essay in apa format

essay in apa format

The Importance of APA Format in Academic Writing

1. Introduction to APA Format

APA (American Psychological Association) format provides writers with a set of guidelines to create a consistently formatted document. These guidelines tell writers how to format their title page, cite references, display statistics in figures and tables, and create headings. Following APA guidelines may help students in several ways. For the abstract, write a 150-250 word summary of the paper on the second page. When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author’s last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example, (Jones, 1998), and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

When you reference or quote a user’s post in an initial discussion post, the response should include citations when using the person’s words to support the user’s message. However, when you are making a general comment, you won’t need to provide citations. In other words, don’t be intimidated in recognizing and crediting the sources of your discussion posts! When you are reviewing the work of colleagues and using their ideas to support your point or expand your thoughts, you should cite those references.

2. Key Elements of APA Formatting

The most unique element of APA style is the appearance of the title page and the running head at the top. A shortened version of the work’s title should appear on the top left flush. The page number should start from the excerpt and flush left. The affiliation should also appear on the title page, providing the author’s name, professional title, and address. Also, the author’s note and different author notes can appear. There might be different departments that should be noted in the paper. Maybe a different author actually performed the work, a different address has been applied for regarding correspondence, or different author notes need to be added. So, noting the author’s contributions, name changes, and changes in names for several affiliations need to be addressed. Moreover, the unique aspect of the abstract is that it provides information on what readers can find in the body of the work.

Overall, the style has five primary areas: the title page, abstract, main body, and references. Importantly, each of them has unique aspects that writers must consider. The most unique element of the title page is the addition of the running head at the top. This is to ensure that the title becomes visible on each page of the work. It is similar to the abstract because it provides information about what readers will find in the work. It is the first real indicator of a paper’s content. The abstract, however, provides some concrete information about a paper’s components. Both the structure and length of the abstract differ from the main part of the essay. Within the main body of the writing, there are several requirements. Following the abstract, there is the appearance of in-text citations and appendices if it is necessary. The select format also has guidelines for references. Format should follow the author/date method, providing an alphabetized list of references.

3. Citing Sources in APA Style

For interviews, email, or other forms of personal communication, cite the interview only in the text, with the name and date. These sources are not included in the reference list.

Websites In-text citation: (Smith, 2008), (Smith, 2008) Reference entry: Author, A. A. (Publication date). Title of work. Retrieved from

Journal Articles In-text citation: (Smith, 2008), (Smith, 2008). Reference entry: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages. (Smith, 2000)

Books and Articles (APA style) In-text citation: (Author, date), as in (Smith, 2008) or (Smith & Jones, 2009). Reference entry: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher. (Smith, 2000)

Citing sources in academic writing is an expected and, in some cases, legally required practice. It is also a time-honored way to avoid plagiarizing the work of others. APA (the American Psychological Association) is the preferred standard for many academic disciplines, especially in the social and natural sciences. The following are some examples of in-text citations and references for various formats.

4. Formatting the Reference List

Book: Jones, G. (2003). Teaching with Electronic Portfolios: Surmounting the Obstacles. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Start your reference list on a new page at the end of your paper, list the reference(s) by author’s surname but do not guarantee to capitalize the title of the reference. Indent the second and all subsequent lines of each reference. For example:

The reference list is the last section of the paper, following the appendices and any material that you decide to include. The reference list is at the end of a paper and is the full list of sources that you have cited, paraphrased, or summarized within the body of your paper. Your reference list is designed to provide readers with information about the sources you discussed in your work. You do not label it “References” or “Works Cited.” The title is simply “Reference List.” In APA, the section title is actually “References.”

5. Tips for Mastering APA Format

By mastering the APA style, students can support the accurate presentation of a paper. Each concept used within the report must be listed in the reference list. The list is organized into distinct parts, assigned outline numbers, and feat headings in the comparable arrangement. If a term used and distinguished in the report seems doubtful, it is vital that the term be outlined. If tables and figures make the paper distant, it is vital to determine how to include the table and figure details in the records. APA formatting can be somewhat difficult for the student’s eyes, so it is recommended that he/she take advantage of an expert and brilliant writer who will proofread the articles before the substance is submitted for grading.

The style combines the necessary standards of innovative writing with technology. The format is reader-friendly and was constructed to eradicate the difficulty in the creation of research paper writing. (website name) offers students and researchers all-around assistance to cope with the APA format. It’s organized to assist students in all areas of the essay writing process, including proper formatting of cover sheets, in-text citations, and reference pages.

APA format is a specific writing style endorsed by the American Psychological Association. Scholars in social sciences and various social and behavioral fields insist on using APA style. The APA encourages attribution to others’ work and private ideas, even when the students are not focused on the purpose of the critique.