American Psychological Association (APA) Style was developed by social and behavioral scientists to help writers achieve clear, precise, and inclusive writing. It provides standardized guidelines for formatting academic papers and publications.
In this class we’ll be using the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. You’ll use it in most of your other MLIS courses too.
- All of your major assignments (those that are not Blog Reports) should follow APA 7 Style for Basic Setup (margins, fonts, page numbers, etc…), Title Page Setup, Citations, Reference List Setup, etc…
- Your Blog Reports should use APA 7 Style for in-text citations and the Reference List.
Here are some easily digestible PDFs from American Psychological Association to help you use APA 7 Style:
Student Paper Setup Guide
This guide will help you set up an APA Style student paper. The basic setup directions apply to the entire paper. Annotated diagrams illustrate how to set up the major sections of a student paper: the title page or cover page, the text, tables and figures, and the reference list.
Sample Student Paper
This is a fully formatted sample student paper with margin notes explaining why each APA formatting decision was made. This is particularly helpful for seeing a variety of in-text citations.
Common Reference Examples.
If you ever think “How do I cite this?”, consult this PDF. It has 40+ different APA reference types, from journal articles and book chapters to blog posts and YouTube videos.
Student Paper Checklist
This is a comprehensive student checklist from APA Publication Manual (7th ed.). It walks through every major formatting aspect of a student paper, including title pages, headings, citations, grammar, tables, and references. It’s a one-stop tool to ensure compliance with APA standards.
In-Text Citation Checklist
A practical checklist for verifying in-text citations. It covers paraphrasing, quotation formatting, overcitation, and consistency with the Reference List.
Avoiding Biased Language
This handout from the SJSU Writing Center summarizes new guidance in APA 7 on avoiding biased language. It covers inclusive and respectful terminology when discussing age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and more.