Many students are required to submit essays, research papers, and other assignments written in APA writing style. Academic papers written in the APA writing style must strictly follow APA guidelines, even obscure ones, to earn good grades. Using the APA writing style requires more than just the form of references and citations. Some complex requirements may be unfamiliar to those who are not familiar with the APA style of writing or who have some experience using this style when preparing their academic papers. Below are the three obscure APA rules you need to know:
APA Writing Style Prefixes
A big part of using the APA writing style is the proper use of prefixes. It is common to use hyphens after prefixes in casual English. However, this goes against the APA style of writing. Words like underdevelopment, hypertext, underscore should not be hyphenated when writing an academic article using the APA writing style. There are certain circumstances in which you will be allowed to use prefixes when writing an academic article using APA style. When using the prefix auto-, you should always add prefixes for example, self-esteem, self-employment, among others. On the same note, you can use a hyphen when the word after the prefix is a proper noun or a number.
Anthropomorphism in the APA writing style
Anthropomorphism refers to a situation in which a writer attributes human traits or actions to non-living things. Anthropomorphism is commonly used at all levels of study when writing an academic article. Many tutors, teachers, or reviewers may not bother to mention it; however, it should be avoided when writing an academic article. Commonly used examples of anthropomorphism include “This article examines…” or “This document discusses…” Be that as it may, it is not technically possible for a document to discuss anything. Therefore, the best alternative is to say “The researcher discussed…” or “…is discussed in this article.”
APA Script Style Numbers
Many students and scholars get confused by the use of numbers when writing papers using APA style. Many students and academics are familiar with APA style numbering rules, but end up abusing them. It is important to note that you must spell the numbers one through ten when you include them in an APA Writing Style formatted document. For example, you should not write “It took me 7 years to figure out how to cite an article using APA.” Instead, write: “It took me seven years to figure out how to cite an article using APA.”
Tips for properly formatting and editing a document using APA
It is important to obtain a copy of the APA Writing Style Guidelines and review them thoroughly before writing an academic article. You get them from popular websites like Purdue OWL and accredited university writing centers. You can also get help from professional writers and editors who can help you format your paper or book in the APA style of writing.