APA Format Checker for Word

What “APA format” means for your document layout

APA 7th edition prescribes a specific document layout: a legible body font such as Times New Roman 12pt, double line spacing throughout, one-inch margins on all four sides, and a half-inch first-line indent on body paragraphs. Headings follow a five-level system with defined alignment and emphasis — Level 1 is centered and bold, Level 2 is flush-left and bold, Level 3 is flush-left, bold and italic. When any of these drift from the standard, a paper can come back marked down for formatting even when the writing is solid.

These details are easy to lose. Pasting text from a browser or a co-author's file carries its own font and spacing along with it; switching templates between chapters resets the indent; a single accepted tracked change can flip a paragraph from double to single spacing. Checking every paragraph by eye against the APA manual is slow and still misses subtle mismatches like a 1.15× line height that should be 2×.

What DocxShuttle's APA checker does — and doesn't — check

DocxShuttle is a formatting checker. It compares the visual layout of your document against APA 7 rules and reports every paragraph that differs. It is not a citation validator: it does not read, parse or judge the wording of your in-text citations or reference entries. What it does check:

• Body font and size — Times New Roman 12pt by default (upload a custom template for another allowed font)
• Line spacing — double (2×) throughout, flagging single or 1.5× paragraphs
• Page margins — one inch (2.54cm) on all sides
• First-line indent — half an inch on body paragraphs, catching tabs or missing indents
• Heading alignment and weight — centered vs. flush-left, and bold, per APA level
• Reference list font and spacing — the same Times New Roman 12pt, double-spaced (the hanging indent itself is not checked)

How to check APA formatting with DocxShuttle

1. Open the check page. Select the built-in “APA 7th (Student Paper)” template. If your instructor has a house style, upload their .docx as a custom template instead.
2. Upload your paper. Drag your .docx into the document area.
3. Click “Run Check”. DocxShuttle parses both files in your browser and compares font, size, line height, indentation, alignment and margins for every paragraph.
4. Fix the issues. Each finding shows the expected value, the actual value and a suggestion. Apply the changes in Word and re-run to confirm.

The built-in APA 7 template at a glance

Body text

Times New Roman 12pt, double line spacing, left-aligned, with a 0.5-inch first-line indent.

Headings

All 12pt Times New Roman, bold, double-spaced. Level 1 centered; Levels 2 and 3 flush-left. (APA also italicizes Level 3, which this checker doesn't verify.)

Page setup

One-inch (2.54cm) margins on all four sides.

APA also allows Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt and Georgia 11pt. If you use one of those, upload a one-paragraph sample in that font as a custom template and DocxShuttle will check your paper against it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the APA format checker actually check?

DocxShuttle checks your document's formatting against APA 7 layout rules: body font and size (Times New Roman 12pt by default), double line spacing, 1-inch page margins, a 0.5-inch first-line indent on body paragraphs, and heading alignment and weight (Level 1 centered and bold, Levels 2 and 3 flush-left and bold). It reports every paragraph that differs, with the expected value and a fix.

Does it check my APA citations or reference list entries?

No. DocxShuttle is a formatting checker, not a citation validator. It checks the visual formatting of your document — fonts, sizes, spacing, margins and heading layout — including the font and double spacing of the reference list. It does not parse or validate the wording, order or punctuation of individual citations or reference entries.

Which fonts does APA 7 allow, and can I check a non-default font?

APA 7 allows several fonts, including Times New Roman 12pt, Calibri 11pt, Arial 11pt and Georgia 11pt. The built-in APA template checks for Times New Roman 12pt. If your instructor requires a different allowed font, upload a short .docx written in that font as a custom template — DocxShuttle will extract its rules and check your paper against them instead.

Is my document uploaded anywhere?

No. Your document never leaves your browser. All parsing happens locally in your browser's JavaScript runtime using JSZip and fast-xml-parser. DocxShuttle has no backend server — it's a static site. Nothing is logged, tracked or stored.

Can I check an APA paper that mixes English and another language?

Yes. DocxShuttle detects Latin fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.) and CJK fonts separately, so a paper that mixes scripts is handled correctly. The built-in APA template only enforces the Latin body font, so non-Latin passages are not falsely flagged for font.