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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction
- Introduction
- Journal Articles
- Magazine/Newspaper Articles
- Books & Ebooks
- Government & Legal Documents
- Biblical Sources
- Secondary Sources
- Films/Videos/TV Shows
- How to Cite: Other
- Additional Help
Who Should Use APA Style?
APA style is used by social science disciplines such as communication studies, economics, education, psychology, and sociology; it is also used by business and nursing.
What is APA Style?
APA style, created by the American Psychological Association, is a set of rules for formatting manuscripts, including research papers.
In APA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:
- In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation .
- In the References list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source.
- APA 7th ed. Sample Paper
- APA Style Paper template (Microsoft Word)
- APA 7th. ed. Journal Article Reference Checklist
- APA 7th. ed. Student Paper Checklist
APA Style Guide (7th Edition)
Four Elements of a Reference
A reference generally has these four elements: author, date, title, and source. Each element answers a question and is listed in your citation in the following order:
- author : Who is responsible for this work?
- date : When was this work published?
- title : What is the work called?
- source : Where can I retrieve this work?
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APA Publication and Style Manual: Introduction
Introduction, links to useful resources, tips & templates, apa publication & style manual introduction.
The APA Publication Manual is the official manual of style of the American Psychological Association. Developed to provide guidance and information for those writing and publishing, it is currently in its sixth edition.
The APA Publication Manual is used extensively by students, faculty, researchers, and professionals who write and publish in the fields of Psychology, Education, Business, Law and Justice, Journalism, Linguistics, Nursing, Medicine, although other styles are also used.
Which style guide should you use? The one your professor requires, so be sure to ask. If you plan to submit a paper for publication, be sure to confirm the correct style. Nearly all publications will identify and give some direction about how manuscripts should be submitted for publication. If not in the publication, guidance will be offered on publishers' websites, or the websites of the organization for whom the journal title is published, if relevant.
Consult a librarian
Make an appointment for a consultation with a librarian who specializes in your subject area using our Request a Consultation form or visit the Subject Librarians page for a list of librarians and their email and phone contact information.
Items in the Library and Available Online
A copy of the APA Publication manual is also kept on Reserve. Ask at the Circulation Desk.
Links to Helpful Resources
Apa academic writerl new & recommended.
The Legacy version will soon disappear so we recommend you use the new Refworks. RefWorks is a Citation and Bibliographic Management tools, which the library provides to students and faculty at no cost. Complete the short easy registration once and access. To take full advantage of the range of tools available, we recommend you open YouTube, search for RefWorks and watch the tutorials. You'll be an expert in no time. A few minute to set up and learn to use RefWorks will save you hours of frustration and make you look brilliant.
Purdue OWL - Online Writing Lab
"The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction." (source: website)
EasyBib Blog
Bibme.org/apa.
Government Sources
Government Sources come in a vast array of types, so citing them can be confusing.
- Naval Postgraduate School guide to citing government sources Provides examples for about 30 types of documents.
Two versions of a citation builder from Chegg Study
Citation machine for apa, purdue online writing lab.
The Purdue OWL site is nearly everyone's favorite Go-To website for help with writing and examples of the APA style are very clear.
American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide from OWL
The Purdue Online Writing Lab website offers two tutorials on APA style.
- OWL: APA Overview and Workshop
- OWL: Formatting and Style
Sample Paper in APA Style from OWL
Apa style sample paper.
Citing Dictionary entries
Citing Encyclopedia entries
Citing Online Databases
Citing Interviews
Citing Photographs
Citing Sheet Music
Citing Websites
Citing Blogs
Citing Magazines
Citing Newspapers
- Last Updated: Sep 7, 2023 3:20 PM
- URL: https://libguides.rowan.edu/c.php?g=651623
Citation Guides
- APA: Introduction
APA General Guidelines
- APA: Articles
- APA: Websites and Software
- APA: Film, TV, Video
- APA: Images, Photographs
- APA: Talon, Guidelines, Policies, Emails
- APA: In-text Citations
- APA: References Page Formatting
- MLA: Articles
- MLA: Websites
- MLA: Social media (Instagram, TikTok, etc.)
- MLA: Film, TV, Video, Audio
- MLA: Photos, Images, Artwork
- MLA: Talon, Self-citing, Interview
- MLA: Generative AI, ChatGPT
- MLA: Formatting
- MLA: In-text Citations
- MLA: Tutorials
- MLA: Details on core elements
- Citation Managers
- Chicago Style
General rules that apply to any APA style citation
No date: use (n.d.).
Smith, W. H. (n.d.).
No author: start with title, then date, then the rest of the citation as usual.
Relativity. (2010).
General author rules:
- For example: Stonewall, T. H.
- List authors or editors in the same order as presented in the work.
- For example: Curtis, M. T., & Andrews, K. A.
- For example: Wiskunde, B., Arslan, M., Fischer, P., Nowak, L., Van den Berg, O., Coetzee, L., Juárez, U., Riyaziyyat, E., Wang, C., Zhang, I., Li, P., Yang, R., Kumar, B., Xu, A., Martinez, R., McIntosh, V., Ibáñez, L. M., Mäkinen, G., Virtanen, E., . . . Kovács, A.
- Do not include publisher location.
- Include only publisher name, as shown in the work.
- Do not abbreviate unless shown that way in the work.
- Omit publisher if same as author.
Title capitalization rules
- For book, internet article, and magazine article titles and subtitles, capitalize only the first word, and any proper nouns. These titles are not italicized and do not use quotation marks.
- For titles of academic journals, capitalize all major words.
Title italics rules
- Use italics for titles of works that stand alone (for example: books, reports, webpages).
- Use italics for journal titles (for example: The Journal of Child Development ).
Date formatting
- Provide as much date detail as provided in the source. For example: (2019). (2019, August). (2019, August 27).
- Do not abbreviate the month.
- Do not put a period after the DOI.
- Some books also have a DOI. Find out if your book has one by checking the Crossref website .
- Shortened DOI may be used by checking the ShortDOI website .
Website rules
- Do not put a period after the URL.
- Shortened URL may be used as long as you check it to make sure it goes to the correct location.
- A URL within a reference may be left all on one line, or may be left to break across two lines.
- Ask your instructor whether they want links to follow APA rules or link back to where you found the source (for example in a library database).
- The APA has a number of rules about where and when certain fonts may be used .
- Calibri (11 pt)
- Arial (11 pt)
- Lucia Sans Unicode (10 pt)
- Times New Roman (12 pt)
- Georgia (11 pt)
- Computer Modern (10 pt)
More style and grammar guidelines are on the APA website .
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- Last Updated: May 1, 2024 2:20 PM
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Types of APA Papers
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Note: This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style can be found here .
There are two common types of papers written in fields using APA Style: the literature review and the experimental report. Each has unique requirements concerning the sections that must be included in the paper.
Literature review
A literature review is a critical summary of what the scientific literature says about your specific topic or question. Often student research in APA fields falls into this category. Your professor might ask you to write this kind of paper to demonstrate your familiarity with work in the field pertinent to the research you hope to conduct.
A literature review typically contains the following sections:
- Introduction section
- List of references
Some instructors may also want you to write an abstract for a literature review, so be sure to check with them when given an assignment. Also, the length of a literature review and the required number of sources will vary based on course and instructor preferences.
NOTE: A literature review and an annotated bibliography are not synonymous. If you are asked to write an annotated bibliography, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for the APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies.
Experimental report
In many of the social sciences, you will be asked to design and conduct your own experimental research. If so, you will need to write up your paper using a structure that is more complex than that used for just a literature review. We have a complete resource devoted to writing an experimental report in the field of psychology here .
This structure follows the scientific method, but it also makes your paper easier to follow by providing those familiar cues that help your reader efficiently scan your information for:
- Why the topic is important (covered in your introduction)
- What the problem is (also covered in your introduction)
- What you did to try to solve the problem (covered in your methods section)
- What you found (covered in your results section)
- What you think your findings mean (covered in your discussion section)
Thus an experimental report typically includes the following sections.
- Introduction
- Appendices(if necessary)
- Tables and/or figures (if necessary)
Make sure to check the guidelines for your assignment or any guidelines that have been given to you by an editor of a journal before you submit a manuscript containing the sections listed above.
As with the literature review, the length of this report may vary by course or by journal, but most often it will be determined by the scope of the research conducted.
Other papers
If you are writing a paper that fits neither of these categories, follow the guidelines about General Format , consult your instructor, or look up advice in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association .
When submitting a manuscript to a journal, make sure you follow the guidelines described in the submission policies of that publication, and include as many sections as you think are applicable to presenting your material. Remember to keep your audience in mind as you are making this decision. If certain information is particularly pertinent for conveying your research, then ensure that there is a section of your paper that adequately addresses that information.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader. Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication).
Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.
The introduction of an APA-style paper is the most difficult to write. A good introduction will summarize, integrate, and critically evaluate the empirical knowledge in the relevant area(s) in a way that sets the stage for your study and why you conducted it. The introduction starts out broad (but not too broad!) and gets more focused toward ...
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 7 th edition of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.
Table of contents. Step 1: Introduce your topic. Step 2: Describe the background. Step 3: Establish your research problem. Step 4: Specify your objective (s) Step 5: Map out your paper. Research paper introduction examples. Frequently asked questions about the research paper introduction.
Sample Student Paper paper title, 2.4, 2.27, Table 2.1, Figure 2.4 parenthetical citation of a work with two authors, 8.17 parenthetical citation of a work with one author, 8.17 group author, 9.11 use of first person, 4.16 italics to highlight a key term, 6.22 narrative citation in parenthetical running text, 8.11 repeated citation needed, 8.1
This article walks through the formatting steps needed to create an APA Style student paper, starting with a basic setup that applies to the entire paper (margins, font, line spacing, paragraph alignment and indentation, and page headers). It then covers formatting for the major sections of a student paper: the title page, the text, tables and ...
Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines: Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides. Double-space all text, including headings. Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches. Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
In APA, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places: In the body of your paper where you add a brief in-text citation. In the References list at the end of your paper where you give more complete information for the source. APA 7th ed. Sample Paper.
An "APA paper" refers to the formatting of content, not necessarily the content itself. This formatting dictates the specifics of elements such as the title page, abstract, in-text citations, and reference page. The use of a specific format allows the reader of your paper to quickly identify the information they need, such as how and where ...
An Introduction to Writing in APA Style. This document provides an introduction to writing in American Psychological Association (APA) style. All of the information in this document is contained within the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
A research paper (especially one that requires APA style) is different than a term paper, a creative writing paper, a composition-style paper, or a thought paper. ... "Correctly Using APA Format in a Research Paper" Name - centered under titled o Ex: "Jane Smith" ... Clear and explicit introduction of the construct being investigated
APA_PM7_Ch2-BLueline.indd 51 8/1/19 7:01 PM Sample Papers • 51 Sample Professional Paper (continued) Level 2 heading in the introduction, 2.27, Table 2.3, Figure 2.4 narrative citation, 8.11; paraphrasing, 8.23 parenthetical citation of a work with one author, 8.17 parenthetical citation for works with the same author and same date, 8.19
Call Number: BF76.7 .P83 2010. ISBN: 9781433805615. Publication Date: 2010-01-01. In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables and figures.
Psychology/Neuroscience 201 How to Write an APA Style Research Paper. An APA-style paper includes the following sections: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references. Your paper may also include one or more tables and/or figures. Different types of information about your study are addressed in each of the ...
This checklist corresponds to the writing and formatting guidelines described in full in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Refer to the following chapters for specific information: paper elements and format in Chapter 2. writing style and grammar in Chapter 4. bias-free language in Chapter 5.
There is no " Introduction " heading at the beginning of your paper because the first paragraphs are understood to be introductory. Heading level 2 is used for subsections under level 1. For example, under "Methods" (level 1) you may have subsections for "Sampling Method" and "Data Analysis" (level 2). This continues all the way ...
Ask your instructor whether they want links to follow APA rules or link back to where you found the source (for example in a library database). Fonts. The APA has a number of rules about where and when certain fonts may be used. Font options for APA style papers include: Calibri (11 pt) Arial (11 pt) Lucia Sans Unicode (10 pt) Times New Roman ...
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6 th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article, electronic resource, etc.)
Paper Format. Consistency in the order, structure, and format of a paper allows readers to focus on a paper's content rather than its presentation. To format a paper in APA Style, writers can typically use the default settings and automatic formatting tools of their word-processing program or make only minor adjustments.
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
Because the first paragraphs of a paper are understood to be introductory, the heading "Introduction" is not needed. Do not begin a paper with an "Introduction" heading; the paper title at the top of the first page of text acts as a de facto Level 1 heading. It is possible (but not required) to use headings within the introduction.
APA Style and MLA Style Reference Comparison Guide This guide compares APA Style and MLA style references for four common sources: journal articles, books, edited book chapters, and webpages. Format varies depending on the number of authors; the templates match the examples and show variations for one, two, and three or more authors.