American Psychological Association (APA) has become the standard format for research papers in the field of psychology and other associated disciplines. Basically, this writing format has a remarkable impact on the quality of research papers. In particular, the APA style format is a unique set of rules that establishes consistency in research presentation through three basic levels of style: organization, high-level style, and low-level style.
General Aspects of APA
The APA style format is one of the paper formats. It is a set of guidelines that ensures consistency in academic works. Basically, the APA style format requires the standardization of the structure and content of publications while enhancing the clarity of expression. Scientific communication through a research paper has become more convenient because of the APA reference format. In this case, it provides a specific way for researchers to present their work to the broader academic community. Besides, this writing style is advantageous. Hence, the APA format allows for scholars to keep track of advancements in various topics while providing a means for research papers to document the sources used correctly.
Three Basic Levels of APA Style Format
The Structure of a Paper
Firstly, the APA style format has rules regarding the structure of a paper. For example, the general organization of empirical articles is defined by highlighting some distinct sections and the order of their presentation. This rigid organization framework largely maintains homogeneity in research articles. Specifically, the title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, and references are the main parts of any research publications and maintain the same systematic order. In this case, the orderly nature of research manuscripts in the APA writing format is beneficial for writers. It allows the audience to quickly comprehend a study while guiding the researcher on the details. Hence, the manuscript structure is one of the core aspects of the APA style format.
The High-Level Style
Secondly, the high-level style touches on issues surrounding clear and concise writing. For instance, people must cover three prominent issues, such as the formal tone, avoidance of biased language, and straightforwardness. In this case, people must use formal and straightforward language. If authors do not know about what they write, then others will not enjoy their paper. Hence, it ensures that the relatively broad audience can interpret the information in the publication efficiently and accurately. On the other hand, writers should not use biased language against some groups in the APA style format. They need to establish some sense of objectivity and inclusivity.
The Low-Level Style
Finally, the low-level style contains particular guidelines to assist researchers in meeting the mechanical demands of the APA style format. In this case, people must follow various rules concerning references, in-text citations, grammar, spelling, figures and tables, and other mechanics of an APA style paper. Basically, the low-level style represents the most significant set of regulations. In turn, the APA reference page and APA citation format are the essential aspects of the low-level style. Because people must avoid plagiarism, they need to follow specific rules of the APA citation.
Conclusion on APA Style Format
The APA style format creates some standard for scientific writings to facilitate effective communication within the community of scholars. In the scientific world, the APA format in writing helps people to organize their research papers or other studies, for example, a dissertation. However, the three levels must be covered because they are the main aspects of the style. Therefore, people must follow the rules of the APA referring style and know how to cite APA style if they choose this writing format for their research papers.