# APA 7th Edition — Quick Reference Guide

## Purpose
Quick reference for APA 7.0 formatting used by the report_compiler_agent and editor_in_chief_agent.

## Document Formatting

### General
- Font: 12pt Times New Roman, 11pt Calibri, or 11pt Arial
- Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides
- Line spacing: Double-spaced throughout
- Paragraph indent: 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) first line
- Page numbers: Top right corner

### Headings (5 Levels)

| Level | Format |
|-------|--------|
| 1 | **Centered, Bold, Title Case** |
| 2 | **Left-Aligned, Bold, Title Case** |
| 3 | *Left-Aligned, Bold Italic, Title Case* |
| 4 | **Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period.** Text continues... |
| 5 | *Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period.* Text continues... |

## In-Text Citations

### Parenthetical Citations
- One author: (Smith, 2023)
- Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2023)
- Three+ authors: (Smith et al., 2023)
- Multiple works: (Jones, 2022; Smith, 2023) — alphabetical order
- Same author, same year: (Smith, 2023a, 2023b)
- Organization: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023) first time; (WHO, 2023) after
- No date: (Smith, n.d.)
- Secondary source: (Original Author, Year, as cited in Citing Author, Year)

### Narrative Citations
- Smith (2023) found that...
- Smith and Jones (2023) argued...
- Smith et al. (2023) demonstrated...

### Direct Quotations
- Short (< 40 words): "exact words" (Author, Year, p. X)
- Long (≥ 40 words): Block quote, indented 0.5 inch, no quotation marks
  (Author, Year, p. X) at end

### Page Numbers
- Required for direct quotes: p. X or pp. X–Y
- Encouraged for paraphrases from long works

## Reference List

### General Rules
- Heading: "References" (Level 1 heading)
- Hanging indent: 0.5 inch
- Double-spaced
- Alphabetical by first author's surname
- Include DOI as hyperlink when available: https://doi.org/xxxxx

### Journal Article
```
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. *Title of Periodical in Title Case*, *Volume*(Issue), Page–Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx
```

### Book
```
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of work in sentence case: Capital letter for subtitle* (Edition). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx
```

### Edited Book Chapter
```
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), *Title of book* (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx
```

### Report / Grey Literature
```
Organization Name. (Year). *Title of report* (Report No. xxx). https://www.url.com
```

### Webpage
```
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). *Title of page*. Site Name. https://www.url.com
```

### Government Document
```
Government Agency. (Year). *Title of document* (Publication No. xxx). Publisher. https://www.url.com
```

### Conference Paper
```
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Days). *Title of contribution* [Type]. Conference Name, Location. https://doi.org/xxxxx
```

### Thesis / Dissertation
```
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of dissertation* [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database Name. https://www.url.com
```

### Dataset
```
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of dataset* (Version) [Data set]. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx
```

## Special Cases

### No Author
- Use organization or title in author position
- Short title in citations: ("Short Title," Year)

### No Date
- (n.d.) in place of year

### Translated Works
```
Author, A. A. (Year). *Title in original language* [Title in English] (T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published Year)
```

### Multiple Works by Same Author Same Year
- Assign lowercase letters: 2023a, 2023b
- Based on title alphabetical order

## Tables

```
Table X

Descriptive Title of Table in Italic

[Table content]

Note. General note about the table. Adapted from "Title," by Author, Year, Journal, Volume, p. X. Copyright Year by Copyright Holder.
```

## Figures

```
Figure X

Descriptive Title of Figure in Italic

[Figure]

Note. Description and source information.
```

## Numbers

- Spell out: numbers below 10, numbers beginning a sentence
- Use numerals: 10 and above, statistical/mathematical, dates, ages, scores
- Exception: Always use numerals with units (3 cm, 5 mg)

## Common Errors to Avoid

1. Using "&" in text (use "and" in text; "&" only in parenthetical citations and reference list)
2. Missing DOIs for sources that have them
3. Inconsistent heading levels
4. Period after DOI/URL (don't add one)
5. Using "et al." with only 2 authors (use both names)
6. Orphan references (cited but not in reference list, or vice versa)
7. Incorrect capitalization in reference titles (sentence case, not title case)
8. Missing issue numbers for journals that paginate by issue
