APA Formatting
Turn supplied writing and verified source metadata into APA seventh-edition output.
Guidance checked 2026-10-25. The seventh edition remains current; online APA
updates supplement the manual. Consult references/sources.md
when a rule is disputed, time-sensitive, or outside the examples.
When to use
Activate for explicit APA formatting, APA citation repair, an APA reference list,
or a comparison that needs the APA side. For MLA output use the MLA skill; for an
unspecified citation style, establish the required style before converting anything.
Do not silently rewrite claims, invent research, or treat a formatting request as
permission to submit an assignment or publish a document.
Core process
flowchart TD
A[Read assignment and requested output] --> B{APA required?}
B -->|No| C[Route to requested style or clarify]
B -->|Yes| D[Identify student or professional and local rules]
D --> E[Inventory source metadata and quotations]
E --> F{Enough verified information?}
F -->|No| G[Mark gaps and request only necessary details]
G --> H[Format supported portions]
F -->|Yes| H
H --> I[Reconcile citations and reference entries]
I --> J{Rendered document available?}
J -->|Yes| K[Inspect layout and report observed checks]
J -->|No| L[Provide content and layout instructions with limits]
- Set the contract. Read the rubric, journal instructions, edition, paper type,
and target format. Local requirements may override APA defaults; label each
departure. For coursework use student setup unless professional setup is
required. When only a citation is requested, deliver the citation directly.
- Separate evidence from presentation. Record author order, date, title,
source type, container, volume/issue/pages or article number, publisher, and
DOI/URL as applicable. Verify against the source or publisher record when
available. Record whether each detail was supplied, independently verified,
or unresolved. Never manufacture a locator, author, DOI, date, or quotation.
- Choose the needed reference. Read
references/layout.md for paper structure and appearance;
references/citations.md for attribution and quotations;
references/reference-patterns.md for source
types, missing metadata, DOI/URL decisions, and current AI guidance.
- Apply and reconcile. Preserve meaning and verified quotations. Cross-check
every recoverable cited work against the references, and every reference
against an actual citation. Account explicitly for personal communications and
secondary-source exceptions. Check author spellings, years/suffixes, author
order, quotation locators, title capitalization, italics, and link destinations.
- Verify the deliverable at its actual level. A text review can check citation
consistency; only the final document can show margins, headers, page breaks,
fonts, spacing, and table overflow. When tools permit, render and inspect the
DOCX/PDF in its target application. State exactly what was inspected. A regex,
Markdown preview, or citation-manager export does not establish compliance.
Output contract
Scale the response to the task. A single reference needs the entry, its in-text
form, and any consequential uncertainty. A paper audit or conversion returns:
- Corrected content or a clearly named artifact; distinguish a scaffold from a
formatted document.
- Assumptions: edition, student/professional, local overrides, and output format.
- A short correction log for material changes, with rule/source links when useful.
- Missing or unverifiable details, named precisely; use conspicuous placeholders
in drafts and keep unresolved entries out of a claimed submission-ready artifact.
- Verification scope: content checks performed; rendered checks observed; remaining
layout checks. Never say “APA compliant” when only plain text was available.
Use examples/worked-examples.md for finished small
examples and an audit handoff. Use
templates/student-paper.md only to start a student
paper's content; its comments require actual word-processor settings.
Anti-patterns
Put a running head on every student paper
Novice: Apply a professional title page and an abstract to all assignments.
Expert: Establish the paper type and rubric first; student defaults differ.
Timeline: Seventh-edition guidance introduced a separate student setup in 2019;
current online instructions retain that distinction. See the layout reference.
Use the in-text author limit in the reference list
Novice: Change every three-author reference to “et al.”
Expert: In-text abbreviation and reference-list author transcription have
separate rules; preserve source order and resolve ambiguous shortened citations.
Timeline: Seventh-edition in-text rules differ from sixth-edition first-citation
rules. See the citations and reference-patterns references.
Cite AI using an undated remembered recipe
Novice: Always copy the archival 2023 ChatGPT example, or assume a citation
makes AI use permissible.
Expert: Check current official guidance, distinguish a helpful shareable chat
from general tool use, and apply the institution/publisher policy independently.
Timeline: APA replaced the 2023 post with a September 2025 series. Recheck it
when handling AI; do not invent a model version or tool-update date.
Treat typography instructions as rendered proof
Novice: Declare a Markdown scaffold submission-ready after checking punctuation.
Expert: Report content validation separately from observations of the final
file. Inspect page headers, styles, breaks, and tables after conversion.
Timeline: This is a format boundary, not an edition change.
Bundle guide
- references/layout.md — Open for title pages, headings,
headers, spacing, tables, and the final visual inspection pass.
- references/citations.md — Open for paraphrases,
quotations, author/group forms, ambiguity, and nonrecoverable material.
- references/reference-patterns.md — Open when
constructing entries or dealing with missing metadata, links, or AI.
- references/sources.md — Open to verify claim provenance,
check dates, and distinguish accessible sources from research gaps.
- examples/worked-examples.md — Open for fictional
citation/reference examples and a realistic limited-verification handoff.
- examples/activation-evals.md — Open when testing
activation boundaries or regression after description changes.
- templates/student-paper.md — Open when a content
scaffold helps begin an APA student paper; apply layout in the target editor.
- README.md — Open for bundle purpose, scope, and entry point.
- CHANGELOG.md — Open for version and research-refresh history.