What is APA style?
APA style is a writing style that is used in the social and behavioral sciences, including nursing. It is developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) and is used to create clear, concise, and professional papers.
Why is APA style important in nursing?
APA style is important in nursing because it allows nurses to communicate their research findings and ideas in a clear and consistent way. This is important for both internal and external communication. For internal communication, APA style allows nurses to share their work with other nurses, researchers, and healthcare professionals. For external communication, APA style allows nurses to share their work with the public and with other disciplines.
How to use APA style in your nursing paper
To use APA style in your nursing paper, you will need to follow the APA Publication Manual (7th edition). This manual provides detailed guidelines on all aspects of APA style, including formatting, citations, and references.
Title page
The title page of your nursing paper should include the following information:
- Title of your paper
- Your name and affiliation
- Name of the instructor and course
- Due date
Running head
The running head is a shortened version of your paper’s title that appears at the top of each page of your paper. It should be no more than 50 characters long.
Title
The title of your paper should be clear, concise, and informative. It should accurately reflect the content of your paper.
Author(s)
Your name should be listed as the author of your paper. If you are collaborating with other authors, their names should be listed as well.
Affiliation(s)
Your affiliation is the institution or organization where you are employed. If you are a student, your affiliation is your university.
Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of your paper. It should be no more than 250 words long. The abstract should include the following information:
- Purpose of your paper
- Main findings of your paper
- Conclusions of your paper
Main body
The main body of your paper is where you will present your research findings and ideas. The main body should be divided into sections with clear headings. The headings should reflect the main topics of your paper.
Introduction
The introduction section of your paper should provide background information on your topic and state your thesis statement. The thesis statement is the main argument or claim of your paper.
Literature review
The literature review section of your paper should summarize the relevant literature on your topic. The literature review should identify the gaps in the literature and explain how your paper will address these gaps.
Methodology
The methodology section of your paper should describe the research design, methods, and procedures used in your study. The methodology section should also discuss the limitations of your study.
Results
The results section of your paper should present the findings of your study in a clear and concise manner. The results section should use tables and figures to support the findings.
Discussion
The discussion section of your paper should interpret your findings and discuss their implications for nursing practice. The discussion section should also compare your findings to those of other studies and discuss the limitations of your study and suggest directions for future research.
Conclusion
The conclusion section of your paper should summarize the main points of your paper and restate your thesis statement. The conclusion section should also discuss the implications of your findings for nursing practice.
References
The references section of your paper should list all of the sources that you cited in your paper. The references section should be formatted in APA style.
How to cite sources in APA style
To cite sources in APA style, you will need to include the following information in your citation:
- Author(s) of the source
- Title of the source
- Date the source was published
- Publisher or URL of the source
Sample references
Book:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher.
Journal article:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, Volume, Page
APA style for nursing papers
Title page
The title page of your nursing paper should include the following information, centered on the page:
- The title of your paper, in bold font, double-spaced above the rest of the title page information.
- Your name, followed by your affiliation(s), double-spaced below the title.
- The name of your instructor and course, double-spaced below your affiliation(s).
- The due date of your paper, double-spaced below your instructor’s name and course.
Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of your paper, no more than 250 words long, double-spaced. It should include the following information:
- The purpose of your paper.
- The main findings of your paper.
- The conclusions of your paper.
Main body
The main body of your nursing paper should be divided into sections with clear headings. The headings should reflect the main topics of your paper. The main body should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
References
The references section of your nursing paper should list all of the sources that you cited in your paper, double-spaced and alphabetically organized. Each reference should be in APA format.
Citing sources in APA style
To cite sources in APA style, you will need to include the following information in your citation:
- Author(s): List the author’s last name, followed by a comma and their initials. If there are two authors, list them in the order they appear on the source. If there are three or more authors, list the first author’s last name, followed by a comma and “et al.”
- Year: List the year the source was published.
- Title: List the title of the source, in italics. For books, include the subtitle. For journal articles, include the volume and issue number. For websites, include the URL.
Sample references
Book:
Smith, J. D. (2023). Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Journal article:
Jones, A. B., & Brown, C. D. (2023). The impact of a nursing intervention on patient satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Research, 31(3), 234-242.
Website:
American Psychological Association. (2023). APA style. https://apastyle.apa.org/
Avoiding plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work without giving them credit. To avoid plagiarism, you should cite all of the sources that you use in your paper. You should also paraphrase or summarize the sources that you use, rather than copying them word-for-word.
FAQs
Q. What is the difference between APA style and MLA style?
APA style is a writing style that is used in the social and behavioral sciences, including nursing. MLA style is a writing style that is used in the humanities and arts. The main differences between APA and MLA style are in the way that sources are cited and in the formatting of the paper.
Q. How do I format a table in APA style?
To format a table in APA style, you should center the table on the page and give it a title. The title should be placed above the table and should be in bold font. The table should be double-spaced and should have 1-inch margins on all sides. The table should also have horizontal rules above and below each column heading and below the last row of data.
Q. How do I cite a website in APA style?
To cite a website in APA style, you should include the following information in your reference:
- Author(s) of the website (if known)
- Title of the website
- Date the website was retrieved
- URL of the website
Q. How do I avoid plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work without giving them credit. To avoid plagiarism, you should cite all of the sources that you use in your paper. You should also paraphrase or summarize the sources that you use, rather than copying them word-for-word.
Q. Where can I find more information about APA style?
There are many resources available to help you learn more about APA style. You can find information about APA style in books, online articles, and on the APA website.
