In this University of Maryland Global Campus Library video,
you’ll learn how to set up your Microsoft Word document using the proper formatting for APA 7th
Edition Style using APA’s Student Paper format. We’ll be using Microsoft Word in Office 365.
First, open up a new document by choosing “Blank Document”. It’s a good idea to go ahead and save
your document so that changes will automatically be saved as you work on it. Go to File > Save As,
select locations where you want to save your paper, enter your filename, and click save.
Here we have a sample document which we’ll go through in detail.
Change the default font settings to Calibri and the font size to 11 points. You can also use
Arial 11 point or Times New Roman 12 point if you prefer, however do not use fonts other than these.
Now set the proper margins. At the top menu select the Layout tab. Then select
Margins at the left, and make sure that Normal is selected. This sets all the margins to 1 inch.
Next we need to change the line spacing. To do this select paragraph to open the paragraph box.
Under Spacing, set Line Spacing to “Double” and then After: to “0” points. Then click OK.
Next we will create page numbers. To see the header, double click at the
top of the page. At the top of the first page, press tab to go to the right margin.
Select the Page Number, Current Position, and Plain Number. Double-click within the page
to create title page. Next, we will create your title page.
Select the Home tab, then space down about 3 spaces. Click center in the tool bar,
and click the B on the toolbar to make the font bold. Then type the title of your paper in bold,
in title case with the major words capitalized. Then, press Enter two times to leave space after
your title, click the B on the toolbar to make the font unbold and type your name.
Then add University of Maryland Global Campus, spelling out the entire name.
And then press enter, and next enter the number and name of your class.
On the next line enter the name of your instructor.
Finally on the last line enter the date. Now, instead of spacing down to the next page,
go to Insert, Pages, and Page Break. This will start a new page. You’ll need to create the next
running header – this one is just your title in ALL UPPERCASE without the Running head: prefix.
On the following page the title of your paper should appear again at the top of the page.
Go to Home tab, click Bold, and then type the title of your paper in title case
with major words capitalized, and return. Each paragraph of your paper should be indented.
Left align, click the B on the toolbar to make the font unbold
then press tab and start your first paragraph. Note that if you use subheadings they should
be bold and centered. Finish the document setup first before you start writing. Now,
you’ll need to create your references section. o do this, go to Insert, Pages, and Page Break.
On the new page Select the Home tab, and - click center,
then click Bold… then type References. Press Enter
Click the left margin button to move back to left aligned
text. And click the B on the toolbar to make the font unbold.
Bring up the paragraph settings menu. Under Indentation, change the drop-down menu under
Special to Hanging. This will make the second line of each reference indented under the first.
Now you’re ready to start writing your paper, starting on the page following the title page.
Be sure to see the next video for details on formatting your APA 7th Edition references and
consult the APA 7th Edition manual or website if you have more complex formatting needs.
Remember to contact the UMGC Library or Writing Center for help with APA formatting and writing.