The American Psychological Association highlights the need to talk about all people with inclusivity and respect. Writers adopting APA 7th edition must strive to use bias-free language and avoid perpetuating prejudicial beliefs or demeaning attitudes in their writing.
APA Style
APA is the official style of documentation of academic sources used by the American Psychological Association (APA). It is considered one of the most commonly used styles in the academic field. It is especially used for citing sources within the field of social and behavioral sciences.
The American Psychological Association (APA) introduced the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual in 2019. This edition replaced the previous one, the 6th edition of the manual. Since then, several things have changed. As emphasized on the official APA website, The American Psychological Association highlights the need to talk about all people with inclusivity and respect. Writers adopting APA 7th edition must strive to use bias-free language and avoid perpetuating prejudicial beliefs or demeaning attitudes in their writing.
The APA guidelines for bias-free language contain both general guidelines for writing about people without bias across a range of topics and specific guidelines that address the individual characteristics of age, disability, gender, participation in research, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. These guidelines and recommendations were crafted by panels of experts on APA’s bias-free language committees(apa.org). Thus, the new edition of the APA Manual encourages authors to use bias-free language and help them reduce bias around topics such as gender, age, disability, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation.
The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual encourages authors to use bias-free language and help them reduce bias around topics such as gender, age, disability, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation.
The new edition encourages authors to use they/their instead of he/she or his/her. Thus, avoid using “he or she” to refer to people of unspecified gender.
Use words to define characteristics relevant and distinguishing among people.
Be specific about age ranges, types of conditions, gender identity, origins and affiliations of people, sexual orientation, and their socio-economic background or status.
Here are some examples:
The singular “they” or “their” is endorsed as a gender-neutral pronoun.
APA 6th Edition |
The results will depend on how he or she analyzed the data at hand. |
APA 7th Edition |
The results will depend on how they analyzed the data at hand. |
Use descriptive phrases instead of using adjectives as nouns to label groups of people.
Transsexuals (Incorrect)
Transgender people (Correct)
Instead of using broad categories, give specific ages ranges
People 50 and over (Incorrect)
People in the age range of 50 and 60 (Correct)
For more information about the citation styles and APA style, read the following articles:
The 9 Most Important Changes in the 7th Edition of the APA Manual
How to Present Tables and Figures in APA Style (7th edition)
How to Cite Sources in APA Referencing Style? | With APA 7th Edition Update
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This short guide discusses the bias-free language approach adopted by the 7th edition of the APA Manual Publication. To give you an opportunity to practice your proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.
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There are many different citation styles that depend on the academic discipline involved. Some of the most common citation styles are American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and Chicago/Turabian style. APA citation style is used by education, psychology, and social sciences, MLA style is used by the humanities, while Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by business, history, and the fine arts. You will need to check with your manual to determine what is required in your specific area.
Continue ReadingThe American Psychological Association (APA) format is the most common style used to cite sources within the social sciences. This handout will give you a brief guide on the Publication Manual of the APA. For more information, please consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition).
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Continue ReadingThe American Psychological Association (APA) introduced the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual (in October 2019), which replaces the 6th edition of the manual published in 2009. Since then, several things have changed. This article discusses the 9 most important changes in the 7th edition of the APA manual.
Continue ReadingThe American Psychological Association (APA) introduced the 7th Edition of the APA Publication Manual in 2019. This edition replaced the previous one, the 6th Edition of the manual. Since then, several things have changed. The latest edition also updated listing web pages in the 7th edition of the APA Manual Publication
Continue ReadingAdopting Modern Language Association (MLA) style makes it easier for readers to navigate and understand the text. It ensures consistency in the use of the English language and formatting in academic writing. In this article, we bring you a complete guide on how you format your academic papers and essays in MLA style.
Continue ReadingAcademic referencing and academic citing acknowledge the sources used by authors in their manuscripts. It necessitates the linkage of citations to the list of works cited in a paper. It also gives credit to the sources of information used in the manuscript. Whether it is about writing a book or other academic documents, you first need to learn how to use APA referencing style and format. With the help of citations, readers can easily understand the messages conveyed in an article.
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