APA 7th edition - Paper Format: Mechanics of Style

1. Mechanics of Style
2. Abbreviations and Acronyms
3. First-Person Language
4. Key Terms
5. Title Case

The mechanics are the details that help your paper flow smoothly and consistently, while adhering to the usage and style accepted by the APA.

How to Format Abbreviations and Acronyms - Tutorial

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases. An abbreviation can be an acronym, which is when the first letter of each major word of a phrase or name is used. For example, an acronym for the Justice Institute of British Columbia is JIBC.

Abbreviations can be useful to reduce repetition and maintain smooth flow of ideas in academic papers.

• Common abbreviations do not need to be defined in the paper. Do not define:
  • Abbreviations listed in the dictionary, such as IQ or TV
  • Measurement abbreviations, such as lbs or km
  • Time abbreviations, such as hr or min
  • Latin Abbreviations, such as e.g. or i.e.
  • Statistical abbreviations, such as ANOVA
• Abbreviations that are specific to a field of study must be defined in the paper.

“Abbreviations must be defined the first time they are used in a paper. The full version of the term must be used first, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. For example, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). For all subsequent uses throughout the paper, use only the abbreviation.

• If the abbreviation first appears in text already within parentheses, then use square brackets. For example, (cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR]).

• If the first time an abbreviation appears is in a heading, then do not define the abbreviation in the heading and only use the full version of the term. Instead, define the abbreviation when it next appears.

How to use First Person Language - Tutorial

Use first-person pronouns instead of third-person pronouns when describing the work that you did as a researcher to avoid ambiguity.

• If you are writing the paper by yourself, use singular pronouns, such as “I” or “my.”
• If you are writing the paper in a group, use plural pronouns, such as “we” or “our.”
• Do not refer to yourself in third person, such as “the author” or “the researcher.”

Some instructors may have different requirements for first or third-person pronouns. If you are unsure of your instructor’s requirements, ask your instructor for clarification.

Singular "They"

Use the pronoun “they” for anyone:

• Who uses “they” as their pronoun.
• Whose gender is unknown.
• Whose gender is irrelevant, such as a hypothetical example.

How to Format Key Terms - Tutorial

Key terms (or technical terms) are words or phrases that have a specific meaning in a field of study.

Key terms must be defined the first time they are used in a paper. For example, Plagiarism is defined as “the act of presenting words, ideas, or images of another as your own” (APA, 2020, p. 254).

• The first time a key term is used, it should be italicized.
• All subsequent uses of the key term throughout the paper should be in standard (nonitalic) text.

How to use Title Case - Tutorial

Title Casing:

Title Casing is a style of capitalization that has five rules:

1. The first word is capitalized, including minor words such as “A” or “The.”
2. All major words (words with four or more letters) are capitalized.
3. The first word after a colon, em dash, or punctuation in a heading is capitalized.
4. The first word in a subtitle is capitalized.
5. The second part of a hyphenated major word is capitalized.

 e.g. The Impact of Blunt-Force Trauma to the Brain.

Use Title Case for:

• The title of your paper
• Headings in your paper
• Titles of articles, books, reports, and other works appearing in the body of your paper
• Titles of tests, measures, or subscales
• Titles of periodicals in your reference list
• Titles of tables and figures