The APA writing style consists of a set of basic rules for researchers and scientists whose objective is to unify criteria and avoid confusion, ambiguities, and biases when preparing manuscripts addressed to the scientific community. The basic rules cover the following points:

• Citations
• Textual citations
• Referential or indirect citations
• Secondary citations (citations of citations )
• List of References
• Use of tables and figures

On the other hand, there are a series of premises that must be understood when applying the APA style:

• All research is based from pre-existing information, and as such the origin sources must always be cited. Otherwise, plagiarism is being committed.
• All quotations must always have a complete reference (source, year, and medium of publication, author(s), among others).
• The citation and reference model is always based on the corresponding medium (it is not the same when it is a book as when it is an article, for example).
• While writing a document, the reference citation must appear in two ways simultaneously: in the body of the document and in alphabetical order in the “reference list” section.

This guide follows the 7th edition APA Style in English. Most examples are adapted from the 2009, 2015, and 2020 versions by A. Pantoja (Coord.) Manual básico para la realización de Tesis, Tesinas y trabajos de Investigación. EOS.

1. General rules for in-text citations

It is important to note the form of citation in the manuscript, depending on whether it is parenthetical or not. Examples: Article:

• Citation in parentheses: (García-Martínez y Garrido, 2020), (Kashin, & Hampton, 2019), (Salido et al., 2019), (Suárez, 2020).
• In-text citation: García-Martínez y Garrido (2020), Kashin, & Hampton (2019), Salido et al. (2019), Suárez (2020)

1.1. Textual citations (Direct quotations)

This section refers to the literal transcription of a written fragment or complete paragraphs. In any case, it is a matter of repeating the words of another author, which must be recognized and considered as such. There are two different ways to cite depending on the length of the citation. In both cases, the surname(s) of the author(s) must appear, as referenced in the list at the end of the work, followed by the year and specific page:

1.1.1. Citations of less than 40 words

These are placed between quotation marks, following the paragraph that is being quoted. That is, without separating it from the body of text.

Example

The guidance counselor “in addition to being a technician and expert in the technological tools as applied to guidance, will have to perform consultation and advisory tasks to those involved in the guidance process” (Pantoja, 2004, p. 194), leading to the performance of a new role and functions.

1.1.2. Text of more than 40 words

This is considered a long citation and must be separated from the body of text in a separate block, indented from the left margin by 5 spaces or 1.25 cm (0.5 inches) from the margin (in the same position as a new paragraph). In addition, there are no quotation marks or italics, the spacing will be 1.5 and, if there are more paragraphs, they will also be indented by 5 spaces. In doctoral theses, long citations are double-spaced.

Example

Pantoja (2009, p. 194) states the following:

With regard to the skills to be acquired by counselors, the most important are those that involve recycling traditional skills, such as using videoconferencing, chat, email or discussion forums to hold interviews or discussions with one or more clients located at a distance.

Or:

It is evident, as it has been stated, that:

With regard to the skills to be acquired by counselors, the most important are those that involve recycling traditional skills, such as using videoconferencing, chat, email or discussion forums to hold interviews or discussions with one or more clients located at a distance. (Pantoja, 2009, p.194)

As we can see in the example, the indentation of the first line and the rest of the lines of the citation match. Writing the page after the year can also be changed to do it after the end of the citation, placing the page p, period, and the page number in parentheses. Also in this same case of long citations, if you wish to omit text, you should use ellipses without parentheses. If clarification or additional explanation is desired within the citation, it must be enclosed in square brackets. For example, emphasize one or more words in the text and immediately indicate with “italics added” afterwards.

1.1.3. Number of authors

With respect to the number of authors for citations, there are some exceptions in direct citations: a) Up to two authors: both authors are cited throughout the text.

Example

According to Campoy and Pantoja (2000, p. 17) “the new profile and functions of the tutor demand a professional reconversion of the classical model prevailing in schools”, but for the moment this is still to come.

b) Three or more authors: “surname or surnames followed by et al.” are always cited, regardless of whether they are outside or inside parentheses.

Example

In any process of change and innovation “one cannot speak of quality of guidance as something separate from the quality of the overall education carried out through the curriculum.” (Pantoja, Campoy and Cañas, 2001, p. 37). Example 2 The problems encountered by some teachers are due to, according to Pantoja et al. (2001, p. 46) “a lack of basic coping skills and strategies required to cope with environmental demands”.

1.2. Referential or indirect citations

Referential or indirect citations consist of summarizing, in the writer’s own words, what has been mentioned by the original author. This is legitimate and valid as long as the source is cited. References are cited in the manuscript by naming the author and date. If the paraphrased idea is easily found in the original work, the page number (p. page number) should also be indicated. The footnote should not be used to cite authors, but only to provide clarifications. Proceed as follows:

Example

Paragraph from original source: In addition to the objectives and research questions, it is necessary to justify the reasons for the study. Most research is done for a definite purpose, not simply on a whim, and that purpose must be strong enough to justify doing it. In many cases, it is also necessary to explain before one or more people why it is convenient to carry out the research and what benefits will be derived from it. Original source reviewed: Pantoja, A. (Coord.) (2009). Manual básico para la realización de tesis, tesinas y trabajos de investigación. Madrid: EOS. Example of a secondary citation: Pantoja (2009) emphasizes the importance of justifying the study, explaining those reasons that give it meaning beyond the desire or preference of the researcher on the subject in question.

Here are some examples of the indirect citations format

Example

A single author: Pantoja (2004) deals extensively with the Information Society to place the psycho-pedagogical intervention within it. There are clear allusions to psycho-pedagogical intervention from different perspectives (Pantoja, 2004). Several authors outside parentheses (they are ordered in the same way as the references, in alphabetical order): Campoy and Pantoja (2000) and Pantoja, Campoy and Cañas (2001) have explained the transformation processes of guidance in our country as a result of the LOGSE. Several authors within parentheses (they are ordered in the same way as the references in alphabetical order): Several authors have dealt with the methodology of educational research in recent years (Bisquerra, 2004; Buendía, Colás and Hernández, 1997; Cardona, 2002; Gil, 2004; Latorre, Rincón and Arnal, 2003), all of them providing greater clarity in the understanding of the main concepts involved in any research process. Two works by the same author in the same year: Zagalaz (2001a and 2001b) dealt with the theoretical bases, trends, and tendencies of Physical Education in its different contexts.

The use of indirect citations is recurrent in academic works, since part of the performance is based on the reworking and synthesis of ideas from other authors.

1.3. Secondary citations

In this type of citation, you do not have contact with the original source, but through another author who cites it. As in the case of textual citations, this resource should not be abused, since one is not completely sure of the reliability of the data or concept after obtaining the information indirectly from the source. In this case, only the indirect source is mentioned in the list of references.

Example

Paragraph from original source: As Sabariego and Bisquerra (2004) point out, “interest in a topic is the starting point of all scientific research”. It is determined by personal experience, from reading, audiovisual materials, the Internet, or any other Information and Communication Technology (ICT), from a lecture or conference, an observation or, in general, an idea or an occurrence. Original source reviewed: Pantoja, A. (Coord.) (2009). Manual básico para la realización de tesis, tesinas y trabajos de investigación. Madrid: EOS. Example of a secondary citation: “Interest in a topic is the starting point of all scientific research” (Salabriego and Bisquerra, 2004, cited by Pantoja, 2009). If the year of the original citation is unknown: Jordan (cited in Pantoja, 2015), stated that creativity is at the basis of scientific research.

 

2. Bibliography or references at the end of the manuscript

The bibliography according to APA style only includes those documents and resources cited in the body of work following the indications of the previous section. Therefore, there must be a complete correlation between the citations appearing in the text and the list of references and vice versa. In general, the following indications should be followed:

• The bibliographic list will be titled: Bibliography or References.
• The list will be ordered alphabetically by surname of the first author and in case of being the same, using the second surname as a reference. The rules of the country of origin will be followed.
• Works by the same author will be ordered chronologically by year. If the first author has several works in the same year, these will be listed by adding the letters a, b, c… after the first author. For example: Torres (2008a), Torres (2008b)…
• The use of French indentation at 1.25 cm is recommended. That is, the second and subsequent lines of each entry must be indented 1.25 cm in the list.
• The place of issue does not need to be specified.
• References are only those cited in the text. The texts of authors mentioned through secondary citations are not included, only those that we have consulted and have been useful in preparing the document.

2.1. Documents in print format

2.1.1. Complete books: general format

In the References section, authors are listed according to how they have been cited in the manuscript, but in this case, up to 20 authors are included in the following format: Last name, First name initial. (Year).Title. Editorial.

Example

Pantoja, A. (2013). La acción tutorial en la escuela. Síntesis. Example 2 Campoy, T.J. and Pantoja, A. (2000). Orientación y calidad docente. Pautas y estrategias para el tutor. EOS. Ejemplo 3 Álvarez Rojo, V., García Jiménez, E., Gil Flores, J., Martínez Clares, P., Romero, S. y Rodrí- guez Santero, J. (2002).Diseño y evaluación de programas. EOS.

2.1.2. Book with one or more authors, coordinated, edited, or compiled

The general format coincides with the previous section, changing only the acronyms used: Coordinator (Coord.), Coordinators (Coords.), Editor (Ed.), Editors (Eds.), Compiler (Comp.) or Compilers (Comps.). The rules for the number of authors indicated in the section on books are also valid. The general format is as follows: Author, Initial name. (Type) (year). Title. Editorial.

Example

Pantoja, A. y Campoy, T.J. (Coords.) (2006). Programas de intervención en educación intercultural. GEU. Álvarez, M. (Coord.), Bisquerra, R., Espín, J.V. y Rodríguez Espinar, S. (2007). La madurez para la carrera en Educación Secundaria. EOS.

2.1.3. Book chapter

All that has been said about the books, in reference to the authors, is valid. The general citation format is as follows: Author, Name initials. (Year). Title. In Initial name of publisher, Last name, Title (pp. Initial-final). Editorial.

Example

Serrano, J. y Matas, A. (1997). El ordenador en las asignaturas de Métodos de Investiga- ción en Educación. En J. C. Tójar y R. Manchado (Coords.), Innovación educativa y forma- ción del profesorado: Proyecto sobre la mejora de la práctica docente en la universidad (pp. 111-116). Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Málaga. Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M .B. Oliver, A.A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge. https://doi.org/example

2.1.4. Other book formats

The following are different cases of books that present some characteristic that differentiates them from those described above.

Example

Book with several editions or reprints Fox, D.J. (1987). El proceso de investigación en educación (2ª ed.). EUNSA. Book in press Pantoja, A. and Campoy, T.J.(Coords.) (en prensa). Planes de acción tutorial en la universidad. Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Jaén. Book when the author is an organization or institution Consejería de Salud (2006). Educación dental infantil: guía para profesionales de educación y salud. Junta de Andalucía. Book without author Manual de estilo da APA. Regras básicas (2006). Artmed Editora Volume of work Gil Pascual, J.A. (2003). Métodos de investigación en educación. Análisis multivariante (Vol. 3). UNED.

2.1.5. Scientific journal article

All the rules seen for books in their general format are valid. The writing syntax is: Author, Name initials. (Year). Title. Journal, volume (number), initial page-final page. In the case of documents from digital sources, the “Digital Object Identifier” known by its acronym “DOI” will be used. The “DOI” is a unique alphanumeric series assigned by the publisher for digital documents. The “DOI” must appear at the end of the entry without a period at the end.

Example

An Author: Pantoja, A. (2005). La acción tutorial en la universidad: propuestas para el cambio. Cultura y Educación, 17 (1), 67-82. Timmons, M. (2007). Navegating contradictory communities of practice in learning to teach for social justice. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 38(4), 380-404. 10.1525/aeq.2007.38.4.380 Dos autores: Pantoja, A. y Zwierewicz, M. (2008). Procesos de orientación en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje. Revista Española de Orientación y  Psicopedagogía, 19 (3), 282-290. Up to 20 authors: Aguilera, D., Martín-Páez, T., Valdivia-Rodríguez, V., Ruiz-Delgado, A., Williams-Pinto, L., Vílchez-González, J. M. and Perales-Palacios, F. J. (2018). La enseñanza de las ciencias basada en indagación. Una revisión sistemática de la producción española. Revista de Educación, 381, 259-284. 10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2017-381-388

2.1.6. Presentation or communication published in minute books

The rules for citing authors are identical to those followed so far for book chapters, with minor variations. Author, Name initials. (Year). Title. In Initial author’s name, Surname, Title (pp. Initial final). Editorial.

Example

One or two authors: Sancho, M.I. (2007). El seseo: estado de la cuestión. En M.I. Sancho y C. Conti (Coords.), I Jornadas sobre seseo (pp. 13-46). Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de la Universidad de Jaén. More than two authors and up to 20 authors: Pantoja, A., Campoy, T.J, Jiménez, A.S., Villanueva, Gomes, E., Díaz Linares, M.A., … Robles Maldonado, M. (2008). Internet y la construcción de una ciudadanía intercultural. Balance de una experiencia. En A. Pantoja, T.J. Campoy, A.S. Jiménez y C. Villanueva (Coords.), El carácter universal de la Educación Intercultural. Actas de las I Jornadas Internacionales y VI Jornadas sobre Diagnóstico y Orientación (pp. 72-128). Jaén: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad.

2.1.7. Doctoral Thesis

The published thesis is published as if it were a book. The following indications are for unpublished theses. In case of citing a Master’s Thesis, this type of document should be indicated instead of “Doctoral Thesis”. Author. Last name, First name initial. (Year). Title in italics [Unpublished doctoral thesis or Doctoral dissertation, university]. URL or DOI.

Example

Villanueva, C. (2001). Prevención de drogodependencias en centros educativosTesis doc- toral no publicada]. Universidad de Jaén. Méndez, J. M. (2000). Orientación e intervención psicopedagógica en secundaria para un consumo racional de los medios: diseño, aplicación y evaluación de un programa de orientación educativa desde la tutoría para aprender a consumir mensajes audiovisuales [Doctoral thesis, University of Huelva]. http://rabida.uhu.es/dspace/handle/10272/3498.

2.1.8. Decrees and laws

By their very nature, references to laws and decrees must include the number of the law, its official denomination, the title of the official publication in which it appears, the place of publication, and complete date. In the body of work, unlike other sources, it must be referenced with a law number and year. Number and official denomination. Official publication. Place of publication, complete date of publication.

Example

Jefatura del Estado Español (2020, 18 de marzo). Real Decreto-Ley 8/2020, de 17 de marzo, de medidas urgentes extraordinarias para hacer frente al impacto económico y social del COVID-19. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 73, 28583-25898. https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rdl/2020/03/17/8

2.2. Audiovisual media

Although these are not very common citations in research work, they sometimes provide information that would not otherwise be possible, for example, video and audio recordings. The novelty in these types of citations is that the media is put in square brackets, as shown below.

Example

Movie Hamilton, D. (Producer) and Mehta, D. (Writer/Director) (2005). Water [Movie]. Mongrel Media. Video Miguel, C. et al. (1996). La entrevista. Un instrumento de trabajo para el profesorado [Video]. Consejería de Educación y Cultura, Dirección General de Educación de Madrid. Music Ros, L. (2008). Canto a los Orishas. Lázaro Ros, el apkwón mayor [Music]. Egrem. Picker, T., & McClatchy, J. D. (1995). Emmeline: An opera in two acts [Music]. Schott Music.

2.3. Digital documents

A large number of resources (magazines, newspapers, newsletters, book articles, etc.) can be found on the Internet. In these cases, the referencing system used is very similar to that used for print documents. The date should be included on documents where it is anticipated that they may change. At a minimum, such references should have at least the title of the resource, date of publication, and the address (URL) of the web resource. It should also, when possible, contain the author of the resource. If no date is given, it will be indicated as (n.d.). The basic structure is as follows: Page author. (Date of publication or revision of the page, if available). Title of the page or location. URL or DOI.

Example

Internet Document Area, M. (2009). Introducción a la tecnología educativa. Universidad de la Laguna. http://issuu.com/manarea/docs/tecnologiaeducativa Arsham, H. (2004). Razonamiento estadístico para la toma de decisiones gerenciales. http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/sarath/Business-stats/opre504S.html Undated document Estrada, E. (n.d.). La apicultura en México. México. http://www.netcall.com.mx/abejas/alianza.html Article with DOI Huertas, A. y Pantoja, A. (2016). Efectos de un programa educativo basado en el uso de las TIC sobre el rendimiento académico y la motivación del alumnado en la asignatura de tecnología de educación secundaria. Educación XX1, 19 (2). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.16464 Videos (online) Delfinespro (2020, 10 de marzo) No me molestes, mamá, estoy aprendiendo [Vídeo]. https://youtu.be/usRHveRfLgU Social Network Página Timonel SR [@Timonel_SR]. Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved July 3, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/timonel.sruja.5 APA Style Entry (2020, July 2). APA Style [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/APAStyle Website and blog: The name of the portal or website is placed before the URL. Pantoja, A. (2020, April 21). Por qué nadie cuenta con nosotros o la invisibilidad de los educadores. Orientación y acción tutorial. http://blogs.ujaen.es/apantoja/?p=590 If the author is an institution: National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, July). Anxiety disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

3. Tables and figures

According to the APA model, there are general rules for any table or figure:

• All tables and figures must bear a caption consisting of:
  Line 1: Table or figure and number.
  Line 2: Legend.
  This title will be located at the top of the tables and figures.
• Numbering: they should be identified in order of appearance.
• Caption: the caption or title must be concise and provide information on the contents of the table, and must be unique: two tables or figures cannot be included with the same caption.
• Font: always put the font in short style in the heading (author, year) and enlarged under the table or figure. If the original information comes from the author them self, nothing is placed.
• Tables and figures should always be referred to in the body of the document. The forms “the following table…”, “the previous table…”, among others, are not correct. Some valid options are: As shown in Table 5… Table 1 shows… Figure 3 shows… […] the percentage of students who graduated university was very low (see Figure 7).
• Simplicity must prevail above all else. Normally, in the case of tables, they are presented in black and white, without background, single spaced in the manuscript. Body of table source: Times New Roman, size 10; Source of notes of the table: Times New Roman, size 9.
• Redundancy must not be used, in other words, simultaneous use of tables and graphics to present the same information.

3.1. Structure of tables

According to the APA, tables have three parts that must be respected:

1. At the top, the table number and title in two different lines and justified text:
   Table 1
   Caption or title.
   The title of the table should be brief, clear, and explanatory. It should be placed above the table, in the upper left margin, below the word Table (with the initial capital letter) and accompanied by the number with which it is designated. Ex.: Table 1, Table 2, Table 3.
2. Below is the table with the data well organized and in a simple way.
3. At the bottom, some explanatory notes that contribute in adding important information, as well as the source of origin of the data.

3.1.1. Notes in tables

Tables present three types of notes: general notes, specific notes, and probability notes. “Notes are useful for eliminating repetition in the body of a table” (APA, 2010, p. 140-141). They are presented in the left margin (without indentation) below the table (two spaces must be inserted between the table and the note). And they should be ordered in this sequence: general note, specific note and probability note, and each type of note should be put on a new line. The tables have three types of notes, which are placed below the tables: general, specific, and probability.

• General notes: Abbreviations, symbols, or similar.
• Specific note: refers to a specific column, row or item and is indicated by a letter in superscript.
• Probability note: indicates significant test results and are marked with an asterisk in superscript (*).

3.1.2. Tables reproduced from another source

Tables reproduced from another source must present the short indication of the author (Surname, year) in the heading and the complete reference of the original author, even if it is an adaptation below the table. If not all data are available (e.g., the author), only the available information will be indicated.

Example

Note: Sabadini, A. A. Z. P., Sampaio, M. I. C., y Koller, S. H. (2009). Publicar em psi- cologia: um enfoque para a revista científica (p. 175). Associação Brasileira de Editores Científicos de Psicologia/Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo. Note: Adapted from Sabadini, A. A. Z. P., Sampaio, M. I. C., y Koller, S. H. (2009). Publicar em psicologia: um enfoque para a revista científica (p. 176). Associação Brasileira de Editores Científicos de Psicologia/Instituto de Psicologia da Universidade de São Paulo. Note: Molero, D. (2007). Academic performance and opinion on teaching students participating in pilot experiences for the implementation of the European Higher Education Area. Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa (RELIEVE), 13 (2).http://www.uv.es/RELIEVE/v13n2/RELIEVEv13n2_2.html

3.1.3. Example table

Table 3
Example of note usage

3.2. Structure of figures

In the 7^th edition of the APA Style, tables and figures follow a similar representation scheme.

3.2.1. Example of figure

Figure 3
Local production organization of organic bananas.