The American Psychological Association (APA) style is a widely used citation format in the social and behavioral sciences. It provides a standardized way of formatting research papers, citing sources, and organizing references. In this article, we will delve into the world of APA citation style, exploring its basics, components, and applications.
APA citation style is developed by the American Psychological Association, an organization that focuses on psychology. However, the style is not limited to psychology and is widely used in various fields, including education, business, and healthcare. The APA style guide provides guidelines for formatting research papers, citing sources, and organizing references.
Citing sources is essential in academic writing, as it allows authors to give credit to the original creators of ideas, research, and information. It also helps to prevent plagiarism, which is the act of passing off someone else's work as one's own. By citing sources, authors can demonstrate the validity and reliability of their research, as well as provide readers with a way to access the original sources.
There are two types of citations in APA style: in-text citations and reference citations. In-text citations are used to cite sources within the body of the paper, while reference citations are used to list all the sources cited in the paper at the end.
In-text citations in APA style typically include the author's last name, publication year, and page number(s) (if applicable). For example:
Author's Last name (Year) states that "direct quote" or paraphrase (page number).
Reference citations, on the other hand, provide a comprehensive list of all the sources cited in the paper. The structure of reference citations varies depending on the type of source, but typically includes the author's name, publication year, title, publisher, and URL (if applicable).
A citation in APA style typically includes several components, including:
In APA style, authors are listed in reverse order, with the last name first, followed by the first initial and middle initial (if applicable). For example:
Kirschenbaum, M. A.
The publication date is included in parentheses after the author's name. The format for publication dates is:
Year, Month Day
Titles are capitalized and italicized, with only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns capitalized. For example:
Gone with the wind.
The publisher's name is included at the end of the citation, with the terms "publishers," "company," and "incorporated" excluded. For example:
Little Brown and Company would be placed in the APA citation as: Little Brown.
For online sources, the URL is included at the end of the citation, without a period. If a DOI (digital object identifier) is available, it is included instead of the URL.
Here are some common examples of APA citations:
APA citation style is a widely used format in academic writing, providing a standardized way of formatting research papers, citing sources, and organizing references. By understanding the basics of APA citation style, authors can ensure that their work is properly formatted and that they are giving credit to the original creators of ideas, research, and information.
For more information on APA citation style, visit the American Psychological Association's website. To learn more about using the BibMe service to create APA citations, see the section below titled, "Using the BibMe Online Writing Center to Create Citations for your Reference List or APA Bibliography."
Learn more about APA citation style Visit the American Psychological Association's website Use BibMe's APA citation generator
