In response to a request from the Writing Center, ITS modified templates into Word 2007 format for the research paper styles of MLA and APA. These templates are linked to on this page and the instructions on how to install them appear below. The procedures for Lab computers have been simplified to do many of the steps for you.

This process is for computer lab machines only. For home or office use, see the next section.

Before starting MS Word 2007, retrieve the templates - a process that places them onto your computer.

1. Select the Start button.
2. Choose Word Processing Programs
3. Choose Copy APA and MLA templates

Now start MS Word 2007.

1. Select the Office button
2. Choose New
3. Choose My templates
4. Select the style of paper you want - MLA or APA.

For home or office computer usage, these template files need to be placed onto your computer in a specific folder.  Then, when you tell Word you want to start a new documents, you’ll be able to click on “My templates” and these choices will appear.

Retrieve the files from the links below and save them to any location on your computer; the files are in a zip file.

Extract (expand, unzip) the files into the following location:

1. Choose Drive C: .
2. Choose “Documents and Settings”
3. Choose the folder with your username.
4. Choose the folder “Application Data” (The folder may seem pale, but that’s okay.  If you can’t see the folder "Application Data", you’ll need to open your "My Documents" folder, go to the menu bar and choose Tools, Folder Options, View tab, click the circle in front of “Show hidden files and folder”. Click OK. You may need to restart the unzip process to see the Application Data folder.
5. Choose the folder “Microsoft”.
6. Choose the folder “Templates”

This is the folder into which you need to extract (unzip) the templates.

If you don’t have a “Microsoft” or “Templates” folder underneath “Application Data”, you can create them.  Just be sure to spell and capitalize it exactly as I’ve shown here (without the quote marks).

Then open Word 2007, select the Office button, New, “My Templates” and you’ll see them as choices. 

Combined Files - both MLA and APA Style Templates - when unzipped creates two separate template files

APA Style Template for Word 2007

MLA Style Template for Word 2007