Format Your Paper in APA, MLA, or Chicago Style
What each style actually requires — margins, fonts, spacing, headings, title pages, in-text citations, reference lists — and the specific places where students lose marks on formatting every semester.
Your instructor assigns a citation style and expects the paper formatted correctly. That is not negotiable. But formatting rules are scattered across style manuals that cost money and run to hundreds of pages. This guide pulls out what actually applies to a student paper — in plain language, with specific rules for each style — so you can format correctly the first time instead of fixing it after you get the grade.
What This Guide Covers
Which Style to Use — and Why It Depends on Your Field
You do not get to pick your citation style. Your department picks it, your instructor confirms it, and your assignment brief should state it. If the brief is silent, ask before you start — not after you have written 3,000 words in the wrong style.
That said, most assignments follow predictable patterns by discipline. Knowing why each style exists in each field helps you understand its logic — which makes the rules easier to remember and apply.
APA — Psychology, Education, Social Sciences
Author-date citations emphasise when research was published — currency matters in empirical fields. Standard in psychology, education, nursing, sociology, and business. Managed by the American Psychological Association.
MLA — Literature, Humanities, Language Studies
Author-page citations emphasise where in a text the information appears — useful when analysing literary works. Standard in English literature, modern languages, film studies, and cultural studies. Managed by the Modern Language Association.
Chicago — History, Arts, Some Sciences
Two systems: Notes-Bibliography for history and the arts, Author-Date for sciences and social sciences. Footnotes allow extensive commentary without interrupting the main text — important in history writing. Managed by the University of Chicago Press.
If your instructor says “use APA but skip the running head” or “use Chicago Notes-Bibliography with endnotes instead of footnotes” — follow the instructor. Style guides describe the default; your brief may modify it. When there is a conflict between what is written here and what your instructor specifies, the instructor wins.
Base Formatting Rules All Three Styles Share
Before getting into style-specific rules, there are four settings that apply across APA, MLA, and Chicago. Set these first in your word processor. Getting them wrong at the start costs time fixing them later.
Every major citation style — APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard — uses 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all four sides. Most word processors default to 1 inch, but some templates do not. Check this before writing. Adjusting margins after the paper is written can shift page numbers and change where page breaks fall, which affects your header, title page, and any page-specific formatting.
APA 7th edition officially permits Times New Roman 12pt, Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt, Georgia 11pt, and Lucida Sans Unicode 10pt. MLA and Chicago do not mandate a specific font but recommend readable serif fonts — Times New Roman 12pt is the accepted default for both. Unless your instructor specifies otherwise, Times New Roman 12pt is the safest option across all three styles. Do not mix fonts. The same font applies to body text, headings, headers, reference lists, and captions.
APA and MLA both require double-spacing throughout: title page, body text, block quotes, reference list, Works Cited. No extra space between paragraphs — just double-spacing and a first-line indent. Chicago student papers typically double-space the body text and use single-spacing for footnotes, with double-spacing between footnote entries. Your Chicago brief may specify otherwise.
Every new paragraph starts with a 0.5-inch first-line indent, set via paragraph settings — not the tab key, not multiple spaces. APA, MLA, and Chicago all use this. Do not add an extra blank line between paragraphs. The indent is the paragraph signal; the blank line is not used. Check your paragraph settings: Format > Paragraph > Special > First Line > 0.5″.
APA 7th Edition Format Rules
APA 7th edition, published in 2019, introduced significant changes — including dropping the running head requirement for student papers. If you are following guidance based on APA 6th edition, it is out of date. Use the APA Style official site as your reference.
Page Layout
- 1-inch margins all sides
- Times New Roman 12pt (or other approved fonts — see APA 7th, Section 2.19)
- Double-spaced throughout — no exceptions, including the reference list
- 0.5-inch first-line paragraph indent
- Page numbers in the top-right corner of every page, starting from the title page
- Student papers: no running head required (professional manuscripts do require one)
Title Page — Student Paper
- Paper title: centred, bold, title case, positioned in the upper half of the page
- Author name(s): centred, not bold, below the title
- Institutional affiliation: centred, below author name
- Course name and number: centred
- Instructor name: centred
- Assignment due date: centred
- Page number 1 in the top-right header
- No running head label needed on student title pages (APA 7th removed this requirement)
Headings — Five Levels
- Level 1: Centred, bold, title case — no period, text starts on next line
- Level 2: Left-aligned, bold, title case — text starts on next line
- Level 3: Left-aligned, bold italic, title case — text starts on next line
- Level 4: Indented 0.5″, bold, title case, ends with a period — text continues on same line
- Level 5: Indented 0.5″, bold italic, title case, ends with a period — text continues on same line
- Most undergraduate papers only need Levels 1 and 2. Do not use more heading levels than the structure requires.
In-Text Citations
- Author-date format: (Smith, 2021) or Smith (2021) argues that…
- With page number: (Smith, 2021, p. 45) — required for direct quotes, recommended for paraphrases
- Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2021) — ampersand inside parentheses
- Three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2021) from the first citation
- No author: use the first few words of the title in title case in quotation marks: (“Formatting Rules,” 2021)
Reference List
- Starts on a new page, headed “References” — centred, bold, not in quotation marks
- Alphabetical by first author’s last name
- Hanging indent: 0.5 inches on all lines after the first
- Double-spaced — no extra space between entries
- DOI included where available, formatted as a hyperlink (https://doi.org/…)
- Only sources cited in the paper appear here — not background reading
MLA 9th Edition Format Rules
MLA 9th edition was published in 2021. One of the bigger changes from earlier editions: it now accommodates citing sources across more formats, including social media, and it introduced the concept of “containers” for source types. For full MLA formatting rules, the MLA Handbook 9th edition is the authoritative source.
Page Layout
- 1-inch margins all sides
- Times New Roman 12pt — MLA recommends a readable font, this is the accepted standard
- Double-spaced throughout, including Works Cited
- 0.5-inch first-line paragraph indent
- Header in the top-right corner: student’s last name, space, page number (e.g., Smith 4) — on every page
- No separate title page by default — student info goes at the top of page 1
First Page Header (Instead of Title Page)
- Top-left, double-spaced: your full name, then instructor’s name, then course name, then date (Day Month Year — e.g., 16 May 2026)
- Paper title: centred on the next line, title case, no bold, no italics, no quotation marks (unless the title contains a title)
- Text begins on the next double-spaced line — indent first paragraph
- Some instructors require a separate title page — check your brief
In-Text Citations
- Author-page format: (Smith 45) — no comma between name and page number
- Author named in the sentence: Smith argues that… (45)
- Two authors: (Smith and Jones 45)
- Three or more authors: (Smith et al. 45)
- No author: use a shortened version of the title: (“Formatting” 12)
- Page numbers not applicable for web sources without pagination — cite author only
Works Cited
- Starts on a new page, headed “Works Cited” — centred, not bold, not in quotation marks
- Alphabetical by first author’s last name
- Hanging indent: 0.5 inches
- Double-spaced, no extra blank lines between entries
- The Works Cited header uses the same font and size as the rest of the paper — do not make it larger or bold
- Only sources actually cited in the paper appear here
Chicago 17th Edition Format Rules
Chicago has two systems, and picking the wrong one is a common mistake. Notes-Bibliography (NB) is for history, literature, and the arts. Author-Date (AD) is for sciences and social sciences. Both share the same page layout rules. The difference is entirely in how citations appear.
Notes-Bibliography (NB)
- Superscript numbers in the text: Stalin’s economic policies1
- Corresponding footnote at the bottom of the same page, or endnotes at the end of the paper
- Full source details in the first footnote, shortened form in subsequent references to the same source
- Bibliography at the end — all sources cited, last name first
- Used in: history, literature, arts, theology
Author-Date (AD)
- Parenthetical citations in the text: (Smith 2021, 45)
- Reference list at the end — structured similarly to APA
- No footnotes for citations (though content footnotes are still possible)
- Author’s last name, year of publication, and page number in parentheses
- Used in: natural sciences, social sciences, some education fields
Page Layout
- 1-inch margins all sides
- Times New Roman 12pt — Chicago does not mandate it but it is the accepted standard
- Body text: double-spaced
- Block quotes: single-spaced, indented 0.5 inches from the left margin, no quotation marks
- Footnotes: single-spaced within each note; one blank line between notes; 10pt font is acceptable for footnotes
- 0.5-inch paragraph indent
- Page numbers: top-right or bottom-centre — check your brief
Footnote Format
- First footnote for a source: full citation — First Last, Title (Place: Publisher, Year), page.
- Second and subsequent footnotes for the same source: Last, shortened title, page. (e.g., Smith, History of, 45.)
- “Ibid.” may be used when citing the same source twice in a row — but it is optional in Chicago 17th
- Footnote numbers restart at 1 for each chapter in a book; continue through a paper without resetting
Chicago style recommends a separate title page for most papers. The title is centred, about one-third of the way down the page. Author name appears several lines below. Course, instructor, and date go at the bottom, each on its own line, centred. Page numbering typically starts on the first page of text — the title page is not numbered. Check our Chicago format guide for a complete title page layout.
In-Text Citation Formats Compared
This is where students confuse the styles most often. The logic is different in each one. Learn the logic, not just the format.
| Style | System | Basic Format | Direct Quote | No Author |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Author-Date | (Smith, 2021) |
(Smith, 2021, p. 45) |
("Title," 2021) |
| MLA 9th | Author-Page | (Smith 45) |
(Smith 45) |
("Title" 45) |
| Chicago NB | Footnote/Endnote | Superscript ¹ → footnote |
Superscript ¹ → footnote with page |
Superscript ¹ → title in footnote |
| Chicago AD | Author-Date | (Smith 2021, 45) |
(Smith 2021, 45) |
("Title" 2021, 45) |
APA: quotes of 40 or more words become a block quote — indented 0.5 inches from the left margin, no quotation marks, citation after the final punctuation. MLA: quotes of more than four lines of prose (or three lines of poetry) become a block quote — indented 0.5 inches, no quotation marks, citation in parentheses after the final punctuation. Chicago NB: block quotes for prose of five or more lines — single-spaced, indented 0.5 inches both sides. In all cases: do not add quotation marks around a block quote. The indentation is the signal.
Reference Lists, Works Cited, and Bibliographies
Every style ends the paper with a full list of sources. The name changes, the format changes, the placement rules change. What does not change: every source cited in the paper must appear here, and nothing should appear here that was not cited in the paper.
APA: References
Headed “References” — centred, bold. Alphabetical by last name. Hanging indent 0.5″. Double-spaced with no extra blank lines between entries. DOIs formatted as hyperlinks. Only cited sources. Year in parentheses appears right after the author name.
- Scott, J. C. (1998). Seeing like a state. Yale University Press.
MLA: Works Cited
Headed “Works Cited” — centred, same font and size as the rest of the paper, not bold. Alphabetical by last name. Hanging indent 0.5″. Double-spaced, no extra blank lines. Year appears near the end of the entry, not after the author name.
- Scott, James C. Seeing Like a State. Yale UP, 1998.
Chicago NB: Bibliography
Headed “Bibliography” — centred. Alphabetical by last name. Hanging indent. Single-spaced within entries, double-spaced between them. More publication detail than APA or MLA — place of publication included.
- Scott, James C. Seeing Like a State. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
Chicago AD: References
Headed “References” — centred. Alphabetical by last name. Year in parentheses directly after the author name, similar to APA. Hanging indent. Publication place is included, unlike APA.
- Scott, James C. 1998. Seeing Like a State. New Haven: Yale University Press.
The hanging indent — where the first line sits flush left and subsequent lines of the same entry indent 0.5″ — should be set through your word processor’s paragraph formatting, not with the tab key. In Microsoft Word: select your reference entries → Paragraph dialog → Special → Hanging → By: 0.5″. In Google Docs: Format → Align & indent → Indentation options → Special indent → Hanging → 0.5 inches. Manual tabs break when documents are reformatted, shared, or opened on a different machine. Paragraph-level settings do not.
Headings and Section Structure
Headings help readers navigate. They are not decorative. Not every paper needs headings — a short essay (under 3,000 words) often flows without them. A research paper, lab report, or literature review almost always needs them.
| Style | Heading Level 1 | Heading Level 2 | Heading Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Centred, bold, title case | Left-aligned, bold, title case | Left-aligned, bold italic, title case |
| MLA 9th | MLA does not specify a heading system — follow your instructor’s preference or use a consistent system you apply throughout | — | — |
| Chicago NB/AD | Centred, or centred bold — Chicago gives flexibility; check your department’s preference | Left-aligned, bold or italic | Left-aligned italic |
Do not number APA headings (1.0, 1.1, 2.0) or precede them with letters (A, B, C). The level hierarchy is signalled entirely by formatting — bold, italic, centred, left-aligned, inline. Adding numbers or letters is not APA style and suggests the student has conflated it with another system.
Title Pages
Every style handles the title page differently. This is one of the first things an instructor looks at — getting it wrong signals carelessness before the marker has read a single sentence of your argument.
What Goes on the Title Page
Paper title (bold, centred, upper half of page). Author name(s). Institution name. Course number and name. Instructor name. Assignment due date. Page number 1 in the top-right header. No running head for student papers unless the instructor asks for one.
No Separate Title Page (Default)
No standalone title page. Top-left of page 1: your name, then instructor name, then course name, then date (Day Month Year). Then the paper title centred below — title case, not bold, not italicised. Text begins on the next line. Last name + page number in the top-right header on every page.
Separate Title Page
Chicago recommends a separate title page. Title centred, about one-third down. Author name centred below with space between. Course name, instructor, and date centred at the bottom. Title page is not counted as page 1 — text begins on the next page, which is numbered 1. No header or page number on the title page itself.
What the Title Should Look Like
Title case (major words capitalised) in all styles. APA: bold. MLA: not bold, not in quotation marks, not italicised. Chicago: not bold by default. Do not underline titles in any style — underlining is a legacy formatting convention, not a current one.
Instructor May Override
Some instructors require a title page when MLA does not. Some specify title page content that differs from APA’s defaults. Your assignment brief or instructor instruction takes precedence over what any style guide says. When in doubt, ask before submitting.
Two Different Title Page Formats in APA 7th
APA 7th distinguishes between student papers and professional manuscripts. Student papers use the simpler format above. Professional manuscripts add a running head, author note, and affiliations in a different layout. Unless you are submitting for publication, use the student format.
Common Formatting Errors That Cost Marks
Using the Wrong Edition of the Style Guide
APA 7th replaced APA 6th in 2020. MLA 9th replaced MLA 8th in 2021. If your formatting guide predates those years, the rules it gives may be wrong. The running head requirement, DOI format, and title page structure all changed between APA 6th and 7th. Always check which edition your instructor requires.
Confirm the Edition Before You Start
Your assignment brief should specify the edition. If it does not, the current editions are APA 7th (2020), MLA 9th (2021), and Chicago 17th (2017). The APA Style website, the MLA Handbook, and the Chicago Manual of Style Online are the authoritative sources for current rules — not citation generators, which often lag behind style updates.
Extra Blank Lines Between Paragraphs
Adding a blank line between paragraphs is a web-text convention, not an academic one. APA, MLA, and Chicago all use first-line indent + double-spacing — no extra blank line. Check your word processor’s “paragraph spacing” settings: both “Before” and “After” spacing should be set to 0. Many default word processor templates add extra paragraph spacing automatically.
Set Paragraph Spacing to Zero
In Microsoft Word: Home → Paragraph → Spacing Before: 0pt, After: 0pt. In Google Docs: Format → Line & paragraph spacing → Remove space before/after paragraph. Do this at the start of the document, then apply double line spacing. The combination of 0pt paragraph spacing + 2.0 line spacing is what all three styles require.
Italicising or Bolding the Works Cited / References Heading
APA uses bold for “References.” MLA uses the same formatting as the rest of the paper — no bold, no italics — for “Works Cited.” Chicago uses no special formatting for “Bibliography.” Getting this wrong — bold Works Cited, or italicised References — is a small error that is immediately visible to a marker.
Match the Heading Format to the Style
APA References: centred, bold. MLA Works Cited: centred, no bold, same font and size as the paper. Chicago Bibliography: centred, no bold. These headings follow the same rules as the paper’s text, except for the APA bold requirement. Applying APA’s bold heading to a Works Cited page, or forgetting APA’s bold on References, is a style-specific error with no excuse once you know the rule.
Mixing Citation Styles in the Same Paper
APA in-text citations with Chicago footnotes. MLA parenthetical format with APA reference list structure. This happens when students use multiple sources for citation guidance — one tool produces APA output, another produces MLA. The result is an inconsistent paper that does not follow any single style correctly.
Choose One Style and Apply It Consistently
Pick one citation style, use one authoritative source for its rules, and apply it throughout. Check every citation and every reference list entry against the same style guide. If you use a citation generator, verify its output — generators make errors, especially on edited volumes, government reports, and sources without standard author-title-publisher structure.
Page Numbers Missing or in the Wrong Place
APA: page numbers in the top-right header, starting from page 1 (the title page). MLA: last name + page number in the top-right header, on every page. Chicago: page numbers typically top-right or bottom-centre — but not on the title page. A paper submitted with no page numbers, or with page numbers starting from the body text rather than page 1, is formatted incorrectly.
Set the Header Before Writing
Set up your header and page numbering in your word processor at the start, not after finishing the paper. Adding headers after writing is more likely to produce errors — page breaks in the wrong place, the header not applying to all pages, or the title page numbered when it should not be. In both Word and Google Docs, you can use “Different First Page” to exclude the title page from the header while keeping it on subsequent pages.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paper Formatting
Formatting Taking Longer Than Writing the Paper?
Our specialist team handles paper formatting across APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Turabian — alongside full academic writing support at every level of study.
Academic Writing Services Get StartedFormatting Is Not the Hard Part — But It Is the Part That Is Completely Within Your Control
Content is difficult. Argument is difficult. Analysis is difficult. Formatting is not — it is a set of rules you can look up and apply. Every mark lost to a wrong margin, a missing hanging indent, or a running head that should not be there is a mark lost for no reason.
Three habits fix most formatting problems. First, set up your document before you write a word: margins at 1 inch, font at Times New Roman 12pt, line spacing at 2.0, paragraph spacing before and after at 0pt. Second, identify your style and edition at the start — APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 17th — and use one authoritative source for its rules throughout. Third, format your citations and reference list last, checking each entry against the style guide rather than relying on a generator to get it right.
The styles exist for reasons. APA’s author-date system makes it easy to assess how current a study is. MLA’s author-page system keeps readers anchored to specific textual locations. Chicago’s footnote system lets historians document sources without breaking argumentative prose. Understanding the logic makes the rules stick — and makes it easier to apply them correctly when an edge case comes up that no one told you about.
For further guidance on citation formatting, see our Chicago format guide, Turabian citation guide, Harvard citation guide, and annotated bibliography guide. For help with the writing itself — academic writing services, essay writing, research paper writing, and proofreading and editing cover every stage of the process.
Continue building your academic skills: annotated bibliography guide · Chicago format guide · Turabian citation guide · Harvard citation guide · citation and referencing · APA lab report format · critical analysis papers · dissertation and thesis writing · proofreading and editing