{"id":328,"date":"2025-04-17T16:35:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T16:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/apa-style\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T05:57:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T05:57:01","slug":"apa-style","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/apa-style\/","title":{"raw":"APA Documentation: Learn It 1","rendered":"APA Documentation: Learn It 1"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe general APA formatting and guidelines<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Identify the parts of APA in-text citations<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Recognize and create correct entries for an APA References page<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe APA formatting for the title page and headers<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>APA Style<\/h2>\r\n<strong>APA\u00a0<\/strong>stands for the American Psychological Association. Scholars working in the social sciences (psychology, history, political science, economics, geography, and sociology) typically use APA formatting and citation style.\r\n\r\nThe APA Style is spelled out in the\u00a0<em>Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association<\/em>, 7th edition, but the APA also maintains its own website with multiple examples of how to format your paper and cite your sources. If you\u2019re unable to find the answer to your question here, check the APA Manual 7th edition or the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APA website<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\" aria-label=\"Watch It\">This video will introduce you to the key components of citing using APA Style.\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api \"><\/script>\r\n<p class=\"cc-media-iframe-container\"><iframe id=\"tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18\" class=\"cc-media-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_fVv2Jt0o18?enablejsapi=1 \" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div id=\"3p-plugin-target-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18\" class=\"p3sdk-target\"><\/div>\r\n<p class=\"cc-media-iframe-container\"><script type='text\/javascript' src='\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/ajax.js?cc=1&cc_minimizable=1&cc_minimize_on_load=0&cc_multi_text_track=0&cc_overlay=1&cc_searchable=0&embed=ajax&mf=13494020&p3sdk_version=1.11.7&p=20361&player_type=youtube&plugin_skin=dark&target=3p-plugin-target-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18&vembed=0&video_id=_fVv2Jt0o18&video_target=tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18'><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Introduction+to+Citation+Styles+-+APA+7th+ed._transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed.\" here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/section>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3457\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"191\"]<img class=\"wp-image-3457\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4975\/2020\/04\/13133450\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-3.41.38-PM-1-208x300.png\" alt=\"Appropriate alternative text for this image can be found in the caption.\" width=\"191\" height=\"276\" \/> <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. The APA 7th Edition Publication Manual cover.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPapers constructed according to APA guidelines generally include the following elements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Title Page<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Abstract<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Body<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Subsections within the body, with headings<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Tables and Figures<\/li>\r\n \t<li>References<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn most cases, each of these elements will begin on a separate page, and it is important to note that not all academic papers will include all of these elements.\r\n\r\nFor specific types of reports, your subsections may need to be named with headings that reflect the type of report you are writing. For example, in reports on experiments or studies, you\u2019ll often need to follow the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/research\/outlining\/outlining-imrad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IMRAD,<\/a>\u00a0which stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. In this format, you present your research and discuss your methods for gathering research. Each section of the IMRAD structure can take several paragraphs to develop.\u00a0Be sure to check with your instructor to determine what the expectations are for your paper.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\" aria-label=\"Key Takeaway\">\r\n<h3>IMRAD outline<\/h3>\r\n<ol class=\"upper-roman\">\r\n \t<li>Introduction\r\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\r\n \t<li>provide research question<\/li>\r\n \t<li>explain the significance<\/li>\r\n \t<li>review of background or known information on your topic<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Methods\r\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\r\n \t<li>describe your methods for gathering information<\/li>\r\n \t<li>explain your sources of information, both primary and secondary<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Results\r\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\r\n \t<li>describe what you found out from your research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>develop each point thoroughly, as this is the main section of your research paper<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Discussion\r\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\r\n \t<li>explain the significance of your findings<\/li>\r\n \t<li>describe how they support your thesis<\/li>\r\n \t<li>discuss limitations of your research<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/section>The APA style demos in this section will provide you with more information regarding APA basic formatting, in-text citations, and the references list.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\" aria-label=\"Watch It\">Watch this video to get a basic feel for what is expected in APA style.<iframe src=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=426\" width=\"800\" height=\"470\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/APAOverviewSeventhEdition_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"APA Overview Seventh Edition\" here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/section><section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">[ohm2_question]34501[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\n<ul>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe general APA formatting and guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Identify the parts of APA in-text citations<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Recognize and create correct entries for an APA References page<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-sheets-root=\"1\">Describe APA formatting for the title page and headers<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h2>APA Style<\/h2>\n<p><strong>APA\u00a0<\/strong>stands for the American Psychological Association. Scholars working in the social sciences (psychology, history, political science, economics, geography, and sociology) typically use APA formatting and citation style.<\/p>\n<p>The APA Style is spelled out in the\u00a0<em>Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association<\/em>, 7th edition, but the APA also maintains its own website with multiple examples of how to format your paper and cite your sources. If you\u2019re unable to find the answer to your question here, check the APA Manual 7th edition or the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">APA website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\" aria-label=\"Watch It\">This video will introduce you to the key components of citing using APA Style.<br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"cc-media-iframe-container\"><iframe id=\"tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18\" class=\"cc-media-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_fVv2Jt0o18?enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"3p-plugin-target-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18\" class=\"p3sdk-target\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"cc-media-iframe-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/ajax.js?cc=1&#38;cc_minimizable=1&#38;cc_minimize_on_load=0&#38;cc_multi_text_track=0&#38;cc_overlay=1&#38;cc_searchable=0&#38;embed=ajax&#38;mf=13494020&#38;p3sdk_version=1.11.7&#38;p=20361&#38;player_type=youtube&#38;plugin_skin=dark&#38;target=3p-plugin-target-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18&#38;vembed=0&#38;video_id=_fVv2Jt0o18&#38;video_target=tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/Introduction+to+Citation+Styles+-+APA+7th+ed._transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed.&#8221; here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/section>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3457\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3457\" style=\"width: 191px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3457\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4975\/2020\/04\/13133450\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-30-at-3.41.38-PM-1-208x300.png\" alt=\"Appropriate alternative text for this image can be found in the caption.\" width=\"191\" height=\"276\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. The APA 7th Edition Publication Manual cover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Papers constructed according to APA guidelines generally include the following elements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Title Page<\/li>\n<li>Abstract<\/li>\n<li>Body<\/li>\n<li>Subsections within the body, with headings<\/li>\n<li>Tables and Figures<\/li>\n<li>References<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In most cases, each of these elements will begin on a separate page, and it is important to note that not all academic papers will include all of these elements.<\/p>\n<p>For specific types of reports, your subsections may need to be named with headings that reflect the type of report you are writing. For example, in reports on experiments or studies, you\u2019ll often need to follow the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/research\/outlining\/outlining-imrad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IMRAD,<\/a>\u00a0which stands for Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. In this format, you present your research and discuss your methods for gathering research. Each section of the IMRAD structure can take several paragraphs to develop.\u00a0Be sure to check with your instructor to determine what the expectations are for your paper.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\" aria-label=\"Key Takeaway\">\n<h3>IMRAD outline<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"upper-roman\">\n<li>Introduction\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\n<li>provide research question<\/li>\n<li>explain the significance<\/li>\n<li>review of background or known information on your topic<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Methods\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\n<li>describe your methods for gathering information<\/li>\n<li>explain your sources of information, both primary and secondary<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Results\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\n<li>describe what you found out from your research.<\/li>\n<li>develop each point thoroughly, as this is the main section of your research paper<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Discussion\n<ol class=\"lower-alpha\">\n<li>explain the significance of your findings<\/li>\n<li>describe how they support your thesis<\/li>\n<li>discuss limitations of your research<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<p>The APA style demos in this section will provide you with more information regarding APA basic formatting, in-text citations, and the references list.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox watchIt\" aria-label=\"Watch It\">Watch this video to get a basic feel for what is expected in APA style.<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&amp;id=426\" width=\"800\" height=\"470\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/wp-content\/plugins\/h5p\/h5p-php-library\/js\/h5p-resizer.js\" charset=\"UTF-8\"><\/script>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/English+Comp\/Transcripts\/APAOverviewSeventhEdition_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;APA Overview Seventh Edition&#8221; here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/section>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm34501\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=34501&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm34501&source=tnh&show_question_numbers\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"menu_order":23,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"APA Style\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior College Online Writing Lab\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/apa-style\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"IMRAD Outline\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Excelsior College Online Writing Lab\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/research\/outlining\/outlining-imrad\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed.\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"CSUDH Library\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_fVv2Jt0o18\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":308,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":[{"type":"cc","description":"APA Style","author":"","organization":"Excelsior College Online Writing Lab","url":"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/citation-and-documentation\/apa-style\/","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"cc","description":"IMRAD Outline","author":"","organization":"Excelsior College Online Writing Lab","url":"https:\/\/owl.excelsior.edu\/research\/outlining\/outlining-imrad\/","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":""},{"type":"copyrighted_video","description":"Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th ed.","author":"","organization":"CSUDH Library","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_fVv2Jt0o18","project":"","license":"arr","license_terms":"Standard YouTube License"}],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"<script type='text\/javascript' src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/iframe_api'><\/script><script type='text\/javascript' src='\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/ajax.js?cc=1&cc_minimizable=1&cc_minimize_on_load=0&cc_multi_text_track=0&cc_overlay=1&cc_searchable=0&embed=ajax&mf=13494020&p3sdk_version=1.11.7&p=20361&player_type=youtube&plugin_skin=dark&target=3p-plugin-target-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18&vembed=0&video_id=_fVv2Jt0o18&video_target=tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18'><\/script>\n","media_targets":["tpm-plugin-gfhdffhd-_fVv2Jt0o18"]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/328"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3226,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/328\/revisions\/3226"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/308"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/328\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=328"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=328"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}