Chapter 9: Essentials of APA Formatting

Citations and References

Failure to properly cite sources that are used to produce the graduate research project is a serious ethical violation. There are two reasons for citing properly: 1) Giving credit where it is due, and 2) Giving readers of the graduate research paper/thesis the opportunity to consult the same material which we have used. With regard to citations and references, we have to keep in mind that there should be a one-to-one correspondence between the reference list and actual citations in the text. In other words, every citation must be on the reference list, and every article in the reference list must be cited in the text. It is easy to go wrong on this as a result of revising, adding, cutting, and so forth, that goes on during the year. This cross-checking between the text and references is one of the very last tasks of the year-long thesis project worth our close attention.

Format

It is required to be aware of the format requirements for APA 7th style and pay attention to the format for headings, grammar, spelling, and so forth. It is imperative to review the APA sample student paper before submitting a final paper. Also, MS Office Word and Google Docs have an APA template that has been formatted with APA styles. It is helpful to open and begin writing on the template to avoid any APA formatting errors in advance.

Table 9-1. Steps to Find APA Template in MS Word and Google Doc

For MS Word

1. Open MS Word program

2. Go and click “File” on the top menu

3. Click “New” → Screen shows multiple types of templates such as “blank document,” “APA Style paper,” and “APA style report,” if not

4. Type “APA” on the search box

5. Find and open an APA style paper

6. Before typing, read the words carefully → The file has been formatted and words in texts formatted indicate instructions of APA format

7. Remove unnecessary parts while completing a paper

For Google Doc

Open a Google Doc file
Go and click “File” on the top menu

3. Click “New” the first option

4. Click “From Template Gallery”

5. Find an APA 7th style paper

6. Open the template

7. Before typing, read the words carefully → The file has been formatted and words formatted on the file indicate instructions of APA format

In the Results section, texts inside the tables should follow APA table formatting with single or 1.5 line spacing, but it is better to compact to see it at once if readable. For example, use 12 or lower font size, no extra space between lines, and include a heading for every row and column even if the content seems obvious as shown in the template below. Tables only present three bolded lines for the heading and the bottom lines of the table without any lines inside the tables. Also, it is recommended to review table templates in Chapters 4 to 7, and APA 7th style student sample papers in Appendix.

Table #

[Table Title]

Column Head	Column Head	Column Head	Column Head	Column Head
Row Head	123	123	123	123
Row Head	456	456	456	456
Row Head	789	789	789	789
Row Head	123	123	123	123
Row Head	456	456	456	456
Row Head	789	789	789	789

Writing tips

1. The research paper is not an essay, and therefore all sentences should be written in complete sentences using a formal writing tone by avoiding any personal opinions. When we refer to our study, avoid “I” and use “this study,” “the current study,” or “the present study.”

2. When writing about one point, complete it and move to the next point. Please do not repeat the point later once it is mentioned in the front or mix multiple points in the same paragraph. This indicates the writing is not structured, organized, cleaned, and focused.

3. When citing a point from other studies, please do not use direct quotes. Direct quotes are allowed less than three times throughout the entire paper. It is recommended to limit direct quotes to one or two when it is hard to paraphrase or write the point in our own way of writing, such as definitions of concepts by other studies. More than three direct quotes indicate the paper is a collection of ideas from other studies, which shows that the paper has not been written for a graduate research paper. This can be considered plagiarism even though we provide citations for direct quotes. When quoting, provide the page number of the original texts in the article along with the author(s)’ last name(s) and publication year.

4. Paraphrasing the entire paragraph can be considered plagiarism since we use the entire information. Paraphrasing is also limited to three sentences.

5. Do not use the future tense like “will.” We eventually complete the entire project and submit the paper/thesis after completing all sections. So it should be presented in the past tense or at least the present tense when we submit the paper.

6. APA writing styles for citation in body texts do not provide a full article title or a journal title of the articles when citing a study. The APA writing style requires only the author(s)’ last name(s) and publication year such as in a place that doesn’t interrupt the flow of the sentence. When citing an article with two authors, cite it (Lee & Choi, 2021), and for three or more authors, cite it (Lee et al., 2020) at the end of the sentence. At the beginning of the sentence, begin the sentence with “Lee and Choi’s study (2021),” “Lee et al.’s study (2020),” or “Lee and colleagues’ study (2020).” When we mention an author’s name, always provide the publication year.

Project Guide