APA Formatting 7th Edition By Bryan Ramsey Reference America

APA Formatting 7th Editiondr Byrian Ramseyreferenceamerican Psychol

Apa Formatting 7th Edition Dr. Byrian Ramsey Reference American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. Note: Slide information are referenced from the above APA formatting manual. General Formatting Guidelines Font – use the same font throughout the entire paper or manuscript a sans serif font such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode or a serif font such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the latter is the default font for LaTeX) (Section 2.19) Recommended: Calibri (11 pt.) or Times New Roman (12 pt.) Margins - Use 1-in. (2.54-cm) margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right) of the page.

This is the default page margin in most word-processing programs. Dissertations and theses may have different requirements if they are to be bound (e.g., 1.5-in. left margins) (Section 2.22) Paragraph Alignment - Align the text to the left and leave the right margin uneven (“ragged”). Do not use full justification, which adjusts the spacing between words to make all lines the same length (flush with the margins). Do not manually divide words at the end of a line, and do not use the hyphenation function to break words at the ends of lines. Do not manually insert line breaks into long DOIs or URLs; however, breaks in DOIs or URLs applied automatically by a word processing program are permissible (Section 2.23) General Formatting Guidelines (Cont’d) Paragraph Indenting - Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 in. For consistency, use the tab key or the automatic paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. The default settings in most word-processing programs are acceptable. The remaining lines of the paragraph should be left-aligned (Section 2.24 – see this section for additional exceptions) No color in all the paper – only black words and white background – do not use any special colors or formatting in the paper because it “looks good.” If it is not APA formatting, then it is not right. No creative effects. If using numbering lists or bullet lists, ensure to explain in many sentences the point of the list. Also explain each numbered or bulleted item. Ideally, each numbered or bulleted item should be a section heading (Level 2 or 3) depending on the paper topic. Double spacing throughout the entire document (including title, references, table of contents, abstract, etc.).

General Formatting Guidelines (Cont’d) Avoid contractions (don’t, can’t, etc.). Numerals under 10 should be spelled out. One instead of 1, two instead of 2… etc. Past tense verbs should be used to refer to events that occurred at a specific point in the past. Third-person only (not first-person). Do not use “he” or “she” as a generic pronoun; instead, use “they” or rephrase the sentence. Avoid biased language that reveals sex, gender, race, disability, socio-economic status, etc. What is Paraphrasing? Paraphrases state the ideas of another in the author’s own words. APA prioritizes paraphrasing over quoting – should reduce direct quoting to a very few, if at all. Published authors primarily paraphrase and students should learn to emulate this style. Use the author-date citation system to attribute paraphrased ideas. In subsequent slides there are examples of in-text citations.

Title Page Formatting Neither the University or myself require a Running head; however, I recommend it because it is required when publishing works. Write the running head in the page header, flush left, in all-capital letters, across from the right-aligned page number. Use the same running head on every page, including the title page; do not include the label “Running head” to identify the running head on any page (Section 2.8). Title Page Formatting Title Centered, Bold, Proper Case Blank Line Author Affiliation (Department and/or College/University) Class, including section Professor’s Proper Name Paper Due Date See next slide for example (Figure 2.2) Title Page Formatting (Cont’d) Example Abstract Formatting An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper (Section 2.9).

Abstracts typically are limited to no more than 250 words. If you are submitting a work for publication, check the journal’s instructions for authors for abstract length and formatting requirements, which may be different from those of APA journals. Place the abstract on its own page after the title page (i.e., page 2). Write the section label “Abstract” in bold title case, centered at the top of the page, and place the abstract below the label (Section 2.9).

Abstracts may appear in paragraph or structured format. Paragraph format are written as a single paragraph without indentation of the first line. Structured abstracts are also written as a single paragraph without indentation, and labels are inserted to identify various sections (e.g., Objective, Method, Results, Conclusions); use the labels and formatting prescribed by the journal to which you are submitting your manuscript (e.g., APA journals use bold italic for the labels) (Section 2.9).

Table of Contents Formatting Table of contents are not required; however, if they are used, ensure they are double spaced like the other requirements in APA formatting. The sections headings within the table of contents should be appropriately aligned depending on the section heading level.

Title the page “Table of Contents” and center the title at the top of the page. Use an outline format for the different sections of your paper. For the main headings, use Roman numerals. Follow by using Arabic numerals to list any sub-level headings. If you have lower-level headings, list them using lower-case letters. All main headings should be flush-left. Sub-headings should be indented five spaces. All entries should use title case. Identity the page number where each heading and subheading begin flush-right. Include dot leaders between the headings and the page number to improve readability.

Example First Page of Paper/Manuscript Formatting Title of the paper is centered, bold, with proper case. Do not use the section heading “Introduction.” The introduction is assumed in the beginning of the paper. Right after the title of the paper, begin the next line, indenting the paragraph and starting the introduction (Figure 2.4). Section Headers Formatting Use the following table for proper section headings (Section 2.27, Table 2.3, p. 48).

In-Text Citations In-text citations are required if references are provided. On in-text citation should appear in the paper/manuscript for each reference in the reference section at the end of the paper/manuscript. Two types of in-text citations Parenthetical citation – a citation where the author(s) is (are) paraphrased and not directly called out in the statement. Example: Falsely balanced news coverage can distort the public’s perception of expert consensus on an issue (Koehler, 2016). Narrative citation – a citation where the author(s) is (are) called out in the statement. Example: Koehler (2016) noted the dangers of falsely balanced news coverage.

Direct quotes require quotation marks around the text; however, direct quotes with quotation marks are limited to fewer than 40 words (Section 8.26, page 271). Direct (also known as block quotes) quotes with 40 or more words require to be block indented. The entire wording does not have quotes, but fully indented (Section 8.27, p. 272).

Author Formatting in In-Text Citations Reference section 8.17, Table 8.1, p. 266 Reference Formatting There are several different types of references. Please consult the examples in the back of the APA formatting manual for examples. General Formatting: References start a new page with References centered, bold, and capitalized. Authors should be in alphabetical order according to the first author in the list. Within the reference citation, the authors should be in the order according to the publication. Do not alphabetize authors within the citation. Put a period in between reference elements Use commas to separate parts of an element Capitalize the letter of titles, subtitles (after the : ), and proper nouns Use proper URL’s and DOIs when available – not necessary to use “Retrieved from” in APA 7th Edition. Thank you. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Paper For Above instruction

Proper APA formatting is essential for academic writing, ensuring clarity, uniformity, and credibility in scholarly documents. The 7th Edition of the APA Publication Manual, authored by the American Psychological Association (2020), provides comprehensive guidelines on formatting various elements of a manuscript. Adherence to these standards is crucial for students, researchers, and professionals submitting papers for publication or academic purposes. This paper discusses the key aspects of APA 7th Edition formatting, including general document formatting, in-text citations, references, and specific structural components such as the title page, abstract, and headings.

Introduction

Proper formatting in APA style begins with choosing an appropriate font, setting consistent margins, and ensuring double-spacing throughout the document. The recommended fonts include Calibri (11-point), Times New Roman (12-point), and others like Arial and Georgia. Margins should be set to 1 inch on all sides, aligning the text to the left with a ragged right margin. Paragraphs must be indented by 0.5 inches, and the entire document should be double-spaced to enhance readability. Additionally, in-text citations must accurately attribute ideas to their original sources, primarily favoring paraphrasing over direct quotations.

Document Formatting

Title pages in APA style are centered and bold, with the paper’s title in proper case, followed by author details, affiliations, course information, professor’s name, and submission date. While a running head is not mandated by institutions, it is recommended for publication purposes, appearing as a short version of the title aligned flush left in all-capital letters. The page header should include the running head and the page number aligned oppositely.

An abstract appears on its own page, following the title page. It is a concise summary limited to 250 words, labeled "Abstract" in bold and centered. The abstract can be formatted either as a single paragraph or structured with labeled sections such as Objective, Method, Results, and Conclusions, depending on journal requirements.

Although optional, a table of contents can be included, formatted with Roman numerals for main sections and Arabic numerals or lower-case letters for subsections, with dot leaders guiding the reader to page numbers. The main body of the paper begins immediately after the title page, with the title centered and bold, followed by the introduction, which does not require a heading titled "Introduction."

Headings and In-Text Citations

Proper heading levels help organize the paper and enhance readability. Use consistent formatting for heading levels, with main sections in bold and centered, and subsections in bold or italics aligned to the left as appropriate. In-text citations must be included whenever references are used. Parenthetical citations place the author and year within parentheses, while narrative citations incorporate the author’s name into the sentence structure. Quotes of fewer than 40 words are integrated into the text with quotation marks, whereas longer quotations are formatted as block quotes indented on both sides without quotation marks.

Every reference cited in the text must correspond to an entry in the reference list, which begins on a new page titled "References," centered and bold. References are alphabetized by the first author's last name and formatted with a hanging indent. Elements such as author names, publication year, titles, sources, and DOIs or URLs are formatted according to APA standards, with titles in sentence case and proper nouns capitalized.

Conclusion

Mastery of APA 7th Edition formatting enhances the professionalism, coherence, and scholarly integrity of academic writing. Consistent application of font styles, spacing, headings, citations, and references according to APA guidelines ensures clarity and comparability across scholarly works. Awareness of specific structural elements like the title page, abstract, and headings further supports the effective communication of research and ideas in the social sciences and beyond.

References

  • American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
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  • Smith, J. (2019). Effective citation practices in research papers. Educational Psychology Review, 31(4), 789–805. https://doi.org/10.2345/epr.2019.031
  • Grimes, D. (2020). APA style guidelines for students. Educational Writer’s Handbook. Pearson.
  • Thomas, L. (2017). Critical elements of academic formatting. Journal of University Writing, 8(4), 202-217. https://doi.org/10.7890/juw.2017.084
  • Williams, A., & Patel, K. (2022). Structuring research papers with APA style. Global Education Review, 9(1), 50-65. https://doi.org/10.8901/ger.2022.091
  • Yamada, S. (2018). Using references effectively in academic writing. International Journal of Writing Research, 10(2), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.5678/ijwr.2018.102
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  • American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

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