Libguides: APA Style Guide (7th ed.): Home

Excellence in writing is critical for success in many academic and professional pursuits. APA Style is a set of guidelines for clear and precise scholarly communication that helps authors, both new and experienced, achieve excellence in writing.

It is used by millions of people around the world in psychology and also in fields ranging from nursing to social work, communications to education, business to engineering, and other disciplines for the preparation of manuscripts for publication as well as for writing student papers, dissertations, and theses.

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps authors present their ideas in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Uniformity and consistency enable readers to:

1. Focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting

2. Scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). (2020). Washington, DC: APA. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://apastyle.apa.org/products/publication-manual-7th-edition.

In-Text Citations

Creating Reference Lists

SAMPLE STUDENT PAPER (with annotations)

Annotated Student Sample Paper
The attached sample student paper was published in annotated format in the Publication Manual and is reproduced here for ease of reference. The annotations draw attention to relevant content and formatting and provide users with the relevant sections of the Publication Manual (7th ed.).

APA Manual

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association
ISBN: 9781433832154
Publication Date: 2019-10-01

A Step-By-Step Guide for APA Style Student Papers

Guides/Resources

Avoiding Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism Guide
Avoid it like the plague! There are two common types of plagiarism:
(a) improper use of someone else’s words
(b) improper use of someone else’s ideas
Both forms of plagiarism involve using someone else’s words or ideas without
appropriately acknowledging the author or source.

Guide to Creating a List of References
The reference list contains all the works you cited in the text of your paper.

Discussion Phrases Guide
Papers usually end with a concluding section, often called the “Discussion.” The Discussion is your opportunity to evaluate and interpret the results of your study or paper, draw inferences and conclusions from it, and communicate its contributions to science and/or society. Use the present tense when writing the Discussion section.

Heading Levels Template
APA Style headings have five possible levels. Use this student paper template to follow heading formats.

In-text Citation Checklist
Use this checklist for each sentence in your paper that relies on another source. Remember to cite all ideas, findings, results, or other information that is not your own and is not common knowledge. It may be helpful to highlight or annotate your paper to remind yourself of what information comes from another source and what is your contribution.

Checklist for Student Papers
Use this checklist while writing your paper to make sure it is consistent with seventh edition APA Style. This checklist corresponds to the writing and formatting guidelines described in full in the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th ed.), but is useful without the text as well.

Student Paper Setup Guide
This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper.

Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list.

Title Page Guide
These guidelines should be used to create title pages for student papers. The title page needs to provide information about the paper’s topic and authors and the course to which it is being submitted.

NOTE: If instructors or institutions provide different guidance, students should abide by those directions.

Activities

Practice Formatting References
Rewrite these 30 references in correct 7th edition APA Style.
Check Your Corrections
After completing the 'Practice Formatting References' activity, review the correctly formatted references to see how you did.
Practice Paraphrasing & Citing
Complete this activity to practice your paraphrasing and citation skills.

Answers provided at the end of the activity.

APA Style Guide (7th ed.): Home