APA Style A Comprehensive Giudeline

Using APA style: A comprehensive guideline
Introductory Part
Introduction to APA Style
Most classes in psychology will require you to write your papers in APA style, which is a
writing style described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(which was just released in its ith edition!" APA style describes rules or the preparation o
manuscripts or writers and students in psychology" #hese rules cover areas such as the content
and organi$ation o a manuscript, writing style, reerences, and how to prepare a manuscript or
publication" APA style brea%s papers up into sections, which helps you to present inormation
clearly and also allows readers to quic%ly ind and process the inormation they need"
Who Uses APA Style?
APA style is also used in many other disciplines such as &ociology, 'usiness, (conomics,
)ursing, &ocial *or%, and +riminology" As a result, the Publication Manual is available at
several libraries on the Purdue University campus (+onsumer and ,amily &ciences -ibrary.
(ngineering -ibrary. /ic%s Undergraduate -ibrary. /umanities, &ocial &cience, and (ducation
-ibrary. Pharmacy, )ursing, and /ealth &ervices -ibrary. and Psychological &ciences -ibrary!
either in the reerence section or on reserve" #he basic inormation that you will need to write
your papers can be ound in this manual" /owever, i your question is not addressed on this
manual, i you are writing a comple0 document such as a thesis or lengthy manuscript, or i you
have detailed questions, you should reer to http:11www"apastyle"org"
2
Why Use APA Style?
Abiding by the rules o APA style ma%es it easier or others to understand your writing" 3our
reader will be able to ind what they are loo%ing or, ollow your writing more easily, and your
communication will be more clearly understood" I you go on to publish your writing, the tas%s
o editors and publishers are simpliied when everyone uses the same ormat" Using APA style
also provides you with a model or thin%ing about psychological phenomena"
4eneral ,ormatting
Title Page
APA must have a title page" At least three pieces o inormation are required: a title , the
author5s name, and an institutional ailiation"
#he title page includes:
2" #he page header (irst 678 words o your title and page number. )ote: (9(:3 page has a
page number on it!
6" #he running head or publication
8" #he title
;" 3our name
<" 3our institution
#he title should be a concise statement o the main topic and inorm readers o the content o
the paper" #he recommended length or a title is 2= to 26 words" #he title is centered on the page
with your name two spaces below the title and your institution below your name" #he running
6
head is an abbreviated title (no more than <= characters, including punctuation and spaces! and is
typed at the top o the title page between the page header and the title" )ote the capitali$ation o
the running head"
Spacing
>ouble7spacing is required throughout most o the manuscript" &ingle spacing can be used
or table titles and headings, igure captions, reerences (but double7spacing is required between
reerences!, ootnotes, and long quotations (APA, 6==2, p" 86?!"
&pace once ater:
@ commas, colons, and semicolons
@ punctuation mar%s at the end o sentences
@ periods that separate elements o a reerence citation
@ periods ater initials in personal names
>o )A# space ater:
@ internal periods in abbreviations
@ around colons in ratios
Text Details
Ma%e sure the te0t is let aligned and not justiied" *ith let aligned te0t, the let margin
orms a straight line and the right margin is ragged"
,ootnotes are rarely used in APA papers"
Use a 26 point ont"
8
Indent <7B spaces (one7hal inch, 2"6< cm! within paragraphs"
&ingle space ater sentence terminators (i"e", C"C, CDC, CEC!"
Feyword emphasis requires the use o italics, but only the irst time a term is used"
Margins should be 2G all around"
Page numbers are required on every page (top o the page and right alignment!"
#he page header summari$es the title in a ew words" #he header and page number go inside
the margin space, double spaced above the te0t, ne0t to the right margin"
Use header top let corner (e"g", H A study on Parte0 groupG!. ont si$e I J72=" 00
)o spacing (i"e", ! between the paragraphs
eadings
APA headings ollow a comple0 hierarchy, with provision or up to ive levels" #hese come,
in descending order, as levels <, 2, 6, 8, ;" 'ut, i one, two, or three levels o headings are
required in a paper, use levels 2, 8, and ;, in that order" I our levels are required, interleave
level 6 between levels 2 and 8" I ive levels are required, start with level ive and wor% down the
remaining hierarchy in order (<, 2, 6, 8, ;!" Most papers will need no more than three levels" #o
avoid conusion these are labeled A, ', and + below (APA levels 2, 8, and ; respectively!
;
/eadings:
-evel 2 +entered Uppercase and -owercase /eading
-evel 6 +entered, Italici$ed, Uppercase and -owercase /eading
-evel 8 ,lush -et, Italici$ed, Uppercase and -owercase &ide /eading

-evel ; Indented, Italici$ed, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a
period"
-evel < +()#(:(> UPP(:+A&( /(A>I)4
!apitali"ation
+apitali$e major words and all other words o our letters or more, in headings, titles, and
subtitles outside reerence lists, or e0ample, KA &tudy o )o7*in &trategies"K
+apitali$e the irst word ater a comma or colon i, and only i, it begins a complete
sentence" ,or e0ample, K#his is a complete sentence, so it is capitali$ed"K As a counter
e0ample, Kno capitali$ation here"K
!ommas
Use commas beore KandK in lists, or e0ample, height, width, and depth"
Use commas between groups o three digits, or e0ample, 2,;<8"
Use commas to set o a reerence in a parenthetical comment (Patric%, 2LL8!"
Use commas in e0act dates, or e0ample, April 2J, 2LL6 (but not in April 2LL6!"
yphenation
>o not hyphenate #ly and superlative words ($idely used test, best inormed students!"
>o not hyphenate common prei0es (posttest, prewar, multiphase, nonsigniicant! unless
needed or clarity (pre7e0isting!"
/yphenate i the base word is capitali$ed or a number (pre7,reudian, post72L?=!"
<
Italics %Underlining&
>o not italici$e or underline common oreign abbreviations (vice versa, et al", a priori!"
>o not italici$e or underline or mere emphasis"
Italici$e or underline the titles o boo%s and articles, species names, introduction o new
terms and labels (the irst time only!, words and phrases used as linguistic e0amples,
letters used as statistical symbols, and volume numbers in reerence lists"
'uotation Mar(s
Use quotation mar%s or an odd or ironic usage the irst time but not thereater, or
e0ample, K#his is the Kgood7outcomeK variable, but as it turns out, the good7outcome
variable predicts trouble later on " " "K
Use quotation mar%s or article and chapter titles cited in the te0t but not in the reerence
list" (In &mithCs (2LL6! article, KAPA &tyle and Personal +omputers,K computers were
described as Khere to stayK (p" 822!"!
)xtended 'uotations
Add emphasis in a quotation with italics, immediately follo$ed by the $ords Mitalics
addedN in brac%ets"
?
'rac%ets are not necessary when changing the irst letter o a quotation to upper case"
,or quotations over ;= words in length, indent and single space the whole bloc% (double
space in papers or review or publication!" Indent ive more spaces (one7hal inch, 2"6<
cm! i there are paragraphs within the long quotation ater the irst" Always provide
author, year, and page citation"
(0pand or clariy words or meanings in a quotation by placing the added material in
quotes" ,or e0ample, K#hey Mthe Irish :epublican ArmyN initiated a cease7ire"K
:eproduce a quote e0actly" I there are errors, introduce the word sic italici$ed and
brac%eted77or e0ample MsicN77immediately ater the error to indicate it was part o the
original source"
Use three dots with a space beore, between, and ater each (ellipsis points! when
omitting material, our i the omitted material includes the end o a sentence (with no
space beore the irst!" >o not use dots at the beginning or end o a quotation unless it is
important to indicate the quotation begins or ends in mid sentence"
)ote that: A quotation longer than ;= words is set o rom the te0t" Ouotation mar%s are not
used"
B
,or e0ample, the word ball occurred in B? dierent sentences,
including such dierent requests as HPut the leaves in your
ball,G H&how me the ball that5s on #9,G H9acuum your ball,G
andG 4o do ball slapping with -i$"G Averall, 2;; dierent content
words, many o which were presented in ways that required
syntactic parsing or a proper response (such as HFnie your ballG
vs" HPut the %nie in the hatG!, were utili$ed in the study"
Do *ot Use 'uotes to + + +
" " " cite a linguistic e0ample. instead, underline or italici$e the term (the verb gather!"
" " " hedge, cast doubt, or apologi$e (he was KcuredK!" -eave o the quotes"
" " " identiy endpoints on a scale. underline or italici$e instead (poor to excellent!"
" " " introduce a %ey term (the neo,uasipsychoanalytic theory!"
Abbre-iations
Avoid abbreviations (acronyms! e0cept or long, amiliar terms (MMPI!"
(0plain what an abbreviation means the irst time it occurs: American Psychological
Association (APA!"
#he ollowing abbreviations should )A# be used outside parenthetical comments:
o cf. Muse compareN
o e.g. Muse for exampleN
o etc. Muse and so forthN
o i.e. Muse that isN
o viz. Muse namelyN
o vs. Muse versusN
>o not use the abbreviation Kpp"K or maga$ine or journal citations. just give the numbers
themselves" >o use Kpp"K or citations o encyclopedia entries, multi7page newspaper
articles, chapters or articles in edited boo%s"
J
Use two7letter postal codes or U"&" state names (4A!"
Miscellaneous: +olons, dashes, parentheses, numbering paragraphs
Use parentheses to introduce an abbreviation, or e0ample, the galvanic s%in response
(4&:!"
Use appendixes (appendices! as the plural o appendix" Use datum as singular, data as
plural" Use matrix as singular, matrices as plural" Phenomenon is the singular orm o the
plural phenomena" Use schema as singular, schemas (not schemata! as plural"
*riting )on7(mpirical Papers
I you have a non7empirical paper (or e0ample, a literature review or historical paper!, all o
the same guidelines apply, e0cept your section heading will be dierent" :ather than having the
standard Introduction, Method, :esults, >iscussion, you are more li%ely to brea% your literature
review down into subsections and use a descriptive heading or each" Also, because the ocus o
these papers is on the theoretical bac%ground o a topic, the length, number o cited reerences,
etc" will be much greater than or an empirical paper"
L
*riting Appropriate (nglish in APA
#he most common student writing errors are described below" Please edit your papers using
these guidelines"
*umbers
According to APA, the general rule on the use o numbers is to use digits to e0press numbers
2= and above and words to e0press numbers below 2=" >igits are also used to e0press numbers
that (a! immediately precede a unit o measurement. (b! represent statistical or mathematical
unctions, ractional or decimal quantities, percentages, ratios, and percentiles. and (c! represent
time, dates, ages, sample or population si$e, scores and points on a scale, and e0act sums o
money" *ords are always used to e0press any number that begins a sentence" In the abstract, use
digits or all numbers e0cept when they begin a sentence"
!ontractions
&cholarly papers do not use contractions, e"g" canCt, wonCt" It would be preerable to say Hcan
notG or Hwill notG
Seriation
*hen it is necessary to enumerate elements in a series, identiy the elements by a letter
(within a paragraph or sentence or by an Arabic numeral" #he seriation in Item 2 ()umbers!
above is an e0ample o the punctuation that is used within a sentence o three or more elements
that have internal commas" ()otice the semi7colons between elements"! #wo more e0amples
2=
ollow: &tudents have three choices (a! write the paper, (b! change majors, or (c! join the ,oreign
-egion" 'ased on social psychological theory, the proessorCs dismal spelling is the result o one
or more o the ollowing:
2" (nglish is her second language"
6" &he has minimal brain damage"
8" /er dominant response or spelling in public is incorrect"
Style
#he Publication Manual encourages the use o KIK instead o the third person, e"g" KI ound
signiicant results,K is preerable to K#he researcher ound signiicant results"K /owever, it is not
li%ely that authors will ind it necessary to use personal pronouns in literature reviews" &imilarly,
the pronouns KyouK and KweK are rarely used in scholarly papers because authors seldom address
their readers directly" It is much preerable to
say H#he dierence between the groups was signiicant"G
.ight#and Margins
APA style does not use right7hand justiication" :ight7hand justiication oten ma%es a paper
more diicult to read"
*oun/Pronoun Agreement
A pronoun must agree in number (i"e" singular or plural! with the noun it replaces" ,or
e0ample, it is not correct to write, K#he child improved their scores dramatically"K
22
Sub0ect/1erb Agreement
A verb must agree in number (i"e" singular or plural! with its subject" #he most common error
o this type in scientiic writing is ound with the word Kdata"K #he word KdataK is plural so its
verb must also be plural, e"g" K#he data were not accurately represented"K
Affect or )ffect?
Ane o the most common errors in psychology papers is conusing the word KeectK with
Kaect"K In most cases, KeectK is a noun. e"g" what eect did the independent variable have on
the dependent variableD 4enerally, KaectK is a verb. e"g" #he independent variable did not aect
the dependent variable" Psychologists sometimes reer to emotion as Kaect,K so in that case it is
a noun" /owever, as a rule, with ew e0ceptions, aect is a verb and eect is a noun"
Its or It2s?
Its is the possessive or it, e"g" #he dog ate its ood with gusto" ItCs is the contraction or Kit is"K
(although, remember that contractions are not generally used at all in APA style!
!larity
+larity is determined by the ease with which the paper can be read and understood" #he
reader should be able to grasp the inormation in your paper the irst time that he or she reads it"
A good way to improve the clarity o your paper is to put the drat o your paper aside and read it
aloud to yoursel a ew days later" >oes it still ma%e sense to youD I not, ma%e the necessary
changes beore typing the inal paper" It ta%es eort to write clearly, but it is important"
Inormation that is communicated in a clear and understandable way commands respect and
26
attention" It also helps to write using words that you are amiliar with" >o not try to sound Hhigh
and mightyG by using jargon and words with which you are unamiliar" At the same time, be sure
that you write proessionally (i"e", use proper grammar, write in complete sentences!"
Acti-e 1ersus Passi-e 1oice
Use active rather than passive voice (but without personal pronouns!, or e0ample, use
HParticipants were instructed toG rather than HParticipants were given instructions toG
Since and While
#he word HsinceG does not mean Hbecause"G #he word HwhileG does not mean Halthough"G
Although and because should be used instead" &ince and while reer only to reerences to time"
Tense
4enerally spea%ing, use past tense in the abstract, introduction, and method" :esults and
discussion sections can be in the present tense" I you are writing a research proposal, you should
use the uture tense in the Proposed Method and (0pected :esults sections"
Proofread
ProoreadE >o not rely on spell chec%ers" Ma%e sure you are writing in complete sentences"
'e sure that you catch common mista%es such as using HalotG rather than Ha lotG
28
Parenthetical Information
Ma%e sure that inormation in parentheses is truly parenthetical" #he reader should be able to
s%ip the inormation in parentheses and still understand your paper" ,or e0ample, H#his was
clearly demonstrated by (&mith, 2LL=! in his groundbrea%ing research"G /as incorrect usage o
parentheses"
Writing in Specific Issues
2" 3ou must use complete sentences"
6" #he irst sentence o a paragraph must be independent (able to stand on its
own!" ,or e0ample consider *hile these studies are important, there is"""
#his sentence would be correct in the middle o a paragraph, but as the
irst sentence, it should more appropriately read, *hile studies o the
eects o whatever on whatever else are important, there is"""
8" #ry not to use slang (e"g", """put a damper on"""!"
;" >o not use contractions" #hat is, instead o itCs, use it is"
<" I you are doubtul about the spelling o a word, do not guess" -oo% up the
correct spelling in an appropriate reerence source (e"g", Merriam7
*ebster"com!"
?" Prooread the copy that you submit and do correct minor typographical
errors, ormatting, spelling, or even the wording, with a pencil" #hese
corrections are inevitable and will communicate that you are serious about
your wor%"
2;
A-oiding 3iased and Pe0orati-e 4anguage
In general, avoid anything that causes oense" #he style manual ma%es the ollowing
suggestions:
DO NOT use . . . when you can use . . .
ethnic labels (or e0ample, /ispanic! geographical labels (Me0ican Americans!
KmenK (reerring to all adults! Kmen and womenK
Khomose0ualsK Kgay men and lesbiansK
KdepressivesK Kpeople with depressionK
!orrect Use of the Terms 56ender5 and 5Sex5
#he term KgenderK reers to culture and should be used when reerring to men and women as
social groups, as in this e0ample rom the Publication Manual7 Kse0ual orientation rather than
gender accounted or most o the variance in the results. most gay men and lesbians were or it,
most heterose0ual men and women were against itK (APA, 6==2, p" ?8!"
#he term Kse0K reers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are
emphasi$ed, or e0ample, Kse0 dierences in hormone production"K
Avoid gender stereotypes" ,or e0ample, the manual suggests replacing KAn American boyCs
inatuation with ootballK with KAn American childCs inatuation with ootballK (see APA, 6==2,
p" ??!"
Sensiti-ity to 4abels
'e sensitive to labels" A person in a clinical study should be called a Kpatient,K not a Kcase"K
Avoid equating people with their conditions, or e0ample, do not say Kschi$ophrenics,K say
2<
Kpeople diagnosed with schi$ophrenia"K Use the term Kse0ual orientation,K not Kse0ual
preerence"K #he phrase Kgay men and lesbiansK is currently preerred to the term Khomose0uals"K
#o reer to all people who are not heterose0ual, the manual suggests Klesbians, gay men, and
bise0ual women and menK (APA, 6==2, p" ?B!"
In racial reerences, the manual simply recommends that we respect current usage" +urrently
both the terms K'lac%K and KArican AmericanK are widely accepted, while K)egroK and KAro7
AmericanK are not" #hese things change, so use common sense"
+apitali$e 3lac( and White when the words are used as proper nouns to reer to social groups"
>o not use color words or other ethnic groups" #he manual speciies that hyphens should not be
used in multiword names such as Asian American or Arican American"
-abels can be tric%y, and the manual has a lot to say about them" ,or e0ample, KAmerican
IndianK and K)ative AmericanK are both acceptable usages, but the manual notes that there are
nearly ;<= )ative American groups, including /awaiians and &amoans, so speciic group names
are ar more inormative"
#he terms ispanic8 4atino8 and !hicano are preerred by dierent groups" #he saest
procedure is use geographical reerences" Pust say K+uban AmericanK i reerring to people rom
+uba"
#he term Asian American is preerable to 9riental, and again the manual recommends being
speciic about country o origin, when this is %nown (or e0ample, +hinese or 9ietnamese!"
People rom northern +anada, Alas%a, eastern &iberia, and 4reenland oten (but not alwaysE!
preer Inu( (singular! and Inuit (plural! to K(s%imo"K 'ut some Alas%a natives are non7Inuit
people who preer to be called (s%imo" #his type o diiculty is avoided by using geographical
2?
reerences" ,or e0ample, in place o K(s%imoK or KInuitK one could use Kpeople rom northern
+anada, Alas%a, eastern &iberia, and 4reenland"K
In general, call people what they want to be called, and do not contrast one group o people
with another group called KnormalK people" *rite Kwe compared people with autism to people
without autismK not Kwe contrasted autistics to normals"K >o not use pejorative terms li%e Kstro%e
victimK or Kstro%e suerers"K Use a more neutral terminology such as Kpeople who have had a
stro%e"K Avoid the terms KchallengedK and KspecialK unless the population reerred to preers this
terminology (or e0ample, &pecial Alympics!" As a rule, use the phrase Kpeople with QQQQQQQK
(or e0ample, Kpeople with AI>&,K not KAI>& suerersK!"
In reerring to age, be speciic about age ranges. avoid open7ended deinitions li%e Kunder 2?K
or Kover ?<"K Avoid the term elderly" 9lder person is preerred" 3oy and 6irl are acceptable
reerring to high school and and younger" ,or persons 2J and older use men and $omen"
2B
#ables and ,igures
)ote that APA style tables do not contain any vertical lines, so do not draw them in or
use your word processor to generate them"
#ype the table number and then (on the ne0t double spaced line! type the table title lush
let and italici$ed" )ote that there are no periods used ater the table number or title"
#here are dierent ways to ormat tables" 3our best bet is to set the tabs or the table or
to use your word processorCs table generating ability"
*hen using columns with decimal numbers, ma%e the decimal points line up"
2J
manuscript page header
page number
#able 2
A-erage Ages Sexual Information $as Ac,uired
!ompared $ith the :oungest and 9ldest Ages Sub0ects
3elie-ed the Information Should be Ac,uired
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
Age
Acquired
3oungest
Age
Aldest
Age
777777777777777777777777777777
Inormation Mean &> Mean &> Mean &>
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
/ow babies are made 2="2 6"L J"< 6"J 22"L 6"B
/ow babies are born 2="= 8"2 J"; 8"2 22"? 6"J
&e0ual intercourse 22"? 6"? 2="; 6"? 28"2 6"?
Menstruation 22"? 6"6 L"L 6"2 26"? 6"2
)octurnal emissions 26"< 6"? 2="J 6"? 28"; 6"B
Masturbation 28"= 6"? 22"; 6"J 2;"= 6"?
'irth control 28"L 6"; 26"= 6"6 2;"8 6";
/omose0uality 28"; 6"J 22"8 6"J 2;"2 6"<
4enital terminology 26"; 6"L 2="; 8"8 28"2 8"8
Argasm 2;"= 6"8 26"< 6"B 2<"= 6"?
&#>Cs 2;"2 6"8 26"= 6"; 2;"B 6";
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
&#>Cs R &e0ually transmitted diseases
2L
Table notes
-abel each table beginning with the table number ollowed by a description o the
contents"
(ach row and column must have a heading" Abbreviations and symbols (e"g", KSK or
Knos"K! may be used"
Use a $ero beore the decimal point when numbers are less than one"
Add notes to e0plain the table contents" #hese may be general notes or ootnotes"
;igures
C,iguresC is the technical term or graphs, charts, drawings and pictures"
,igures (other than pictures! may be drawn in blac% and white only (using a ruler and
preerably on graph paper! or they may be generated with a computer graphics program
(%eeping it in two dimensions!"
+enter each igure on the page vertically as well as hori$ontally and arrange or the igure
to use the bul% o the page"
I the igure is a chart or graph, verbally label the a0es (do not use KTK and K3K! and
provide a %ey i necessary (e"g", e0plaining what open vs" illed circles are!"
An the bac% o each igure (with a pencil!, put the manuscript page header, the igure
number, and the word #AP to indicate how the igure should appear on the page"
>o not put the igure caption on the igure, since that is what the igure captions page is
or"
6=
;igure !aptions
&tart on a new page" +enter the phrase ,igure +aptions at the top"
(ach igure caption is typed lush let in bloc% ormat"
#he word CigureC and the number are italici$ed, or e0ample, ;igure <+ The effects
of...
(0ample o a ,igure given in the ne0t page:
manuscript page header
page number
,igure +aptions
;igure <" Mean activity counts as a unction o maternal
diet and age o the rat at the time o testing"
;igure =" )umber o people arrested or drun%en driving
as related to the day o the wee%"
62
>evelopment o +onceptual ,ramewor%
,igure2: +onceptual ,ramewor% o :esearch 9ariable and their :elationships
66
&ervice Ouality
+orporate Image
#rust
+ustomer -oyalty
:eerence +itations (In7#e0t!
Use the author7date ormat to cite reerences in te0t" ,or e0ample: as &mith (2LL=! points out,
a recent study (&mith, 2LL=! shows" " " " (very source cited in your te0t77and only those sources
cited in your te0t77are reerenced in the reerence list"
#here are numerous ways to ormally cite a reerence in the te0t" (0amples include
&ome act (last name, year!", -ast name (year! noted that""", or In UyearV, Ulast nameV
reported that""" ,or more ideas, pay close attention to the articles you read"
,or two7author citations, spell out both authors on all occurrences"
,or multiple7author citations (up to ive authors! name all authors the irst time, then
use et al", so the irst time it is &mith, Pones, Pearson and &herwin (2LL=!, but the
second time it is &mith et al", with a period ater KalK but no underlining, give the ull
citation in reerences"
Include a page reerence ater the year, outside quotes" ,or e0ample: #he author
stated, K#he eect disappeared within minutesK (-ope$, 2LL8!, but she did not say
which eect. -ope$ ound that Kthe eect disappeared within minutesK (p" 822!" #he
sentence quoted is capitali$ed only i it ollows a comma, and is a complete sentence
not merged into the low o the te0t"
Poin names in a multiple7author citation with and (in te0t! or an ampersand (W! in
reerence lists and parenthetical comments" ,or e0ample: As &mith and &arason
(2LL=! point out, the same argument was made by in an earlier study (&mith W
&arason, 2LL=!"
68
I a group is readily identiied by its initials, spell it out only the irst time" ,or
e0ample, KAs reported in a government study ()ational Institute o Mental /ealth
M)IM/N, 2LL2!, blah blah " " " K and thereater, K#he previously cited study ()IM/,
2LL2! ound that " " "
I citing multiple wor%s by the same author at the same time, arrange dates in order"
In general, use letters ater years to distinguish multiple publications by the same
author in the same year" ,or e0ample: &everal studies (Pohnson, 2LJJ, 2LL=a, 2LL=b,
2LL< in press7a, 2LL< in press7b! showed the same thing"
Multiple citations in parentheses are placed alphabetically and are separated by a
semicolon and a space" ,or e0ample, &ome act (+arlson, 2LB6. Moon, 2L?J. Partin,
2LJ=!"
6;
Table =
;ormatting !itations In Text
&I#UA#IA) Author in #e0t Author in Parentheses
Ane *or%
2 Author
@ ,irst citation and
subsequent citations are
the same
*endler (2LL?!
discussed " " "
" " " is the basis o all healing
(*endler, 2LL?!"
6 Authors
@ +ite both names every
time
-a$ar and AC+onnor (2LLB!
presented " " "
" " " is important or
maintaining a patientCs trust
(-a$ar W AC+onnor, 2LLB!"
8 7 < Authors
@ ,irst +itation77+ite all
authors
@ &ubsequent +itations77
+ite surname o irst
author ollowed by et al"
+ribb, 'ignold, and 'all
(2LL;! described " " "
+ribb et al" (2LL;! also
delineated " " "
" " " is undamental to
holistic nursing (+ribb,
'ignold, W 'all, 2LL;!"
" " " as the philosphical basis
or nursing (+ribb et al",
2LL;!"
VQ ? Authors
@ ,irst citation and
subsequent citations77
+ite surname o irst
author ollowed by et al"
*ells7,ederman et al"
(2LL;! also contrasted "" " "
" " " has both a psychologic
and physiologic basis
(*ells7,ederman et al",
2LL;!
#wo :eerences &horten to
the &ame ,orm
@ +ite surnames o irst
authors and as many o
subsequent authors as
necessary to distinguish
the two reerences
ollowed by et al"
Fosslyn, Foenig, 'arrett, et
al" (2LL6! and
Fosslyn, Foenig, 4abrieli,
et al" (2LL6! ound
that " " "
" " " had similar results
(Fosslyn, Foenig, 'arrett,
et al", 2LL6.
Fosslyn, Foenig, 4abrieli,
et al", 2LL6!"
(lectronic &ources
@ I no page number
provided use paragraph
number
(Meyers, 6===, X <! Q using
symbol A:
('eutler, 6===, +onclusion
section, para" 2!
using section heading and
paragraph within
section and abbreviation
para"
H " " " quoted te0t materialG
(Meyers, 6===, X <!"
'eutler (6===! stated:
'loc% quote greater than ;=
words " " " end o
quotation" (+onclusion
section, para" 2!"
6<
6?
6B
&I#UA#IA) Author in #e0t Author in Parentheses
Ane *or%
4roup as Author #he 'urton 4oldberg
4roup (2LL8! stated " " "
" " " are philosphically
dierent (#he 'urton
4oldberg 4roup, 2LL8!"
4roup as Author with
:ecogni$ed Abbreviation
@ ,irst +itation77give group
author with abbreviation
in brac%ets
@ &ubsequent +itations77
use abbreviation only
In 2LLJ, the Aice o
Alternative Medicine
(AAM! was renamed the
)ational +enter or
+omplementary and
()++AM!, and the budget
was signiicantly
increased as well"
According to the )++AM
(2LLJ!, the most widely
used alternative
therapies are " " "
" " " has not been ully
studied ()ational +enter or
+omplementary and
M)++AMN,
2LLJ!"
" " " has been reconsidered in
light o new research
()++AM, 2LLJ!"
*or% with )o Author According to the )ursing
LL >rug /andboo%
(2LLL!, doses up to ;= mg 1
%g 1 day may be
given"
" " " should not e0ceed the
ma0imum daily dose
()ursing LL >rug
/andboo%, 2LLL!"
Authors with the &ame
&urname
'oth (" A" &chuster (2LL6!
and P" &chuster
(2LLB! believe caring or
the environment " " "
)A#(: Alphabetically by
irst initial
#wo or More *or%s
&ame Author
@ Arder by year o
publication
Feegan (2LL?, 2LLJ!
states " " "
" " " in understanding hoslitic
nursing practice
(Feegan, 2LL?, 2LLJ!"
>ierent Authors
@ Alphabetical order by irst
authorCs surname
'oth /oe%stra (2LL;! and
'oschma (2LL;!
e0plore " " "
" " " historical as well as
scientiiic oundations
('oschma, 2LL;. /oe%stra,
2LL;!
Personal +ommunications
)A#(: e7mail and other
unretrievable electronic
sources should be cited as
personal communications
Proessor Pohnston stated a
need or more
research in this area
(personal
communication, &eptember
2=, 2LLL!"
" " " as more research is
needed in this area
(3" Pohnston, personal
communication, &eptember
2=, 2LLL!"
6J
.eference ;ormats ;or 3ac( Page
H:eerencesG centered at the top o the page"
Use a hanging indent or reerences (all lines ater the irst line o each entry in the
list should be intended one7hal inch rom the let margin!"
Alphabeti$e the reerence list by authors5 last names"
6L
I you have more than one wor% by an author, order them by publications date, oldest
to newest
*hen an author appears both as a sole author and, in another citation, as the irst
author o a group, list the one author entries irst
I no author is given or a source, alphabeti$e using the title o the wor%, ehich will be
listed in place o the author
Use HWG instead o HandG when listing multiple authors o a single wor%
+apitali$e only the irst wor% o a title and subtitle o a wor%
Italici$e titles o boo%s and journals
Anly include a reerence i it is cited in the te0t and can be retrieved
8=
Abbreviating *ithin a :eerence
/ere are approved abbreviations or use in a reerence list:
chap. or chapter
ed. or edition
rev. ed. or revised edition
2nd ed. or second edition
Ed. or (dited by
(Eds. or multiple editors
Trans. or #ranslated by

pp. or page numbers (plural!
!ol. or a speciic 9olume
vols. or a wor% with 00 volumes
No. or )umber
"t. or Part
#uppl. or &upplement,
Tech. $ep. or #echnical :eport
Use the abbreviation Kpp"K or page numbers in encyclopedia entries, multi7page newspaper
articles, chapters or articles in edited boo%s, but not in journal or maga$ine article citations,
where numbers alone should be used (see e0amples o reerence ormats!"
Alphabeti"ing Within .eference 4ists
#reat Mc and Mac literally. Mac comes beore Mc"
&ingle7author citations precede multiple7author citations o the same year (Yev, 2LL= then
Yev et al", 2LL=!"
82
APA .eference Style ;or 3ac( Page
(0amples o reerences in APA style:
+apitali$e only the irst word o the title and o the subtitle"
I journal has sequential pagination or the volume do not include the issue number"
I is journal is paginated by issue include issue number"
>ournal Article8 $ith !ontinuous Pagination by 1olume
>eutsch, ," M", -ussier, P" '", W &ervusm -" P" (2LL8!" /usbands at home: Predictors o
parentalparticipation in childcare and housewor%" >ournal of Personality and Social Psychology8
?<, 22<;722??"
>ournal Article8 Paginated by Issue
4reen, '" P" (6===! Picture boo%s and teaching science" Science and !hildren8 8J, 6, ;87;<"
Maga"ine Article
Posner, M" I" (2LL8, Actober 6L!" &eeing the mind" Science 8 6?6, ?B87?B;"
*e$spaper Article8 *o Author
)ew drug appears to sharply cut ris% o death rom heart ailure" (2LL8, Puly 2<!" Washington
Post8 p" A26"
I an article appears on discontinuous pages, give all page numbers and separate the numbers
with a comma(e.g.% pp" '2, '8!
86
)dited 3oo(
4ibbs" P" #", W /uang, -" )" ((ds"!" (2LL2!" !hildren of color7 Psychological inter-entions $ith
minority youth+ &an ,rancisco: Possey7'ass"
3oo(8 *o Author or )ditor
Merriam#Websters2 collegiate dictionary+ (2=th ed"!" (2LL8!" &pringield, Ma: Merriam7*ebster"
Article or !hapter in an )dited 3oo(
Massaro, >" (2LL6!" 'roadening the domain o the u$$y logical model o perception" In /" -"
Pic%, Pr", P"van den 'roe%, W >" +" Fnill ((ds"!, !ognition7 !onceptual and methodological
issues (pp" <27J;!" *ashington, >+: American Psychological Association"
)ncyclopedia or Dictionary
&adie, &" ((d"!" (2LJ=!" The ne$ 6ro-e dictionary of music and musicians" (?th ed", vols" 276=!"
-ondon: Macmillan"
Z,or major reerence wor%s with a large editorial board, you may list the name o the lead editor,
ollowed by Het al"G
6o-ernment Publications %6po&
)ational Institute o Mental /ealth" (2LL=!" !linical training in serious mental illness (>//&
Publication )o" A>M L=72?BL!" *ashington, >+: U"&" 4overnment Printing Aice"
88
)ric .eport
)arahara, M" (2LLJ!" 6ender bias in children2s picture boo(s7 A loo( at teachers2 choice of
literature+ (:eport )o" +& 62? 8;6!" -ong 'each, +A: University o +aliornia" ((:I+
>ocument :eproduction &ervice )o" (> ;2L 6;B!
!iting a !ourt !ase
(ach reerence or a court decision contains three sections, which are: 2! title or name o case
(i"e" one party versus anther!. 6! the citation (i"e" volume and page!. and 8! the jurisdiction o the
court writing the decision with the date o the decision in parentheses" ,or additional e0amples,
see :eerences to -egal Material in the Publication Manual o the American Psychological
Association" Maryland v" +raig, 2== &" +#" 82?= (2LL=!
Tele-ision 3roadcast
+rystal, -" ((0ecutive Producer!" (2LL8, Actober 22!" The Mac*eil/4ehrer ne$s hour
M#elevision broadcastN" )ew 3or% and *ashington, >+: Public 'roadcasting &ervice"
Tele-ision Series
Miller, :" (Producer!" (2LJL!" The mind M#elevision seriesN" )ew3or%: *)(#"
Internet Articles 3ased on a Print Source7
8;
#ranby, P", Miller, P", W Parrett, F" (6==2!" :ole o the wor%ing mother in orecasting scholarly
achievement o her children" M(lectronic versionN" >ournal of ;amily Therapy, <, 22B7268"
Article in an Internet#only >ournal
)eedham,+" -" (6===!" (0ploring the deep ocean loor" 9ceanographic >ournal+ :etrieved rom
tp:11tp"woodshole"edu1harad1Aceanographic16==="volumeB1ocean"=="B"=22"oceanloor"needham
Article in an Internet#9nly *e$sletter
Marshall, P"9", -ightoot, 4"M", Fing, +", Andrews, P"A", >ion, +", >urante, P", et al" (2LLL,
May!" :easons why we need reerence librarians in an inormation age" The *e$ 3reed
4ibrarian, 8 (<!" :etrieved rom http:11www1newbreedlibrarian"org1subscribe1newlettrQ8"html
Mailing 4ists %4istser-s&
Any message or communication you cite should have scholarly value and should be retrievable"
I the news group, online orum, discussion group, or listserv does not maintain an archive, the
message should not be listed in the reerence list, but cited as a personal communication"
:ichardson, M" (6===,May 68!" &tudying state authors encourages recreational reading MMsg 8N"
Message posted to news:11elementary"reading"teachers
[\i the message is unsigned, use the author5s screen name
[\Indicate the date when message was sent to the discussion list"
!D#.9M and !ommercial 9nline ;ull#Text Databases
All reerences begin with the same inormation that would be provided or a printed source" #he
rest o the cite is a retrieval statement that identiies the date o retrieval (omitted or +>7:AMs!
8<
and the proper name o the database (e"g" Academic (lite, -(TI&7)(TI&, *I-&A)&(-(+#,
etc!"
Document !reated by a Pri-ate 9rgani"ation on a Web Page
)ational +ouncil o #eachers o (nglish" (6===!" The *!T) 9rbis Pictus A$ard for outstanding
nonfiction for children+ :etrieved Puly 82, 6==2, rom http:11www"ncte"org1elem1pictus
Use n"d" (no date! when a publication date or the web page or document is not available"
)A#(: ,or bac% page reerence students can use the (nd )ote sotware"
Appendi0es
Used to provide reader with detailed inormation that would be distracting i included in
the main body
I only one appendi0 then label it HAppendi0G (centered at the top o the page!
I more than one appendi0 then label HAppendi0 AG, Appendi0 'G, etc"
(ach appendi0 must have a title: >ouble7space and type the title o the appendi0
(centered, in uppercase and lower case letters! below the label
I a table constitutes an entire appendi0, the centered appendi0 label and title replaces the
table number and title
>ouble7space indent the irst line <7B spaces, and begin te0t
&equence appendi0es in the order in which they are mentioned in the te0t
8?
'egin each appendi0 on a separate page
In te0t, reer to appendi0es by their labels (e"g", Appendi0 A contains]"!
8B
A 'rie +hec% &heet o APA &tyle
#his chec%list is designed or students to use ater studying the writing guide upon which is
based" #he chec%list tries to summari$e briely (using as ew words as possible! the main point in
the corresponding outline item o the more detailed document" #his chec%list should also be
useul material or the student to prepare good reports"
I" &eneral Topics
A" Typing
2" Must be typed or printed on a computer"
6" ,ont style7 either #imes )ew :oman or +ourier )ew
8" >ouble space throughout"
;" Use 2 inch margins"
<" Use normal paragraphs (< space indent! in body o manuscript"
?" Use 26 point ont (2= characters1inch!"
B" )o spacing (i"e", ! between the paragraphs
J" Page number I #op right corner ()ote: >o not insert page number at irst
page!
L" Use header top let corner (e"g", H A study on Parte0 groupG!. ont si$e I J7
2="
2=" ,ont si$e heading A)-3 or the title is 2; or an instance HIntroductionG
or Purpose o the study or those cases"
22" ,ont si$e or the subheading is 26. however, to dierentiate the
subheading(s!, the author(s! can use either italic or underline
8J
26" +apitali$e 27st letter ollowing colon i clause is a complete sentence"
28" Always use double space ater completion o each sentence"( more
speciically ater every ull stop (!
2;" #e0t is let aligned (W not justiied!"
2<" >o not hyphenate words at end o sentences"
2?" &taple or clip manuscript"
'" 'riting in &eneral
2" Must use complete sentences"
6" 2st sentence o a paragraph must be independent"
8" Avoid slang"
;" >o not use contractions"
<" &pell chec% W loo% up when necessary"
?" Prooread"
+" #tyle Details in &eneral
2" *hen in doubt, chec% Publication Manual of APA"
6" *rite or submission to a scientiic journal"
8" Model other APA journal articles"
;" Avoid using personal pronouns"
<" Avoid se0ist language"
8L
?" Avoid using empty words"
B" Past tense in the abstract1intro1method, present in results1discussion"
J" #ry to read as i naive beore handing in"
>" ())reviations
2" *hen abbreviating, spell out the irst time"
6" >o not use too many abbreviations"
8" -atin abbreviations are used only in parenthetic material (e0cept or et al"!"
;" >o not use ( W & as abbreviations or e0perimenter W subject"
<" +ommon abbreviations do not use periods"
(" Num)ers
2" All measurement is metric"
6" =7L are spelled out (with e0ceptions!" 2=^ are written as numbers"
8" +apitali$e nouns ollowed by numerals"
;" In abstract, use digits or all numbers (e0cept when beginning a sentence!"
<" &pell out any number when it is the 2st thing in a sentence"
?" 'e consistent with number ormats (e"g", decimals!"
;=
," *itations in the Text
2" I you use someoneCs words1ideas, you must cite them"
6" #here are numerous ways to ormally cite"
8" ,irst time reerence is cited, spell out all authors"
;" I citation is in parentheses use ampersand or KandK"
<" Multiple parenthetic citations are placed alphabetically"
?" &econd hand citations should be clear"
4" +uotations
2" 3ou must give page numbers or direct quotes"
6" 87; quotes in 2= page paper is upper limit"
8" >isplay quotation o V;= words as ree7standing bloc%"
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