Format APA Report

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

When Use

• Writing academic paper in APA format
• Making psychology or social science research report
• Making reproducible manuscripts with embedded analysis
• Prepping 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)

Steps

Step 1: Choose Framework

Option A: apaquarto (Quarto, advised)

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

Option B: papaja (R Markdown)

remotes::install_github("crsh/papaja")

Got: Picked framework package installs OK and is loadable with library(apaquarto) or library(papaja).

If fail: Install fails due to missing system deps (e.g., LaTeX for PDF output)? Install TinyTeX first with quarto install tinytex. For GitHub install fails, check remotes package is installed and GitHub is open.

Step 2: Create Document (apaquarto)

Make manuscript.qmd:

---
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: [email protected]
    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
---

Got: File manuscript.qmd exists with valid YAML frontmatter holding title, shorttitle, author affiliations, abstract, keywords, bibliography ref, and APA-specific format options.

If fail: Check YAML indentation is consistent (2 spaces) and that author: entries use list format with name:, affiliations:, and corresponding: fields. Check bibliography: points to existing .bib file.

Step 3: Write APA Content

# 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

Got: Content follows APA section shape (Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References) with inline R code for stats and proper cross-refs using @fig- and @tbl- prefixes.

If fail: Inline R code not render? Check backtick-r syntax is right (`r expression`). Cross-refs show as literal text? Check ref chunk labels use right prefix and chunk has matching caption option.

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*"
  )

Got: Tables render with APA format: italic col headers for stat symbols, proper decimal align, and descriptive caption above table.

If fail: gt table not render in APA style? Check gt package is installed and that cols_label() uses markdown-style italics (*M*, *SD*). For papaja users, use apa_table() not gt().

Step 5: Manage Citations

Make references.bib:

@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)

Got: references.bib has valid BibTeX entries with all needed fields (author, title, year, journal) and citation keys match those used in manuscript text.

If fail: Check BibTeX syntax with online validator or bibtool -d references.bib. Make sure citation keys in text exact match .bib keys (case-sensitive).

Step 6: Render

# 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

Got: Properly formatted APA document with title page, running head, and rightly formatted references section.

If fail: PDF render fails? Check TinyTeX is installed (quarto install tinytex). DOCX output issues? Check apaquarto Word template is open. References not show? Make sure # References heading is at end of doc.

Validation

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

Pitfalls

• Inline R code format: Use backtick-r syntax for inline stats, not hardcoded values
• Citation key mismatches: Make sure .bib keys match exact in text
• Figure placement: APA manuscripts usually place figures at end; set documentmode: man
• Missing CSL file: apaquarto has APA CSL; papaja users may need to set csl: apa.csl
• Special chars in abstracts: Avoid markdown format in YAML abstract block

See Also

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