APA Format Checker for Research Papers
Validate your manuscript against APA 7th edition standards, citations, reference list formatting, heading structure, and statistical reporting requirements.
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What is APA format?
APA (American Psychological Association) format is the standard style for research papers in psychology, education, social sciences, and many health disciplines. APA 7th edition (2019) specifies how to format in-text citations (Author, Year), reference lists (alphabetical by author last name), heading levels (5 levels with specific formatting), statistical reporting (exact p-values, effect sizes, confidence intervals), tables and figures, and the overall paper structure. APA format is required by journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and thousands of others.
APA (American Psychological Association) format is the dominant citation and manuscript style across psychology, education, social work, nursing, business, and many social sciences. The 7th edition, published in 2019, introduced significant changes that many researchers still get wrong — and journals in these fields screen strictly for APA compliance before sending manuscripts to reviewers. A paper with strong findings can still be desk-rejected for persistent APA formatting errors.
What Changed in APA 7th Edition
The 7th edition simplified several rules but added new requirements that trip up experienced researchers accustomed to APA 6th:
- Running head: No longer includes "Running head:" on the first page (a change from 6th edition). Many authors still include the label, signaling an outdated template.
- Author note: Now requires four paragraphs: ORCID iDs, affiliation changes, disclosures/acknowledgments, and contact information.
- In-text citations: Works with three or more authors now use "et al." from the first citation (previously only from the second citation for 3–5 authors).
- DOIs and URLs: DOIs use the https://doi.org/ format (no "Retrieved from" prefix). URLs no longer require retrieval dates unless the content changes over time.
- Bias-free language: APA 7 includes explicit guidelines on person-first language, gender-neutral pronouns, and racial/ethnic identity terms. While CheckMyManuscript doesn't evaluate these subjective elements, knowing the standard helps you self-edit.
The Most Common APA Mistakes We Catch
Based on analyzing thousands of manuscripts, the most frequent APA formatting errors are:
- Reference list formatting. Hanging indents missing, journal titles not italicized, volume numbers not italicized, missing DOIs, incorrect capitalization in article titles (should be sentence case in the reference list, even though title case is used in the text).
- In-text citation mismatches. An author cited in the text doesn't appear in the reference list, or a reference is listed but never cited. APA requires exact one-to-one correspondence.
- Heading levels. APA uses five levels of headings with specific formatting: Level 1 (centered, bold), Level 2 (left-aligned, bold), Level 3 (left-aligned, bold italic), Level 4 (indented, bold, ending with a period), Level 5 (indented, bold italic, ending with a period). Most authors get Levels 3–5 wrong.
- Table and figure formatting. APA 7 requires tables and figures to follow the same format: number, title (in italics), body, and note. Tables use horizontal rules only (no vertical lines). Figures need descriptive titles, not just "Figure 1."
- Statistical reporting. APA requires specific formatting: t(24) = 2.31, p = .027, d = 0.45. Common errors include reporting p < .05 instead of exact values, omitting effect sizes, not italicizing statistical symbols, and using a leading zero before p values (APA says no leading zero for values that cannot exceed 1.0).
CheckMyManuscript and APA Compliance
Our tool checks structural elements of APA formatting: heading hierarchy, citation-reference matching, abstract formatting, and reference list structure. We flag missing DOIs, inconsistent citation formatting, and structural issues with the manuscript's front matter (title page, author note, abstract, keywords).
For the stylistic elements APA covers (bias-free language, writing clarity), we recommend complementing our automated check with a manual review against the APA Publication Manual.
Also see: [Psychology paper checker](/for/psychology-papers) | [Social science paper checker](/for/social-science-papers) | [Education paper checker](/for/education-papers)
APA format validation
In-text citation format
Validate (Author, Year) and (Author, Year, p. X) citation formats.
Reference list format
Check author names, year placement, title capitalization, DOI format.
Heading levels
Validate 5-level APA heading hierarchy is correctly applied.
Statistical reporting
Flag missing p-values, effect sizes, and confidence intervals.
Table and figure format
APA table and figure formatting rules compliance.
Abstract format
APA unstructured abstract in correct format.
Checks relevant to this topic
Part of our 80+ automated checks
(Author, Year) citations
In-text citations in APA parenthetical format.
Reference list alphabetical order
References sorted by author last name.
Hanging indent in references
APA reference format with hanging indents.
DOI format
DOIs formatted as full URLs (for example, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2).
Running head
Running head format per APA requirements (student vs professional).
The practical edge your peers already use
Across disciplines and career stages, researchers reduce bottlenecks and submit with confidence: clearer drafts, easier guideline compliance, and less back and forth with co‑authors and reviewers.
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Frequently asked questions
Key APA 7 changes: (1) Running head no longer required for student papers; (2) No 'et al.' limit change, now 3 or more authors use et al. from first citation; (3) Publisher location no longer required in book references; (4) DOIs formatted as URLs; (5) Use of singular 'they' for unknown gender.
In APA 7, DOIs use full URL format, e.g., https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2, not the old 'doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2' prefix.
No: 'Retrieved from' is no longer required in APA 7 before URLs, unless the content might change over time (websites, social media).