General guidelines: 1  Use white 8 ½ x 11” paper. 2  Make 1 inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides. 3  The first word in every paragraph should be indented one half inch. 4  APA recommends using Times New Roman font, size 12. 5  Double space the entire research paper. 6  Include a page header known as the “running head” at the top of every page.