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How to Get an APA Format Processor

Students of the social sciences must present research findings in carefully constructed academic reports. These reports adhere to strict conventions in terms of how sources are cited in the text and listed in the bibliography. The social sciences typically follow the style published by the American Psychological Association, or APA. The nuances of a publication format like APA style can be difficult to fully memorize. When working on a computer, however, certain tools can automate the citation process.

Instructions

- 1
  Open a Web browser and navigate to one of several sites, such as Son of Citation Machine, KnightCite or APA Citation Wizards. These are all free and relatively easy to use.
- 2
  Try several tools and select the one you prefer. Some tools work exclusively for online resources, while others are more versatile. KnightCite, for example, can produce citations for books and physical journal articles as well, provided you have the necessary information on hand.
- 3
  Search for browser add-ons if your research will primarily take place in the virtual world. Zotero and Cite This! are two such add-ons that work with Mozilla Firefox to produce APA formatted citations of Web pages. Be sure you read the fine print and hardware requirements before installing third-party software onto your system.

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