1
Research Writing Style Assignment
Berreka Franklin
Department of Social Work, Liberty University
PSYC 255: Introduction to Research
Professor Hilary Trevizu
June 5, 2023
2
Research Writing Style Assignment
According to the American Psychological Association, the Publication Manual has long
been an authoritative source for scholarly writing, and this edition provides more targeted
guidance and support for students (American Psychological Association, 2020). The research
writing style assignment is a guide to help students understand the APA Publication Manual by
giving them knowledge of how the manual is used, where to locate information within it, and
what information it contains. This assignment is a summary of what the APA Publication
Manual contains and how one can use it for formatting future assignments for this Introduction
to Research course and other courses in which it can assist.
3
Some APA Requirement Examples
Heading levels and knowing the difference
The purpose of using level headings in a properly formatted document is to serve as a
guide to organize content for readers and to help the writer structure the writing. APA style
headings have five possible levels that are used. For example, Level 3 headings are flush left,
bold italic, and title case. The text after a Level 3 heading begins as a new paragraph. Compared
to Level 5, headings are indented, bold, italic, and title case, ending with a period. The text after
a Level 5 heading begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph (American
Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 47).
Personal Communication Definition and Importance
Personal communication is a citation that is only when a recoverable source is not
available. Personal communication includes emails, text messages, online chats or direct
messages, personal interviews, telephone conversations, live speeches, unrecorded classroom
lectures, memos, letters, messages from nonarchival discussion groups or online bulletin boards,
and so on. An example of personal communication in-text citation is the give the initial(s) and
surname of the communicator, and provide as exact a date as possible, (T. Nguyen, personal
communication, February 24, 2020). (American Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 259).
DOI Definition and Importance
The DOI, which stands for digital object identifier, is the final component of the reference list
entry. The DOI is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies content and provides a persistent
link to its location on the internet. It is typically located on the first page of an article near the
copyright notice, and it starts with "https://doi.org/" or "http://dx.doi.org" or "DOI:" and is
4
followed by a string of letters and numbers. The importance of a DOI for a researcher is to assist
the researcher in keeping track of all their references (American Psychological Association,
2020, pp. 298).
Introduction to research textbook. On page 39, there is information on how to format a
citation for the reference page of the course textbook. For example, ‘Crawford
(2018). Introduction to Research: Less Fright, More Insight: A Customized Version of Research
Methods: Are You Equipped? Second Edition by Jennifer Bonds-Raacke and John Raacke (3rd
ed.). Kendall Hunt Publishing. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781524965457’ On
page 259, the information on how to format an in-text citation for the course textbook. For
example, Crawford (2018).
A recorded webinar. On page 341, there is information on how to format a reference for
audiovisual media. For example, the author, date of publication, title, publisher, and URL.
‘Goldberg, J. F. (2018). Evaluating adverse drug effects [Webinar]. American Psychiatric
Association. https://education.psychiatry.org/Users/ProductDetails.aspx?ActivityID=6172’. On
page 343, the information on how to format an in-text citation for the audiovisual media. For
example, the author and date of publication ‘Goldberg, 2018’.
The APA Publications Manual. On page 389, there is information on how to format a
citation for the reference page of the APA Publication Manual, as it is a reference when the
material is reprinted or adapted. For example, provide the title, author, year of publication, and
source of the material. ‘American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the
American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000’. On page
261, there is information on how to format an in-text citation for the APA Publication Manual.
write a header
5
For example, provide the author’s name, year of publication, and page number. ‘American
Psychological Association, 2020, pp. 261.’
Religious and classical works. On page 389, there is information on how to format a
citation for the reference page of religious and classical works. For example, the author/editor,
date of publication, title, publisher, and URL. ‘King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible
Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)’. . On page 264,
the information on how to format an in-text citation for the audiovisual media. For example,
King James Bible (1769/2017)
Jerry Falwell Library
The mission of the Jerry Falwell Library is to promote learning, discovery, and research
by providing robust resources, engaging instruction, flexible spaces, and outstanding services to
the Liberty University community. Students will find many useful materials in the Jerry Falwell
Library. Based on the field of study under consideration, there are several resources available.
You may access a wide range of content inside each database. eBooks, journal articles, and other
materials are examples. The Jerry Falwell Library is quite beneficial, especially for online
students. It is quite useful for obtaining resources when they are needed.
Conclusion
The aim of becoming better at writing is to first understand how to structure your writing
and where to find the right information. From understanding how important different heading
levels of APA are to also knowing what a DOI and personal communication are and why they
are important to writers and how to cite your information, that can be obtained at the Jerry
Falwell Library, which provides outstanding services to its users on finding resources.
6
Reference
Association, A. P. (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th
ed.). American Psychological Association.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781433832185
Crawford (2018). Introduction to Research: Less Fright, More Insight: A Customized Version of
Research Methods: Are You Equipped? Second Edition by Jennifer Bonds-Raacke and John
Raacke (3rd ed.). Kendall Hunt
Publishing. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781524965457
