APA Style Rev 7th Edition 2020

APA Style
Ch 2 (pp 29-70) of the APA handbook!!!

Chapter 4, 8 and 10 as well
Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Parts of the manuscript (Paper)
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Text
 Introduction/Literature Review
 Method
 Participants
 Design
 Materials
 Procedure
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 Footnotes
 Tables
 Figures
 Appendices
 Supplemental Materials

I. Title Page
 First page of the paper
 Five sections
 Running head
 Title
 Author
 Affiliation
 Author notes

a) Running head
 Short version of the title
 Flush to left; in header
 Up to ~ 50 characters
 Includes letters,
punctuation and
spaces between
words.
 The running head is all in

capitals!

b) Title
 Summarizes the main idea of the
paper
 Clear, simple statement of the
subject of the paper
 May identify IV and DV under
investigation
 Should stand alone
 Catchy titles may be fun, but
generally not useful and require
subtitles
 Concise, 10-12 words

 Bold, Centered in upper half of the
page
 Capitalize first letter of important
words
 Avoid redundant phrases such as
“the study of” or “an investigation
of”

b) Title

c) Author
 Authors’ names: order of authorship depends
on seniority or effort. Omit titles or degrees.
 For this class
 Individual materials: your code #
 For group materials: your group name
 Directly below title

d) Affiliation
 Organization you are representing
 For this class: Department of Psychology,
University of New Haven
 Directly below authors

d) Authors Notes
 Corresponding address
 COI
 Funding sources
 Previous presentation
 Acknowledgements
 Thanking data collectors, people who helped edit
paper, anyone who lent you materials/data,
professors who let you use their class time, people
who helped with the stats. (one of the few places
you can use first person)
II. Abstract
 Stands alone on page 2 of the manuscript
 Center the word “Abstract” at the top.
 Word “Abstract” is in bold.
 Brief, comprehensive summary whose
purpose is to entice someone to read your
paper.
 150 to 250 words or less (~ 1 paragraph)
 Do not indent first line
 Keywords for data bases on bottom.
Indented, italicized and followed by a colon
 Keywords: one, two, three.

II. Abstract
 Essential points of the experiment
 Purpose
 Important SS characteristics
 Important methods, apparatus, data gathering
techniques
 DV and IV
 Important results
 Conclusions, implications of the data, practical
applications

II. Abstract
 Can use abbreviations and #’s (unless first
word in sentence)
 Only include things FOUND in paper, don’t
add new information
 Report just the facts; don’t evaluate
 Self contained, do not use terms that can not
be understood from abstract alone
 Dense in information (all sentences should be
full of information)
II. Abstract
 Do NOT include
 statistics (F-ratios, t-statistics)
 small details (# of SS, apparatus etc...)
 don’t repeat the title

II. Abstract
 ACTIVE voice, but NOT personal pronouns;
verbs, not noun equivalents
 Present tense to state the results and
conclusions drawn
 Past tense to describe the variables
manipulated or tests applied.
 Write it LAST!

III. Introduction (Literature Review)
 Goal is to set forth the rationale for the experiment (why is
this experiment important?)
 Should answer the following

 What is being studied? Its relevance?
 What previous research led up to your research?
(summaries)
 What’s missing?
 What does this study add to the previous research?
 Why is this addition interesting or important?
 Preview of current study.
 The current hypothesis and how these will be addressed
III. Introduction (Lit Review)
 Begin with big picture of what is being studied and why this is
relevant/important
 How do we answer the questions on the previous slide?
 Review/summary of RELEVANT, MAJOR data that already
exist, presented such that the reader can understand the
development of previous experiments/theories
 Sequential and logical
 IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
 All previous data should logically lead to the question/hypothesis
you are testing

 What has not been done. Holes in our knowledge.
 Your study.
 State why this study is important (relate to previous work)
 Clearly state the purpose of the current study, how it follows logically
from previous studies
 Relate it to the “holes” in previous studies.
 Briefly describe your experimental design (leave out details)

 State how this design relates to the question you are asking.
The purpose of this paper should be explicitly stated. Don’t
assume the reader knows!
 The last paragraph should end with

 A clear statement of the hypothesis of your study
 Brief description of your methods
 IV & DV
 Operational definitions
 Expected findings ******

 General to Specific!
 Big issues and then your specific question (funnel)
 General outline:
 Present general introduction to topic
 Brief review of literature (research findings and theories
relevant to findings)
 Where are the holes? How will you fill these?
 Statement of purpose of the experiment
 Describe (BRIEFLY) the method you will use to establish
relationship between question/purpose and method used
to address it
 Hypothesis (es), expected findings.
 If the hypothesis is supported, then the data should be like
this…

 General Format:
 Begins new page
 Title of article centered on top of page (see
page 51 of APA handbook)
 Only part of paper that has no heading
 Mostly in past tense.

IV. Method
 Tells you HOW the experiment was done.
 Provides enough information for
replication
 Allow others to evaluate the appropriateness
and reliability of your data.
 All variables that may affect your data should
be identified
 Tell how they were controlled.

IV. Method
 Begins directly after the introduction- NOT on
a page of its own (see page 53 of APA
manual)
 Write the bolded word “Method” in center

(Only first letter capital).
 All subheadings at left margin, bolded, and

followed by a hard break (indent first line
afterward- only first letter capitalized).
IV. Method
 Method- four subsections (this section may
vary by sub discipline)
 Participants (not Subjects)
 Design
 Materials
 Procedure

a) Participants
 Total number of participants

 Population
 Circumstances of their participation
 pay, course credit, enrolled in a psychology lab course,
volunteer etc…
 Procedure for recruiting them
 Newspaper add, flyer, mailings home etc...
 Inclusion criteria
 Six months depression, felony conviction etc…
 State relevant demographic data
 Sex, gender, age, health
 Participant loss?
 Did any participants drop out and why
 Experimental reasons
 Exclusion criteria Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020
b) Design
 First sentence states design type
 Within SS/Between SS; Independent/Dependent
etc...
 Description of IV, DV, operationalization of
these, levels of each variable
 Nature of experimental and control groups,
 Manner SS were assigned to groups
 If mixed design: which variables were within
(independent) and which were between
(dependent/repeated measures).
c) Materials
 Describe the materials/ stimuli used in the experiment
 Set of color names written in various ink colors, MMPI,
Weschler IQ test, survey with 20 Likert-type questions,
etc…
 If not well-known set (or developed specially for your

study) describe the materials. Also include an
Appendix with all the materials. Refer reader to the
Appendix but must give an informative description
here.

c) Materials
 If well known test (e.g., MMPI, Rorschach etc…)
assume people reading know the details of the
material
 Consent forms are NOT Materials.

d) Procedure
 Chronological account of what the participants
did in the session.
 Think of it like a recipe written so that the
reader could repeat the experiment
 Told from participants’ POV
 Yes: The participants read a passage
 No: The participants were asked to read a
passage

V. Results
 Summarizes and reviews the data collected
and the statistical treatment given.
 Follows directly after “Methods”, no new

page, Center, bold, “Results” (only first letter
capitalized)
 Can be subdivided when more than one

measure (DV) is taken (e.g., errors and
reaction time)
V. Results
 State main findings, add details to justify conclusions
 For this class follow the three-paragraph rule…
 Paragraph 1: State the statistical criteria being used.
 An alpha level of X was used.
 Likely the only one sentence paragraph in the paper

V. Results
 Next paragraph(s): Provide descriptive statistics
which summarize the data.
 What descriptive stats are being used and how you got
them
 The mean Beck depression scores per condition were calculated
from the responses to Q1, Q5, and Q7.
 The mean response times per condition were calculated by

recording every participant’s total time from the first question
was presented until the response to the last question was
submitted. These times were averaged within conditions.

V. Results
 Don’t just give numbers, write a qualitative description of

the data.
 “Non-depressed participants finished the survey in 10.7
(1.01) seconds and the depressed participants finished the
survey in 20.3 (.92) seconds. “
 Means always have (s.d.).
 Must include units or reference range that provide
context for the numbers.
 We should all understand what seconds mean. What does a score of “5” on
a Likert scale mean? What does a 100 IQ score mean?

V. Results
If using a table or graph locate it as close to the first
place you mention those data as possible. Refer to the table or
graph in the text
 “As shown in Table 1 the non-depressed participants finished the
survey in 10.7 (1.01) seconds and the depressed participants
finished the survey in 20.3 (.92) seconds.”

V. Results
 Descriptive Statistics
 Place actual numbers with their corresponding
condition
 Means are meaningless without (s.d.)
 Mean height for women was 67.0 inches
(0.72) and the mean height for men was
69.3” (0.61)
 Watch significant digits!!!
 Means get one more sig digit than the raw score
 SD get one more sig digit than a mean.
 Do NOT make any inferences, yet

V. Results
 Inferential statistic (begin a new paragraph)
 State type of test used (type of ANOVA, type of t-test; chi-square,

correlation coefficient etc…)
 State pertinent statistical values

 t, F, r, 2, etc… symbol should be italicized
 the values themselves are not italicized
 t(29) = 9.8; F(3,68)= 26.7

 remember to include degrees of freedom, if pertinent
 Depressed participants took longer to complete
the survey than non-depressed participants, t(29)
= 9.8
 Note on on nulls. You NEVER accept the null. Therefore if the data
indicate a null…
 There is no evidence that depressed participants differed from non-
depressed participants in survey completion times, t(29) = 1.2

V. Results
 Inferential statistic
 Inferential statistics should go from general to specific.
 the main effect was significant,
 then discuss IMPORTANT contrasts, interactions, or post-hocs.

V. Results
 Descriptive
 Non-depressed participants finished the survey in 10.7 (1.01) seconds and
the depressed participants took 20.3 (.92) seconds to complete the survey.
 Inferential
 Depressed participants took longer to complete the survey than non-
depressed participant, t(29) = 9.8

V. Results
 Report all the results that are sufficient to justify the correct
conclusions
 Even if the conclusion is against your hypothesis!
 Should also report relevant contrary or unclear data.
 Do not give all analyses possible, just the important ones!

 Pro and con your hypothesis.
 Just the facts! DO NOT discuss the implications of the data.

VI. Discussion
 Statement of support/non-support of the hypothesis.

 The first paragraph should open with a restatement of the hypothesis and the
major findings of the study. It should have a clear statement of support or non-
support for the original hypothesis.
 “The data clearly are consistent with the hypothesis that depressed people have slower
reaction times than non-depressed people. .”
 Note: an experiment does NOT “prove” a hypothesis, it either supports or fails to

support the hypothesis.

VI. Discussion
 Tie in these data with Introduction (Lit Review)

 Note similarities and differences with previous data
 If data fit your hypothesis, you’re in good shape. Tell how you’ve
added to the knowledge base.
 If data do not support your hypothesis,

 give alternative hypothesis
 reformulate original hypothesis in way that accounts for the data
 How has this study advanced our knowledge of the topic? How
does it add to what we already knew?

VI. Discussion
 Conclusions given the data.
 Evaluation and interpretation of the experiment- emphasis on

theoretical and practical consequences/ implications
 Limitations of the study. Fully elaborated- not a list of

possibilities.
 Discuss future directions- fully elaborated- not a list of

possibilities

VI. Discussion
 Follows directly from Results, center and bold “Discussion” only first
letter is capitalized.
 Upside down funnel:

 Start with specific conclusions for the experiment then go to more
general theoretical/practical implications or new directions for research.

VI. Discussion
General Outline
 Restate hypothesis and major findings
 Tie the results to previous research and if
consistent/ inconsistent with it.
 If the latter, why? Methodological problems??
 Reformulate theory to account for new data
 State broad implications/applications of results
 Limitations- well developed/thought through
 New directions for future research
VII. References
 Alphabetical (by last name of first author)
listing of ALL literature cited within the paper
 Everything used to write the paper must be
cited
 Everything cited internally, should be here
 Everything here should be cited internally
 Own page with “References” centered and
bolded on top. Only first letter is capitalized
 Number of references varies. Use as many
references as needed to support your study!
VII. Footnotes
 Footnotes- list of footnotes from the paper
(unlikely to be relevant in this class)

VIII. Tables
 Place them directly in the pertinent sections

 Put them as close to area where you first refer
to that table in the text.
 Never place a table that was not referred to in
the text.
 If more than one, label in order and use
Arabic numbers to differentiate. (i.e., Table
1, Table 2 etc.…)
 See APA manual for formatting
IX. Figures and Figure Captions
 Figures- graphs of data; Pictures/Images
 Figure Captions are explanations of graphs of
data
 Place these near the relevant text. Never place
a figure that has no reference in the text
 If more than one, label in order and use Arabic
numbers to differentiate. (i.e., Figure 1, Figure
2 etc.…)
 See APA manual for formatting

X. Appendices
 Often used for
 List of materials used in experiment
 List of test questions
 Survey participants filled out
 List of the mathematical equations used (if uncommon)
 If you include them, then you must discuss them
somewhere in the body of the paper
 Each appendix begins on a separate page. Any one
Appendix can be any length
 When more than one appendix, labeling is alphabetic
beginning with capital A. The order should be echoed
in the paper
 e.g., Appendix A, precedes Appendix B, etc.
General Formatting Notes
 1” margins on all sides
 Font
 Times New Roman 12
 Same throughout
 Double space throughout

 Do not hit enter twice between paragraphs or sections
 Left justify; Do NOT right justify
 All pages are paginated on the upper right and have
the running head
 Print on only ONE side

Writing style
(Chapter 4 of APA Handbook)
 DO NOT WRITE LIKE YOU SPEAK!
 Reading is a passive activity! Writing is active!
 Scientific style is simple and concise. Not flowery.
 Not a creative writing class
 Avoid ten words when 5 will do!
 Use ACTIVE voice
 No ambiguity. Say what you mean; mean what you say.

 Do not overgeneralize. Need evidence to “declare” things
 Develop your ideas logically
 One idea should lead to another
 No stream of consciousness

Writing style
 Paragraph development
 One controlling idea (thesis statement) supported by
every sentence in the paragraph.
 Each paragraph should be organized around a major
principle.
 Paragraphs should be connected to each other; they
should lead one to the other.
 No paragraph should be more than one-page, double
space
 No one can follow more than that. The material is dense!

Writing style
Sentences
 Use ACTIVE voice
 Use simple sentences

 Avoid jargon
 Use parallel constructions in compound sentences and across

paragraphs. (pg 84-86 of APA handbook)
 between... and
 both...and
 neither...nor/ either...or
 not only...but also
 if mention X first then Y; Explain X first then Y.

Writing style
Sentences
 Use transition verbs, pronouns or connectives
 then, next, after, while, since, therefore, consequently, as a result of,
moreover, furthermore, similarly, but, conversely, nevertheless, however,
although, whereas...
 Avoid embedded sentences (leads to run-ons)
 Don’t abbreviate unless absolutely necessary, and ALWAYS explain the first
use of the abbreviation (except commonly understood ones- SCUBA, ANOVA,
NASA, FBI etc.…)
 Avoid redundancy and unnecessary words (watch those prepositional phrases)
 No first or second person pronouns!
 Clear pronoun referents
 Conjugate verbs accurately

Common Issues
 Data are/were (plural word). Datum is singular.
 If you don’t know how to use punctuation, use clearer one
 Go on a “which” hunt-
 Most of the time “which” can be replaced with “that”;
 “Which” implies time
 While you’re at it search for look, utilize, see, I, we, you, prove…
 There/they’re/their
 Its/it’s
 Use a spell check
 “Whether” stands alone, does not require a “not”
 Since ≠because
 Since implies time has passed
 Because requires causation

Common Issues
 Then/than
 Then: implies sequential order
 Than: comparative
 “In order to” is uninformative… Use “to”
 “A lot” is two words (just like “a few”)
 Things are “based on” not “based off”
 Scientists don’t “see” or “look”; they “study, investigate,
determine…”
 “Number” can be counted, “Amount” is not counted
 The number of robberies in New Haven last year were X
 The amount of crime in New Haven has increased.

Common Issues
 Numbers: (See 6.32 I APA manual)
 0-10 are spelled out. Unless..

 A dates- e.g., 9 BCE, September 1, 2020
 Number being used as label “In experiment 1…”; In chapter 2
 Numbers preceding a unit of measurement
 Numbers in mathematical functions
 Numbers representing time, age, scores and points on a scale
 All numbers greater than 10 can be expressed in numerical
form, unless first word in the sentence.
 Effect/affect
 Effect is a noun
 Affect is a verb (unless we are speaking about emotion)

Common Issues
 WE NEVER ACCEPT A NULL!!
 If you get non-significant results DO NOT
SAY “there is no difference between
condition”’
 There is simply no evidence of a difference
between conditions.
 Do not look at raw numbers and act as if
they are evidence of a statistical difference!

They are NOT!
 If you get a null.. Do not say there is not stat
diff but the values are different (this shows a
misunderstanding of statistics)
Common Issues
 SIGNIFICANCE IF BINARY; THERE
ARE NO DEGREES OF IT!!
 You’re either a virgin or you’re not!!!
 EXPERIMENTS DO NOT PROVE

ANYTHING

Tips
 Use an outline! Allows you to keep logical progression
 Reading is a passive activity. Writing is active!! The writer must
do the work, not the reader!
 Show someone else
 Can they understand what you are saying?
 Just because you know what you mean does not mean the
reader knows. The reader cannot read your mind.
 Peer review is NOT enough, re-read your own work!
 Walk away for awhile and come back to it with a clear mind
 No one writes well with only one draft!
 Writing takes time and patience!

Internal Citations/References
 See other slides.
 As you write, if you are referring to something someone did or
said you need let the reader know!
 Materials must be paraphrased
 NO DIRECT QUOTES IN THIS CLASS

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APA Style

Ch 2 (pp 29-70) of the APA handbook!!!

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 The running head is all in

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Concise, 10-12 words

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Directly below title

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Directly below authors

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Should answer the following

 All previous data should logically lead to the question/hypothesis

you are testing

 Briefly describe your experimental design (leave out details)

 The last paragraph should end with

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Write the bolded word “Method” in center

 All subheadings at left margin, bolded, and

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Total number of participants

 If not well-known set (or developed specially for your

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Consent forms are NOT Materials.

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Follows directly after “Methods”, no new

 Can be subdivided when more than one

 Likely the only one sentence paragraph in the paper

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 The mean response times per condition were calculated by

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Don’t just give numbers, write a qualitative description of

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 State type of test used (type of ANOVA, type of t-test; chi-square,

 State pertinent statistical values

 the values themselves are not italicized

 t(29) = 9.8; F(3,68)= 26.7

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 then discuss IMPORTANT contrasts, interactions, or post-hocs.

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020

 Should also report relevant contrary or unclear data.

 Do not give all analyses possible, just the important ones!

 Just the facts! DO NOT discuss the implications of the data.

Copyright A.E. Guzmán, 2020