Edmonds CC Writing Center - MUK 113 APA Formatting: Google Docs

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Mack Lee

Guide for formatting academic papers in APA style using Google Docs, presented as a practical checklist. Explains APA paper requirements including 1-inch margins, Times New Roman 12pt font, double-spacing, indented paragraphs, a title page, running headers with paper title and page numbers, an abstract summary, and a References page with alphabetized APA citations. Provides two approaches: manual formatting in a blank Google Doc or using Google Docs’ APA Report template, plus instructions for verifying margins, adjusting fonts, setting line spacing, and creating the title page.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

APA formatting checklist

Paper components in APA style

Choosing a formatting approach

Google Docs template instructions

Accessing the APA Report template

Using the template efficiently

Margins, font, and spacing

Margins

Font and size

Line spacing

Indented paragraphs and title page

Indented paragraphs

Title page setup

Edmonds CC Writing Center | MUK 113 APA Formatting: Google Docs [425.640.1750 |](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc)[ ](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc)[www.edcc.edu/lsc](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc) AP A FOR M A TTI N G : GO O G L E D O C S Many instructors want you to format your papers according to APA guidelines, and it can be hard to remember how to do all of these things until you’ve done them multiple times. You can use this guide and the list below as a checklist to follow as you format your essays in Google Docs. Your paper is in APA format if it: □ has 1 inch margins on all sides □ is typed in Times New Roman font, size 12 □ is double-spaced throughout the entire document □ begins every paragraph with an indentation □ has a title page with information about you and your paper □ includes a running header with the paper title and page numbers □ has an abstract with a brief summary of your paper’s argument/findings □ has a title centered at the beginning of the essay □ includes a References page at the end of the essay with alphabetized APA citations You have two options available to you when it comes to writing an APA formatted paper in Google Docs. One is to format your paper yourself in a blank Google Doc, using the steps you will find on this handout. The other is to use a template provided by Google Docs which has all the correct APA formatting already set up for you. The template makes things very easy! But it’s also good to learn how to do some of the formatting yourself. To access the template from your Edmonds CC gmail account (@[edmail.edcc.edu](edmail.edcc.edu)), you need to be logged in to your Edmail account. Go to Google Docs and instead of clicking to start a Blank document, look above to where it says Template Gallery. Click on Template Gallery, make sure that General is selected, and in the Education section, find the APA Report template. Click on that and a new Google Doc will open; the new Doc will have information already typed that you will then replace with your own text, keeping the same formatting. When reading through the template, it is clear where you need to add your own information. As a student and not a professional researcher, you can skip the “Author Note” section on the title page unless your instructor has told you to include it. You may also want to ask your instructor if you need to include the Abstract page. The template document has a lot of Latin text to show different formatting options for papers with sections and subsections. If your paper is meant to have sections, these will be useful. If not, ignore all of the formatting the template shows in the “body” of the paper after the first introductory paragraph. Skip down to the References and use that as a guide for your citations. You will probably still want to refer to the Hanging Indents section of this handout to format your citations properly. Edmonds CC Writing Center | MUK 113 APA Formatting: Google Docs [425.640.1750 |](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc)[ ](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc)[www.edcc.edu/lsc](425.640.1750 | www.edcc.edu/lsc) Margins Google Docs defaults to setting 1 inch margins on all sides of a document. Unless you’ve changed your default settings before, every Google Doc you begin should have the correct margins. But, you can check this by clicking on File in the menu bar, and then clicking on Page setup from the menu that pops up (it’s near the bottom) . This will open a dialog box with information about the file’s margins. If you see anything other than 1 in any of the boxes under Margins, change them all to 1. Font and Size Google Docs sets the default font to Arial, but APA strongly encourages all papers be written in Times New Roman font, size 12. Always submit your papers in a font that is size 12, no larger and no smaller. Teachers can tell if you’ve enlarged your font size to meet page requirements! Change the font and size of your text from the form

FAQs

How can a student tell if a paper is in APA format in Google Docs?

Check for 1-inch margins, Times New Roman 12pt font, double-spacing throughout, indented paragraphs, a title page, a running header with the title and page numbers, an abstract, and a References page with alphabetized APA citations.

What are the two options for writing an APA formatted paper in Google Docs?

Format the paper yourself in a blank Google Doc using the handout steps, or use the Google Docs APA Report template that already has the correct formatting set up.

How do you set double-spacing and adjust line spacing in Google Docs for APA?

Use the Line spacing button above the document and choose Double, or go to Format > Line spacing and select Double. Apply it to the text (including title page, abstract, and references) as required.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Mack Lee