APA style and citations for dummies - Joe Giampalmi 2021

Examining APA expectations
Understanding expectations: APA and discourse communities
Conforming to standards: APA and the academic environment

APA standards parallel expectations of the academic community requiring students to produce accurate and successful writing, citing, and formatting. College and high school students are expected to demonstrate proficiencies in standardizing research and learning the language of research and academic writing. Like other standards in higher education, learning APA requires commitment.

The complexity of APA requirements increases from high school through graduate school. Some high schools offer mini-courses dedicated to teaching APA. Like studying many languages, you study APA with immersion and regular practice. Many institutions recognize the challenge of learning a citation style and require that all their members follow one dedicated documentation style.

APA’s expectations for documenting and formatting include the following:

· Crediting research sources integrated into writing assignments and avoiding plagiarism

· Establishing academic credibility with accurate citations and references

· Providing information for readers to retrieve cited sources

· Writing bias-free language that respects all populations

· Following formatting guidelines that establish consistency for pages, heading levels, and section headings

Expectations also include the initiative to follow up questions on APA with your professor, writing center, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition, in addition to this book.