---

name: format-apa-report locale: caveman-ultra source_locale: en source_commit: 82c77053 fence_basis_commit: 82c77053 translator: "Julius Brussee homage — caveman" translation_date: "2026-04-24" description: > Format a Quarto or R Markdown report following APA 7th edition style. Covers apaquarto/papaja packages, title page, abstracts, citations, tables, figures, and reference formatting. Use when writing an academic paper in APA format, creating a psychology or social science research report, generating reproducible manuscripts with embedded analysis, or preparing a thesis or dissertation chapter. license: MIT allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Bash Grep Glob metadata: author: Philipp Thoss version: "1.0" domain: reporting complexity: intermediate language: R tags: apa, academic, psychology, quarto, papaja

Format APA Report

Create APA 7th edition report via Quarto (apaquarto) or R Markdown (papaja).

Use When

• Academic paper APA
• Psychology/social science report
• Reproducible manuscripts w/ embedded analysis
• Thesis/dissertation chapter

In

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

Do

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")

→ Chosen framework installs + loadable via library(apaquarto) or library(papaja).

If err: install fails due to missing system deps (LaTeX for PDF) → install TinyTeX first quarto install tinytex. GitHub install fails → check remotes installed + GitHub accessible.

Step 2: Create Doc (apaquarto)

Create 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: 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
---

→ manuscript.qmd valid YAML: title, shorttitle, author affiliations, abstract, keywords, bibliography ref, APA format options.

If err: verify YAML indent consistent (2 spaces), author: entries list format w/ name:, affiliations:, corresponding:. Check bibliography: points to existing .bib.

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

→ Content follows APA section structure (Intro, Method, Results, Discussion, References) w/ inline R for stats + proper cross-refs via @fig- + @tbl-.

If err: inline R no render → verify backtick-r syntax (`r expression`). Cross-refs as literal text → check chunk labels correct prefix + chunk has caption option.

Step 4: APA Tables

#| 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*"
  )

→ Tables render APA: italicized headers for stat symbols, proper decimal alignment, descriptive caption above.

If err: gt no APA style → gt installed + cols_label() md italics (*M*, *SD*). Papaja → apa_table() not gt().

Step 5: Citations

Create 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 styles:

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

→ references.bib valid BibTeX w/ all required fields (author, title, year, journal) + keys match manuscript.

If err: validate BibTeX via online or bibtool -d references.bib. Text keys exactly 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

→ APA doc properly formatted: title page, running head, references section.

If err: PDF fails → TinyTeX installed (quarto install tinytex). DOCX issues → apaquarto Word template accessible. No references → # References heading at end.

Check

• Title page correct (title, authors, affiliations, author note)
• Abstract w/ keywords
• In-text citations match reference list
• Tables + figures numbered correctly
• Stats APA (italicized, proper symbols)
• References APA 7th edition
• Page numbers + running head (PDF)

Traps

• Inline R formatting: Backtick-r for stats, not hardcoded.
• Citation key mismatch: .bib keys match exactly in text.
• Figure placement: APA manuscripts typically figures at end → documentmode: man.
• Missing CSL: apaquarto includes APA CSL; papaja may need csl: apa.csl.
• Special chars abstracts: Avoid markdown formatting in YAML abstract block.

→

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