General Rules in the Application of APA Style in Academic Writing - Case Study Example

APA Style Name Date Course APA style Introduction American Psychological Association commonly known as APA is considered as one of the styles engaged in academic writing. The style involves the general rules in the process of writing. The general rules include the preferred formatting, title page , abstract, arrangement of references and tables and figures. The essential formatting for APA papers involves the use of 1-inch restrictions, double space out, the engagement of Times New Roman or Ariel typestyle. The essay aims at discussing the general rules in the application of APA style in academic writing. Title Page In regard to APA title page format a header should appear on each page. In this case the word “Running Head “should only be indicated on the first page of the academic writing. For the purposes of placing the header into the paper it is essential to choose insert then page numeral, uppermost part of the page and choose the third preference: plain number 3. In addition the page numeral should be in a 12 point typeface in order to be equal to the text in the organization of the paper. The word “Running Head” should be typed followed by the title of the essay or writing in block letters. The space bar should be engaged in the movement of the running head facts to the left margin of the paper. After that the writer should select “different first page” followed by inserting page numbers on page two while typing the title in block letters. In addition the text of the title should be aligned left just like in page number one. The Running head comprises of the word “Running Head” together with a colon (:). The title of the paper in block letters comes after the appearance of the colon. In cases whereby the heading of the paper is long an approximation of fifty (50) characters should be engaged together with spaces and punctuations (American Psychological Association APA, 2001). In addition the title page consists of the title of the paper, the name of the student, course name number or section, instructor and date that should be aligned Centre. An example includes: Title of the Paper Name Course Name Number/Section Instructor Date Abstract The abstract of the paper is created on the empty page after the title page. However it should be noted that not all papers require the inclusion of an abstract. Thus a paper that requires an abstract the following format should be applied. The word “Abstract” forms the start point of page two and it should be centered. There is no other required formatting procedure for instance bold, italics or the use of underlining. The main part of the abstract is further required to be double spaced paragraph. The paragraph of the abstract does not necessitate the use of indention at the beginning of the paragraph. In addition the abstract should be evidently written in comparison of a summary method of approximately 150-250 words with the inclusion of the main points in the paper. The abstract should also lay more emphasis on the subject that is under research with the results, conclusion and in any cases the need for future research if need be should be incorporated (Degelman, 2009). An example of an APA style abstract includes: TITLE Abstract AIDs stigma and discrimination exists globally. However, the manifestation of the stigma varies within countries, communities, religious settings and individuals. AIDS –linked stigma and discrimination denotes to predisposition, negative attitudes, maltreatment and abuse that is directed at People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The main cause of stigma involves the lack of knowledge and fear of associating with PLWHA. Therefore the causes of stigma range from HIV/AIDS being regarded as a life threatening disease, the infection rate linked to certain behavior for instance prostitution, lack of inaccurate information in regards to HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS regarded as a result of individual’s recklessness among other sources. The consequences of stigma and discrimination involve being rejected by family, peers and the community at large. Within the healthcare system there is also stigmatization whereby PLWHA are accorded poor treatment in healthcare and education settings that leads to the negative effect on the success of HIV testing and treatment. On the national level the HIV/AIDS stigmatization deter government from engaging in effective actions and formulating policies that would deal efficiently with the epidemic. Thus the process of stigmatization of HIV and People Living with HIV/AIDS occur at both individual and national levels. Beginning of Text The central body of the APA paper should start on a fresh page following the abstract. In this case the word “Running Head” is not indicated on every page. Each paragraph also begins with a capital letter and the paragraph starts with a capital letter and also indented. Thus each paragraph within the body part of the research is indented and the first letter begins with a capital. An example includes: Risk assessment process at the car workshop plays an essential role in identifying the possible hazards that may lead to injuries and fatalities. The hazards in the car workshop are complex in nature and impacts negatively on the safety of the employee and the customers visiting the car workshop. The risk of fire is high at the car workshop due to explosives and the existence of petrol. The presence of electrical works and installations at the workshop also exposes the employees to the risk of electrocution, burns and electric shock. Text Citations Material source should be documented in the body part of the research. The documentation of the material should be done through the citations of author(s) and date/year of the sources. The citation process is important for the fact that the ideas and works of others must be acknowledged. There are various methods of engaging in citation of the text and this is highly dependent on the author(s). Hence there are several scenarios in the citation of material sources. In cases where the names of the authors of a source involve part of the recognized structure of the sentence, the year of publications is presented in parentheses thereafter the documentation of the authors. For instance: Oosthuizen and Naidoo (2010) argue that the evidence of critical analysis in this discussion is indicated by deeper understanding of the article and linking it to topic of discussion. First is the aspect of legislation which is clearly illustrated in the text. Adequate collection and analysis of data and presentation of study results meet the purpose of research objectives. Research procedure and data analysis have incorporated step by step approaches which have explored the whole research topic (Oosthuizen & Naidoo 2010). In situations whereby the authors of a source are considered to be more than three the word et.al. at the end of the citation is used. Hence the word et.al is engaged after the first surname of the first author is used during the process of in- texting. The in-text procedure it is essential to use the word et.al. Where there are more than two authors. An example includes: The human resource management is an important function within an organization that is aimed at maximizing the performance of the employees in order to meet the strategic objectives of their employers. The concept plays an essential role in an organization in terms of linking the employees to the management. Recruitment of the employees and performance appraisal are some of the activities that are usually carried out by the human resource department. Creating a positive work environment is also an important concept of human resource management (Woods, et al, 2011). Quotations In situations where straight quotes are engaged in the research paper, the author, period of publication and page numerical should always be included as an essential part of the citation procedure. A quotation of less than approximately 40 words should always be bounded in dual quotation symbols and should be incorporated into the recognized structure of the sentence. An example include the following: Patients getting prayer had “less congestive heart failure, required less diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently intubated and ventilated” (Byrd, 1988, p. 829). References All the sources that are included in the references section should be mentioned in the body of the paper while at the same time all sources that are cited in the paper must be included in the reference section. It is important to note that all references should begin on a new page together with the heading “References” that should be centred. The format of the references involves the organization of the references alphabetically with the use of surnames followed by initials of other names of the authors. Commas are used in the separation of all authors while the year of publication following the authors with a period following a closing parenthesis (American Psychological Association APA, 2001). Examples of APA formatted references include: Alsabbah, M. Y. (2013). Recruitment and Selection Process and Employee Competence Outcome: An Important Area for Future Research. Human Resource Management Research, 3(3), 82-90. Walsemann, K. M. (2013). Program planners' perspectives of promoter roles, recruitment, and selection. Ethnicity & health, 18(3), 262-279. Malla, D. (2014). A study on the effectiveness of recruitment and selection procedure of 1122. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 4(1), 339-349. House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics (2013). Report on Australia’s oil refinery industry. Retrieved on 15th April 2014 from CFA Institute. (2013). Highlights: CTX- Change and uncertainty lies ahead. Sydney: CFA Institute. Mankikar, S. (2014). A Critical Study on Recruitment and Selection With Reference to HR Consulting Firms. Management, 3(3). Rees, N., Katherine L., and Rice, S. (2008). Australian Anti-Discrimination Law: Text, Cases, and Materials. Sydney: Federation Press, Print. Oosthuizen, Rudolf M., and Naidoo Vasantha. (2010). Attitudes towards and experience of employment equity. Journal of Industrial Psychology. 36 1-9. Tables and figures Within the APA format figures are engaged in the process of presentation of graphs, photographs and other pictorial illustrations. In this case the figures usually contain a figure caption that is situated below the figure and a brief description phrase that is usually italicized. On the other hand tables are used in the presentation of qualitative type of data for the purpose of statistical analysis. In this case each table should start on a different clean page together with the heading of the table that is formatted in italic with the use of both the uppercase and lowercase letters. Appendixes Generally appendixes are engaged in the process of presentation of unpublished tests or the description complex or stimulus material. The appendix begins on a separate page with the heading of the word “appendix” that is centred on the first line below the script sheet heading (Degelman, 2009). References American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington: Author. Degelman, D. (2009). APA style essentials. Retrieved from http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796 Read More