{"id":1503,"date":"2023-09-07T15:20:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T19:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2023-09-11T13:56:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T17:56:26","slug":"apa-tips-and-tricks-navigate-the-labyrinth-of-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/2023\/09\/07\/apa-tips-and-tricks-navigate-the-labyrinth-of-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"APA Tips and Tricks: Navigate the Labyrinth of Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Written by: Zo\u00eb (Abbie) Teel&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-07-144159-1024x585.png\" alt=\"LibGuide by Greg Hardin about using APA. \" class=\"wp-image-1528\" width=\"509\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-07-144159-1024x585.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-07-144159-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-07-144159-768x438.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2023\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-07-144159.png 1312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\" \/><figcaption>Screenshot of UNT Information Science LibGuide: APA Tab. UNT seal in top-left corner. <br>Accessed from https:\/\/guides.library.unt.edu\/lis\/apa7th<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Introduction&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the semester kicks off, the world of APA and references might be uncharted territory for many fellow students out there. Now, as a graduate student who&#8217;s been navigating the intricacies of APA ever since my high school days, I couldn&#8217;t help but whip up a nifty guide filled with all tips and tricks to master the art of APA in your papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Purpose of APA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/about-apa-style\">American Psychological Association<\/a> emphasizes that using citations lays the groundwork for successful scholarly communication (APA, 2019). In academic settings, maintaining writer integrity and consistently acknowledging the originators of ideas are crucial aspects. It is all about giving credit and providing structure to a piece of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Important to Know<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to APA style, diving into the world of citations can feel like navigating a labyrinth where books, articles, journals, and other resources each have their unique set of <em>guidelines<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/library.unt.edu\/willis\/\">Willis Library<\/a>, here at the University of North Texas, you can find a total of fourteen copies of the most recent (2020) edition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/discover.library.unt.edu\/catalog\/b6360539\">Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association<\/a>, which serves as the authoritative resource for APA style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within this manual, comprehensive explanations are provided for each specific aspect of APA style, including in-text citations and crafting references for the reference page. Through careful review, I have identified and highlighted what I consider to be the most prevalent and beneficial points for someone new to utilizing APA style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li><strong>Author Format<\/strong>:<ul><li>For one or more authors, list the last name followed by initials. Use an ampersand (&amp;) before the last author&#8217;s name.<\/li><li>Example: Teel, Z. A., &amp; Lund, B. D.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>In-Text Citations<\/strong>:<ul><li>Include the author&#8217;s last name and publication year in parentheses.<\/li><li>Example: (Teel &amp; Wang, 2023).<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Reference Page<\/strong>:<ul><li>Begin with the word &#8220;References&#8221; centered at the top of a new page.<\/li><li>List all sources alphabetically by the author&#8217;s last name.<\/li><li>Arrange sources with identical last names based on their publication year.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Italics<\/strong>:<ul><li>Italicize book and journal titles.<\/li><li>Example: <em>Title of Book<\/em> or <em>Title of Journal<\/em>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Capitalization<\/strong>:<ul><li>Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns.<\/li><li>Use sentence case for article and chapter titles.<\/li><li>Example: <em>The Art of Writing<\/em>.<\/li><li>On the reference page, journal articles should only have the first word capitalized, the following should all be lowercase.<\/li><li>Example: \u201cInformation literacy, data literacy, privacy literacy, and chatgpt: technology literacies align with perspectives on emerging technology adoption within communities\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>URLs<\/strong>:<ul><li>Include the complete URL for online sources.<\/li><li>Example: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.example.com\/\">https:\/\/www.example.com<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>DOIs<\/strong>:<ul><li>Include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for sources with DOIs.<\/li><li>Example: doi:10.12345\/<a>xyz<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Book Citations<\/strong>:<ul><li>Author(s) Last Name, Initials. (Year). <em>Title of Book<\/em>. Publisher.<\/li><li>Example: Teel, Z. A. (2023). <em>The Science of Psychology<\/em>. Academic Press.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Journal Citations<\/strong>:<ul><li>Author(s) Last Name, Initials. (Year). Title of Article. <em>Title of Journal<\/em>, <a>Volume(<\/a>Issue), Page Range. DOI (if available).<\/li><li>Example: Teel, Z. A. (2023). Understanding APA Citations. <em>Journal of Psychology<\/em>, 10(2), 123-145. doi:10.6789\/abc123.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Multiple Authors, Same Source<\/strong>:<ul><li>In the first citation, list all authors up to three. For more than three authors, use &#8220;et al.&#8221; after the first author&#8217;s name.<\/li><li>Example: (Teel, Lund, &amp; Wang, 2023) or (Teel et al., 2023).<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Same Author, Multiple Sources<\/strong>:<ul><li>Distinguish between multiple works by the same author and year with lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.).<\/li><li>Example: (Teel, 2023a) or (Teel, 2023b).<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overview Table<\/strong> (Condensed Information From Numbered List)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-regular\"><table class=\"has-black-color has-text-color\"><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Guidelines<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Format &amp; Example<\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Author Format<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Teel, Z.A., &amp; Lund, B.D.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color:#000000\" class=\"tadv-color\"><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">In-Text Citations<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">(Teel &amp; Wang, 2023)<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\"><strong>Reference Page<\/strong><\/span><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">References (the title at the top) centered<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">List sources alphabetically by author\u2019s last name.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Arrange sources with identical last names based on their publication year.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Italics<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Italicize book and journal titles<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: <em>Title of Book <\/em>or <em>Title of Journal<\/em><\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Capitalization<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Capitalize first word of title, subtitle, proper nouns<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">&#8211; Use sentence case for article and chapter titles<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: The Art of APA<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">On reference page, only first word of journal article<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: \u201cInformation literacy, data literacy&#8230;\u201d<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">URLs<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Include complete URL for online sources<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: https:\/\/www.example.com<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">DOIs<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Include DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for sources<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: doi:10.12345\/<a>xyz<\/a><\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Book Citations<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Author(s) Last Name, Initials. (Year). <em>Title of Book<\/em>. Publisher.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: Teel, Z. A. (2023<em>). The Science of Psychology<\/em>. Academic Press.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Journal Citations<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Author(s) Last Name, Initials. (Year). <em>Title of Article<\/em>. <em>Title of Journal<\/em>, <a>Volume(<\/a>Issue), Page Range. DOI (if available).<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: Teel, Z. A. (2023). <em>Understanding APA Citations<\/em>. Journal of Psychology, 10(2), 123-145. doi:10.6789\/abc123.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Multiple Authors<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">List all authors up to three in first citation. For more than three, use &#8220;et al.&#8221; after <a>first<\/a> author&#8217;s name.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#abb8c3\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: (Teel, Lund, &amp; Wang, 2023) or (Teel et al., 2023).<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Same Author, Multiple Sources<\/span><\/strong><\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Distinguish between multiple works by the same author and year with lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.).<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&nbsp;<\/td><td><span style=\"background-color:#c4c7c8\" class=\"tadv-background-color\">Example: (Teel, 2023a) or (Teel, 2023b).<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Library Help &amp; Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning the intricacies of APA formatting and style can greatly enhance the quality and professionalism of your academic work. To further assist you on your APA journey, consider utilizing the resources provided by the <a href=\"https:\/\/owl.purdue.edu\/\">Purdue Owl<\/a>, a highly recommended platform offering comprehensive APA Formatting and Style Guide overviews, an APA Style Introduction, and illustrative example papers. While the tips and tricks shared in this paper offer valuable insights, it&#8217;s worth noting that the UNT Libraries&#8217; extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/guides.library.unt.edu\/lis\/apa7th\">LibGuide dedicated to APA<\/a> serves as an invaluable resource. <a href=\"https:\/\/library.unt.edu\/people\/greg-hardin\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/library.unt.edu\/people\/greg-hardin\/\">Greg Hardin<\/a>, the subject librarian for this topic, stands ready to provide expert assistance. Additionally, the <a href=\"https:\/\/writingcenter.unt.edu\/\">Writing Center<\/a> <a> <\/a>offers access to APA manuals and a guide for correctly citing and formatting references in APA style, and appointments available both in person and online. By leveraging these tools and expert guidance, you can navigate the complexities of APA with confidence, ensuring your scholarly endeavors adhere to the highest standards of precision and clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>American Psychological Association. (2019). About APA Style. <em>APA Style<\/em>. https:\/\/apastyle.apa.org\/about-apa-style <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Written by: Zo\u00eb (Abbie) Teel&nbsp; Introduction&nbsp;&nbsp; As the semester kicks off, the world of APA and references might be uncharted territory for many fellow students out there. Now, as a graduate student who&#8217;s been navigating the intricacies of APA ever since my high school days, I couldn&#8217;t help but whip up a nifty guide filled&#8230;  <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/2023\/09\/07\/apa-tips-and-tricks-navigate-the-labyrinth-of-guidelines\/\" class=\"more-link\" title=\"Read APA Tips and Tricks: Navigate the Labyrinth of Guidelines\">Read more &raquo;<\/a>","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[187,188,189,191,192,190,45,34,99],"class_list":["post-1503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-help","tag-apa-2","tag-libguide","tag-liswriting","tag-research-help-2","tag-writing-center-2","tag-writingtips","tag-ask-us","tag-research","tag-unt-libraries"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1503"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1534,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions\/1534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}