Skip to Main Content

APA & MLA Styles

This guide contains tips for how to maximize your Academic Writer experience plus additional resources to assist with APA style.

Navigating Academic Writer

Accessing Academic Writer

Note: You must be signed in to your university portal in order to access Academic Writer. If you are not signed in, the link will route you to the sign-in page. Academic Writer is not compatible with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge; therefore, we suggest using another browser to avoid any issues.  

* You may encounter the following screen. If you access your courses using NCUOne (ncuone.ncu.edu), select “1-1 Students (formerly NCU)” and then log in with your usual credentials.

SSO login selection screen

Writing Guidelines

Anthropomorphism

Learn how to avoid anthropomorphism, that is, inaccurately attributing human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects in writing.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Capitalization

Learn how to capitalize and spell words in APA Style, including how to spell and capitalize words on a case-by-case basis as well as how to implement the title case and sentence case capitalization styles.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Clarity

Learn how to write precisely and clearly, including how to make good word choices, avoid colloquialisms and jargon, make logical comparisons, and keep attributions clear.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Conciseness

Learn how to write concisely, including how to avoid wordiness and redundancy and select appropriate lengths for sentences and paragraphs.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Continuity

Learn how to create continuity in the presentation of your ideas through the use of punctuation and transitional words.

Academic Writer

© 2022 American Psychological Association.


Disability

Learn how to write about people with disabilities without bias, including how to implement general principles of language use and what terms to use or avoid.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Gender

Learn how to write about gender without bias, including how to avoid gender stereotypes, use gender-neutral pronouns, and refer to transgender individuals.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Numerals Versus Words

Learn how to use numerals and how to use words when writing about numbers in the text, including how and when to combine the two.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Presenting Statistics in Text

Learn how to present statistics in the text, including how to implement standards for effective presentation, when to use words versus symbols, and formatting.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Racial and Ethnic Identity

Learn how to write about racial and ethnic identity without bias, including how to practice sensitivity and make specific racial or ethnic designations.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Sexual Orientation

Learn how to write about sexual orientation without bias, including how to refer to people with differing sexual orientations, discuss sexual behaviors, and describe the sexual orientation of transgendered persons.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.


Tone

Learn how to achieve the appropriate tone for a scientific paper, including strategies for remaining professional yet persuasive.

Academic Writer

© 2022 American Psychological Association.


Verb Tense

Learn how to write smoothly, including how to distinguish scientific writing from creative writing, choose verb tenses, and clarify modifiers in noun strings.

Academic Writer

© 2021 American Psychological Association.

Was this resource helpful?