enter, or Insert tab > Page Break
Apply 0.5" hanging indent	Select text, then Ctrl+T (Windows) / Cmd+T (Mac)
Remove hanging indent	Select text, then Ctrl+Shift+T
Alphabetize reference list	Select text > Home tab > Paragraph group > Sort (A-Z icon)

9. Final Formatting Checklist

Before submitting any scholarly paper, confirm the following:

☐ 1-inch margins on all sides

☐ Approved font and size used consistently throughout (e.g., Times New Roman 12 pt)

☐ Entire document is double-spaced with 0 pt spacing before and after every paragraph and heading

☐ Page number appears in the top-right corner of every page, including the title page

☐ Title page includes title (bold), name, institutional affiliation, course, instructor, and date — all centered

☐ Headings match the correct APA 7 level format (centered/left-aligned, bold, title case, etc.)

☐ Every in-text citation has a matching entry on the References page, and vice versa

☐ References page begins on its own page, titled "References" (centered, bold)

☐ Every reference entry uses a true 0.5" hanging indent (created with the Paragraph dialog or Ctrl+T — not the Tab key)

☐ Reference entries are alphabetized by first author's last name

Questions? If your formatting still looks off after following these steps, ask your instructor or your campus writing center to review your document in person. Formatting problems are almost always fixable in under five minutes once you can see the paragraph marks — turn them on with Ctrl+Shift+8 (Windows) or Cmd+8 (Mac) to see exactly where extra spaces, tabs, or line breaks are hiding.

Nursing Program Writing Resource