Introduction APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association[N1]. APA is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and the social sciences. APA style originated in a 1929 article published in Psychological Bulletin that outlined basic guidelines. These guidelines were eventually expanded into the APA Publication Manual. So why is the APA format so important in psychology and other social sciences? By using APA style, researchers and students writing about psychology are able to communicate information about their ideas and experiences in a coherent format. Sticking to a consistent style lets readers know what they're looking for when reading journal articles and other forms of psychological writing. If you've never taken a psychology or social sciences course before, you're probably used to using a different style guide, such as MLA or Chicago style. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay New students are often surprised to find that after spending years having another formatting style imposed on them, many College-level courses instead require APA Style. This can be a difficult transition, especially if you have to bounce between different styles for different classes of content. There are 4 main sections of your paper: 1. Title Page Your title page should contain a heading, title, author name, and academic affiliation. The purpose of your title page is to let the reader quickly know what your article is about and who it was written by. Learn more about writing a title page in APA 2. Abstract An abstract is a brief summary of your paper that immediately follows your title page. According to APA format, your abstract should be no longer than 150 to 250 words, although this may vary depending on the specific publication or instructor requirements. Learn more about writing an abstract in APA format. 3. The main body. For something like an essay, the main body of your paper will include the essay itself. If you are writing a lab report, your main body will be divided into additional sections. The four main elements of a laboratory report include an introduction, method, results, and discussion sections. 4 Reference The reference section of your article will include a list of all the sources you used in your article. If you have cited information anywhere in your article, it should be properly referenced in this section. A general rule to remember is that any source cited in your article must be included in your reference section, and any source listed in your reference section must also be mentioned somewhere in your article. How to Manage In-Text Citations in APA When writing your article, it is important to include in-text citations that identify where you found the information you are using. Such notations are called in-text citations, and APA format requires that when you cite in APA format in the text of your article, you use the author's name followed by the publication date. For example, if you were to cite Sigmund Freud's book The Interpretation of Dreams, you would use the following format: (Freud, 1900). The detailed source information should then appear in your reference section. Important Tips for APA Style Reference Pages Your Referencesmust start on a new page. Title the new page “References” and center the title text at the top of the page. All entries should be listed alphabetically. The first line of a reference must be flush with the left margin. Each additional line must be indented (usually done using the TAB key.) While earlier versions of APA format required only a single space after each sentence, the new sixth edition of the style manual now recommends two spaces. The reference section should be double-spaced. All cited sources must appear in the text and on the reference page. Any reference that appears in the text of your report or article should be cited on the reference page, and anything that appears on your reference page should also be included somewhere in the body of your text. Titles of books, journals, magazines and newspapers must appear in italics. The exact format of each individual reference may vary somewhat depending on whether you are referring to one or more authors, to a book or journal article, or to an electronic source. It is helpful to spend time reviewing the specific requirements of each reference type before formatting your list of sources. Some Additional Helpful Resources If you have difficulty with APA format or are looking for a good way to collect and organize your references while you work on your research, consider using a free APA citation machine. These online tools can help generate referenced APA style, but always remember to check each one for accuracy. Purchasing your own copy of the official publication manual of the American Psychological Association is a great way to learn more about APA format and have a handy resource for checking your own work. Reviewing APA format examples can also be very helpful. Although APA format may seem complex, it will become easier once you become familiar with the rules and format. The general format may be similar for many papers, but your instructor may have specific requirements that vary depending on whether you are writing an essay or a research paper. In addition to your reference page, your instructor may also require you to maintain and submit a bibliography in APA format. Basics Your list of works cited from the article on a new page with the title centered. References Alphabetize your list entries by the author's last name, using the letter-by-letter system (ignore spaces and other punctuation.) Only the initials of the first and middle names are given. If the author's name is unknown, alphabetize the title, ignoring the A, An, or The. For dates, spell out the names of the months in the text of your article, but abbreviate them in the works cited list, except May, June, and July. Use either the day-month-year style (July 22, 1999) or the month-day-year style (July 22, 1999) and be consistent. With the month-day-year style, be sure to add a comma after the year unless another punctuation mark is placed there. should start at the end. Underlining or italics When reports were written on typewriters, the names of publications were underlined because most typewriters had no way of printing italics. If you are writing a bibliography by hand, you must still underline the names of the publications. But if you are using a computer, the post names should be italicized as they are below. Always check with your instructor about their preference for using italics or underlining...