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APA 7th Ed. Help: Professional Paper Formatting

Library guide to support APA 7th edition.

About Professional Paper Formatting

Use the Professional Paper APA Format only if directed and required by your instructor.  For most coursework, Gateway Technical College is following the formatting guidelines for the new Student Paper format found in the 7th edition. For more information on each section look for the corresponding page in this Guide. 

The Gateway Libraries recommend that students consult their course syllabus and assignment details for any course specifics and additional faculty requirements. 

If students are seeking publication, refer to the journal's instructions for submission guidelines and any additional requirements beyond APA. 

Gateway Libraries

Professional Paper Formatting

Use the Professional Paper APA Format only if directed and required by your instructor. 

The basics for an APA formatted Professional Paper are:

  • Margins: 1-inch margins on all sides
  • Font: approved fonts include Calibri 11 pt, Arial 11 pt, Lucinda Sans Unicode 10 pt, Georgia 11 pt, and Times New Roman 12 pt.
  • Spacing: double-spacing throughout
  • Running head (an abbreviated version of the paper title) in all capital letters, placed in the header, flush left. 
  • Page Numbers: page numbers are placed in the header, flush right.
  • In addition to the text of your paper include a title page, abstract page, and a references page.
  • Title page: include the title (in bold), followed by an extra line space and then your name and the name of your college affiliation, Gateway Technical College. 
  • Use only one space after a period in the body of the paper.

Professional Paper formatting details can be found in Chapter 2 of the APA Publication Manual 7th edition.

APA formatting from the American Psychological Association.  

APA Style (7th Edition) paper formatting information from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) often referred to as Purdue OWL.

Professional Paper Format: Summary Of Notable APA 7th ed. Changes

The number in parentheses indicates the corresponding chapter or section(s) in the APA Publication Manual. 

Formatting

  • Professional papers still include a running head of 50 characters or fewer based on the paper title. The words "Running head" no longer appear before the running head title text. ( 2.1, 2.3 2.8 & 2.18)
  • Recommended fonts now include Calibri 11 pt, Arial 11 pt, Lucinda Sans Unicode 10 pt, Georgia 11 pt, and Times New Roman 12 pt. ( 2.19)
  • On the first page of text (body of the paper), the title of the paper appears at the top of the paper in bold and centered. (2.11)
  • Use only one space after a period in the body of the paper. (6.1)
  • All Headings and Subheadings are in bold. (2.27)

APA Professional Paper Template

Use the Professional Paper APA Format only if directed and required by your instructor. 

Sample APA 7th ed. Professional Papers