APA Guidelines Update Quiz

Running Head

• APA guidelines have updated, to simplify the heading format for professional writers
• Students are not required to use any specific formatting in the running head
• Font specifications are more flexible for better accessibility

JARS

• Journal article reporting standards (JARS) include outlined standards for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research
• JARS for quantitative research have been updated and expanded based on Appelbaum et al., 2018 and Cooper, 2018
• JARS now cover qualitative and mixed methods research, based on Levitt, 2019 and Levitt et al., 2018

Writing Style and Grammar

• The singular “they” is endorsed for inclusive language
• More detailed guidance provided to prevent anthropomorphism

Bias-Free Language Guidelines

• New information has been added to improve inclusive language
• New guidance is provided on participation in research, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality

Mechanics of Style

• The updated guidance recommends using one space after a period
• Quotation marks are now used in place of italics for linguistic examples, improving accessibility

Errors, Corrections, and Retractions After Publication

• Authors have a responsibility to correct mistakes in their published articles
• Corrections should be transparent and notified to the editor and publisher of the journal
• Correction notices should be appended to the original article to inform readers
• Retractions are used for more serious errors, such as plagiarism, fabrication, or falsification of data
• Authors should avoid citing retracted articles unless the citation is essential, and they should indicate if they do cite a retracted article

Data Retention and Sharing

• Data should be retained for a reasonable period of time
• Researchers should use ethical methods for data sharing

Duplicate and Piecemeal Publication of Data

• Authors are prohibited from duplicating or splitting data into multiple pieces
• Duplicate publication makes it seem like more research has been done than it actually has
• Authors should disclose if they have posted the manuscript online

Protecting Confidentiality

• The APA Ethics Code prohibits authors from disclosing confidential information, unless participants give documented consent
• This is especially important in case studies, as researchers must be careful not to exploit participants
• Researchers can disguise identifying information to protect confidentiality using four main strategies
• Data deidentification may also be needed to protect participants’ confidentiality

Conflict of Interest

• The APA Ethics Code defines conflict of interest broadly
• Conflicts of interest can arise when personal, scientific, professional, legal, financial, or other interests or relationships could negatively affect professional conduct
• Authors should disclose any conflicts of interest