Document text
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[Title of Your Paper: Capitalize Major Words and Keep It Focused]
[Your First Name Middle Initial. Last Name]
[Department Name], [University Name]
[Course Number]: [Course Name]
[Instructor Name, with title, e.g. Dr. Jane Rivera]
[Due Date, e.g. October 24, 2026]
[Title of Your Paper: Capitalize Major Words and Keep It Focused]
Start the introduction right under the title, without the heading “Introduction.” Indent the first line of every paragraph by 0.5 in. and keep the whole paper double-spaced, including the reference list. State the problem, explain why it matters, and finish with your thesis or research question. Cite the sources you build on: recent studies have linked [TOPIC] with [OUTCOME] ([Lastname], [Year]; [Lastname] & [Lastname], [Year]).
A narrative citation puts the author in the sentence: [Lastname] ([Year]) argued that [IDEA]. For three or more authors use the first author and “et al.” from the first citation: ([Lastname] et al., [Year]). A direct quotation needs a page number: “[Exact words from the source]” ([Lastname], [Year], p. [00]).
[Level 1 Heading: Centered, Bold, Title Case]
Level 1 headings start the main sections, for example Method, Results and Discussion in a research paper, or the main parts of your argument in an essay. Write the text in a new indented paragraph.
[Level 2 Heading: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case]
Level 2 headings divide a main section. Use them only when a section has at least two subsections.
[Level 3 Heading: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case]
Level 3 headings are the next step down. Most student papers need no more than three levels.
[Level 4 Heading Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period.] The text continues on the same line as the heading, as a regular paragraph.
[Level 5 Heading Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period.] The text continues on the same line.
Conclusion
Sum up what you found or argued, answer the question you set in the introduction, and say what it means. Do not add new sources here.
References
[Lastname], [A. A.], & [Lastname], [B. B.] ([Year]). [Title of the article in sentence case]. [Journal Name in Title Case], [Volume]([Issue]), [first page]–[last page]. https://doi.org/[DOI]
[Lastname], [A. A.] ([Year]). [Title of the book in sentence case: Subtitle too] ([Edition] ed.). [Publisher]. https://doi.org/[DOI, if any]
[Lastname], [A. A.] ([Year]). [Title of the chapter]. In [A. A. Editor] & [B. B. Editor] (Eds.), [Title of the edited book] (pp. [xx]–[xx]). [Publisher].
[Name of Organization]. ([Year]). [Title of the report] (Report No. [000]). [URL]
[Lastname], [A. A.] ([Year], [Month] [Day]). [Title of the web page]. [Site Name]. [URL]
[Lastname], [A. A.] [or Channel Name]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). [Title of the video] [Video]. YouTube. [URL]
APA 7 CHECKLIST — delete this page before submitting
• APA 7 student paper: title page with title (bold), author, department and university, course, instructor and due date; page number top right on every page. Student papers need no running head and usually no abstract — add them only if your instructor asks.
• Font: one used consistently, e.g. 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Calibri, 11-pt Arial or 11-pt Georgia. Margins 1 in. on all sides. Double-space everything; left-align the text (ragged right edge).
• Reference list: new page, “References” centered and bold, entries in alphabetical order by first author, hanging indent 0.5 in. Every in-text citation must appear in the list, and every entry must be cited.
• Use the DOI as a link (https://doi.org/…) when the source has one; for web pages add the URL.
• The References page above shows patterns, not real sources — replace every entry with your own.
• Professional papers (for journals) add a running head, an author note and an abstract.
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APA 7 template — replace every [FIELD]. © Layers (layers.md) · CC BY 4.0