APA Format Guide: How To Create Citations And References Easily

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If you’re writing an academic paper or working on a research project, you’ve probably encountered the basics of APA format requirements. What appears confusing at first is actually quite simple-the scheme for citing sources and referencing in APA style comes relatively easily once you begin.

What is APA Format?

APA stands for the American Psychological Association format, these two are the same thing. According to citation methods, the most common is the APA, more especially in the social sciences, psychology, and educational context. APA style inculcates uniformity and gives legitimacy to academic writing. APA guidelines are offered for in-text citation and for preparing an analytical listing of references at the end of your paper. The style helps readers trace your sources and evaluate the reliability of your work.

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Why APA Citations and References Matter

There are several compelling reasons why you should use APA citations. First, citations give proper credit to the original authors, thus avoiding plagiarism. Second, references provide your readers with clear pathways to verify sources or pursue further reading on the topic. Proper citations also enhance the credibility of your work in that they show more research was put into your work and you respect intellectual property.

Basic Structure of APA Citations

No doubt that there are APA citations which have a structured format to be followed precisely if the work is to be in compliance with the academic standards.Now let us turn to two perhaps the most familiar types of APA citation, namely in-text citation and the reference list.

In-Text Citations: The Basics

In APA citation style, in-text citation normally include the author’s last name followed by the publication date. For example: (Smith, 2020). If using a direct quote of a source, you also use a page number: (Smith, 2020, p. 15). These short references in the essay refer readers to the complete sources listed on the reference list.

In-text references should appear at the end of the sentence prior to the period. Should you integrate an author’s name into your work, you use only the date of publication in the parenthesis: According to Smith (2020).

Reference List: General Structure

Reference List The reference list, as the name indicates, goes at the end of your paper. This section contains information concerning each source, including the full details of each one. Each entry should be formatted using a hanging indent-the first line flush with the left margin, and all the rest indented. They will likely include the last name and initials of an author, the year of publication, title of the work and the place of publishing.

For example: Smith, J. (2020). Title of the Book. Publisher.

How to Cite Various Kinds of Sources

A number of sources use APA style, including the books and websites. Some of the most common sources and proper citation are listed below:

Books in APA Style

Book citation follows this general format:

Author’s Last Name, Initials. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Brown, A. (2019). Psychology fundamentals. Academic Press.

If there are more than one author, list authors in the order of appearance in a book up to 20 of them separated by commas and, before last author, use ampersand