A Quick Guide on APA Style References

There are citation categories that are commonly used examples of the information used in the citation when writing an article. We have compiled a list of citation that is used chiefly as well as their examples below.

Scholars and researchers should understand the suitable format of citing different sources. Writers should write websites in different formats than books, periodicals, newspapers, films, and journals. A student may use in-text citation in research projects when using direct quotes, information is being paraphrased, or when explaining some information obtained from a different source.

Steps to follow when citing a source:

  1. Decide your source’s category, be it an anthology, a book, journal article, or online source.
  2. Gather enough information that is necessary from the source that you choose. When the source is online, the information requires more research and digging.
  3. Display the most important information the same way it looks in the example and include all punctuations and styles.
  4. Arrange citation descent alphabetical order according to the first letter of the word, which appears on the citation page at the end of a paper. You should arrange the citation after obtaining all your citations.

If you require an extensive reference list entry list and source types, you have to look at the publication manual. We have given some reference entry examples below that should be commonly used for citation purposes.

The simple arrangement that suits print books:

The format in which a print book is cited using APA style follows the given format; the author’s last name, the first initial, the publication year, the book title, the Publisher.

A single author:

Scott, W. (1996). Digitally growing up. McGraw

Many authors:

Copeland, P., and Hamer, D. (1998). Surviving with our genes. Tripplepay.

Books containing several editors:

Starks, P. (1997). Sociology (7th ed.). Wadsworth.

Electronic Book (electronic or printed book version):

The format of citing an e-book would have the following format; the author’s last name, the first initial (Year), the book’s title, and the Publisher’s name, then the URL.

Citation of APA without an author

If a source has no author’s name, the format would be as follows; the title, year, and page number. Writers should write the title in italics if it’s alone such as a report or a movie. When the source is part of a whole, the title should be written in quotation marks and not italicizing.

Running heads

The older APA format required running heads in all papers. The 7th edition is now revolutionary, whereby the student’s paper does not require a running head, while the professional paper needs the inclusion of a running head.

Cover page

The students and writers should write the cover page in the following format:

  • The page number,
  • The project’s title,
  • Author’s name,
  • The name of the institution,

Course number, the instructor’s name, the due date of the paper, and finally, the writers should include a running head if the paper is professional.

Abstract

An abstract provides a brief and thorough summary of the content of the dissertation. The students and writers should write an abstract at the opening of the writer’s work. An abstract would determine if the readers would continue reading the work. When writing an abstract, the writers and students should keep it as brief as possible. A writer must consider the purpose of the paper, use active voices and communicate the main points.

Tables and figures

When your work contains bulky numerical data or information, you may place it in tabular form. When the writers and students should organize the numbers into tables, it becomes simple to understand. Some of the information to keep in your mind when creating a table include;

  1. Placing the tables when you are done with the APA reference page or after it is mentioned,
  2. Using single spacing,
  3. Avoid fluffy information,
  4. Referencing all figures and tables,
  5. Write the title of the tables even after numbering the tables and figures.

Conclusion

APA citation is primarily written in different formats when referring to various sources. There is variation when citing a book compared to journals, newspapers, articles, and other different sources.

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