APA 7 style formatting of reference lists in scientific articles Scopus/Web of Science

When writing a scientific paper and publishing it on international platforms, it's important to adhere to a clear structure and writing algorithm. The paper must be structured in both the body and the bibliography. The bibliography must meet publication requirements. Key components such as author information, source, title, and publication must be organized based on the format of the original source (book, article, dissertation). When published on Scopus and Web of Science, the paper must include a bibliography formatted according to APA 7 Style.

What are the features and benefits of APA 7 Style?

This is a common citation style established by the American Psychological Association. Research papers are formatted using APA Style because the formatting rules are fairly simple and straightforward, but they do have their nuances. In this article, we will examine them in more detail. Key principles of APA Style include the following: a research paper must include all cited sources in the bibliography; the completed paper includes all types of references (in-text and block references). In-text references include the author (or editor, if there is no author), the year of publication, and the cited material. A citation is provided in quotation marks, with the author's attribution at the beginning or end of the citation. Research papers include fully accurate references and bibliographic information. Works formatted in this style are characterized by a logical presentation and clarity.

Organizing the list of references

According to APA Style, a scientific text concludes with a bibliography, which begins on a new page and meets a number of requirements. The main rules for formatting a bibliography include:

• the material cited in the article is listed in alphabetical order (the author's or editor's last name, if there is no author, or by the first letter of the title);
• If the work cites several works by one author, then the order of the entries is determined in the chronological edition by the year of publication (from early sources to late ones);
• each source in the list is submitted on a new line and is justified;
• An important point is that if a scientific work contains more than 7 authors, then the list should include the names of the first six authors, separated by commas, and then three periods should be put;
• The author's surname and initials are written according to transliteration rules, but the information for foreign authors is presented in the original language, without transliteration. The titles of books and articles are transliterated, but the English translation is provided in square brackets;

APA Style Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of a Source List

We've already analyzed the style features and rules for organizing material in a list, and now we'll examine the detailed algorithm by which a source is submitted to a list. Broadly speaking, each list entry contains basic components such as the author's name, year of publication, title of the material, and place of publication information, but each entry has its own unique characteristics. Let's consider each source separately.

1. Most often, a bibliographic description consists of books. The book entry algorithm is as follows: author (last name, initials), year, book title, edition (city, publisher). For example, Ilyin A. P. (1984). Psychology of Emotions, Moscow. Aqua.

Books without an author are listed as follows: book title, year, edition (place, publisher). A section of a book is listed differently, namely: author of the cited chapter (last name and initials), year, chapter title, book title, pages, edition (place, publisher). Multi-volume publications are listed as follows: author (last name and initials), editor's name, year, title, edition number, volume range, place of publication, publisher.

2. Research papers are often submitted with citations from journal articles. Articles are formatted as follows: author (last name, initials), year, article title, journal title, journal issue, and pages. For example, Moroz A. M. (2011). Features of mental development of preschool children. Journal of Practical Psychology, 5(8), 74-85.
3. Another important source to analyze is the citation of electronic sources. When citing an electronic source, it's important to include the web address or digital object identifier (doi), which is often used to identify scientific articles.

3.1 Newspaper article: author details, title, year, publication date, URL, access date

3.2 Article from an electronic journal: author details, journal title, issue, URL, date of access.

3.3 E-book: author details, book title, city, publisher, year, pages, URL, access date.

3.4 Website: article title, URL, access date.

4. Regulatory legal acts are drawn up as follows: the name of the law (charter, order), the law number, the section number and the article number, the year of approval. For example, About the National Police No. 580-VII, Section I, Article 8. (2016).
5. A newspaper citation is composed as follows: author, year of publication, title of the article, name of the newspaper, page.
6. Information taken from the encyclopedia will look like this: author, year of publication, article title, encyclopedia title, volume, pages, place of publication, editorial staff.
7. An abstract or dissertation is described as follows: last name, initials, title of the work, university where the defense took place, city, year, pages.
8. Articles in the conference proceedings: last name, initials, title of presentation, title of the conference proceedings, information about the conference, place of publication, year, pages.
9. Archival materials: document title, archive name, collection number, inventory number, file number, page number.
10. Standards are compiled as follows: document title, number, date of entry into force, place of publication, publisher, year, pages.

Conclusion

Thus, we analyzed the specifics of editing scientific papers according to APA 7 Style, identified its advantages, and appreciated its simplicity and consistency. This formatting style makes scientific text more structured and functional, as the references within the text are accurate and allow for quick navigation and, if necessary, retrieval of the full version of the publication. This style is also convenient because it provides a clear understanding of how to properly format bibliographic data for referenced sources, which in turn is invaluable when publishing in international journals.