If you do most of your writing in Google Docs, you’ll be glad to know PERRLA is now available there. The PERRLA Add-On for Google Docs brings the same reference building, citation formatting, and document setup you’d get in PERRLA Online or the PERRLA Word Add-In right inside the tool you’re already using.

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of the entire process, from installing the Add-On to submitting a perfectly formatted APA 7 paper.

Step 1: Install the PERRLA Add-On in Google Docs

You only have to do this once. Open a blank Google document and follow these steps:

1. Click Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
2. Search for PERRLA.
3. Select Install and follow the on-screen prompts.

That’s it. PERRLA is now installed and ready to use in Google Docs.

Note: If you don’t already have a PERRLA account, you may be prompted to sign in during installation. You can create a free 7-day trial account right from that screen – no credit card required.

Step 2: Create your paper

Once PERRLA is installed, here’s how to start a new paper.

1. Click Extensions > PERRLA > Start. This opens the PERRLA panel on the right side of your document.
2. In the Create Document panel, click Create a Research Paper. (You’ll also see options for a Discussion Post, Reference List, and Annotated Bibliography here.)
3. In the Research Paper panel, choose Student Research Paper or Professional Research Paper and select your format. Currently, APA 7 is available in Google Docs – MLA 9 and Turabian 9 Footnotes are coming to Google Docs soon.
4. Enter your paper title. PERRLA will automatically fill in your name and institution from your profile. You can also add your course name and number, instructor, and due date. These are optional, but they’re standard elements on a Student Research Paper.
5. Click Create Research Paper at the bottom of the panel. PERRLA will generate a perfectly formatted APA 7 document – title page, body, and all the correct styles, spacing, and margins.

One quick extra step: Page numbers

Due to a limitation in Google Docs, PERRLA can’t add page numbers automatically the way it does in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In. Instead, it places a [PAGE #] placeholder in the header and walks you through adding them manually. Don’t worry – it’s a matter of a few clicks and a few seconds:

1. The [PAGE #] placeholder in the header is already selected for you.
2. Click Insert in the Google Docs menu.
3. Select Page elements > Page numbers.
4. Choose the top-left thumbnail position (the thumbnail that shows the page number displayed at the top of the page, flush right).

This replaces the placeholder with properly formatted APA 7 page numbers. Once that’s done, click Done – Start adding references at the bottom of the PERRLA side panel. 

Step 3: Add your references

After the paper is created, PERRLA automatically opens the References & Citations panel, the same panel you’d see in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In. PERRLA won’t generate your reference list until you add your first reference, so let’s do that.

At the top of the panel, you’ll see two options.

Add a reference from your PERRLA Reference Library

If you’ve created references in PERRLA before, they’re already waiting for you in your PERRLA Reference Library. Click Add Reference from Library, select the references you want to include, and click Finished. PERRLA will automatically generate a properly formatted reference section and add those references to it.

Create a new reference

Need to add a source you’ve never cited before? Click Create a New Reference. The process works exactly the same as in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In. Search by DOI (journal articles), ISBN (books), or URL (webpages), and PERRLA will pull the bibliographic information automatically. For other source types, select the reference type and fill in the fields. Once the reference is created, PERRLA adds it to your paper and your reference library.

Step 4: Cite while you write

With your references added, you’re ready to start writing and citing. Once again, the process is identical to PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In.

1. Place your cursor where you’d like the citation to appear in the body of your paper.
2. In the References & Citations panel, click + Add Citation under the appropriate reference.
3. Choose what to include in the citation. The default is the author’s last name and publication year. If you’re using a narrative citation, you can exclude the author’s name. If you’re citing a direct quote, you can specify a page number, paragraph number, section, table, figure or other location.
4. Click Create. PERRLA inserts a perfectly formatted citation, and you’re ready to keep writing.

From there, the process is rinse-and-repeat. Add references, cite them, write. PERRLA keeps track of everything. Citations are properly formatted, and your reference list stays in perfect order automatically.

The rest of PERRLA’s features are here, too

The features students use most are all available in Google Docs: Abstracts, Tables of Contents, Appendices, Research Notes, Text & Heading Styles, Insert Figure, and Insert Table.

One difference worth knowing: in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In, you navigate using the ribbon across the top of the document. In Google Docs, all navigation happens in the PERRLA side panel. Click the hamburger menu (the three horizontal lines) at the top left of the side panel to access all available features.

And if you’ve been using PERRLA’s Google Chrome Extension to capture research and build references while you browse, those research notes and references will be available to you automatically as you write in Google Docs, just as they are in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In.

When you’re finished

Since your paper lives in Google Docs, submitting it is as simple as submitting any other Google document. Download it as a Word file, export it as a PDF, print it, or share it directly – whatever your professor or program requires. No extra steps needed.

Not using PERRLA yet? Try it free for 7 days – no credit card required. Install the Add-On, create your first paper, and see how much easier APA formatting can be.

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