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Correct Answer: the author's first name
in apa format, when creating a bibliography entry for a book, several critical elements must be included to adhere to the style guidelines prescribed by the american psychological association. this format is specifically designed to maintain consistency and clarity in academic writing, especially within the social sciences. each component of the bibliography entry plays a vital role in helping readers identify and locate the sources used by the author.
one of the key elements in an apa bibliography entry is the year of publication. this information allows readers to see how recent or old the source is, which can significantly impact the relevance and credibility of the information presented in the source. the year is typically enclosed in parentheses right after the author's last name and initials and followed by a period.
another essential component is the title of the work. in apa style, the title of the book is italicized to distinguish it from other details in the citation. only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns are capitalized. this styling helps differentiate titles from other textual elements in academic writing.
the publisher of the book is also included in an apa citation. this detail helps identify the source’s origin and can provide insights into the quality and reliability of the content, as different publishers are known for different levels of peer review and editorial scrutiny.
contrary to the full first names required in some other citation styles such as mla (modern language association), apa format specifies the use of only the initials of the author’s first and middle names, if provided. this standardization helps maintain a level of formal objectivity and brevity in academic writing. the last name of the author is written in full to ensure that the source can be appropriately identified and located.
given these components, the one element that is notably absent from an apa bibliography entry for a book is the author’s full first name. apa style specifically uses only the initials of the author’s first and middle names followed by their last name. this approach differs from the mla style, which uses full first names. the use of initials helps minimize bias by focusing more on the content of the source rather than the identity of the author, and it also creates a more compact and streamlined appearance in the reference list.
in summary, an apa bibliography entry for a book typically includes the author's initials and last name, the year of publication, the title of the work (italicized), and the publisher. the author's full first name is explicitly excluded from this format, reflecting apa's emphasis on a standardized, concise, and objective approach to citation in academic writing.
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