Formatting Your Dissertation: APA 7 Rules, Section Order and Checklist

Why formatting matters

Formatting is not decoration. Consistent formatting makes a long document easy to navigate and shows attention to detail. It is also usually a requirement for final approval by your graduate school. Many students lose weeks at the end of the program fixing formatting, so set up your document correctly from the start.

Standard order of dissertation sections

Core APA 7 formatting rules

These rules come from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2020). Check them against your school’s guide.

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides. Some schools require a wider left margin for binding.
• Font: one consistent, readable font, such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial or 11-point Georgia.
• Line spacing: double-spaced throughout, including references. Tables, figures and block quotations may follow specific rules.
• Alignment: left-aligned with a ragged right edge, not justified.
• Paragraph indent: first line indented 0.5 inch.
• Page numbers: top right corner.
• Headings: use APA heading levels consistently (see below).
• Tables and figures: numbered in bold (Table 1), with an italic title on the next line in title case, and referred to in the text.

APA heading levels

In many dissertation templates, chapter titles are Level 1, major sections are Level 2, and subsections are Level 3. Do not skip levels. Use Level 2 only under a Level 1, and so on.

Set up your document correctly from day one

1. Use built-in Styles in Microsoft Word or Google Docs (Heading 1, Heading 2, Normal). Never format headings by hand. Styles keep formatting consistent and let you build an automatic table of contents.
2. Use section breaks (Layout → Breaks → Next Page) between front matter and Chapter 1 so you can switch from Roman to Arabic page numbers.
3. Use the caption tool (References → Insert Caption) for tables and figures.
4. Use a reference manager such as Zotero, EndNote or Mendeley, and still check every reference by hand.
5. Save versions with dates (Dissertation_Ch2_2026-10-07.docx) and back up to the cloud.

Formatting checklist before submission

• ☐ Template and university guidelines followed
• ☐ Margins, font and spacing consistent throughout
• ☐ Page numbering correct (Roman numerals in front matter, Arabic numerals in the body, if required)
• ☐ Headings follow APA levels and match the table of contents
• ☐ Each chapter starts on a new page
• ☐ Tables and figures numbered, titled and mentioned in the text
• ☐ Every in-text citation appears in the reference list, and every reference is cited
• ☐ Appendices labeled and referred to in the text
• ☐ No widowed headings left alone at the bottom of a page

Conclusion

Good formatting comes from good setup: use your school’s template, APA rules and built-in Word styles from the first draft. This saves time and gives your committee a clean, professional document. Next: Table of contents in a dissertation: what it is and how it is done.

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000