Create an APA Template in Writer

Create an APA Template

In this post you will learn how to create a Writer template with the page layout and formatting required by the American Psychological Association (APA). This post does not cover the proper way to cite sources in the body of your paper, but don’t sweat it because learning to cite sources is nothing to suck your teeth about. At the end of this post there are some excellent resources to help you with citing sources.

Layout & Formatting

A basic APA paper should consist of a Title page, an Abstract page, a Body page, and a References page. Your pages must be in letter format (8.5″ x 11″), with 1″ margins on all sides, your text must be double spaced, and each page should have a header.

There are several ways to create an APA template; one way is by using two page styles. Simply create a new page style for the title page—we’ll call it Title Page in this example—and then modify the Default page style to use for all the other pages.

To get started open a new Writer document.

Modify The Default Page Style

When you open a new Writer document you should see an empty page. This page and subsequent pages will be based on the Default page style (unless you change the page style). You can format the Default page style any way you like. To format it so that it follows the APA guidelines, do the following:

• In a new blank document open the Styles and Formatting window by pressing F11, or by going to Format→Styles and Formatting.
• Click on the Page Styles icon at the top of the window (see image below).
• Right-click on the Default page style, and select modify.
• In the Page tab, make sure the Format is set to Letter (8.5″ x 11″), and the orientation set to Portrait. Set the left, right, and bottom margins to 1″ and the top margin to 0.50.”
• Move over to the Header tab, and check the Header on box. Set the Spacing to 0.30″ and leave all the other settings alone.

The Page Style Icon in the Styles and Formatting window.

Create The Title Page Style

Now we have to create the Title page style. You can create, modify, and delete page styles via the Styles and Formatting window.

• Open the Styles and Formatting widow by pressing F11, or by going to Format→Styles and Formatting.
• Click on the Page Styles icon at the top of the window (see image above).
• Right-click anywhere in the list, and select New. This brings up a new Page Style window with the Organizer tab selected.
• For the name write “Title Page.”
• For the Next Style, select Default from the drop-down list.
• In the Page tab, make sure the Format is set to Letter (8.5″ x 11″), and the orientation set to Portrait. Set the left, right, and bottom margins to 1″ and the top margin to 0.50.”
• Move over to the the Header tab, and check the Header on box. Set the Spacing to 2.05″ and leave all the other settings alone.
• Click OK at the bottom of the window to save these settings.

Apply The Title Page Style

There should by a single, empty page in your Writer document so far. This page is based on the Default page style, so you’ll need to change this to the Title Page style because the title page will always be the first page in your papers. To apply the Title Page style do the following:

• Click in the top of the page, and then either right-click and select Paragraph, or go to Format→Paragraph.
• In the Text Flow tab check the Insert box, and then the With Page Style box. Leave the Type as Page. In the drop-down list next to With Page Style, select the Title Page style.
• Click OK at the bottom of the window. Now the first page in your template is based on the Title Page style.

Apply the Title Page style to the page.

Title Page Header

• Write “Running head: SHORT VERSION TITLE” in the header, and align it flush left. You can later replace the words SHORT VERSION TITLE with a short version of your document’s title. Note that the title in the header must be written in all uppercase letters.
• Next set up the page numbers. In the header, a centered and a right tab are already set by default. Press the Tab key twice to align the cursor with the right edge of the header. Go to Insert→Fields→Page Number. The number 1 appears flush right with a gray background. Don’t worry about the gray background, it is a visual aid that represents the field. It will not show up when you print your document.

Title Page Body

The identification information in the title page should be centered, and double spaced. First center the cursor in the top of the page, then right-click with your mouse and select Paragraph from the pop-out list. This will bring up the Paragraph window. In the Indents & Spacing tab, set the Line spacing to Double, and click OK at the bottom of the window.

On it’s own line, insert the following information in the title page:

• The title of your paper.
• Your name (Don’t include titles like Mr., or Dr.)
• The name of the school or institution where you conduct the research for your paper.

This is what the header and identification information of the title page should look like. Remember that the text boundary is a visual aid, and won't show up when you print your document.

Abstract Page

In the title page press the Enter key to move down a line under the name of the school or institution. Align this line with the left margin, and press Ctrl + Enter to create a hard break. This will create a new page based on the Default page style. This will be the Abstract page.

Abstract Page Header

Again, write the words “SHORT VERSION TITLE” in the header—Do not include the words “Running head,” because these words should only appear in the header of the title page. This is the last time you have to fill in the header, because the rest of the pages in this template will also be based on the Default page style.

You’ll have to insert the page numbers again. Press the Tab key twice to align the cursor with the right edge of the header.

• Go to Insert→Fields→Page Number. You should see the number 2 because this is the second page in the document.

Abstract Page Body

Center the first line of the page and write the word “Abstract,” without the quotes or any other formatting. Press the Enter key to move down a line, and then left align the line. Only the word Abstract should be centered in the page; any other text should be aligned flush left.

Body Page

• Enter a hard break by pressing Ctrl + Enter. This will create a new page. Notice that the header is already set up with the TITLE and page number.
• You can write the word “Body,” or “Start Paper Here,” as a reminder that this is where the body of the paper starts.

References Page

• Enter another hard break by pressing Ctrl + Enter. This will create a new page.
• At the top of the page write “References” and then center the word in the page.
• Move down a line, and align this line with the left margin.

Hanging Indent In References Page

The APA guidelines state that for each entry in the References page, every line after the first line should be indented half an inch (0.50″). This means that you need to set up a hanging indent. Here’s how:

• Make sure your cursor is in the first line under the word References, and bring up the Paragraph window by going to Format→Paragraph.
• Go to the Indents & Spacing tab, and under the Indent settings, change Before text to 0.50″ and First line to -0.50.”
• Click OK at the bottom of the window to save these settings. These paragraph settings will apply only to the References page.

Save The Template

• Go to File→Templates, and select Save from the pop-out list. This opens the Templates window.
• Under New template give your template a name such as, “APA Template.” Under Categories select the folder where you want to save this template (e.g. My Templates).
• Click OK to save the template.

Open an APA Document

• In any Writer document go to File→New and from the pop-out list select Templates and Documents. This will open the Templates and Documents window.
• Double click on the folder where the template is saved. Select the APA template, and click Open at the bottom of the window. This opens a new document based on the APA template (it does not open the actual template).
• Now you can type up a paper, and save it or print it the way you would any other document. That’s all there is to it.

Open a document based on a template from the Templates & Document window.

Resources

• Sample APA Document (.odt)
• Sample APA Document (PDF)
• For more on the American Psychological Association, visit the www.APA.org
• Need help citing sources? Check out The Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue University), an excellent resource for students and writers.
• If bibliographies frustrate you, check out bibme. You provide the name of the cited book, magazine, movie, or website, and the site formats the bibliography entry for you.