APA Format Quiz

APA Format Overview

• APA regulates stylistics, in-text citations, and reference lists used in scholarly papers.
• Emphasizes clear communication, organization, and a smooth writing style.

Writing Style and Expression

• Encourage continuity in presenting ideas and maintaining smoothness of expression for precision and clarity.
• Avoid colloquial expressions and approximations that may cause ambiguity, as well as clichés.

Voice and Tense

• Prefer active voice for clarity, e.g., “We interpreted the results...” instead of passive forms.
• Use past or present perfect tense for the introduction, methods, and results; present tense for discussion and conclusions.

Numbers Formatting

• Use numerals for numbers above 10, units of measurement, abstract numbers, and mathematical functions.
• Write out numbers zero to nine, numbers at the start of sentences, common fractions, and universally accepted usages.

Grammar and Completeness

• Write in complete sentences without fragments; complex sentences are allowed.
• Avoid contractions for a formal tone and use specified verb tenses as guided.

Reducing Language Bias

• Strive to avoid biased language related to gender, race, and disability; use inclusive terms to describe participants.

General Formatting Guidelines

• Utilize standard-sized paper, double-spaced text in 12 pt Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins.
• Include a running head and page numbers on every page.

Structure of the Paper

• Main paper includes Title page, Abstract, Main body, and References; each section starts on a new page.
• Main body consists of Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion sections.

Title and Abstract Specifications

• Title should be centered, double-spaced, and limited to 12 words without abbreviations.
• The abstract is a concise summary of the paper, generally 150-200 words, presented without indentation.

Headings and Subheadings

• APA employs five heading levels for organization; each section starts with Level 1 formatting.
• Avoid using bullets; ensure corresponding subsections are present where applicable.

Reference Section Formatting

• Include a centered heading "References" without bolding, starting on a new page.
• Utilize flush left margins for the first line of each reference, followed by hanging indent for subsequent lines, and order entries alphabetically.

In-text Citations

• Cite ideas or findings with the author's last name and the year; provide page numbers for direct quotations.
• Cite works with two authors using "and" in the text and "&" in parentheses, with "et al." for works with three or more authors.

Detailed Citation Examples

• Electronic journal and book reference examples illustrate correct formatting according to APA guidelines.
• Understand the structure for parenthetical citations, particularly when citing multiple works, or differentiating between authors when applicable.

Headings Hierarchy

• Level 1: Centered, bold, upper and lower case.
• Level 2: Left-aligned, bold, upper and lower case.
• Level 3: Indented, bold, lowercase with period.
• Level 4: Indented, bold italicized, lowercase with period.
• Level 5: Indented, italicized, lowercase with period.