An annotated bibliography follows standard APA reference formatting, then adds a short paragraph below each entry summarizing and evaluating the source. This guide covers what annotations include, how to format the…
Citing a TikTok or Instagram Reel in APA 7 means treating the caption as the title – the first 20 words, preserving the original spelling and capitalization, hashtags and all. This post covers the full format, how to…
Knowing how to format the five APA heading levels is only half the job. This post covers the practical side: when headings are actually required, why your introduction never gets one, how many levels your paper needs…
Citing a YouTube video in APA 7 isn’t as simple as citing a webpage – especially when it comes to figuring out who the author is. Real name, channel name, or both? This post covers the full format, how to handle every…
Students who know how to cite a journal article often assume government reports work the same way – they don’t. APA 7 has its own format for formal government reports and data sets, complete with report numbers, agency…
An APA abstract has specific formatting rules, a recommended word count, and a defined purpose – and most students aren’t sure when they need one in the first place. This post covers everything: when an abstract is…
Looking for the best APA formatting software in 2026? Compare PERRLA, Zotero, EndNote, Scribbr, EasyBib, Citation Machine, Microsoft Word, and Purdue OWL. Learn which tools handle citations and references, which help…
APA 7 formatting is a common requirement throughout nursing school, from associate-level coursework to doctoral research. Learn how to avoid mistakes with reference lists, heading levels, title pages, and citations, and…
Most students who’ve written a few APA papers think they have the basics covered. Most of those students are still making at least one of these five mistakes. From period placement to block quote thresholds to reference…
Citing an interview in APA 7 seems simple – until you realize that how you cite it depends entirely on whether your reader can access it. A personal interview you conducted yourself doesn’t go in the reference list at…
Academic writing means using sources, but using them well is a skill most students learn the hard way. This post covers quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, what plagiarism really includes (including the accidental…
Podcasts are showing up in academic papers more than ever, but the APA 7 citation format trips a lot of students up. This post covers everything: reference list format, in-text citations, how to handle direct quotes…
The agency is the author, the department is the publisher, and the retrieval date depends on whether the page keeps changing. Examples for the CDC, NIH, CMS, WHO, and Healthy People 2030.
Any direct quote of 40 words or more becomes a block quote in APA, and block quotes play by different rules than regular in-text quotes. This post covers everything: when to use one, how to format it correctly, how to…
If Microsoft Word is where you write, PERRLA installs right inside it. This step-by-step guide walks you through installing the PERRLA Word Add-In, creating a formatted APA paper, adding references, citing as you write…
Nursing students work with a specific set of sources that come with their own APA formatting considerations – from peer-reviewed journal articles and CDC publications to clinical practice guidelines and UpToDate. This…
APA 7 gives you five heading levels to work with – and each one has its own formatting rules. But knowing how they look is only half the job. This post covers how to format all five levels correctly and how to use them…
Et al. looks simple – until you realize the rules changed in APA 7, and there’s a whole ambiguity problem most students never learn about. This post covers exactly when to use et al., what’s different from APA 6, how to…
PERRLA is now available in Google Docs – and it works just like it does in PERRLA Online and the Word Add-In. This step-by-step guide walks you through installing the PERRLA Add-On, creating a formatted APA 7 paper…
Citing your sources inside your paper is just as important as the reference list at the end, and the APA format has specific rules for how to do it. This guide covers the basic citation format, how to handle multiple…
You found the perfect idea ... but in someone else's paper, not the original source. APA has a specific way to handle this: the secondary source citation. This post covers when it's appropriate, how to format the "as…
APA 7 doesn’t format all papers the same way – and if you’re setting up a student paper using rules meant for professional manuscripts, your formatting will be off before you write a single word. Here are the six…
Citations aren’t just a formality – they’re the backbone of academic writing. But what actually needs a citation, and what happens when you skip one? This post breaks down why we cite, what plagiarism really means, and…
TED Talks make for compelling research sources – but do you know how to cite them correctly in APA? Whether you’re linking to TED.com, YouTube, or a TEDx event, the format varies in a few key ways. Here’s exactly what…
APA 7th Edition has specific rules for when to use numerals versus spelled-out numbers. This post covers eight key rules – including the zero-through-nine baseline, the measurement exception, sentence-starting numbers…
Citing a webpage in APA 7 takes five elements: author, date, title, site name, and URL. This post walks you through each one with examples and additional guidance for special cases, like when there's no author listed.
Most APA references don't need a retrieval date, but some do. Getting it wrong not only clutters your reference list, but it can also cost you points. Learn exactly when to include one, when to skip it, and how to…
Social media posts are showing up in research papers more than ever. Here's your quick guide to citing them correctly in APA 7th Edition format.
APA 7 reference lists have more formatting rules than most people realize, and punctuation and capitalization are where mistakes pile up fast. Getting the details wrong can cost you points, delay a journal submission…
APA 7 journal article references follow a specific seven-part structure. Each element has distinct formatting rules around italics, capitalization, and punctuation. Though the process is more involved than other…
When a source lacks page numbers, APA style offers alternatives to help readers locate quotations.For webpages and ebooks, you can use section headings, abbreviated headings, or paragraph numbers. For audiovisual…
In APA 7, book references have four main components: author, date, title, and source. While there are many variations of this formula, this brief tutorial on formatting a basic book reference is a helpful place to start.
APA (American Psychological Association) Style is a standardized system for formatting academic papers and citing sources widely used in the social sciences. Founded almost a century ago, the association published its…
If you find the perfect quotation for your research paper, but there's a citation inside the quoted work, don't fret. You can still include the quotation in your paper by following a couple of simple guidelines.
APA citation generators offer multiple benefits for students working on research papers. Quality tools help students save time by automating the citation process, allowing them to focus on content rather than…
A good reference list shows you have grounded your research paper in credible, established evidence. By consistently gathering reliable sources and formatting them correctly, you can produce a clean, verifiable…
Sources like personal interviews, text messages, or unrecorded classroom lectures can be viable, even if your reader is unable to view them. These types of sources are called "personal communications," and even though…
Start a new page titled References (centered, bold), double-space and alphabetize entries, and use a 0.5″ hanging indent – or let PERRLA build it automatically.
APA 7 doesn’t require an Introduction heading – the paper’s first paragraphs are assumed to be introductory. On page 2 of a student paper, repeat the title (bold, centered, Title Case), press Return once, and begin the…
The body of an APA 7 student research paper is where your ideas, evidence, and arguments come together, and correct formatting helps readers focus on your content. This post walks through the key APA requirements for…
Your APA 7 title page is your paper’s first impression — this quick guide shows exactly what to include and how to format it, and PERRLA can build it automatically.
Emojis are valid in APA 7 references – include the emoji itself when possible, or if you can’t, write the emoji’s name in square brackets (e.g., [grinning face emoji]) – and PERRLA will automatically format social-media…
A great research paper starts with a great idea, but turning that idea into a successful student research paper begins with a correctly formatted document – this first APA 101 installment explains the difference between…
APA 7’s rules for works with large author lists: include all authors in references up to 20, but for 21 or more list the first 19, an ellipsis, and the final author; in-text citations still use et al.
If you're new to APA Style, learning how to cite your sources can feel overwhelming – but it doesn't have to be.
Struggling to start a college paper? Learn a simple, proven structure – introduction, body, and conclusion – plus a powerful outlining tip that makes writing clearer, faster, and far less overwhelming from start to…
Learn how to properly cite ChatGPT and other AI tools in APA style, avoid plagiarism pitfalls, and understand when and how to credit AI assistance – plus practical tips, examples, and common mistakes every student…
APA style matters – but teaching its tedious rules in class misses the point. Professors should focus on critical thinking, credible sourcing, and strong arguments, while tools handle formatting – freeing students to…
Struggling with APA References? This quick, no-stress guide breaks down exactly how to format your page perfectly – spacing, punctuation, and all – so your citations look polished, professional, and completely…
49 posts in APA. See every post
APA 101 is the same material in order: eighteen short lessons from page setup to the final checks before you submit.
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