APA format - basic foundations test 3

Personal reactions

Past- I felt surprised Present perfect- I have experienced Present - I believe

introduction

authors describe and review background literature on the topic of the paper and show why it warrants further investigation.

• Table and Figure Notes

- Notes explain the data in more detail for readers. They appear below the table or figure in the following order: general note specific note probability note

• Table and Figure Number

- Number each table in the order it is discussed in your paper (e.g., Table 1, Table 2). Write the number in bold and align it to the left margin (not indented). Number figures in the same way (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2).

Writing About Personal Characteristics

It is important to use accurate and specific terminology when describing people's characteristics and how they impact people's lives. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition provides guidance on talking about the following characteristics with inclusivity and respect: • age • disability • participation in research • racial and ethnic identity • sexual orientation • socioeconomic status • intersectionality

Reporting of your own or other researchers' results

Past • Results showed • Scores decreased • Hypotheses were not supported

margins

Use 1-in. margins on every side of the page.

capitalization

Words in APA Style are lowercased unless there is specific guidance to capitalize them. • Some types of words that are always capitalized in APA Style include the following: - First Word of a Sentence - Proper Nouns - Trade Names and Brand Names - Personal Names Within Names of Disorders, Therapies, and So On - Job Titles and Positions - Title of Tests and Measures - Nouns Followed by Numerals or Letters

Bias free language

Write about all people with professionalism, respect, and sensitivity. Just as you have learned to check what you write for spelling, grammar, and wordiness, practice reading your work for bias. Consult self-advocacy organizations for appropriate language to use when talking about specific groups. If you are working directly with participants, also ask the people about whom you are writing which designations they prefer and use the language those people use to describe themselves.

Start each section on a new page, with the following exceptions:

tables and figures: Embed tables and figures within the text after they are first mentioned, or place each table and then each figure on separate pages after the reference list. footnotes: Use the footnotes function of your word-processing program to insert a footnote at the bottom of the page on which the footnote is called out, or list footnotes together on a separate page after the references.

text

the authors main contribution The text often begins with an introduction that addresses the importance of the work, contextualizes it within the existing literature, and states the aims of the work. Paragraphs containing the main arguments follow. The paper typically ends with a discussion or conclusion. Headings may be used to break the text into sections.

transitions

time links: • then, next, after, while, since cause-effect links • therefore, consequently, as a result additional links • in addition, moreover, furthermore, similarily contrast links • but, conversely, nevertheless, however, although

Arrange the pages of an APA Style paper in the following order:

title page abstract (usually not required for students) text (begins on page 2 of student papers and page 3 of professional papers) references footnotes tables figures appendices

student papers include the following elements:

title page text reference list

• Figure

- The figure image consists of the image containing the data a legend explaining or defining the symbols, line styles, or shadings or patterns used in the image Use graphics software (e.g., Excel, Word, Photoshop) to create figure images.

• Table Body

- The table body consists of column headings used to identify and organize the data underneath them cells containing the data Use the tables function of your word-processing program to create tables.

paragraph lining and indentation

Align text to the left margin. Leave the right margin uneven, or "ragged." Indent the first line of each paragraph of text 0.5 in. from the left margin using the tab key or paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program.

Tables and Figures

All tables and figures consist of four main components: • Table and Figure Number • Table and Figure Title • Table Body • Figure • Table and Figure Notes

- Proper Nouns

Always capitalize proper nouns, which include • names of people • names of racial and ethnic groups • specific locations • specific university departments, academic institutions, and academic courses

conciseness

Be concise in your scholarly writing: Say only what needs to be said. • Where possible, eliminate wordiness and redundancy. • Do not repeat yourself or use long phrasings just to meet a length requirement. If your paper is too short, do more research and think critically about your topic to develop your arguments further. • Vary sentence and paragraph lengths. Avoid short and choppy writing as well as overlong and complex writing. • Look for logical places to break up long and complex paragraphs.

method

authors describe in detail how the study was conducted.

title page

paper title author name author affiliation, which for students is usually the department of the course and university attended course number and name (as shown on instructional materials) instructor name (as shown on instructional materials) assignment due date (written out as November 14, 2020, or 14 November 2020 depending on the standard format used in your country) page number 1 in the top right corner

tables

show numerical values or textual information arranged in columns and rows.

appendices

supplement the main content of the paper but are not integral to the text (e.g., detailed instructions to participants might appear in an appendix).

footnotes

used to supplement or strengthen information in the text and to acknowledge copyright.

Other elements of student papers

• Abstract • Footnotes • Tables • Figures • Appendices

Research papers and manuscripts to be submitted for publication may also include the following sections within the text:

• Introduction • Method • Results or Findings • Discussion

APA Style provides rules for the basic setup of your paper, including the following areas:

• Page Header • Font • Line Spacing • Margins • Paragraph Alignment and Indentation • Paper Length

basic elements of APA style

• paper elements, format, and organization • academic writing style • grammar and usage • bias-free language guidelines • mechanics of style • tables and figures • in-text citations, paraphrasing, and quotations reference list format and order

- Job Titles and Positions

Capitalize a job title or position when the title precedes a name. • President Lincoln, Dr. Singh, Nurse Sinclair Do not capitalize a job title or position following a name. • Lincoln was president Do not capitalize a job title or position when referring to a position in general. • doctor, registered nurse, physician assistant, psychologist, therapist, president, manager

- Nouns Followed by Numerals or Letters

Capitalize most nouns when they are followed by numerals or letters. • Study 1, Chapter 2, Step 3

- Title of Tests and Measures

Capitalize official titles of tests and measures. • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Do not capitalize generic names of tests and measures. • an intelligence test

- Trade Names and Brand Names

Capitalize official trade names and brand names. - Zoloft, iPhone, Wi-Fi Do not capitalize generic versions of these names. - sertraline, smartphone, wireless

- Personal Names Within Names of Disorders, Therapies, and So On

Capitalize personal names appearing within the names of diseases, disorders, therapies, treatments, theories, concepts, hypotheses, principles, models, and statistical procedures. • Alzheimer's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Pavlovian conditioning Otherwise, use lowercase for the names of diseases, disorders, therapies, treatments, and so on. • depression, leukemia, five-factor model of personality, regression analysis

- First Word of a Sentence

Capitalize the first word of a sentence. However, if a name or other proper noun that begins with a lowercase letter starts a sentence, keep the lowercase letter.

Paper format

Consistent formatting allows readers to pay attention to the ideas in a work rather than the manner of their presentation.

line spacing

Double-space all parts of an APA Style paper, including text, block quotations, and the reference list. However, entries in a table body and words in a figure image may be single-spaced, one-and-a-half-spaced, or double-spaced, depending on which presentation is easiest to read. Add an extra blank line • on the title page between the title and the byline between the text and an embedded table or figure • Do not add extra blank lines above or below headings, even if the heading is at bottom of a page.

Level of heading: Level 3

FORMAT: Aligned Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph.

Level of heading: level 2

FORMAT: Aligned Left, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph.

Level of heading: Level 5

FORMAT: Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Level of heading: Level 4

FORMAT: Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Level of heading: level 1

FORMAT: Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph.

• Table and Figure Title

Give each table and figure a title that is brief, clear, and explanatory. Left-align the title, double-space it, and capitalize it in italic title case.

paper organization

Headings help you logically organize your thoughts and structure your paper. They help readers find key points and track the development of your arguments.

Number use

In general, use words for numbers zero through nine, and use numerals for numbers 10 and above. However, some numbers should always be written with numerals, including the following: Statistical or mathematical functions • multiplied by 5 • 3 times as many Percentages, percentiles, and ratios • more than 5% • the 5th percentile • a ratio of 16:1 Times and dates • 5 days • about 8 months • 4 decades • 12:30 p.m. Ages • was 2 years old • 15-year-old students Scores and points on a scale • scored 4 on a 7-point scale Exact sums of money • received $5 in compensation Numerals as numerals • the numeral 6 on the keyboard

Reference List entries

In reference list entries, use italics for the following: titles of stand-alone works (e.g., books, reports, webpages) journal, magazine, and newspaper titles and volume numbers

Words with prefixes and suffixes are usually written without a hyphen in APA Style. The following are some common examples.

anti- antisocial co- covariate non- nonsignificant over- overqualified pre- preexisting re- reevaluate un- unbiased under- underappreciated

Lists

Lists helps readers understand a related set of key points. • Use parallel wording for items in a list. • Use a serial comma between elements in a list of three or more items. (This means using a comma before the final item.) • Use semicolons in lists to separate items that already contain commas. More complex lists can be lettered, numbered, or bulleted. For numbered and bulleted lists, use the automatic list functions of your word-processing program. Select the number followed by a period for a numbered list and any bullet character (such as a small black circle) for a bulleted list.

font

Many fonts are permitted in APA Style papers, including the following: • Sans serif fonts: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode • Serif fonts: 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern Use the same font throughout your paper. Exceptions are to always use a sans serif font within figure images and to use the default font for automatically inserted footnotes (which is usually smaller than the text).

Page order

Page order is another aspect of paper organization that helps readers know where to look to find key information.

paper length

Paper length depends on the assignment and may be measured by either word count or page count. Consult your instructor to determine the desired length for a student paper.

Method Description of procedure

Past- Participants took a survey Present perfect- Others have used similar approaches

Literature review (or whenever discussing other researchers' work)

Past- Williams (2020) addressed Present perfect- Researchers have studied

Presentation of study conclusions, limitations, and future directions

Present - We conclude - Limitations of the study are - Future research should explore

Discussion of implicationsof results or of previous statements

Present • The results indicate • The findings mean that

punctuation

Punctuation establishes the cadence of a sentence, telling readers both where and for how long to pause, stop, or take a detour. APA Style addresses many areas of punctuation, but the most common question from student writers is how many spaces to use after a period. - Use one space after a period or other punctuation at the end of a sentence.

results or finding

Results (usually for quantitative studies) or Findings (usually for qualitative studies) section, authors summarize the data and the analyses performed on those data.

continuity

Scholarly papers should have continuity, meaning a logical, orderly, and smooth flow of ideas. Readers will better understand your ideas if you have continuity in words, concepts, and themes throughout your paper.

precision

Scholarly writing should also be precise, meaning you select words carefully and structure sentences so that meaning is unambiguous. - Use words and phrases consistently. Do not switch between synonyms because synonyms may have subtle differences in meaning. - Avoid the use of colloquial expressions, contractions, and jargon. Direct, declarative sentences with simple, common words are usually best. - Refrain from anthropomorphism, which means attributing human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects, and from making illogical comparisons, which often result from the omission of key words or from having nonparallel sentence structure.

Abstract

The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper. It is written as one paragraph and is usually a maximum of 250 words long.

passive voice

The effects of the treatment were investigated.

Academic writing style

The primary objective of scholarly writing is to communicate clearly and concisely using precise, inclusive language. Choose words that your audience will understand and that match language in the field. Write about other people, including participants in your study and past investigators in the field, with professionalism, inclusivity, respect, and sensitivity.

Reference list

The reference list contains a list of the sources cited in the text. The reference list is discussed in more detail later in this tutorial.

Heading Levels

There are five possible levels of heading in APA Style. Your instructor may tell you what headings to use or leave the choice up to you. An average paper has three levels of heading, but shorter papers may have only one or two levels of heading or even no headings.

Italics

There are several uses of italics in APA Style. Some of the most common are the following: - introducing key terms - adding emphasis - reference list entries

Person-First and Identity-First Language

Two approaches to language that are used to write about people with disabilities are person-first language and identity-first language. • Person-first language puts the person before the disabling or chronic condition (e.g., "people with substance use disorders" rather than "substance abusers"). • Identity-first language allows people to reclaim what others may see as a disability and incorporate it into their personal identity on their own terms (e.g., "autistic people" instead of "people with autism" and "Deaf people" instead of "people who are deaf"). Both person-first and identity-first language are good choices overall; it is appropriate to use either approach unless or until you know that a person or group prefers one approach over the other—in which case, use the person or group's preferred approach.

Titles of Works and Headings Within Works

Two kinds of capitalization are used to capitalize the titles of works and headings within works. Use title case, in which most words are capitalized, to capitalize the following: • titles of works appearing in the text • titles of periodicals in reference list entries • titles of tests or measures • paper titles, headings, sections, and table and figure titles Use sentence case, in which most words are lowercase, to capitalize the following: • titles of articles, books, reports, webpages, and other works in reference list entries

Abbreviations

Use abbreviations sparingly and only when they improve the clarity and flow of your paper. Define most abbreviations upon first use—that means to present the full version of the term and then the abbreviation. However, do not define some common abbreviations, such as the following: • abbreviations listed as words in the dictionary IQ, AIDS • abbreviations for units of measurement kg, cm • Latin abbreviations i.e., e.g., et al. • statistical abbreviations M, SD, df, p, N

Pronoun use

Use first-person pronouns to describe your thoughts and contributions as well as steps you personally took in a study. Do not refer to yourself in the third person as "the author." Use "I" to refer to yourself if you are the only author. Use "we" if you are writing a group paper. Do not use the editorial "we" to refer to people in general. Use "we" only when referring to yourself and your coauthors, or when you are identifying yourself with a particular group (e.g., "As social psychologists, we...").

introducing key terms; italics

Use italics the first time you introduce any of the following: key terms or phrases, often accompanied by a definition words, phrases, or abbreviations from another language with which readers are unlikely to be familiar

Verb tense

Use verb tenses consistently. Shifts in verb tenses within a paragraph can lead to abruptness and may detract from your intended meaning.

first person, active voice

We investigated the effects of the treatment.

Spelling

When determining how to spell words in your APA Style papers, consult the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary and the APA Dictionary of Psychology.

Active and Passive voice

When possible, use the active voice instead of the passive voice to create direct, clear, and concise sentences. For example, use the first person and the active voice to show your involvement in a project or to describe steps you personally took - The passive voice is allowed in APA Style, but be careful not to overuse it.

Singular "They"

When referring to specific individuals, use the pronouns the individuals themselves use. Use "she" to refer to people who use "she" as their pronoun, and use "he" to refer to people who use "he" as their pronoun. Use the singular "they" to refer to people who use "they" as their pronoun. Also use the singular "they" to refer to an individual whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context to avoid making assumptions about gender. Do not use "he" or "she" to refer to a generic person.

Defining abbreviations

When the full version of a term first appears in the narrative, place the abbreviation in parentheses after it. • major depressive disorder (MDD) When the full version of a term first appears in parenthetical text, place the abbreviation in square brackets after it. Do not use nested parentheses. • (major depressive disorder [MDD]) If a citation accompanies an abbreviation, place the citation after the abbreviation, separated by a semicolon. • major depressive disorder (MDD; Wald et al., 2019)

In text citations

Whenever you use the words, ideas, or images of other researchers, you must provide appropriate credit in the text and reference list. The failure to provide appropriate credit is called plagiarism. Plagiarism is unethical and, even when unintentional, may result in a failing grade on an assignment or disciplinary action at your institution.

Grammar and Usage

Writers who use APA Style should use appropriate grammar. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition highlights only the most common errors that writers make; for other questions related to grammar and usage, consult a trusted grammar reference work.

adding emphasis; italics

You can use italics sparingly for emphasis if emphasis would otherwise be lost. In general, however, reword a sentence so that the important part appears at the beginning or end instead of getting lost in the middle.

page header

appears in the top margin of every page of your paper and consists of a page number and, when required, a running head. The page header always includes a page number. • Insert page numbers in the top right corner using the page-numbering function of your word-processing program. • The page number should show on all pages. The title page is page number 1. A running head is a shortened version of the title of the paper typed in all-capital letters. Running heads are required only for manuscripts being submitted for publication. Running heads are not required for student papers unless the instructor or institution requests them. When present, the running head appears aligned to the left in the top margin of every page, across from the right-aligned page number.

discussion

authors evaluate and interpret the implications of the results or findings with respect to the original hypotheses.

APA format was developed by

by social and behavioral scientists to help writers achieve clear, precise, and inclusive writing.

How to improve continuity

check transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and ideas. • Use punctuation to signal transitions and demonstrate relationships between ideas. • Use transitional words and phrases to help maintain the flow of ideas, especially when the material is complex or abstract. Possible transitional words and phrases to use are the following:

The following are spellings for common technology-related terms in APA Style.

email ebook database data set internet home page website webpage

figures

include bar charts, line graphs, drawings, maps, photographs, and any other visual display that is not a table.