Top 5 apa style spelling rules a comprehensive guide

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apa style spelling rules a comprehensive guide

Concise Guide to APA Style: 7th Edition (OFFICIAL)

Page 124 Review

APA Style Spelling Guide: A Detailed Review

This excerpt from the APA Style guide provides essential rules for spelling, capitalization, and abbreviations, crucial for academic writing.

Let’s delve into the key aspects discussed.

Preferred Spelling

The guide emphasizes adherence to established dictionaries. “Spelling in APA Style papers should conform to Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com).

Spellings of psychological terms should conform to the APA Dictionary of Psychology (https://dictionary.apa.org).” This establishes a primary reference point for general vocabulary and a specialized resource for psychological terminology.

The hierarchy of resources is clear: the APA Dictionary of Psychology takes precedence when there’s a discrepancy. “If a word appears differently in these two dictionaries, follow the spelling in the APA Dictionary of Psychology.”

The guide further clarifies the process when a word is absent from these primary sources. “If a word is not in either of these dictionaries, consult an unabridged edition of Webster’ dictionary (https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com) or another dictionary used in your field or language.” This highlights the importance of consulting field-specific dictionaries when necessary.

The guide offers a critical recommendation: “If the dictionary offers a choice of spellings, select one and use it consistently throughout your paper.” Consistency is paramount in academic writing.

Plural Forms of Latin and Greek Words

The excerpt addresses the complexities of pluralizing words of Latin or Greek origin. “The plural forms of some words of Latin or Greek origin can be troublesome (particularly those that end in the letter “a’).” It provides a list of common examples to illustrate the correct plural forms:

Singular: appendix criterion curriculum datum phenomenon
Plural: appendices criteria curricula data phenomena

A crucial grammatical rule is highlighted: “Remember that plural nouns take plural verbs.”
Correct: The data indicate
Incorrect: The data indicates

This emphasizes the importance of subject-verb agreement, often overlooked with these specific plural forms.

Possessive Forms

The rule for forming possessives of singular names is clearly stated: “Form the possessive of a singular name by adding an apostrophe and an “s” (e.g., “Milner’s theory”).” The guide addresses names ending in “s”: “This guideline also applies when a name ends in “s” (e.g., “Descartes’s philosophy,’ “James’s work’).”

Technology Terminology

The excerpt acknowledges the evolving nature of technology terminology. “The spellings of terms related to technology evolve over time.

Use the following spellings for common technology words in APA Style papers:” A list of current spellings is provided, including: email ebook ereader database data set smartphone internet intranet Wi-Fi website webpage the web home page username login page (but “log in” when used as a verb) emoji (for the plural, either “emoji” or “emojis”).

This section acknowledges the fluidity of language, particularly in rapidly developing fields.

Conclusion

This section of the APA Style guide provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of essential spelling rules.

By adhering to these guidelines, writers can ensure clarity, consistency, and credibility in their academic work.

Proper spelling and grammar are integral to effective communication of research findings and scholarly ideas.

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APA Style Spelling Rules: A Comprehensive Guide