Meet the new PERRLA editor (Recently Released)

We rebuilt the PERRLA Online paper editor from the ground up. The new editor is faster, looks and behaves like a real printed page, and adds a long list of features our classic editor could never do: cite-as-you-type, live page breaks, equations, landscape pages, built-in formatting checks, and a lot more.

This article walks through everything in the new editor and how each piece works.

A few things to know:

Your existing papers are not changed. They stay in the classic editor, exactly as they are.
The new editor supports all four PERRLA paper types (Research Papers, Discussion Posts, Reference Lists, and Annotated Bibliographies) and all three formats: APA 7 (student and professional), MLA 9, and Turabian 9 (footnotes).

A true page view

The biggest change you'll notice: the new editor shows your paper as real pages.

What you see is what prints. Page breaks happen exactly where they'll happen in your downloaded Word document or PDF, even in the middle of a paragraph. No more surprises when you export.
Running heads and page numbers appear on every page, right where your format puts them.
Zoom controls let you zoom in, zoom out, snap back to 100%, or use Fit to Width to fill your screen. Keyboard shortcuts work too: Ctrl/Cmd and +, -, or 0.
Live word and page counts sit in the bar at the bottom of the editor. Click either one for a detailed breakdown (body, abstract, and more).
The editor fills your whole browser window, so you get as much writing room as your screen allows.

Writing and formatting

The toolbar at the top of the editor covers the essentials:

Fonts: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Trebuchet, and Verdana.
Bold, italic, and underline, plus subscript and superscript.
Numbered and bulleted lists and text alignment (left, center, right).
Undo and redo, strikethrough, and Remove Format live in the Edit and Format menus.
Special characters and page breaks are in the Insert menu.

For document structure, open the Text & Heading Style panel. It gives you your format's paragraph style, Headings 1 through 5 (with a plain-English description of when to use each level), and a proper Block Quote style. When you apply a heading, PERRLA even checks its capitalization against your format's rules and offers to fix it for you.

The Navigator

The Navigator is a collapsible outline that runs down the left side of your paper, similar to what you may know from Google Docs.

It lists every section and heading in your paper. Click any item to jump straight there, and the Navigator highlights where you are as you scroll.
Use the + button to add paper parts (Abstract, Table of Contents, Appendix) or custom sections, including ready-made Acknowledgments, Dedication, Disclaimer, and Signatures pages.
Drag and drop custom sections and appendices to reorder them, or use each section's menu to move it up or down, insert a new section after it, or delete it.

Title page and front matter

Title Page panel: fill in your title, author, institution, instructor, course, and date, and PERRLA formats the title page for your format. In MLA 9, the same details become the correctly formatted heading block on your first page. Student APA and Turabian papers can add an optional running head. Double-click any field on the title page itself and the editor takes you straight to that field in the panel.
Reference Lists and Annotated Bibliographies can add or remove a title page whenever you like.
Abstract: add or remove an abstract with one click, with format-specific writing tips. For APA 7, your keywords line lives right inside the abstract, formatted correctly.
Table of Contents: built automatically from your headings, and refreshable any time. Research papers can also add a List of Tables and a List of Figures (or Turabian's combined Illustrations list), and you can reorder your front matter to match your school's requirements.

References and citations

This is the heart of PERRLA, and it's better than ever in the new editor.

The Refs & Citations panel shows every reference in your paper. Create a new reference with PERRLA's guided forms, or pull one in from your existing library with Add Reference from Library. There's a search box for long reference lists.
Cite as you write: just type an open parenthesis ( in APA or MLA papers, or # in Turabian papers, and a citation picker pops up right at your cursor. Start typing to filter your references, press Enter, and the finished citation drops into your sentence. No panels, no interruptions.
Right-click any citation to edit it (add page numbers or other details) or delete it.
Your reference page builds itself. Every reference is formatted, alphabetized, and kept in sync automatically. Deleting a reference cleans up its citations too.
Annotated Bibliographies get proper annotation formatting, with dedicated Reference and Reference Annotation text styles.

Footnotes (Turabian 9)

Turabian papers get true Chicago-style footnotes:

Citations appear as superscript markers, and the matching footnote appears at the bottom of the same page, renumbering automatically as your paper changes.
Right-click a citation to edit its footnote text directly, with bold, italic, and underline formatting.

Research notes and your outline, right beside your paper

Open the Research Notes or Outline panels to see the notes and outline you built while researching, without leaving the editor. Insert a note into your paper and PERRLA brings its citation along, already formatted. Long direct quotes are even inserted as properly formatted block quotes, with the citation placed according to your format's rules.

Tables, figures, and equations

Insert Table: give your table a title, choose rows and columns, and PERRLA numbers it and formats the title for your format. Edit the table right on the page. Right-click to add or delete rows and columns, merge cells, or remove the table. Optional table notes are supported.
Insert Figure: upload an image (JPG or PNG) or link to one online, add a title and optional figure notes, and PERRLA numbers and formats it. Right-click a figure to replace or delete it. Figures in appendices follow your format's appendix numbering rules.
Insert Equation: write math in LaTeX with a live preview as you type. Choose inline (within your sentence) or display (on its own line). Display equations are numbered automatically in APA, and Turabian lets you choose. Double-click any equation to edit it later.

Appendices and landscape pages

Add as many appendices as you need. PERRLA labels them (Appendix, then Appendix A, B, C...) and relabels automatically if you reorder or delete one.
Need room for a wide table or figure? Add a landscape section from the Navigator and that part of your paper rotates sideways, in the editor and in your exports, while the rest stays portrait.

Spellcheck, built in

The new editor includes PERRLA Spellcheck, which runs directly in your browser, so it's fast and your writing is never sent to a third-party service.

Possible spelling mistakes get a red wavy underline; grammar suggestions get a blue wavy underline.
Right-click a flagged word to see suggestions, Ignore the flag, or Add to Dictionary so your terminology is never flagged again.
Prefer to spell-check on your own? Turn it off any time under Edit → Disable PERRLA Spellcheck.

Saving: automatic, visible, and safe

The editor saves automatically as you write. A status dot in the menu bar always tells you where you stand: Saving, Up to date, Changes saved locally, or Unsaved changes (click it to save immediately). Ctrl/Cmd+S works too.
View recent saves (File menu) shows your paper's save history.
Your work is also backed up locally in your browser as you type. If your internet hiccups or your laptop dies mid-sentence, PERRLA offers to restore the most recent copy the next time you open the paper.

The "I'm Finished" button

When your paper is done, click I'm Finished for a wrap-up panel:

Download your paper as a Word document or PDF, ready to turn in.
Discussion Posts, Reference Lists, and Annotated Bibliographies also get Copy paper to clipboard, formatted for pasting into your school's discussion board.
Suggested Fixes automatically scans your paper against your format's rules: things like spacing issues, heading capitalization, citation and reference mismatches, and other common formatting slips. Each finding includes a Go to button that jumps to the exact spot, and many offer a one-click Fix (or Fix all). These are suggestions only; they never block your download.

Downloading, printing, and reusing your work

Download as Word (.docx) or PDF any time from the File menu; you don't have to wait until you're finished.
Print produces a print-ready PDF (Ctrl/Cmd+P works).
Create a copy duplicates any paper, references and all.
Convert to Research Paper turns a Discussion Post, Reference List, or Annotated Bibliography into a full Research Paper, keeping your content, references, and citations. Great for when a discussion post grows into the real assignment.

Keyboard and screen reader support

The new editor is designed to be fully usable from the keyboard and with screen readers:

Right-click menus (citations, figures, equations, spellcheck suggestions) can also be opened with Alt+Enter or Shift+F10.
Save status, page position, and editor actions are announced to screen readers.
Familiar shortcuts work throughout: Ctrl/Cmd+S (save), Ctrl/Cmd+P (print), Ctrl/Cmd +/-/0 (zoom).

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