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APA Treasure Hunt
Shannon Feldmann
Department of Psychology, Liberty University
PSYCH255: Introduction to Research (B23)
Professor William McMillan
January 26, 2026
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APA Treasure Hunt
Title Page Differences
A professional APA title page includes elements intended for publication—such as the
paper’s title, each author’s name and affiliation, an author note, a running head, and a page
number—while a student title page uses a simplified format designed for coursework. A student
title page contains the paper’s title, the student’s name, the student’s institutional affiliation
(typically the university attended), the course number and course name, the instructor’s name,
the assignment due date written in the month–day–year format used in the student’s country, and
the page number. This information is found on page 30 of the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association (7th edition).
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Abstract
The purpose of an abstract is to provide a brief, accurate summary of the paper so readers
can quickly understand its main points. An abstract includes essential information such as the
topic, key findings, methods, results, and conclusions of the work. In a professional paper, the
abstract appears on its own page immediately after the title page. A student paper only includes
an abstract when an instructor or assignment specifically requires one.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another person’s ideas, words, or work as their
own without giving proper credit. Self-plagiarism happens when an author reuses their own
previously submitted or published work without acknowledging that it was used before. This
information is found on page 255 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (7th edition).
The Liberty Way says that cheating in school is any attempt to get an academic edge by
dishonest means. This is in line with the APA Manual's emphasis on being honest while
presenting your work. The Student Honor Code says that plagiarism is not giving proper credit
for someone else's words, ideas, or facts. This is quite similar to what the APA Manual says
about plagiarism: presenting someone else's work as your own without giving them credit. The
Liberty Way also says that self-plagiarism is turning in work that has already been used without
permission. This is similar to what the APA Manual says about repeating one's own work
without telling anyone, which is a type of academic misconduct. The Liberty Way also includes
falsifications like making up documents, changing information, or distorting data, which is a
breach of academic integrity. This is in line with the APA Manual's broader expectation that
authors report information honestly and avoid any kind of data manipulation. Both sources stress
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that honesty, openness, and accountability are important parts of doing ethical academic work.
Formatting Examples
Headings
Levels of headings are the structured labels used to organize sections and subsections
within an APA paper so readers can easily follow the flow of ideas. They are used to show the
hierarchy of information and to make the paper’s structure clear and consistent across all
sections. According to page 47 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (7th edition), a level one heading is centered, bold, and uses title case, while a level
two heading is left-aligned, bold, and also uses title case, and a level three heading is
left-aligned, bold, italicized, and written in title case to indicate a further subdivision of content.
This top-down structure ensures that each section begins with the highest appropriate heading
level, even when different sections contain different numbers of subsections.
Organization
When an organization is listed as the author of a source, the in-text citation uses the
organization’s full name the first time it appears, followed by the year of publication, and later
citations may use an abbreviation if one was introduced. Page 47 of the APA Manual explains
that the first citation includes the full name, such as (American Psychological Association
[APA], 2020), while subsequent citations may use only the abbreviation, such as (APA, 2020). A
reference entry for a source with an organizational author begins with the organization’s name,
followed by the year, the title in sentence case and italics, the publisher (if different from the
author), and any relevant DOI or URL, as described on page 307. A properly formatted reference
for the APA Manual would appear as: American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological
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Association.
Religious Works
A reference for a religious work is formatted by listing the title of the version of the text
rather than an individual author, because religious works are treated as having no personal
author. Page 303 of the APA Manual explains that the title is italicized, followed by the year of
publication, the publisher, and any relevant information about the version used. An example of a
properly formatted reference for a Bible version is: English Standard Version Bible. (2016).
Crossway. An in-text citation for a religious work includes the book, chapter, and verse rather
than page numbers, and page 302 notes that the version is included in the first citation, such as
(English Standard Version Bible, 2016, John 3:16), while later citations may omit the version
unless it changes.
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References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway.
Liberty University. (2024). The Liberty Way: Student honor code. Liberty University.
https://www.liberty.edu/students/honor-code/
