Psychology Research Guide: APA

From the APA's Manual:

• Publication Manual §§ 2.1–2.24. (APA Manual sections on basic paper setup.)

Other helpful sources:

• Annotated Student Sample Paper. (Example paper with helpful notes on formatting and citation style.)
• Basic Paper Setup. (A simplified guide on setting up your paper from the APA.)
• Paper format. (Paper formatting guidelines from the APA 7th Edition website.)
• Remember to check your Brightspace course for any guidelines/requirements your instructor has provided!

From the APA's Manual:

• Publication Manual §§ 8.10–8.21. (APA Manual sections on in-text citations.)
• Publication Manual §§ 8.23–8.33. (APA Manual sections on direct quotations and paraphrasing.)

Other helpful sources:

• Creating an APA Style Reference List Guide. (Handout with guidelines for creating a reference list.)
• Citing References in Text. (Quick guide to in-text citations.)
• Elements of Reference List Entries. (Guidelines for formatting author, date, title, and source elements.)
• Missing Reference Information. (What to do if you're missing an author, title, date, etc.)
• Common Reference Examples Guide. (Handout with many reference list examples.)
• Sample References. (Example references for 200+ sources.)

Using the "Cite" Option in Databases

Many databases can create citations for articles and e-books. Some also allow you to export citations to citation managers (which we explain below).

Just remember that citation generators aren't always accurate, especially if an article wasn't indexed properly in a database. You'll want to make sure that you're generating citations in the right style, and review the generated citations to make sure they're right.

• How to create a citation in EBSCO
• How to create a citation in ProQuest
• How to create a citation in SmartSearch
• How to create a citation in Google Scholar

Citation Managers:

Citation managers are apps that allow you to collect, manage, and export citations; most of them also allow you to share articles, notes, and lists of citations with groups. If you're working on a major research project and need to track lots of sources, having a citaiton manager can save you a lot of time. There's a lengthy comparison chart for citation managers available here, but the (free) managers that we recommend are:

• Zotero: Zotero's Quick-Start Guide is located here.
• Mendeley: You can browse Mendeley's setup and use tutorials here.

Citation Managers:

MS Word and Google Docs both have tools for creating individual citations. If you need to manage lots of citations and create a full bibliography, consider using a citation manager (see above) and exporting from your manager instead.

• How to add a citation in Microsoft Word
• How to create a citation in Google Docs

The Library

The Library will help you find resources for your research assignments, and can also answer basic questions about citation and formatting in specific styles. Click here to contact us by email, chat box, or text seven days a week (with the exception of University holidays). Please also check out our Citation Guide.

The Writing Center

The Online Writing Center can help you plan and revise your work. Their tutors are available seven days a week (with the exception of University holidays) and offers 40-minute synchronous online sessions using Zoom web conferencing software, email, telephone, or a combination of these tools. You can make an appointment at their website.