What are the two main purpose of using APA style?

It is nearly impossible to escape college without writing at least one essay or research paper, and likely many more. That is why it’s vital to understand the importance of citation or citing your sources. It not only keeps you organized, but it can protect you from potential problems. APA Style, or American Psychological Association, is the standard format for almost all social science research fields. It was designed to standardize scientific writing.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
Citation helps the author avoid plagiarism and the serious consequences that come alone with it. If you use others ideas, research or findings without citing them you are essentially taking credit for their work, which is viewed as cheating by most educational institutions. Citing is a professional courtesy that acknowledges the work of others. In doing so, it also strengthens the credibility of your own work. It shows your research is comprehensive and helps make your arguments more convincing.

Consistency Gives Clarity
APA Style provides clarity to papers on often complex topics.  It makes papers easier to read and understand. When sources are cited the same way each time and the paper is written in a uniform format, it gives it better flow and helps keep the focus on the content of the paper.  APA style can also help the author better organize their research and help the reader easily find information that is important for evaluating that research.

The Basics of APA Style

- APA style typically breaks papers down into eight sections; title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references and appendices.

- Each page is numbered in the right-hand corner and has a header with the title of the paper on it.

- The entire paper should be double-spaced with no extra spaces between paragraphs.

- The font should be set at either Times New Roman, 12 point, or Arial, 12 point.

- Standard margins are one inch all the way around.

When and How to Cite a Source
Whenever you use someone else’s words, research, results or ideas in the body of your paper, there should be a citation. If you are ever in doubt, play it safe and cite the source. Citations in the body of the paper, called in-text citations, have the author’s last name and year of publication in parenthesis. If there is a citation in the body of the paper, it must also be listed on the reference page and vice versa.

On the reference page, all references should be listed alphabetically by last name of the author. The reference page requires more information than an in-text citation. Typically, you should include any of the following information you have in the following order; author(s) name, date, title of book, title of article, title of periodical, volume, pages, place of publication and publisher.

While it can seem like a daunting task, there are a number of websites and software programs available to help format your paper correctly. The most important thing is to credit your sources, or you may find yourself receiving no credit for you work.

In college writing, "The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" is the predominant style guide used in the social sciences, business, economics and nursing. APA prescribes specific structure, tone, format and citation requirements for academic and professional research and writing. Formatting college papers in adherence to APA style guidelines assures clarity, uniformity and credibility. It also it helps to prevent occurrences of plagiarism and upholds the pursuit of academic integrity and honesty.

Under APA style guidelines, academic writing is required to be clear, concise and consistent in tone. After students analyze and synthesize their research investigation, APA style shows them how to use proper structure, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation in support of their thesis topic. It advises use of objective language that also avoids language bias. This college-level writing ensures the effective communication of the purpose, method, results and conclusions of a student’s research to his professors, peers and future researchers.

Uniformity

APA formatting gives the college research paper sound structure, scholarly weight and presentation uniformity. It outlines the exact specifications for a document including such components as type font and size, margin settings, headers, page numbering, tables, charts, in-text citations and reference lists. APA formatting divides papers into clear sections including a title page, abstract, main body, reference list and appendix. This uniformity enables readers and subsequent researchers to quickly access information within a given document and also to compare and contrast one research article to another.

APA formatting lends credibility and legitimacy to a college student’s work. Through objective writing and in-text citations and references, a reader can easily verify the information. The names of authors, articles and journal titles are all readily accessible, and all in-text citations must be supported by the reference list at the document’s end. Whether the student writer is performing a review of literature or conducting independent research, he is presenting transparent evidence to support his thesis and inviting the reader to fully investigate the contents of his paper.

Plagiarism

The APA style guide offers clear directions on the use of quotations and paraphrasing and forbids plagiarism. Insisting upon properly crediting sources teaches students the value of scholarly work and reinforces the worth of their own efforts. For the college student, incidents of plagiarism, however unintentional, can result in failing grades, dismissal from a course and even expulsion from a university.

The APA (American Psychological Association) style format is the preferred citation style for social science research papers. What does APA style mean? APA style is a set of guidelines for writing and formatting research papers in psychology and related fields. APA is frequently used in the fields of economics, criminology, political science, sociology, business, and pedagogy. When we talk about APA style in research, we are talking about the rules for what a research paper must contain and how it should be written. APA provides specific guidelines for nearly all aspects of manuscript formatting, from font choice to margins and punctuation.

Why Do We Use APA Style?
We use APA style for several important reasons. First, APA is referred to as a citation style because it includes specific rules for how the references you cite should be formatted and indicated in your research paper. Proper citation ensures that you will never be accused of plagiarism and lets others who read your paper understand where you got your information. Second, APA style provides style and writing guidelines to make sure that your research paper is easy to read and has all of the necessary elements. The primary purpose of APA style is to promote scientific communication by facilitating clarity of expression and standardizing the organization and content of manuscript formatting.

What Does APA Style Include?
So, what is included in an APA style research paper? In fact, APA style has three levels. The first level dictates organization. The second level addresses writing style and language use. The third level deals with mechanics such as punctuation. Let’s begin with the first level - organization.

Level 1 - Organization

An APA style research paper must include:

• A title page- limit your title to a maximum of 12 words and avoid the use of abbreviations and unnecessary words
• An abstract- the abstract should discuss the topic under study, the research questions, any subjects of the research, your research methods, the findings/results, analysis of the data, and your conclusions
• An introduction- address the problem and premise upon which the research was based
• Your methodology- explain in detail how you did your research
• Your results- explain what you found
• A discussion- talk about what your findings mean
• References- a list of the sources you cited

There are more specific guidelines for the manuscript formatting of abstracts and title pages, many examples of which can easily be found by referring to the APA Manual of Style.

Level 2 - Writing Style

An APA style research paper should be written formally. Your intended audience is other academics, your colleagues, and you want to communicate with them very clearly and professionally. This means:

• No slang
• No pop culture references
• No humor
• Minimize literary devices (metaphors, irony, imagery, etc.)
• Be direct and straightforward
• Use technical terms, but only where appropriate
• Avoid biased language

In other words, your writing should sound as clear and neutral as possible. It is recommended that you avoid using colorful language to try to sound fancy. For example, if you had your research subjects jump up and down on one leg for ten minutes, say so. Don’t try to use complex phrasing like “participants utilized a unipedal movement to propel themselves off of the ground and then return to land.” With regard to biased language, always use gender-inclusive language (firefighters vs. firemen). Use specific group labels (Asian Americans vs. minorities) and avoid euphemisms (adults with learning disabilities vs. special adults). It’s always a good idea to Google search any terms you want to use if you aren’t sure whether they are offensive or not.

Level 3 - Mechanics

APA style manuscript formatting demands the use of double-spacing and 8.5 x 11 paper with 1-inch margins. Times New Roman 12pt font is recommended. There are a large number of specific recommendations for proper manuscript formatting of an APA style paper, which can be found in the APA Manual of Style. Some of the most common recommendations include:

• Use title case for headings
• Use numerals for numbers 10 and above
• Hyphenate compound adjectives that precede a noun (fact-checking organization,not fact checking organization)
• Spell out a term before introducing its abbreviation in parentheses (the United Nations (UN))
• Left align all tables and figures
• Use in-text citations for sources
• Use footnotes sparingly

What is APA Citation?

Citation in APA style follows a specific format. In general, you should cite citations in the text and then provide the full citation in the “References” section at the end of your paper. Note that APA style requires this section to be titled “References.” “Works Cited” or “Bibliography” is not an acceptable alternative in APA style manuscript formatting.

Citation style will differ somewhat depending on whether you are citing a journal article, book, blog entry, news article, conference paper, social media post, or some other type of media. For the sake of a simple example, we will cite a journal article here.

In-text Citation Example

1. According to some scholars (Lee, 2005), civil society in South Korea plays a divisive rather than a unifying role in the nation’s fledgling democracy.
2. Lee (2005) argues that civil society in South Korea plays a divisive rather than a unifying role in the nation’s fledgling democracy.

References Citation Example

Lee, S. J. (2005). Democratization and polarization in Korean society. Asian Perspective, 99-125.

Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about memorizing the tricky details of APA citation for every media format you might cite in your research paper. Citation generators abound online that can do the job for you. However, it’s always a good idea to double-check the APA Manual of Style to make sure your references are cited correctly.

Now that you know what APA style is all about, you’re ready to write a great research paper! Remember, there are numerous online sources that can help you format your citations. Always check the APA Manual of Style or ask your professor or advisor for help if you need it. Once you get the hang of it, writing in APA style will come naturally to you.