Basics of APA Style: An Online Course

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The Basics of APA Style online course is intended to help all individuals in psychology and related fields learn how to apply the basic rules of APA Style in writing term papers, research reports, and journal articles. The course follows the organization of the sixth edition of the Publication Manual, providing a comprehensive overview of elements of manuscript preparation; each section is followed by two to three review questions. 

The course is divided into the following parts:

• Writing for the Social Sciences, which reviews types of articles used in psychological and social science research;

• Manuscript Structure and Content, which outlines manuscript elements and introduces journal article reporting standards;

• Writing Principles and Style, which describes organization of a manuscript with APA Style headings, principles of clear and concise communication, and reducing bias in language;

• The Mechanics of Style, which covers punctuation, capitalization, italics, and the use of numbers;

• Displaying Results, which offers basic guidance on creating tables and figures;

• Crediting Sources, which includes guidance on the importance of citation, appropriate citation level, quotations, citing references in text, creating a reference list, and an introduction to online resources; and

• The Reference List, which includes templates and examples of both online and print sources. Reference examples reflect technological innovations in electronic referencing such as the inclusion of the digital object identifier, or DOI, a unique alphanumeric string that provides a persistent link to content online. Many of the topics throughout the course are supplemented with relevant illustrative examples, such as tables and figures, to provide context. The course ends with 20 assessment questions.

Individuals are required to meet a passing score of 75 percent or higher. Individuals are allowed two attempts to successfully complete the program. If the individual is unsuccessful on the second attempt, access to the online test will no longer be available.

This course has been reviewed and approved by the APA Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP) to offer continuing education credit for psychologists. The APA CEP Office and the APA Office of Publications and Databases maintain responsibility for this program and its content.

• Learn how to apply basic rules of APA Style in term papers, research reports, and journal articles. Content includes guidance on writing for the social sciences, manuscript structure and content, writing principles and style, the mechanics of APA Style (e.g., punctuation and capitalization), displaying results, crediting sources and creating a reference list.

• Understand content in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual, including journal article reporting standards, guidelines on bias-free language, and changes in citing and referencing electronic sources.