APA or American Psychological Association citation format is a set of rules to document sources while writing research papers for social science disciplines. When you write a research paper, you have to use the APA style that is found in the body’s text and also in a formal list section. For in-text citation, you should make an entry to the reference list. This is applicable for reverse too- the reference list should match the in-text citation. When you use the APA format, you have to follow the author-date way of in-text citation. It means the last name of the author and the publication year must appear in a text file.
When you write a report, you need to make references. The APA manual is complex and lengthy and very explicit and well-indexed too. You can purchase it online from various sources and the manual is available at the university bookstores. You can purchase brief guides and it is found online via using the keywords “APA citation formatting.” You can use an APA reference generator that you can easily found online. When using it, you can turn an average thesis into an excellent one. Many people use it to make their writings the best.
In-text citation
- Capitalize the name of the author and initials.
- When you refer to a source or a title, capitalize the word, which is greater than four letters.
- Capitalize the very first word after a dash or a colon.
- Underline or italicize the titles that have longer works including documentaries and books.
- Capitalize the words that are in a hyphenated compound.
- Insert quotation marks in the titles of shorter works such as magazine and journal articles.
If you quote from work directly, include the page number, the publication year, and the author. Introduce your quotation and include the last name of an author followed by the publication date.
Importance of APA format
APA format is a set of formats used to format manuscripts. It comprises instructions for reference lists, in-text citation references, margins, pagination, running heads, etc. This formatting style is adapted by many disciplines. There is a need to standardize a format so that readers can understand texts with accuracy and ease. Secondly, an APA is considered a comprehensive and thorough manual. This is updated periodically on the internet that was not available when it was initially released. Due to its importance, many people use an APA reference generator.
