qoder-config/skills/deep-research/references/apa7_style_guide.md

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