One of the most popular citation styles used for academic writing, specifically in the social sciences, is the American Psychological Association (APA) style. In October 2019, the APA 7th Edition of the APA manual was introduced, which revised these rules to simplify and clarify citing for researchers and students. In this blog, we will discuss the basics of APA formatting, what it means for the 7th edition, and some tips about formatting and citations in Word for 2024.
What is APA Format?
The established rules for scholarly writing to be used in all areas and by all writers are given by the American Psychological Association (APA) format. It covers in-text citations, headings, references, and everything, including paper structure. It favours clarity, uniformity, and a professional appearance in written academic research example. APA style is primarily used in the field of psychology. It has also gained popularity in sociology, education, and many other social sciences, but it is not confined to them. Students and researchers must adhere to publication guidelines to understand and master the APA format.
In 2011, the 7th Edition of APA was released. The APA Publication Manual was last updated in 2019 and is the most recent revision, the 7th edition. They changed the formatting rules to make it much more user-friendly and streamlined. These changes are meant to adapt to technological advances, like citing social media, podcast episodes, and other digital content.
Critical updates in the 7th edition include:
1: Student vs. Professional Papers
This edition clearly distinguishes between students’ needs (e.g., no running head) and those of professional papers (e.g., the running head is included).
2: Font Choices
With the 7th edition, you can use a wider variety of fonts. Students can now pick from unique fonts such as Times New Roman (12 pt), Calibri (11 pt), or Arial (11 pt).
3: Number of Authors in Citations
When a source (e.g., an article, book, or Web site) has from one to 20 known authors, especially if fewer than 10 are given, list all the authors in the reference entry for in-text citations. When there are more than 21 authors, the first 19 are provided, followed by an ellipsis and the last author’s name.
4: Inclusive Language
We encourage the use of gender-neutral pronouns, such as “they,” instead of “he” or “she” when possible.
This is the APA 7th Edition paper formatting.
General Guidelines For Formatting APS 7th Edition Using Word
Here is a general guide to formatting a document in APA 7th referencing edition using Word:
1. Title Page
If you are writing a student paper, the front page should have the paper’s title (bold and centered), the author’s name, the institution affiliation, the course name and number, the instructor’s name, and the date the paper is due. Everything on this page is to be double-spaced. Professional thesis writing papers include a running head at the top of the page (e.g., “RUNNING HEAD: omitted from student papers unless specified by the instructor.
2. (Optional for Students) Abstract
An abstract is a 150-—to 250-word summary of the paper’s content. It appears on the page after the title page.
3. Headings and Subheadings
Have a clear hierarchy with 5 levels of heading. The first level is centered and bold; further levels are left-aligned, indented, or italicized, depending on the section.
4. Font and Margins
The 7th edition allows more flexibility in font choices: The fonts are Times New Roman (12 pt), Calibri (11 pt), Arial (11 pt), and Georgia (11 pt). Use fonts consistently throughout your document. All side margins should be at 1 inch.
5. Page Numbers and Running Head
Every page should include the page number in the top right corner. The running head of professional papers should be a shortened version in all caps, aligned to the left (no more than 50 characters long). A running head is not required on student papers.
6. Reference List
This is followed by the reference list, which starts on a new page. At the top of the page, title the section “References” in bold and centred. Each reference entry should be hung under the preceding line. This results in the first line flush left, and all others are indented 0.5 inches. The reference list is double-spaced.
APA 7th edition In-Text Citations
Citing sources in your paper in the text is essential in acknowledging the sources (references). In the APA citation system, the author’s name and the year of publication are included in parentheses in the text.
1. Basic Format
For a direct quote: (Author, Year, p. #)
For a paraphrase: (Author, Year)
Example: (Smith, 2020; or Smith, 2020, p. 23)
2. Multiple Authors
For two authors, an ampersand (&) can be used: (Smith & Jones, 2020)
For three or more authors: use: (Smith et al., 2020), where the first author’s name is followed by et al.
3. Citing Web Sources
For a webpage without a date, use (n.d.): (Smith, n.d.)
If there is no author, use the title of the work: (“Article Title,” 2020)
4. Secondary Citations
If you reference a source mentioned in another work, use the phrase “as cited in” :
As cited in Jones (2021), (Smith, 2020).
Word Formatting Tips (2024)
1: Use Styles
Word’s built-in “Styles” can help you set your headings, body text, and reference list to a standard format. The styles can be modified to suit APA guidelines.
2: Hanging Indents for References
To highlight your reference list, right-click, choose Paragraph, and set your Indentation under Special to Hanging.
3: Automate Citations
Adding citations and creating a bibliography is done through Word’s “References” tab. This is a time- and error-saving feature.
4: Use the APA Template
APA Templates are also available in Microsoft Word to help you pre-format your document to meet APA requirements.
CONCLUSION
Writing academic papers is a mandatory skill, and you must master using the APA 7th edition format and citations. By formatting your titles, headings, references, and citations correctly, you can be sure that your work meets academic standards. This process becomes more accessible with this feature in Word’s built-in tools like Harvard reference generator which help you concentrate on your content rather than formatting details. As always, check the APA manual for any specific questions about rules regarding formatting and citation.
