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Apa research methods summary
Chapter 1: Scholarly Writing and Publishing Principles
addresses types of papers and ethical compliance.
New guidance addresses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods
articles as well as student papers, dissertations, and theses.
Chapter 2: Paper Elements and Format
is designed to help novice users of APA Style select, format, and
organize paper elements.
The author note includes more information, such as ORCID iDs,
disclosure of conflicts of interest or lack thereof, and study registration
information.
Chapter 3: Journal Article Reporting Standards
orients users to journal article reporting standards (JARS) and
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includes tables outlining standards for reporting quantitative, qualitative, and
mixed methods research
Chapter 4: Writing Style and Grammar
provides guidance on writing style and grammar.
The singular “they” is endorsed, consistent with inclusive usage.
More detailed guidance helps writers avoid anthropomorphism
Chapter 5: Bias-Free Language Guidelines
presents bias-free language guidelines to encourage authors to
write about people with inclusivity and respect.
Existing guidance on age, disability, gender, racial and ethnic identity,
and sexual orientation has been updated
New guidance is provided on participation in research, socioeconomic
status, and intersectionality
Chapter 6: Mechanics of Style
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covers the mechanics of style, including punctuation,
capitalization, abbreviations, numbers, and statistics in text.
Updated guidance answers a common question: Use one space after a
period at the end of a sentence, unless an instructor or publisher requests
otherwise.
Updated guidance answers a common question: Use one space after a
period at the end of a sentence, unless an instructor or publisher requests
otherwise.
New guidance is given on how to write gene and protein names.
the presentation of numbers have been updated to be
consistent throughout a work (e.g., there is no longer an exception for
presenting numbers in an abstract).
Chapter 7: Tables and Figures
The presentation of tables and figures in text is more flexible
Formatting of tables and figures is parallel
The accessible use of color in figures is addressed
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Chapter 8: Works Credited in the Text
addresses appropriate levels of citation as well as plagiarism, selfplagiarism,
and other unethical writing practices.
In-text citations have been simplified;
New guidance is provided on how to cite recorded or unrecorded
Traditional Knowledge and Oral Traditions of Indigenous Peoples.
how to format quotations from research
participants.
Chapter 9: Reference List
the four elements of a reference list entry
author,
date,
title,
source
number of authors included in a reference entry has changed; up to 20
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authors are now included before names are omitted with an ellipsis
presentation of digital object identifiers (DOIs) and URLs has been
standardized
Both are presented as hyperlinks; the label “DOI:” is no
longer used, and the words “Retrieved from” are used only when a
Retrieval date is also needed
Chapter 10: Reference Examples
more than 100 examples of APA Style references
Templates are provided for every reference category
References are streamlined; for example, journal article references always
include the issue number, and book references now omit the publisher
location.
Social media, webpages, and websites are addressed in new categories.
For consistency and ease of formatting, blogs and other online platforms
that publish articles are part of the periodicals category
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Chapter 11: Legal References
legal reference examples
New, relevant legal reference examples are provided (e.g., the Every
Student Succeeds Act).
Chapter 12: Publication Process
New content helps early career researchers adapt a dissertation or thesis into a journal article or
articles
New guidance addresses how authors can share and promote their work following publication.
Order of Pages
All papers, including student papers, generally include a title page, text, and references. They
may include additional elements such as tables and figures depending on the assignment. Student
papers generally do not include an abstract unless requested.
Arrange the pages of an APA Style paper in the following order:
title page
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abstract
text
references
footnotes
tables
figures
Appendices
(Pg no. at header always in the right top corner)
Times new roman 12pt
SSCID rule
Title (Every First Letter of the Word Should Be Capital and Bold)
Student name
School/campus
Course name
Instructor/author
Due Date
Entire document should be double spaced
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Student Name, Institution, Course Name & Number, Instructor, and Due Date, all on
separate lin
Abstract
(Not usually necessary with student research papers. But check with instructor if the
abstract is to be included)
This is a brief summary of the contents of the paper. Usually not more than 250 words.
(0.5 inch) Keywords: APA style, citation, references, frustration (no period)
These are usually words, phrases or acronyms that describe the most important aspects of my
paper. Used for indexing in databases and help readers find your work during a search.
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(NOT USUALLY REQUIRED FOR STUDENT PAPERS.)
Check with your instructor to see if an abstract and/or keywords are required for your
paper.
Headings:
Main sections of the paper:
Centered, Bold, Capitalize Major Words
Text begins as a new indented paragraph.
Sub sections:
1. Left align, bold, capitalize major words
Text begins as a new indented paragraph
2. Left align, bold italic, capitalize major words
Text begins as new indented paragraph
3. Indented, Bold, Capitalize Major Words. After a period, text begins on the same line
and continues.
4. Indented, Bold Italic, Capitalize Major Words. After a period, text begins on the same
line and continues.
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Writing in APA Style 7th Edition Example Paper
(Repeat the title which is in the title page)
According to the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (2019), the style’s broad applicability “helps authors present their
ideas in a clear, concise, and organized manner” that “uniformity and consistency enables readers
to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for
key points” (p. xvii). Since this paper is mostly written in the seventh edition of APA style,
attentive readers will note that it has many examples of changes from the sixth edition. Most of
the rules demonstrated here are those a student will need to have some acquaintance with in order
to write easily according to the student writing guidelines, which are distinct from APA’s new
journal article reporting standards (Paiz et al., 2013) et al is used for three or more authors
Nb-notice the book is in italics.
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Structure of the paper in APA style
The APA style guidelines are designed for primary research papers that usually contain the
following sections:
(a) Introduction
(b) Method
(c) Results
(d) Discussion
(e) References
Papers that do not describe primary research or original experimental data may omit the method,
results, and discussion sections (Xyers, Young, Zucherman, & Anne, 2019, p. 291).
Short papers only require level 1 and 2 headings
Organizing the Main Body (level 2 heading)
Most APA style papers written by students are not experimental; the organization of
headings and subheadings within the main body of the paper is therefore particularly important.
In certain cases, the author might use additional major sections, such as a literature review, to
introduce their own material.
Organizing the Main Body When There are Additional Content Concerns (level 3 heading) –
usually a sub-section of the level 2 heading
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In some common graduate assignments, students are instructed to compare therapeutic
models, provide possible interventions given specific presenting problems, or engage in case
study analyses. These papers may have particular sections (such as presenting problem, or socio-
cultural considerations of a given model).
Language Concerns in the Body of the Paper (level 4 heading). Sometimes, writers who are just
becoming comfortable with APA style, or with academic writing in general, will mimic academic
language in ways subtly less clear than writers who use academic register fluently. For example, one
might write the following sentence, which sounds academic to the mental ear, but in which almost
everything is done poorly:
During the preparatory process of elucidating the critical and fundamental elements of this
theory for analysis, it would be observed that certain subjective elements of the theory
would be excessively situational to the point of being non-applicable outside of the
theorists’ particular circumstances. (Goodwin, 2012a)
For block quotes, period comes before citation, if a quotation is 40 words or more, use a block quote format: new
line, indent ½ inch, double space, no quotation marks.
2 Styles of In-text Citations:
Narrative: Language Concerns as Issues of Unstated Academic Expectation. Writers for whom the
distinction between the two earlier examples is unintuitive should not be dismayed. Graham and
Harris (1997) have shown that an academic style of writing is slowly learned, and is not often
intuitive.
Parenthetical: Often, the rules of academic English, and American academic English in particular, are
presented as assumptions rather than with explicit guidance (Graham & Harris, 1997).
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