Format APA Report

Create an APA 7th edition formatted report using Quarto (apaquarto) or R Markdown (papaja).

When to Use

•Writing an academic paper in APA format
•Creating a psychology or social science research report
•Generating reproducible manuscripts with embedded analysis
•Preparing a thesis or dissertation chapter

Inputs

•Required: Analysis code and results
•Required: Bibliography file (.bib)
•Optional: Co-authors and affiliations
•Optional: Manuscript type (journal article, student paper)

Procedure

Step 1: Choose Framework

Option A: apaquarto (Quarto, recommended)

install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("wjschne/apaquarto")

Option B: papaja (R Markdown)

remotes::install_github("crsh/papaja")

Step 2: Create Document (apaquarto)

Create manuscript.qmd:

yaml

---
title: "Effects of Variable X on Outcome Y"
shorttitle: "Effects of X on Y"
author:
  - name: First Author
    corresponding: true
    orcid: 0000-0000-0000-0000
    email: author@university.edu
    affiliations:
      - name: University Name
        department: Department of Psychology
  - name: Second Author
    affiliations:
      - name: Other University
abstract: |
  This study examined the relationship between X and Y.
  Using a sample of N = 200 participants, we found...
  Results are discussed in terms of theoretical implications.
keywords: [keyword1, keyword2, keyword3]
bibliography: references.bib
format:
  apaquarto-docx: default
  apaquarto-pdf:
    documentmode: man
---

Step 3: Write APA Content

markdown

# Introduction

Previous research has established that... [@smith2023; @jones2022].
@smith2023 found significant effects of X on Y.

# Method

## Participants

We recruited `r nrow(data)` participants (*M*~age~ = `r mean(data$age)`,
*SD* = `r sd(data$age)`).

## Materials

The study used the Measurement Scale [@author2020].

## Procedure

Participants completed... (see @fig-design for the study design).

# Results

```{r}
#| label: fig-results
#| fig-cap: "Mean scores by condition with 95% confidence intervals."
#| fig-width: 6
#| fig-height: 4

ggplot(summary_data, aes(x = condition, y = mean, fill = condition)) +
  geom_col() +
  geom_errorbar(aes(ymin = ci_lower, ymax = ci_upper), width = 0.2) +
  theme_apa()
```

A two-way ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of condition,
*F*(`r anova_result$df1`, `r anova_result$df2`) = `r anova_result$F`,
*p* `r format_pvalue(anova_result$p)`, $\eta^2_p$ = `r anova_result$eta`.

# Discussion

The findings support the hypothesis that...

# References

Step 4: Format Tables in APA Style

#| label: tbl-descriptives
#| tbl-cap: "Descriptive Statistics by Condition"

library(gt)

descriptive_table <- data |>
  group_by(condition) |>
  summarise(
    M = mean(score),
    SD = sd(score),
    n = n()
  )

gt(descriptive_table) |>
  fmt_number(columns = c(M, SD), decimals = 2) |>
  cols_label(
    condition = "Condition",
    M = "*M*",
    SD = "*SD*",
    n = "*n*"
  )

Step 5: Manage Citations

Create references.bib:

bibtex

@article{smith2023,
  author = {Smith, John A. and Jones, Mary B.},
  title = {Effects of intervention on outcomes},
  journal = {Journal of Psychology},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {45},
  pages = {123--145},
  doi = {10.1000/example}
}

APA citation styles:

•Parenthetical: [@smith2023] -> (Smith & Jones, 2023)
•Narrative: @smith2023 -> Smith and Jones (2023)
•Multiple: [@smith2023; @jones2022] -> (Jones, 2022; Smith & Jones, 2023)

Step 6: Render

bash

# Word document (common for journal submission)
quarto render manuscript.qmd --to apaquarto-docx

# PDF (for preprint or review)
quarto render manuscript.qmd --to apaquarto-pdf

Expected: Properly formatted APA document with title page, running head, references.

Validation

• Title page formatted correctly (title, authors, affiliations, author note)
• Abstract present with keywords
• In-text citations match reference list
• Tables and figures numbered correctly
• Statistics formatted per APA (italicized, proper symbols)
• References in APA 7th edition format
• Page numbers and running head present (PDF)

Common Pitfalls

•Inline R code formatting: Use backtick-r syntax for inline statistics, not hardcoded values
•Citation key mismatches: Ensure .bib keys match exactly in the text
•Figure placement: APA manuscripts typically place figures at the end; set documentmode: man
•Missing CSL file: apaquarto includes the APA CSL; papaja users may need to specify csl: apa.csl
•Special characters in abstracts: Avoid markdown formatting in the YAML abstract block

Related Skills

•create-quarto-report - general Quarto document creation
•generate-statistical-tables - publication-ready tables
•build-parameterized-report - batch report generation