APA 7 Dissertation Format: Guide and Layout Checklist
Dissertation format in APA 7th edition means one-inch margins, double spacing, an approved font, page numbers in the top right corner, up to five heading levels and a hanging-indent reference list. Help Me Bro explains each rule below and checks your own formatting against it, but your school’s dissertation template or graduate-school guide overrides APA wherever the two differ.
Author: Ahsan Irfan
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This guide is general information, not a ruling on what your institution will accept. Help Me Bro edits, formats and gives feedback on work you have already written; you make every change and stay the author. We do not guarantee any outcome. Always check your institution’s rules and use the current version of its formatting guide.
What does APA 7 require for a dissertation?
APA 7 sets the shared layout and citation rules that most dissertations in psychology, education, nursing, business and the social sciences build on. It covers margins, spacing, fonts, headings, quotations, tables, figures and references. It does not control every dissertation element, such as the order of front matter, so your school fills those gaps.
Think of it in two layers. The first layer is your graduate school, which decides what a dissertation must contain and how it is submitted. The second layer is APA 7, which decides how the text, citations and references inside it look. Read your school’s guide first, then apply APA to everything the school leaves open.
Which APA 7 elements matter most in a dissertation?
The table below lists the elements most dissertation writers need to check. Where a rule depends on your school or on the Publication Manual’s detail, we say so. Use the official APA Style site and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, to confirm each rule before you format.
| Element | APA 7 rule | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Title page | The student title page lists the paper title in bold, the author, the department and university, the course, the instructor and the due date. | Most schools replace this with their own dissertation title page. Follow your school’s template. See the APA title page guide. |
| Page numbers | Numbers appear in the top right corner of every page, starting with the title page. | Schools often use lowercase Roman numerals for front matter and Arabic numerals for the body. Your school decides. |
| Margins | One inch on all sides. | Some schools require a wider left margin for binding. Your school overrides APA. |
| Line spacing | Double spacing throughout the text, including the reference list. | Table and figure content has more flexibility. |
| Font options | 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode or 10-point Computer Modern. | Choose one and use it consistently. Some schools name a single required font. |
| Heading levels | Five levels, each with its own alignment, weight and case. | Use only the levels you need and do not skip levels. Details are in the next section. |
| Block quotes | Quotations of 40 words or more start on a new line, are indented 0.5 inch and have no quotation marks. | Shorter quotations stay in the paragraph with quotation marks. |
| Tables and figures | Each has a bold number and an italic title in title case placed below the number. | Placement rules vary by school. |
| Reference list | Starts on a new page, is alphabetized, double spaced and uses a 0.5-inch hanging indent. | See the APA reference list guide. |
Does my school’s template override APA 7?
Yes. When your graduate school’s template or guide differs from APA 7, follow your school. A dissertation is a formal document that the school reviews and often archives, so schools set their own title page, front matter order, page numbering, margins and file requirements.
APA usually still governs citations, headings, tables, figures and references. If you are unsure which source controls a specific detail, ask your graduate school office or your advisor and keep their answer in writing. Our university formatting guides show the kinds of school-specific points to check.
How do I format the title page?
For an APA 7 student title page, place the title in bold, centered, in the upper half of the page, followed by the author name, the department and university, the course, the instructor and the due date. A page number sits in the top right corner.
For a dissertation, treat this as a fallback. Most universities supply a dissertation title page template with required wording such as the degree, the committee and the submission date. Use the school template when one exists. The APA title page guide walks through each element.
How many heading levels does APA 7 allow?
APA 7 provides five heading levels, and every level uses title case. They create a clear outline of your chapters without relying on font size.
- Level 1: centered, bold, title case. Use it for chapter titles if your school allows.
- Level 2: flush left, bold, title case.
- Level 3: flush left, bold italic, title case.
- Level 4: indented, bold, title case, ending with a period, with the text starting on the same line.
- Level 5: indented, bold italic, title case, ending with a period, with the text starting on the same line.
Start with Level 1 and move down one level at a time. If a section has only one subsection, consider whether it needs a heading at all. Some schools require chapter titles in a specific style that differs from Level 1, so check your template.
What are the reference list basics?
The APA 7 reference list begins on a new page with the label References, centered and bold. Entries are alphabetized by the first author’s surname, double spaced and formatted with a 0.5-inch hanging indent.
Every in-text citation needs a matching reference entry, and every entry needs at least one citation in the text. Reference mismatches are among the most common problems we see flagged in formatting feedback, so build a habit of checking both directions before you submit. The APA reference list guide covers the details.
What should a dissertation layout checklist include?
A layout checklist turns the rules above into a pass you can run on your own document. This is a template, not a sample dissertation. Replace each placeholder with the requirement from your school’s guide.
- Front matter order (abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents, lists of tables and figures): per your school’s guide
- Margins set to the school requirement, or one inch if the school is silent
- One approved font used consistently in text, headings and tables
- Double spacing applied through paragraph settings, not extra line breaks
- Page numbers inserted as fields, with the numbering style your school requires
- Heading levels applied with styles and no skipped levels
- Block quotes of 40 words or more indented without quotation marks
- Tables and figures numbered, titled and cited in the text
- Reference list on its own page with hanging indents and matching citations
- Appendices labeled and ordered as your school requires
- Final file format and submission steps checked against the graduate-school guide
Building these settings with styles in Word saves time and prevents drift. See our guide to formatting a dissertation in Word.
What facts and sources support these rules?
The rules in this guide come from the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition, and the APA Style website. Published figures on how often dissertations are returned for formatting problems vary by school and year, so we do not state one without a source.
Want a second pair of eyes on your formatting? We compare your document with your school’s guide and APA 7, then send comments and feedback. You decide what to change. See APA editing or our dissertation formatting service.
What does formatting feedback cost?
Document work is priced per 1,000 words, by turnaround. The same three rates apply across our document-based services. Our pricing page has the full detail.
| Turnaround | Price per 1,000 words |
|---|---|
| 24 hours | $25 |
| 48 hours | $15 |
| 72 hours | $10 |
What are the most common APA 7 formatting mistakes?
Most dissertation formatting problems come from small inconsistencies that build up over many chapters. The list below is a good place to start your own review.
- Mixing fonts or font sizes between chapters, tables and the reference list
- Using the Enter key for spacing instead of paragraph settings
- Typing page numbers by hand instead of inserting them as fields
- Skipping heading levels or formatting headings by hand
- Reference entries without a matching citation, or the reverse
- Block quotes set in quotation marks, or shorter quotes set as blocks
- Tables and figures that are not numbered or not mentioned in the text
- Following APA where the school template says something different
Who wrote and reviews this guide?
This guide was written by Help Me Bro’s founder, Ahsan Irfan. He holds an MS in Finance from the University of the Punjab. Engineering and medical or health-science papers are outside our current scope, and we say so honestly in a quote. Read more on his editor profile or in our dissertation editing guide.
What does APA 7 require for a dissertation?
APA 7 sets the common layout and citation rules: one-inch margins, double spacing, page numbers in the top right corner, an approved font, up to five heading levels and a hanging-indent reference list. It does not set every dissertation element, such as the order of front matter, so your school’s template or graduate-school guide fills those gaps and takes priority wherever it differs.
What goes on an APA 7 student title page?
The APA 7 student title page includes the title in bold, the author name, the department and university, the course number and name, the instructor and the due date, plus a page number. Many dissertation programs replace this with their own title page, so check your school’s template before you format yours. Our APA title page guide walks through the elements.
How many heading levels does APA 7 use?
APA 7 provides five heading levels. Level 1 is centered, bold and in title case. Level 2 is flush left, bold, title case. Level 3 is flush left, bold italic, title case. Levels 4 and 5 are indented, end with a period and run into the paragraph text. Use only the levels you need, start with Level 1 and do not skip levels.
What fonts and spacing does APA 7 allow?
APA 7 accepts several fonts, including 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial and 11-point Georgia, and asks for double spacing throughout the text and the reference list. Pick one font and use it consistently. Some schools name a single required font, in which case you should follow your school.
Does my school template override APA?
Yes. Where your graduate school’s template or guide differs from APA 7, follow your school. Schools often set their own title page, margins, front matter order, page numbering and submission format. APA still usually governs citations, references, headings and tables. When you are unsure, ask your graduate school office or your advisor.
What are the reference list basics in APA 7?
The APA 7 reference list starts on a new page with the centered, bold label References. Entries are double spaced, alphabetized by the first author’s surname and formatted with a hanging indent of 0.5 inch. Every in-text citation needs a matching entry and every entry needs a citation. Our APA reference list guide covers the details.
What are common dissertation formatting mistakes?
Common mistakes include mixing fonts, using manual spacing instead of paragraph settings, typing page numbers by hand, skipping heading levels, leaving reference entries without matching citations and ignoring the school template. A formatting check against your school’s guide can catch these before submission. You make the changes yourself and stay the author.
Sources
- APA Style, American Psychological Association
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition
- Your university’s graduate-school thesis and dissertation guide
How we update this guide: we recheck it against the APA Style website and the Publication Manual, and we confirm whether a newer APA edition has been published.
Related guides and services
- APA title page
- APA reference list
- Formatting in Word
- Dissertation formatting service
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