Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Are you writing a paper for a psychology class? Then you will need to use APA format to organize your paper and list the references you used.
While it might take a while to get used to, learning how to write an APA paper is a useful skill that will serve you well whether you are a psychology major or just taking your first social science class. APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association APA and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology , education, and the social sciences. The APA style originated in a article published in Psychological Bulletin that laid out the basic guidelines.
So why is APA format so important in psychology and other social sciences? By using APA style, researchers and students writing about psychology are able to communicate information about their ideas and experiments in a consistent format. Sticking to a consistent style allows readers to know what to look for as they read journal articles and other forms of psychological writing. If you have never taken a psychology or social science class before, then you are probably accustomed to using a different style guide such as MLA or Chicago style.
New college students are often surprised to find that after spending years having another formatting style drilled into their heads, many university-level classes instead require APA style. It can be a difficult transition, especially if you have to bounce back and forth between different styles for different classes. Getting a solid grasp of the basics and bookmarking a few key resources can make learning this new format a bit easier.
In most cases, your paper should include four main sections: the title page, abstract, main section, and references list. Your title page should contain a title, author name, and school affiliation. Then the page should display the course number and name, the instructor's name, and the due date of your paper.
The purpose of your title page is to let the reader quickly know what your paper is about and who it was written by. An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows your title page. According to APA format, your abstract should be no more than to words although this can vary depending upon the specific publication or instructor requirements. For something like an essay, the main body of your paper will include the actual essay itself.
If you are writing a lab report , then your main body will be broken down into further sections. The four main components of a lab report include the introduction , method , results , and discussion sections. The reference section of your paper will include a list of all of the sources that you used in your paper.
The introductory material describes what APA Style is, why it is used, and who should use it. However, if you are writing a complex document such as a thesis or lengthy manuscript, or if you have detailed questions, you should consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7 th edition , which can often be found at your local library.
You might also consult the APA's website , which allows visitors to order the book online and read frequently asked questions about APA style. Finally, see our Additional Resources page for additional references you can consult.
Aside from simplifying the work of editors by having everyone use the same format for a given publication, using APA Style makes it easier for readers to understand a text by providing a familiar structure they can follow. Abiding by APA's standards as a writer will allow you to:. APA Style provides fairly comprehensive guidelines for writing academic papers regardless of subject or discipline.
However, traditionally, APA is most frequently used by writers and students in:. If you are a student, consult with an instructor to learn what style your discipline uses before using APA Style in your work. If APA Style is appropriate for your writing project, use the links below to learn more about APA and how to follow its rules correctly in your own work.
The following pages introduce some of the basic requirements of APA Style as well as describing the different formatting and writing conventions that are used in APA papers. The following pages walk through the details of making in-text citations and developing a reference page at the end of your paper.
They contain numerous illustrative examples. What is APA Style? APA Style covers the aspects of scholarly writing most pertinent to writing in psychology, nursing, business, communications, engineering, and related fields. It specifically addresses the preparation of draft manuscripts being submitted for publication in a journal and the preparation of student papers being submitted for a course assignment.
The Publication Manual does not cover general rules explained in widely available style books and examples of usage with little relevance to the behavioral and social sciences.
Style manuals agree more often than they disagree. Where they disagree, the Publication Manual , because it is based on the special requirements of psychology, takes precedence for APA publications. Bentley, M. Instructions in regard to preparation of manuscript. Psychological Bulletin , 26 2 , 57— Buy Now Available in multiple formats.
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