A Step-by-Step Guide To Use APA 7th Edition Referencing Style

If you have completed your assignment, you are aware of how difficult it is to properly credit your sources using the proper referencing style. There are many ways to cite sources, but each university has its own style that it prefers. The American Psychological Association (APA) style is one that is often used.

To do good academic work, you need to know how to use a specific referencing style. This helps you put your work in context, show the breadth and depth of your research, and give credit to other people's work so you don't plagiarize.

APA style is often used in economics, criminology, political science, sociology, business, pedagogy, and other fields. The great thing about this style is that it has specific rules for how to format your references and style guides to make a research paper that is easy to read and has all the necessary parts.

Some students may find it hard to understand what this style of citation needs. Since there are seven editions of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, there is a lot to learn. The seventh one came out in October 2019.

You may wonder, "How do I use the APA style to format my academic papers?" We break down step-by-step instructions to APA 7th edition referencing as follows:

How to Cite in APA Style 7th Edition

Before we get to the guide, you should always do what your professor tells you to do if they want you to do something different from the APA style. After all, they will grade your paper.

Margin, font, and space between lines

Your paper needs to have a one-inch margin on all sides for APA. By default, Microsoft Word and Google Docs will put your documents in that margin.

If you want to check the page margin in Microsoft Word, you can click the "Layout" button and make sure the margins are set to "Normal." If you do this, the margins on the top, bottom, left, and right will all be one inch.

There are no rules about what font to use. Seburn says that the seventh edition of the APA style only requires that your font be "legible and consistent throughout the whole document." The APA suggests 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, and 12-point Times New Roman as font sizes.

You should put two spaces between each line in your paper. In Microsoft Word, you can choose "2.0" from the toolbar under "Line and Paragraph Spacing." 

Once you've done that, go back to the line spacing tab and click "Line Spacing Option" to choose the box that says "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style." Make sure that your paper always has two spaces between each line.

If you don't do this, your word processor (either Microsoft Word or Google Docs) will add a new space when you hit "Enter" to start a new paragraph, which goes against the APA rules for double spacing.

• Title page
• In APA format, here's how to make a title page:
• Four times, press "Enter."
• Center your text and use a bold font for your title.
• Write your title.
• Double-click "Enter."
• Take the bold out of your text.
• Type in your name(s).
• Hit "Enter," and then type in your group.
• Hit "Enter" again and type in the information about your course.
• Press "Enter" again and type the name of your professor.
• Press "Enter" one more time, and then type in the date your assignment is due.

You should also add a page number. After the seventh edition, APA no longer requires that your academic paper have a page header. Double-clicking the top of your document to show the "Header" is the easiest way to add a page number.

Scroll down to "Page Number" and choose "Page Number" from the drop-down menu to make sure your document is aligned on the top right.

Also, read A Step By Step Guide To Critical Analysis Essay

Titles of the main body and each section

The latest APA rules say that academic papers don't need abstracts unless your professors tell you to.

On a new page, put the title again in the middle of the main body of your document. Start a new paragraph on the left, and put a space between each one by clicking the "Tab" button.

The headings for each section should be clear and to the point, making it easier for people to understand what your paper is about. The seventh edition of the APA style guide says that there are five levels of headings. If you're not sure about the different types of headings, you can look at the rules here.

You don't need a Level 1 heading for the beginning of your paper because the title of the paper is the beginning. If you need a header in the first section, you will use a Level 2 heading. Also, headings shouldn't have numbers or letters written on them.

List of references

After the last page of your main body, start your reference list on the next full page. Start by putting "References" in bold letters in the middle of the page. Hit "Enter," and then align your text to the left.

Your references should be listed in alphabetical order with a hanging indent, which is when the next line of the paragraph is moved to the left. If one of your references starts with a number, it should come before the alphabet.

APA grammar

Here are a few last things to keep in mind when writing your academic paper in the APA style:

• At the end of each sentence, you should put a space.
• When you want to list three or more things, use the Oxford comma. California, for example, is sunny, beautiful, and warm.
• Use words if the number is less than 10 or if it comes at the beginning of a sentence. If not, it would be best to use numbers instead.
• You should write out the fractions that are often used.
• Numbers should always be used to show times, dates, ages, and money.

Conclusion

APA 7th edition style helps you give credit to your sources and separate your ideas from those of other people. APA 7th edition Style helps you avoid unintended plagiarism. It lets people know important things about your sources. Students should use it effectively to score better at university.