Assignment Help : A Brief Guide for Using APA Referencing Style
However, if you eventually require to further cite a webpage or a blog that isn’t actually published in the print and a forum post that too in the APA format then you’ve to basically come to the correct place and all you have to do is need to further follow all the simple steps in order to format all the basic information rightly and also keep in the mind that the books or the articles have been published online and should be eventually cited in the same manner just like printed books or magazines. There are different papers and reports that are further written in the social sciences that are used in the APA i.e. the American Psychological Association citation style. Basically, all of the sources usually refer in your paper and report is further listed in the reference list at the end of the paper and in the alphabetical order by the surname of the author in specific. Basically, the author’s name and also the year of the publication are further used in reference to the reader.
- Generally, when one is basically writing an essay or an article and one uses other’s ideas then it is important to give them credibility. Even if you’re putting up their ideas in their own words still it is important to give them the credibility by initially citing the resource in particular.
- So, if you don’t give them the credibility then that means you are not producing original content and it is eventually dishonest and one can have to face consequences as well. The APA format was majorly established by the American Psychological organization for the academic in the social science to use.
- It usually encompasses the basic style of writing and not just the citation because there will be a restricted mode too. APA the American Psychological Association style is considered to be most commonly used in order to cite different sources in the social sciences itself.
- The major resource is further revised according to the latest addition following the general format of the APA research paper and adding the endnotes with footnotes and also the reference page.
APA General Guidelines
Your essay should be typed and also double spaced basically on the standard size paper with 1” margin on all the sides respectively. One should use a concise font that is of high quality because the APA recommends using the 12 pt. Times new roman font in particular.
Involve the page header at the top of each page to further draft the page header and also insert a page number then type the title of your paper in the header by using capital letters so that it is highly readable. The running head should be shortened version of the paper’s title because it cannot basically exceed up to 50 characters involving the space and punctuation in specific.
APA citation basics
While using the APA format you need to follow the author-date procedure in the text citation because this eventually means that the author’s last name and also the year of publication for the source shall be in the text. Also, add a complete referencing at the end of the paper. If you are basically referring to any kind of specific idea from other work but not giving the credits or reference to that particular book or work then you have to make the reference to the author and also provide with the year of publication about the page number in the text reference. This is because all of the sources eventually are cited in the text might appear in the reference list at the end of the paper in particular.
- What do you mean by behavioral science? - It is the study of human and animal behavior and it involves Psychology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science.
- What do you mean by social science? - It basically focuses on the specific concept of human behavior involving social and cultural relationships. It involves Sociology, Political science, Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Archaeology, Linguistics.
There are different fields and subject areas that use this style and other different formats as well but if you’re not sure about the style you can ask your instructor as he or she can assist you with the same. While basically writing a research paper it is considered to be quite important to give the credits and also give recommendations as well that might acknowledge the ideas and the research that one has used in their project or work. If you don’t consider it then you might fail because it is important to cite the styles to prevent any kind of plagiarism.
Writing and structuring the paper in an essential way
It basically guides you to focus on the paper length and how to design the format headings and wordings as desired.
- Paper length - So APA style format is basically used in the scientific field, you need to make sure to get you all the points across in a clear and concise way. You need to be direct, concise and expert while doing the same. Make sure you don’t add fluff or any kind of irrelevant details of the paper and writing because this might keep the paper length short and concise at the same time.
- Making use of headings properly - Basically heading serve and significant purpose because they further organize the paper and make it quite simple to further locate the numerous pieces of details. Headings effectively offer the readers with the major glimpse about the topic content that they might read.
Here are the top five levels that should be involved with different purposes and sizes:-
- The big heading size
- Title of the paper
- Should be centered in the middle of the paper
- It should be in bold
- Make use of the appropriate uppercase and lowercase letters wherever necessary
- Level 2
- Shall be quite small than the title
- Heading it against the left margin
- Make use of the bold letters
- Make use of uppercase and lowercase letters where ever compulsory
- Level 3
- Shall be small than in level 2
- Concave shape from the left side margin
- Make use of bold font and letters
- Place an uppercase letter at the very first word in the heading. All other shall be in lowercase. The exceptions are always there.
- Level 4
- Shall be small than level 3
- Sunken from the left margin
- Make use of the bold letters
- Italicize the font
- Place an uppercase letter for the first word and all others should be in the lowercase. The exceptions are allowed.
- Level 5
- Should have the smallest heading in the paper
- Shall be Sunken
- The font should be Italicized
- Place the uppercase letter on the first word of the heading and rest remain in the lowercase. The exceptions can be made.
Things to be added to the APA Reference List
In the APA reference list, all of the recommended sources shall be indented basically from the second line onwards. This is because in the reference list sources are quite listed alphabetically by the author’s surname. There are multiple citations by the same author because then this would be further listed sequentially by the basic year of publication.
One can eventually cite the sources directly and indirectly. There are basically two main types of the citation in the APA referencing in the text citations that are basically found in the main part of the work and further contain the basic fraction of the bibliographical representation and other different reference lists It is basically located at the end of the main work and also at the same time list full details about the sources that are further mentioned at the end of the paper specifically.
Method 1 - Creating an in-text citation for the book in APA format itself
Search for the author - Although, the author might be considered to go out of the book and on the title page. It is fine if there is no more than one author because it is nothing to do with the title or book.
Look for the publication date of the book - So, the publication date is considered to be on the back side of the title page and make sure you make use of the most recent date indeed.
Select how you will draft the in-text citation - Basically, you might have at least two basic paths that one might make a citation and one can eventually name them at the starting of each and every sentence. You need to notice that this is basically an example or an illustration. But the alternative way can eventually make an in-text citation and to basically put up a citation at the back side of the sentence without basically referring the author. This might eventually solve the case as the author and the date might be divided by a comma in particular.
Cite different authors if your novel was written by more than one person - So, if you have two or more than two authors all you can do is separate the authors’ last names or with the commas. There are other different versions as well but it usually works accordingly.
Draft the page number for the direct quote - You might eventually require the page number for some of the illustrations in order to explain the information. One must eventually have the page number while using the direct quote. You can at the same time cite all the information in two different ways and put the page number at the end of the sentences and involve the introduction and date too in the starting itself.
You need to make sure in order to put up the punctuation in the right place - In order to make an in-text citation that too with the direct quote that too at the end of the quotation mark might come prior the citation and further followed by the period.
Method 2 - Creating an APA citation in the referring list
Start with the author’s name - So, just like the in-text citation one needs to begin your reference list citation with the author in specific and when you eventually make the citation in the referring list then you might eventually require the author’s initials too and the put the author’s surname first and then put comma and other different initials in specific.
Addition of the date of publication to the citation - So, at the very next step you can eventually put the date in the parenthesis and then end it with a period.
Draft the full title of the book - So, now you’ll be going to further add the title of the book and unlike the topics in other different citations in APA one eventually capitalize the very first word of topic with the first word of the subtitle and in order to further introduce the subtitle and then make use of the colon. Although, all the words are involved in the title are basically in a good
Draft the state and city where the book was published - So, the city of publication is considered to be the title page and the back of the title page and if there are different cities then one need to pick the one that is close to where you are basically and further make use of the postal abbreviation for the city or state and don’t make use of the periods that much in between the letters but do make use of the comma in between the city and the state because it is specific.
Addition of the name of the company for the citation - You needs to place a colon in between the state majorly that the book is about to published or is published and the name of that particular publishing company.
Method 3 - Arranging citations on the computer
Identification of the execution notch - One of the specific things you need to worry is about the identification of the citations in the referring list and to further make the execution notch and this also means that the beginning of each and every citation might be all the way in the margin and further will be indented.
You need to assure that all the citations have this identification of the notch - In order to create the execution notch one needs to highlight all the set of the citations and then further make use of the ruler bar at the very top of the page and then click on the bottom arrow and also move it over at the same time.
You can make use of the double space for the reference - In order to make sure that your page is further doubled spaced one need to highlight the text and then press the button on it.
Therefore, the APA style is considered to be the writing style and also the format for the academic documents also known as the journal article and book and it is commonly used for the citing sources in the field of the social sciences. It is further defined as the style guide of the American Psychological Association that is further titled by the publication manual of APA in specific. The major guidelines are further built in order to help the reading comprehension in the social and the behavioral sciences for the basic clarity of the communication. Hence, this APA style is most widely used in other different scientific journals and in most of the textbooks or in the academics too. Also, with the AMA style and also other CSE style it is considered to be one of the major styles for this kind of work in major.
