APA Style includes guidelines for paragraph alignment and indentation to ensure that papers are formatted in a consistent and readable manner. All writers should follow these guidelines. Align the text of an APA Style paper to the left margin. Leave the right margin uneven, or “ragged.” Do not use full justification for student papers or manuscripts being submitted for publication. Do
not insert hyphens (manual breaks) in words at the end of line. However, it is acceptable if your word-processing program automatically inserts breaks in long hyperlinks (such as in a DOI or URL in a reference list entry). Paragraph indentationIndent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in. from the left margin. Use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting
function of your word-processing program to achieve the indentation (the default setting is likely already 0.5 in.). Do not use the space bar to create indentation. Exceptions to these paragraph-formatting requirements are as follows: - title page: For professional papers, the title (in bold), byline, and affiliations should be centered on the title page. For
student papers, the title (in bold), byline, affiliations, course number and name, instructor, and assignment due date should be centered on the title page.
- section labels: Section labels (e.g., “Abstract,” “References”) should be centered (and bold).
- abstract: The first line of the abstract should be flush left (not indented).
- block
quotations: Indent a whole block quotation 0.5 in. from the left margin. If the block quotation spans more than one paragraph, the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs of the block quotation should be indented another 0.5 in., such that those first lines are indented a total of 1 in.
- headings:
Level 1 headings should be centered (and in bold), and Level 2 and 3 headings should be left-aligned (and in bold or bold italic, respectively). Level 4 and 5 headings are indented like regular paragraphs.
- tables and figures: Table and
figure numbers (in bold), titles (in italics), and notes should be flush left.
- reference list: Reference list entries should have a hanging indent of 0.5 in.
- appendices: Appendix labels and titles should be centered (and bold).
 This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. Last updated: July 2022Date created: September 2019
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| Alignments
| A setting that refers to how text is positioned between the margins.
| | First-Line Indent
| A setting that inserts a one-half inch of blank space between the left margin and the first line of the paragraph: one-half inch is the default setting for this indent.
| | Hanging Indent
| A setting that begins the first full line of text in a paragraph at the left margin: all the remaining lines in the paragraph are indented one-half inch from the left margin.
| | Horizontal Alignment
| A setting that refers to how text is positioned between the left and right margins.
| | Indent
| A blank space inserted between text and the left or right margin.
| | Leaders
| A tool identified with symbols such as dotted, dashed, or solid lines that fill the space before tabs.
| | Line Spacing
| The amount of space between lines of text in a paragraph.
| | Negative Indent
| A setting that extends paragraph text into the left margin.
| | Vertical Alignment
| A setting that refers to how text is positioned between the top and bottom margins of the page.
| | Columns
| Vertical blocks of text in which text flows from the bottom of one column to the top of the next
| | Hyphenation
| A dash that is used to join words and separate syllables of a single word; by default hyphenation is turned off in Word so that words appear on a single line.
| | Landscape Orientation
| A format commonly used for brochures, graphics, tables and so on that orients text across the longer dimension of the page.
| | Margins
| The blank borders that occupy the top, bottom, and sides of a document.
| | Non-Breaking Spaces
| A tool used to keep selected text on a single line.
| | Page Break
| The location in a document where one page ends and a new page begins.
| | Portrait Orientation
| A format commonly used for business documents in which text extends across the shorter length of the document.
| | Orphan
| The first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page.
| | Section Break
| A tool used to create layout or formatting changes in a portion of a document.
| | Widow
| The last line of a paragraph appears at the top of a page.
| | Ascending
| An arrangement of text from the beginning to the end, such as from A to Z, 1 to 10, and January to December.
| | Cells
| The rectangles that are formed when rows and columns intersect.
| | Descending
| An arrangement of text from the end to the beginning, such as from Z to A, 10 to 1, and December to January
| | Header Row
| The first row of the table that is formatted differently and should be repeated for tables that continue beyond one page.
| | Merge Cells
| To combine two or more cells into one.
| | Quick Tables
| Built-in preformatted tables.
| | Sort
| To arrange data alphabetically, numerically, or chronologically.
| | Split Cells
| To divide one cell into two or more cells.
| | Tables
| An arrangement of data made up of horizontal rows and vertical columns.
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What is the first line of a paragraph?
The topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. It is introductory, meaning it should not include details, rather, it should introduce the main idea which will be supported by the rest of your paragraph.
What do we leave at the beginning of the first line of a paragraph?
A first-line indent is the most common way to signal the start of a new paragraph. The other common way is with space between paragraphs. First-line indents and space between paragraphs have the same relationship as belts and suspenders. You only need one to get the job done.
What is first line indent?
With a first line indent, the first line of a paragraph is indented more than the other lines in the paragraph. Use the tab key to create a first line indent in Word for the web. Place your cursor at the beginning of the first line in the paragraph.
Which indent only the first line in a paragraph?
To indent the first line of a paragraph, put your cursor at the beginning of the paragraph and press the tab key. When you press Enter to start the next paragraph, its first line will be indented.
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