I am knitting some socks without a specific pattern, but just general instructions on how to make each part, and I was wondering whether or not I should knit a certain length between the cuff and the heel flap.

I have made socks before from a beginner pattern, and it said to knit for 1 inch in between the two sections, but I don't know if that's the general method...

That's pretty much up to you. Some people like longer socks, some like shorter ones.

I agree with Jan totally. Somthing else I would add, though, is to consider how stretchy your yarn is, and whether the socks would be slouchy and slip down your calf if you made them on the longish side. If you don't want that, you might make them a bit shorter.

Oh! Thank you; I didn't realize that affected where the cuff laid on the sock. Thank you so much :)