MLA and APA

Double spacing, with no extra gaps.

MLA and APA papers are double-spaced from the first line to the last source, with no extra space between paragraphs. Setting line spacing to 2 is half the job; the other half is turning off the space word processors add after each paragraph.

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On this page
  1. What double spacing means
  2. Google Docs
  3. Microsoft Word
  4. Apple Pages
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Questions

Updated

What double spacing means

  • Every line, including the heading or title page, block quotes, notes in APA, and the list of sources.
  • No extra space between paragraphs. The next paragraph is marked by its first-line indent, not a gap.
  • Exceptions: Chicago and Turabian single-space footnotes, block quotes and each bibliography entry, with a blank line between entries.

Google Docs

  1. Select everything: Ctrl+A (Command+A on a Mac).
  2. Open Format, then Line & paragraph spacing, and choose Double.
  3. Open the same menu again and choose Custom spacing. Set Before and After to 0, and click Apply.

The Docs toolbar has the same menu as a line spacing icon. If the toolbar is narrow, it hides under the three-dot overflow button.

Microsoft Word

  1. Select everything: Ctrl+A (Command+A on a Mac).
  2. On the Home tab, open the Line and Paragraph Spacing button and choose 2.0.
  3. Open the same button again and choose Remove Space After Paragraph if it is offered.
  4. To be sure, open the Paragraph settings (the small arrow in the Paragraph group) and set Before and After to 0 pt, with Line spacing at Double.

Word’s Normal style adds space after each paragraph and uses less than double line spacing, so new documents start wrong. To change that, set the spacing in the Paragraph settings and click Set As Default.

Apple Pages

  1. Select everything: Command+A.
  2. In the Format sidebar (the paintbrush), open the Text tab.
  3. Under Spacing, set the line spacing to Double (or Lines at 2).
  4. Click the disclosure arrow next to Spacing and set Before Paragraph and After Paragraph to 0 pt.

Common mistakes

  1. Spacing set on part of the paper. Select all first, or the heading or sources stay single-spaced.
  2. Blank lines between paragraphs. Delete them. The indent marks the new paragraph.
  3. 2.15 or 1.5 spacing. Double means 2.0.

Questions

Is the Works Cited page double-spaced?

Yes, in MLA, and so is the APA References page.

Are block quotes double-spaced?

In MLA and APA, yes. Chicago and Turabian single-space them.

Why is there still a gap between my paragraphs?

Space Before or After is still on. Set both to 0 in the paragraph settings.