APA Style

APA Style

1. Basic APA Guidelines and Style

   • You can use first person, but it is typically only pertinent in research papers where you did an experiment. For example, “I interpreted the results…”
   • In APA papers, clarity is crucial when reporting on research papers involving experiments. Do not confuse readers with too many unnecessary words. Be concise. For clarity, be specific rather than vague in descriptions and explanations. Condense as much information as you can.
   • Avoid creative writing in APA papers. Otherwise, you may not illustrate your information clearly. Minimize figurative and poetic language. Avoid verses and rhymes. Use simple, descriptive plain language that is not confusing to your readers.
   • Headings are important in APA papers, because they separate sections and show a good flow of your information.
   • Double soace
   • 1” margins
   • 12 point font in New Times Roman or Ariel
   • Capitalize proper nouns

2. Definition

   • APA, the American Psychological Associate, is the format used in research papers and in some essays in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, and political science.

3. In-Text Citations

   • Ensure that the spelling of author names and the publication dates in reference list entries match those in the corresponding in-text citations.
   • Cite only works that you have read and ideas that you have incorporated into your writing.
   • Cite primary sources when possible, and cite secondary sources sparingly.
   • To cite a specific part of a source, provide an author–date citation for the work plus information about the specific part.
   • APA Style citation example (book)
     • APA in-text citation The book uses success stories from the authors’ own lived experiences to make the case for a creative revolution in the business world (Stewart & Simmons, 2010, p. 22).

4. Plagiarism

   • To avoid plagiarism, provide appropriate credit to your sources by adding author–date in-text citations for direct quotations and ideas (e.g., credit the originators of theories). If you model a study after one conducted by someone else, give credit to the author of the original study.

5. Paraphrasing

   • Paraphrasing allows you to summarize and synthesize information from one or more sources, focus on significant information, and compare and contrast relevant details.

6. Used with;

   • Books
     • If a book has just one author, simply provide the author’s last name followed by the publication date
       • Examples ...students demonstrated competence after reading about APA format (Smith et al., 2005). or Smith et al., (2005) found that...
   • Journal Articles
     • When you are citing articles in an academic journal, magazine, newspapers or other periodicals, you should follow the author-date format. APA citing should include the author's last name, followed by the date of publication.
       • Examples ...as Smith and Jones (2005) described...  or  ...the study found a statistically significant relationship between the two variables (Smith & Jones, 2005).
   • electronic source
     • The exact format you use for APA citing of electronic media depends on the type of source that is used. In many cases, the format will be very similar to that of books or journal articles, but you should also include the URL of the source and the date it was accessed in the reference section.