APA Format in

Research Writing
by Team 6
What is APA Format?
• A set of guidelines when writing a piece of literature makes the
organization of arguments easier and enables better readability.

• The APA format has been created by the American Psychological

Association as a language for research papers and higher education.

• APA style is used worldwide for formatting and referencing sources used in
research papers.
 Importance of Using APA Format

The APA format allows writers to APA style can also help the author
be consistent with their writing, better organize their research and
which increases efficiency help the reader to understand a text
concerning research and by providing a familiar structure they
organizing arguments. can follow.

The APA format shows that you are Using APA in-text citations and
aware of your audience and helps references in the bibliography can
establish your credibility. prevent writers from plagiarism.
Guidelines for APA Format

An APA-style research format differs from a term paper,

a creative writing paper, a composition-style paper, or a
thought paper. Throughout the paper, you need to apply these
guidelines while writing the paper.
 Page Layout Font Style and Size
• Type the content and keep double-
spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5” x
• You could use an accessible
11”), with 1” margins on all sides.
font like Times New Roman
• You should indent the first line of every
12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia
paragraph 0.5 inches
11pt.
• Include a page number on every page.
 APA Research Paper Sections

Title Page Abstract Introduction

Methods Result Discussion

References
 Title Page

- Title of the paper

- Author's name
- Institutional affliation
- Course name and number
- Name of the Instructor
- Assignment due date
- Page number
 Abstract

The abstract should contain no more

than 120 words and one paragraph in
block format with double spacing.
Additionally, state the topic in a
sentence or two. Also, provide an
overview of methods, results, and
discussion.
 Introduction Methods

An introduction to the APA research paper The Method section of an APA-style paper is the
format is the most challenging section. A good most straightforward to write but requires
introduction keeps readers engaged with your precision. Your goal is to describe the details of
paper. For writing an exciting introduction, your study so that there is no issue in the
researchers describe only some of the studies in reproducibility of results and other researchers
complete detail. Summarize the key findings could duplicate your methods effectively. The
from the article and do not quote from the Method section typically includes Participants,
articles; instead, paraphrase the content. Materials or Apparatus, and Procedure sections.
 Results Discussion

In this section, you could describe how you

Results are interpreted and understood in this
analyzed the data and explain your findings. If
section. The discussion section helps us
your data analyses are complex, break the
understand the research hypothesis better and
section into subsections, ideally a subsection
places the results in the broader context of the
for each hypothesis, and elaborate on the
literature in the area. This section reverses the
subsections by using statistical analysis and
introduction section, wherein you begin with the
including tables or figures to represent results
specifics and explain the general understanding of
visually. Most importantly, do not share the
the topics.
interpretation of the results here.
 References

• The APA format reference page contains a detailed list of

information regarding the sources used throughout the paper. This
section begins on a new page titled "References", centered and on
top of the page.
• Provide an alphabetical listing of the references. Do not keep extra
spaces between references, and double-space all the references. The
second line of each reference should be intended.
How to Use Reference in APA Format

• APA referencing can be divided into reference lists and in-

text citations.
• The core elements of an APA citation format are the
author rules, date rules, title rules, publisher rules, and the
"Retrieved from...URL" if the source is found online.
 In-text Citations
Basic Format:
(Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year).

Summarizing or Paraphrasing Direct Quotes

Paraphrasing or summarizing a research article's main findings If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the
or takeaways is the preferred method of citing sources in an quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. Any sentence
APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.
the year of the publication, so your reader can find the full
• According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
citation in the reference list.
• Brown (2019) found that "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
• [Some other introduction] "Direct quote" (Brown, 2019, p.
1021).
According to Duckworth (2018), writes that cadets with high scores are
as likely to drop out of West Point as cadets with low scores.
If you're directly quoting more than 40 words, use a blockquote.
Block quotes don't need quotation marks. Instead, indent the text 1/2"
Taylor (2016) found that heavy social media use can be linked to
as a visual cue that you are citing. The in-text citation in parentheses
depression and other mental disorders in adolescents (p. 43).
goes after the punctuation of the quote.
In-text Citations
Summarizing or Paraphrasing Direct Quotes
TWO AUTHORS
One study found that establishing regular routines, such as exercise,
Smith and Jones (2017) found that establishing regular routines, such
can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (Smith & Jones,
as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (p.
2017, p. 65).
65).
THREE OR MORE AUTHORS

The majority of school psychologists interviewed "do not promote or

Martin et al. (2020) found that the majority of school psychologists
condone the administering of psychological tests by individuals who
interviewed "do not promote or condone the administering of
are not qualified to use them" (Martin et al., 2020).
psychological tests by individuals who are not qualified to use them."

GROUP AUTHOR, WITH

ABBREVIATION
Insert the abbreviation in the parentheses, before the year. Insert full group author name, abbreviation (in square brackets), and
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2020) year. (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], 2020)
References
Basic Format:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work. URL
or DOI if available

• Include the complete citation at the end of your paper in a references section. References are
organized by the author's last name in alphabetic (A-Z) order. Use an hanging indent to separate
each list item.

I'm citing a...

Journal Article Book Book Chapters with Editor(s)

Web Page Online Report Dissertation o Thesis

Online News/Magazine Article

Journal Article
• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initial as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an
ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• (Year).
• Title of the article. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only
the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Title of the Journal, Note: Italicize and capitalize each word in the journal.
• Volume Note: Italicize the journal volume. If there is no issue, include a comma before the page range.
• (Issue), Note: If there is a issue number in addition to a volume number, include it in parentheses.
• Page range. Note: If there is no page range within the journal volume/issue, this can be excluded.
• DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004).

Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and

Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology, 13(6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750

Online News/Magazine Article
• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an
ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: You do not need to abbreviate the month.
• Title of the article. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only
the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Title of the online newspaper or publication. Note: Capitalize each word in the publication and italicize.
• URL
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Rogers, O. (2021, July 9). Why naming race is necessary to undo racism. Psychology Today.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/who-am-i-who-are-we/202107/why-naming-race-

is-necessary-undo-racism
 Book
• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an
ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• (Year).
• Title of the book. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first
word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• (Edition). Note: If there is an edition or volume, include it in parentheses and use abbreviations of ed. or vol.
• Publisher. Note: You do not need to include the publisher location or databases where you retrieved it.
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2017). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and

application of research (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Book Chapters with Editor(s)

• Author(s). Note: List each chapter author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.
Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• (Year).
• Title of the chapter. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only
the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
• In Editor(s), Note: List each editor's last name and initials as A. A. Editor, B. B. Editor, & C. C. Editors, include
(Ed.) or (Eds.) in parentheses, and end with a comma.
• Title of the book Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first
word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• (pp.xx-xx).
• Publisher. Note: You do not need to include the publisher location or databases where you retrieved it.
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

McCormack, B., McCance, T., & Maben, J. (2013). Outcome evaluation in the development of person-centered

practice. In B. McCormack, K. Manley, & A. Titchen (Eds.), Practice development in nursing and healthcare

(pp. 190-211). John Wiley & Sons.

 Web Page

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is
no author, spell out the name of the organization or site.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available. Use the date last updated, but not the date last
reviewed or copyright date. If there is no date, use (n.d.).
• Title of page or section. Note: Italicize the title of the page.
• Source. Note: Usually the official name of the website. If the source would be the same as the author, you can omit
the source to avoid repetition.
• URL
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Preventing HPV-associated cancers.

https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/prevention.htm/
 Online Report

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is
no author, spell out the name of the organization that published the report.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available.
• Title of the report or document. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only
capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• Source. Includes the names of parent agencies or other organizations not listed in the group author name here.
• URL
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. (2017, January). Key indicators of health by

service planning area. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/

Dissertation or Thesis
• Author. Note: List the author's last name and initials as Author, A. A. There is usually only one author for a thesis
or dissertation, you don't need to include any faculty advisers.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available.
• Title of the dissertation or thesis [Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis, Name of University]. Note: For works
that stand alone (e.g. books, dissertations, theses), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and
subtitle and any proper nouns. The title page will indicate whether it's a Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis
and list the name of the university granting the degree.
• Source. Note: Include the name of the database or institutional repository where you can access the work (e.g.
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PQDT Open, CSU ScholarWorks) here.
• URL Note: If available it's available.
• The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

Valentin, E. R. (2019, Summer). Narcissism predicted by Snapchat selfie sharing, filter usage, and editing [Master's

thesis, California State University Dominguez Hills]. CSU ScholarWorks.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/3197xm925?locale=en
Thank You
 Team 6
Albarido, Gerson Chalres Content Creator and Presenter

Carpio, John Michail Content Creator and Presenter

Cudia, Julian Marie Presenter

Mariano, Keith Laurine Content Creator and Presenter

Content Creator, Graphic Artist, and

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