
Most of the time, you need to use the APA format. If you are a student or professional, you will be required to use the APA format or even a template in Google Docs. Here, we will discuss the steps to set up APA format in Google Docs, but before that, Let’s quickly define APA format.
Table Of Contents
How to set up Google Docs APA template
Follow the below steps to use the Google Docs APA template
- Navigate to https://docs.google.com/, and click on the + (Blank) option to create a new document.
- Click on File menu –> Select New –> Choose Template gallery.

3. On the Template gallery, navigate to the Education category and select Report (APA 6th ed) or Report (APA 7th ed).

4. The document with some dummy text will open. The template contains all the formatting needed for the APA format. You need to modify the text based on your requirements and keep the format as it is.

How to Do APA Format in Google Docs
Let’s discuss the step-by-step process to set up APA style on Google Docs.
- Navigate to https://docs.google.com/, and then click on the + (Blank) option to create a new document for the APA style.
- Choose Times New Roman as the font, and then choose a font size of 12.

3. Now, you need to insert the header. You can click on the Insert menu –> select Headers & Footers –> Choose Header.

4. Now type Running head, then a space, and then enter your title in capital letters at the header. Make sure the font is Times New Roman and the font size is 12.

5. Now is the time to insert the page numbers. Click on the Insert menu, select #Page numbers, and Choose the first option.

6. Make sure to select the “Different first page” option. Use the space bar to align the page number towards the right.

7. Now, make sure to use double-spaced text. For that, click just below the header, click on the Format menu –> Select Line & paragraph spacing –> choose the Double option.

8. Now, type the full title of your paper, your full name, and the name of your school in separate lines. Select the complete text and click on the Center align button.

9. Hit enter 2 times to keep some space and then type Author Note if required, make it center-aligned, and then, in separate lines, specify a bit description for each of the paragraphs.

10. Now, type Abstract and then make it center-aligned.

11. Press the tab and then write the abstract.
12. To start a new page, you need to add a page break. Click on the Insert menu –> Select Break –> Choose Page Break. Complete the content for the body of your paper.

13. You can add another Page Break to add the reference page. Type References and then make it center-aligned.

14. Finally, add in-text citations.
FAQs
What is APA format?
There are some basic rules that you need to follow while working with APA format in Google Docs and those are as below.
- You should use a font like Times New Roman and the font size is 12.
- It should contain a title page.
- It must contain a header where you need to specify the page number and title.
- Keep a margin of 1 inch on all sides of your document (this is the Default margin from Google Docs, so there is no need to worry).
- Don’t use any extra space or unnecessary space between the paragraphs in your Google Docs document.
- Don’t forget to use double-spaced text.
- Finally, use a references page at the end of your page, and remember to include In-text Citations.
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Wrapping Up
Well, we have seen how easy to set up APA format in Google Docs. Now it’s your turn to do APA format on Google Docs.

I am Rajkishore, and I have over 14 years of experience in the Software Industry. For a long time, I have been using Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Sheets for my document usage, and I am sharing all the tips and tricks, the challenges I have come across, and their solutions to use Google Docs for your day-to-day use. I hope you will learn from these practical Google Docs tutorials. Read more.