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apa7

apa7

github.com/kalarislabsDocuments7357 installsUpdated 3d ago
Repository

About apa7

apa7 is a practical APA 7 style guide for academic writers, covering paper layout, citations, references, tables, and bias-free language. It also outlines setup options for LaTeX, Pandoc/Quarto, and reference managers.

Key features

  1. 01Student and professional paper formats
  2. 02Heading levels and author-date citations
  3. 03Reference entry conventions
  4. 04Table, figure, and bias-free language checks
  5. 05LaTeX, Pandoc/Quarto, and reference tool setup

Use cases

  1. 01Format a student paper or professional manuscript
  2. 02Prepare in-text citations and a reference list
  3. 03Check tables, figures, and inclusive wording

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/kalarislabs/research-agent-skills --skill apa7

After installing, type/apa7in Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

APA Style, 7th Edition

Workflow

  1. Confirm which APA variant applies: the 7th-edition manual, a journal's house rules, or a university thesis guide. Local rules win.
  2. Set up the page format and title page for a student or professional paper.
  3. Apply heading levels and convert in-text citations to author-date form.
  4. Rebuild the reference list from a reference manager with the APA 7 style. Never type references from memory, and verify DOIs.
  5. Check tables, figures and bias-free language, then proofread against the checklist below.

The authoritative sources are the Publication Manual of the APA (7th ed.) and https://apastyle.apa.org. When a journal or university has its own APA variant, the local guide wins. Ask which applies.

Paper format

ElementRule
Paper typeStudent (course papers: title, author, affiliation, course, instructor, date) or professional (manuscripts: title, authors, affiliations, author note, and running head)
Page1-inch margins, double-spaced throughout (including references), page numbers top right
FontsConsistent, legible: e.g. 11-pt Calibri/Arial, 12-pt Times New Roman, 11-pt Georgia
ParagraphsIndent first line 0.5 in. Left-aligned, ragged right
TitleBold, centered, title case, in the upper half of the title page, and repeated on the first text page
AbstractProfessional papers: one paragraph, typically up to 250 words (check the journal), followed by Keywords: (italic label)

Headings

LevelFormat
1Centered, Bold, Title Case
2Flush Left, Bold, Title Case
3Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case
4Indented, Bold, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text continues on the same line
5Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, Ending With a Period. Text continues on the same line

The introduction has no "Introduction" heading. It starts under the repeated paper title.

In-text citations

  • Author-date: (Smith, 2020) or Smith (2020). Two authors: (Smith & Lee, 2020), "Smith and Lee (2020)".
  • Three or more authors: first author + "et al." from the first citation: (Garcia et al., 2019).
  • Multiple works: alphabetical, separated by semicolons: (Adams, 2018; Zhou & Park, 2021).
  • Direct quotes need a page or paragraph: (Smith, 2020, p. 45). Quotes of 40+ words are block quotes without quotation marks.
  • Group authors: spell out; define an abbreviation at first use if it is used again.

Reference list

Title "References" (bold, centered), alphabetical by first author, hanging indent 0.5 in, double-spaced.

Journal:  Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2020). Title of the article in sentence case. Journal Name in Title Case, 12(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Book:     Author, A. A. (2019). Title of the book in sentence case (2nd ed.). Publisher.
Chapter:  Author, A. A. (2018). Chapter title. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. 10–25). Publisher. https://doi.org/...
Dataset:  Author, A. A. (2021). Title of dataset (Version 2) [Data set]. Repository. https://doi.org/...
Software: Author, A. A. (2022). Title of software (Version 1.4) [Computer software]. Publisher. https://...
Webpage:  Author/Organization. (2023, May 4). Title of page. Site Name. https://...
  • Up to 20 authors are listed. For 21+, list the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author.
  • DOIs are written as https://doi.org/... URLs. No "Retrieved from" unless content is designed to change (then include a retrieval date).
  • Journal name and volume in italics. Article titles in sentence case, not italic.
  • For generative AI tools, follow APA's current guidance on citing AI (https://apastyle.apa.org). Describe how the tool was used in the method or text.

Tables and figures

Number in bold ("Table 1"), then the title in italic title case on the next line; notes below. Tables have no vertical rules. Figures use the same numbering and title rules. Place them after first mention or at the end, per instructor or journal.

Tooling

  • LaTeX: \documentclass[man]{apa7} (or stu, jou, doc) with biblatex + style=apa, backend=biber.
  • Pandoc/Quarto: --citeproc --csl apa.csl (from the CSL styles repository).
  • Zotero/Mendeley/EndNote: select "American Psychological Association 7th edition". Then check capitalization of article titles (tools often keep title case) and DOI formatting.

Bias-free language

Follow APA guidance: person-first or identity-first language as preferred by the community, specific age ranges instead of "elderly", singular "they" when appropriate, precise descriptions of race and ethnicity (capitalized), and describing participants at the right level of specificity.

Related skills

reference-manager-interop, bibtex-hygiene, citation-verification, scientific-writing, statistical-analysis (APA-style statistics reporting).

Comments

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