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Academic Tools for the Research Process

Basics of APA

APA is one of the more popular citation styles that is used on campus. This tutorial will introduce you to the elements of APA style, including formatting and citations.

Make sure to check out the additional resources provided on this page to help you with formatting your paper as well as additional citation rules and examples. 

After completing this tutorial, you will have learned:

  • which fields of study use APA 
  • the parts of a typical APA paper: title page, running head, abstract, body (including headings), in-text citations, and references
  • the two types of citations, in-text and reference and how to format both 

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APA Tutorial

Below is the tutorial for the APA 7th edition writing style. A quiz for the Basics of APA 7th Edition tutorial is near the bottom of this page. If you are off campus, you may need to log in with your university credentials to see the content below. 

Click on the image below to open the Basics of APA 7th Edition Tutorial in a new window.

Tutorial: Basics of APA (CREDO)

Having issues with the Tutorial: APA Citations 7th Edition above? Try copying this link into a new browser window. 

Getting Help with APA 7th Edition Formatting & Style

Where to Find APA Help

In addition to the print version of the APA’s Publication Manual 7th Edition (available for use at the library), consider using the following websites:

  • The APA Style website: Directly affiliated with the APA, this site provides significant content online including guidelines and examples for in-text citations, reference list entries, title page formats, heading levels, bias-free language, and more.
  • The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Recently updated to feature 7th Edition content over 6th Edition, use the left navigation menu to address most questions about standard citations and formatting (books, journals, movies, etc). Avoid the commercial citation generator that appears on the site.
  • APA Sample Papers 

    This page contains sample papers formatted in seventh edition APA Style. The sample papers show the format that authors should use to submit a manuscript for publication in a professional journal and that students should use to submit a paper to an instructor for a course assignment.

Videos

  • Introduction to Citation Styles: APA 7th Ed. video: Posted by California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Library, this 3-minute video provides a concise, basic summary of in-text citations, reference list entries, and how they are related.
  • APA 7th Edition Student Paper Formatting video: Dr. Samuel Forlenza, a professor of Exercise Science at Shippensburg University, demonstrates how to set up and apply correct fonts, margins, spacing, page numbers, student title pages, section headings, general format of reference list pages, appendices, tables, figures, and more using Microsoft Word. [The entire video is 17 minutes long, but there are time stamps for specific sections.] Note: APA 7th Edition has developed separate templates for student papers and professional papers. The student paper format no longer requires a running head.
  • APA 7th Edition Professional Paper Formatting video: Dr. Samuel Forlenza, a professor of Exercise Science at Shippensburg University, demonstrates the formatting basics for professional papers using Microsoft Word. This video covers the same areas as the student paper formatting video (see previous bullet), but with the additional features of the running head and an abstract.
  • How to Cite Articles on References List, APA 7th Edition video: Professor Allen (limited additional identification) provides a 3-minute overview of how to cite three different types of articles in a References list--a journal article with a doi; a political publication without a doi that is widely accessible in databases; and a web-based article with a unique URL but no doi.