When submitting written work, you will be required to use the APA style to identify the sources you are using to back up your opinions, claims, etc. APA is an editorial style recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) for preparing scholarly written work such as essays and research papers. It is the standard format for papers, articles, and books in the social sciences and you are required to accurately apply the APA style throughout this course.
In addition to providing standardized rules for formatting a paper (margins, line spacing, etc.), APA style provides a consistent method for citing ideas, quotations, facts, and paraphrases borrowed from other sources. This standardized format for identifying sources used in a paper makes the paper more credible and ensures that other authors are given credit for their original thoughts and ideas.
If you are posting to a discussion, please cite your sources at the end of the post using the APA format. If you are submitting a written assignment, it should be typed, double-spaced with 1" margins on all sides, using 12 pt. Times New Roman font. A major paper should contain a title page, abstract, main body, and reference list. All written assignments also require APA format when using sources.
APA citing relies on a combination of in-text citations and a reference list at the end of the paper. A good place to start learning about APA is the APA Quick Tips handout (opens in a new window). You can then test and reinforce those APA basics with the brief APA Quick Tips quiz (opens in a new window). There is also a more detailed Citing with APA self-paced workshop (opens in a new window) where you can watch a video covering more details of APA and work through some hands-on practice exercises.
Even more useful APA help: