APA 7th edition does not change much year to year, but student papers still lose points on the same handful of formatting details: the title page, the running head that is no longer required, in-text citations with three or more authors, and a reference list that almost — but not quite — follows the rules. This guide covers the checklist that prevents those losses, plus how to get the finished document into Word or PDF without reformatting everything by hand.
The APA 7 checklist that catches 90% of errors
Title page. Student version: title in bold centered in the upper half, your name, affiliation, course, instructor, and date — each on its own centered line. No running head required for student papers (that rule changed with the 7th edition and still trips people up). In-text citations. One or two authors: name them every time. Three or more: first author plus "et al." from the very first citation. Every in-text citation must have a matching reference entry, and every reference must be cited at least once. Reference list. Start on a new page titled "References" (bold, centered). Alphabetical order, hanging indent of 0.5 inches, double-spaced. DOIs as https://doi.org/ links, no "Retrieved from" unless the content changes over time. Tables and figures. Numbered in order of mention, with an italic title on the line below the number and a note underneath when you adapted the data. Most students either skip the note or forget the numbering — check both.The 5-step workflow: draft to delivered file
1. Write first, format after. Draft with rough citations (author + year is enough) so formatting never interrupts thinking. Structure and argument come before italics and indents. 2. Normalize citations in one pass. Search the draft for every parenthetical, confirm author-year against your sources, and fix "et al." usage. One focused pass beats fixing citations as you go. 3. Build the reference list from the citations. Work backwards: every in-text citation earns a reference entry. This direction guarantees the one-to-one match reviewers check first. 4. Apply the page layout once. Title page, headings (APA has five levels — most papers need two), double spacing, 1-inch margins, page numbers top right. Do it in a single pass when the text is final. 5. Export to Word or PDF and verify. Export, then open the file and check exactly what the reviewer will see: hanging indents intact, special characters unbroken, page breaks sane. Never submit a file you have not reopened.Vortixy fits steps 1 and 5: draft and revise in chat with sources at hand, then export the finished text to Word or PDF when it is ready. Reopen the export before submitting — that thirty-second check catches most delivery surprises.
Try it in chat: check my paper against the APA 7 checklistCommon errors that cost points
- Reference entries without a matching in-text citation (or the reverse).
- "et al." used for two-author works, or full author lists repeated for three-plus works.
- URLs that are not clickable DOIs, or a "Retrieved from" on stable journal content.
- Submitting the export without reopening it: broken characters and lost indents hide in files nobody previewed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a running head in APA 7 student papers?
No. The 7th edition requires a running head only for professional manuscripts. Student papers need just the page number in the top-right corner, unless your instructor asks otherwise.
How do I cite three or more authors in APA 7?
Use the first author's surname followed by "et al." from the first citation onward, in both narrative and parenthetical form. List up to 20 authors in the reference entry before using an ellipsis.
Can I export my revised draft to Word or PDF?
Yes. When the text is final, export it to Word or PDF from chat, reopen the file, and verify indents, characters, and page breaks before submitting.