The paper format is how the writing appears on the page, its presentation. The APA style guide seeks to keep this presentation simple and concise so that the focus is on the content of your work. 

A typical paper formatted in APA will have:

• 1" margins
• a title page with title of the paper, your name, department or college name, course title, instructor's name, and due date centered on the page
• sans serif font (like Times New Roman), size 12
• double space
• page numbers at top right of page with .5 inch margin (Maybe a running header with title of paper at top left of page with .5 inch margin)
• References page at the end of your work listing your citations

Again, your instructor may have variations on the requirements (such as no title page), be sure to check your syllabus, the assignment's instructions, etc.

See links below to get started formatting your paper and to see sample APA papers.