Summaries of APA Format; Typing and Proofreading Guidelines

Possible Sections of Paper

1.Title Page Required See example for format & placement Elements: Running head, left justified

Title, centered Author (your name), centered Institutional Affiliation, centered

2.Abstract Required 960 character (including spaces & punctuation) summary of paper (~120 words) Start on a new page (p. 2) Use block style (no indent on 1st line)

3.Body of Paper Required Start on a new page (p. 3) Repeat title at top of 1st page on 1st line

4.References Required Use label: References Begin on a new page Center heading Alphabetize entries by last name of author(s) Indent 1st line of each entry 5-7 spaces (same as paragraph indent) In your paper, only list works that have been cited in the text; this is NOT a bibliography.

Make sure that in-text citations match the References list.

Typing Instructions

5.Margins All 4 sides--1 inch 6.Line Spacing Double space all text, including title page information,

abstract, headings, references, and quotations 7.Type Size Pica or Elite; 10 or 12 pt.

8.Typeface Serif is preferred rather than sans serif Acceptable fonts are Times Roman, American Typewriter, or Courier (or similar fonts)

9.Paragraph indents Indent the 1st line of each paragraph 5-7 spaces (except the Abstract and long quotations) Keep number of spaces uniform throughout paper by using the Tab key

10.Hyphenation Do not hyphenate 11.Right justification Do not right-justify 12.Manuscript Page

HeaderBegin with Title Page (p. 1) Use first 2-3 words in title Put on every page in the upper right corner, 5 spaces to the left of the page number or on the line above

13.Pagination Begin on Title Page (p. 1) with the number 1 Precede with manuscript page header

Put on every page Place in upper right corner so that right side is 1 inch from right edge of paper, between the first line of text and the top edge of the paper

14.Running head Use label: Running head: Follow this with a shorter title in ALL CAPS Length should be no more than 50 characters including punctuation & spaces Place flush left on first line of the Title page

 15.  Headings   1st Level Centered

First letter of important words in caps Text begins, indented, on new line

2nd level Left-justified & underlined First letter of important words in caps Text begins, indented, on new line

 16.  Quotations  

   Short Less than 40 words

Merge quotation into text Must enclosed by double quotation marks

 

 Long 40 or more words Use block style (indent every line 5-7 spaces on left side [same as paragraph indent]) Begin on a new line Double space all quotations Period ends long quote; source and page numbers follow on same line in parentheses Do not use quotation marks All quotations must have a source and page number(s)

Referencing Material

 17. Cite a source for each fact or idea--after every sentence if necessary. Over-reference rather than under-reference.

 18. When paraphrasing a source, you must give author name(s) and date of publication. When doing this, keep name and date together. For example: Smith (1984) says. . . OR Some argue that . . . . (Smith, 1984).

 19. When citing an original work that is quoted in a secondary source that you have read, use the following format: Smith says that ". . . ." (as cited in Jones, 1984, p. 324).

 20. If more than one work is cited at a time parenthetically, alphabetize the works by authors' last names and separate the two references by a semi-colon: (Jones, 1984; Smith, 1977)

 21. Depending on the number of authors, use the following formats:

1-2 authors: List all authors' names every time the source is cited & in the reference list

3-5 authors: List all authors' names on the first citation; thereafter, use only the first author's name and et al. For example, Gorsky et al. (1984) . . . List all authors' names in the reference list.

6+ authors: Use only the first author's name and et al. on every citation; in the References, list all authors' names

 22. In the References list, make sure that each reference includes the necessary elements:

 23. Order of elements in the reference list: Article Author(s), Date, Article Name, Journal Name, Volume

Number, Page NumbersChapter Author(s), Date, Chapter Name, Book Name, Editor(s) of

Book, Page Numbers, Location of Publisher, Publisher Name

Book Author(s) or Editor(s), Date, Book Name, Location of Publisher, Publisher Name

 24. Capitalize only the first letter of the first word in titles and subtitles for books, chapters, and articles (not for journal names).

 25.  Differences between MLA and APA in References formatting:

 26.  In references cited in parentheses and in the reference list, use the "&" instead of "and."

Punctuation

 27. Commas and periods go inside quotation marks.  28. Colons and semi-colons go outside quotation marks.  29. One space between words and other elements in a sentence; after commas, semi-

colons, colons, and periods.  30. The final period goes after the parentheses around the reference; for example:

(Jones, 1984).  31. Abbreviate state names in the reference list, and use the standard post office, two-

letter abbreviations (e.g., NY for "New York"; CA for "California"; IL for "Illinois"; MA for "Massachusetts"; CT for "Connecticut"). If you don't know what the proper abbreviation is, check p. 177 in the APA Manual.

  Book

 Book Chapter

 Journal Article

 a. ALL of the authors' names  *  *  * b. name of article that was read      * c. name of book that was read *  *   d. name of chapter that was read    *   e. name of journal in which article was found      * f. volume number of the journal      * g. page numbers of the article or chapter  *  * h. name of publisher  *  *   i. location of publisher city state (if city is not well-known)

* * *

* * *

 

Authors' Names

Use only the initial of the first name (and middle initial if given) and the last name for all authors.

  Order for all authors: Last name first, then first initial and middle initial.

Article Name

No quotes around article or chapter names.

Book Chapter

All editor and page number information goes into parentheses.

Correct Use of English

 32. Use proper, formal English. This means no slang, colloquialisms, or contractions.  33. Do not start sentences with "so," "because," "but," or "however." All of these words

are used in the middle of the sentence, after the verb.  34. Make sure there is agreement among nouns, pronouns, and verbs (e.g., "The child

becomes more aggressive toward his or her siblings"; not "The child becomes more aggressive toward their siblings.").

 35. Know the differences between these word pairs and use each word appropriately: a. among & between b. affect & effect c. site & cite

 36. Be sure the word that you want to use is the correct one for the meaning you are trying to communicate. Look the word up in the dictionary if you don't use it very often--or use a grammar checker.

 37. Do not use more words than you need to convey an idea. 38. Sentences must contain a noun phrase (subject) and a verb phrase (predicate). 39.  Do not run two sentences together with just a comma between them (this is called a

"run-on" sentence).

Proofreading

 40. Read your paper aloud slowly and carefully, watching for the things listed above as well as the following mistakes: a. typographical errors, like left-out and transposed letters and left-out words b. straggly type that is not aligned with the other characters in the line c. inaccurate or missing reference information d. nonsensical sentences e. accuracy of quotations f. misspelled words

 41. If you find any of the above, correct them by changing the mistakes on the computer and reprinting the page involved.

APA Guideline Summary Chart

The following is only a guide, not an all-inclusive index of the information you will need to produce your papers in APA format. I have tried to include the sections that are most relevant.

TOPIC EXAMPLES DISCUSSION TYPINGTitle Page p. 258 Sec. 1.06 (pp. 7-8) Sec. 4.15Abstract p. 258 Sec. 1.07 (pp. 8-11) Sec. 4.16Body of Paper pp. 271-272 Sec. 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11 (pp.

11-19)Sec. 4.17

References, pp. 265-266 Sec. 1.13

purpose ofReferences as cited:

Sec. 4.18

in textpp. 168-174, 259-264 Sec. 3-94-3.103 (pp. 168-174)in reference listpp. 265-266,

Appendix 3-A (pp. 189-222)

Sec. 3.104-3.117 (pp. 174-188)

Tables pp. 121-123, 125, 267Sec. 3.62-3.68, 3.71-3.74 (pp. 120-130, 139-141)

Sec. 4.21

Figures & Figure Caption Page

pp. 144-148, 268 Sec. 3.75-3.77, 3.79-3.81, 3.83, 3.84, 3.86 (pp. 141-158, 160-163)

Sec. 4.22

Ways to organize pp. 271-272 Sec. 3.30, 3.31, 3.32 (pp. 90-93)

Sec. 4.10

Quotations pp. 95-96, 264 Sec. 3.34-3.41 (pp. 95-99) Sec. 4.13General typing instructions

Sec. 4.01-4.23 (pp. 237-255)

Bias in language use

Table 1 (pp. 54-60) pp. 46-53

State abbreviations pp. 265-266 pp. 176-177Expression of ideas

Writing style pp. 23-31Grammar pp. 31-46

Reference list at end of paper

The reference list should be arranged alphabetically by author surname. The APA format requires book and journal titles etc. to be italicised, although you can underline instead in a handwritten list.

Where to find the details needed in a reference list

Books

The details needed for a book can be found on the front and reverse of the title page. Make sure you locate the name of the publisher rather than the printer or typesetter. You need the name of the publisher in your reference list. The Library Catalogue gives the publisher's name if you are in any doubt.

Ignore any reprint dates; you need the date when the first, second, third edition etc. of the book was published according to which edition of the book you are using.

Journal articles

The details needed for a journal article can usually be found on the contents list, front cover or article itself.

Printed publications

Book

American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.

Encyclopaedia of psychology. (1976). London: Routledge.

Gardner, H. (1973). The arts and human development. New York: Wiley.

Moore, M. H., Estrich, S., McGillis, D., & Spelman, W. (1984). Dangerous offenders: the elusive target of justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

Note: List up to 6 authors. The 7th and subsequent authors are abbreviated to et al.

Edited book

Maher, B. A. (Ed.). (1964-1972). Progress in experimental personality research (6 vols.). New York: Academic Press

Article in edited book (Chapter)

Vygotsky, L. S. (1991). Genesis of the higher mental functions. In P. Light, S. Sheldon, & M. Woodhead (Eds.), Learning to think (pp. 32-41). London: Routledge.

Encyclopaedia entry

Lijphart, A. (1995). Electoral systems. In The encyclopaedia of democracy (Vol. 2, pp. 412-422). London: Routledge.

If the entry has no author, begin the reference with the entry title followed by the date of publication.

Government publication

Great Britain. Command Papers. (1991). Health of the nation (Cm 1523). London: HMSO.

Great Britain. Home Office. (1994). Prisons policy for England and Wales. London: HMSO.

Report

Birney, A. J., & Hall, M. M. (1981). Early identification of children with written language difficulties (Report No. 81-502). Washington DC: National Educational Association.

Conference paper in published proceedings

Borgman, C. L., Bower, J., & Krieger, D. (1989). From hands-on science to hands-on information retrieval. In J. Katzer, & G. B. Newby, (Eds.), Proceedings of the 52nd ASIS

annual meeting: Vol. 26. Managing information and technology (pp. 96-100). Medford, NJ: Learned Information.

Journal article

Noguchi, T., Kitawaki, J., Tamura, T., Kim, T., Kanno, H., Yamamoto, T., & Okada, H. (1993). Relationship between aromatase activity and steroid receptor levels in ovarian tumors from postmenopausal women. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(4-6), 657-660.

Popper, S. E., & McCloskey, K. (1993). Individual differences and subgroups within populations: the shopping bag approach. Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, 64(1), 74-77.

Weekly magazine article

Barrett, L. (2001, August 23). Daewoo's drive to survive in the UK.Marketing Week, 22-23.

Newspaper article

Caffeine linked to mental illness. (1991, July 13). New York Times, pp. B13, B15.

Young, H. (1996, July 25). Battle of snakes and ladders. The Guardian, p. 15.

Two or more works by the same author(s) with the same publication date

Where an author (or particular group of authors) has more than one work in a particular year, list them in title order and follow the date with a lower case letter a, b, c, ... For example:

Harding, S. (1986a). The instability of the analytical categories of feminist theory. Signs, 11(4), 645-64.

Harding, S. (1986b). The science question in feminism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

When referred to in the text these letters are also used (see last page section b).

Anonymous works

If a work is signed "Anonymous", your reference must begin with the word Anonymous, followed by date etc. as normal.

If no author is shown, put the title in the normal author position.

Note on page numbers

Use pp. for page range only for encyclopaedia entries, multi-page newspaper articles and chapters or articles in edited books. For articles in journals or magazines use the numbers alone.

Interviews

Because an interview is not considered recoverable data, you do not give details in your reference list. You should, however, cite an interview within the body of your text as a personal communication:

…and this point was conceded (J. Bloggs, personal communication, August 22, 2001)

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Electronic sources

The details shown below have been compiled according to the guidelines available on the APA Website (http://www.apastyle.org (This link will take you out of this site)) in August/September 2001. Check this Website and the 5th edition of The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association which is available in the Frewen Library for further guidance.

The basic pattern for a reference to an electronic source is:

Author, Initials. (year). Title. Retrieved month, day, year, from Internet address.

Banks, I. (n.d.). The NHS Direct healthcare guide. Retrieved August 29, 2001, from http://www.healthcareguide.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

If no date is shown on the document, use n.d. If the author is not given, begin your reference with the title of the document. If a document is part of a large site such as that for a university or

government department, give the name of the parent organisation and the relevant department before the Web address:

Alexander, J., & Tate, M. A. (2001). Evaluating web resources. Retrieved August 21, 2001, from Widener University, Wolfgram Memorial Library Web site: http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-Memorial-Library/webevaluation/webeval.htm

Deciding your future. (2000). Retrieved September 5, 2001, from University of Portsmouth, Careers Service Web site: http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/careers/ plancareer/deciding-your-future.htm

Electronic journal articles which are duplicates of the printed version

Use the same reference format as for a printed journal article but add "Electronic version" in square brackets after the article title:

Lussier, R. N., & Pfeifer, S. (2001). A crossnational prediction model for business success [Electronic version]. Journal of Common Market Studies, 39(3), 228-239.

If you are referencing an online article where the format differs from the printed version or which includes additional data or commentaries, you should add the date you retrieved the document and the Web address (URL).

Articles in Internet-only journals

Korda, L. (2001, July). The making of a translator. Translation Journal, 5(3). Retrieved August 21, 2001 from http://accurapid.com/journal/17prof.htm

Use the complete publication date shown on the article Note that page numbers are not given Whenever possible, the URL you give should link directly to the article itself Break a URL that goes onto another line after a slash or before a full-stop. Do

not insert a hyphen at the break.

Articles retrieved from a database

Use the format appropriate to the type of work retrieved and add a retrieval date, plus the name of the database:

McVeigh, T. (2000, July 9). How your gestures can do the talking. The Observer, p.7. Retrieved September 10, 2001, from The Guardian and The Observer on CD-ROM database.

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Citing references in the text

a) References are made from the text of the paper to the full details of the work in the reference list in the following manner:

Williams (1995, p.45) compared personality disorders ...In a recent study of personality disorders (Williams, 1995, p.45) ...

b) When an author, or group of authors, has more than one publication in the same year a lower case letter is added to the date. For example:

In two recent studies (Harding, 1986a, p.80; Harding, 1986b, p.138) it was suggested that ...In two recent works Harding (1986a, p.80; 1986b, p.138) has suggested that ...

c) For multiple author citations (up to five authors) name all authors the first time, then use et al. (and others). For example: the first time it would be (Moore, Estrich, McGillis, & Spelman 1984, p.33) and subsequent references to the same publication would use (Moore et al.). For six or more authors, use et al. after the first author in all occurrences.

Note that when the in-text reference occurs naturally within the sentence "and" should be used before the final author. But when the entire reference is enclosed in brackets the ampersand (&) should be used.

d) When a source has no author cite the first two or three words of the title followed by the year. For example:

... in the recent book (Encyclopaedia of psychology, 1991, p.62) ...

... in this article ("Individual differences," 1993, p.12) ...- follow this example for web pages where no author is given

However, if the author is designated as "Anonymous", cite the word Anonymous in your text e.g. (Anonymous, 1993, p.116).

Note: Underline or italicise the title of a journal or book and use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter.

e) When using quotations in your text observe the following examples: He stated, "The relative importance of the systems may nevertheless remain in approximately the same proportion" (Gardner, 1973, p.41)

Smith (1991) found that "...there is no evidence that chimpanzees can produce a drawing and discern the object represented in it..." (p.84)

f) If you cite a work that you discovered in another work, observe the following examples:

Smith (1970, p.27) cites Brown (1967) as finding ...Brown (1967), cited by Smith (1970, p.27), found ...It was found (Brown, 1967, cited by Smith, 1970, p.27) that ...

1. INTERNET ARTICLE BASED ON A MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL PRINT SOURCE

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date–indicate “n.d.” if date is unknown). Title [Electronic version]. Magazine or Journal Title,volume (issue, if given), paging. [Add the date of retrieval and the URL only if you believe that theprint version differs from the electronic version.]

Example

Honeycutt, E. D., Glassman, M., Zugelder, M. T., & Karande, K. ( 2001, July). Determinants of ethicalbehavior: A study of autosalespeople [Electronic version]. Journal of Business Ethics, 32 (1),69-79.

2. ARTICLE IN AN INTERNET-ONLY MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date). Title. Magazine or Journal Title, volume (issue), paging (if given). Retrieved [accessdate] from [URL]

Example

Jensen, S. (2000). Ethical underpinnings for multidisciplinary practice in the United States and abroad:Are accounting firms and law firms really different? Online Journal of Ethics, 3 (1). Retrieved August20, 2001, from http://www.stthom.edu/cbes/ethunder.html

3. MAGAZINE OR JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date). Title. Magazine or Journal Title, volume (issue), paging. Retrieved [date], from[database], Article No. (if given).

Example

Blackburn-Brockman, E. & Belanger, K. (2001, January). One page or two? A national study of CPArecruiters' preferences for resume length. The Journal of Business Communication, 38 (1), 29.Retrieved June 20, 2001, from InfoTrac College Edition database, Article No. A71327300.

4. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (ELECTRONIC VERSION AVAILABLE BY SEARCH)

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date). Title. Name of Newspaper. Retrieved [date] from [URL]

Example

Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out. New York Times.Retrieved November 21, 2000, from http://www.nytimes.com

5. INTERNET GOVERNMENT REPORT

Basic Form

Sponsoring agency. (Date). Title. (Publication data). Retrieved [date] from [name of organization andURL]

Example

U.S. General Accounting Office. (1997, February). Telemedicine: Federal strategy is needed to guideinvestments. (Publication No. GAO/NSAID/HEHS-97-67). Retrieved September 15, 2000, fromGeneral Accounting Office Reports Online via GPA Access: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces160.shtml?/gao/index.html

6. STAND-ALONE INTERNET DOCUMENT (NO AUTHOR, NO DATE)

Basic Form

Document title or name of Web page. (n.d.) Retrieved [date] from [URL]

Example

GVU's 8th WWW user survey. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2000, from http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/survey-1997-10/

7. DOCUMENT FROM COMPLEX WEB SITE (AUTHOR[S] IDENTIFIED)

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date). Title. Retrieved [date] from [Host business, agency or program]: [URL]

Example

Gordon, C. H., Simmons, P., & Wynn, G. (2001). Plagiarism: What it is, and how to avoid it. RetrievedJuly 24, 2001, from Biology Program Guide 2001/2002 at the University of British Columbia Website: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm

8. NONPERIODICAL MULTIPAGE WEB DOCUMENT (NO AUTHOR, NO DATE)

Basic Form

Name of sponsoring organization or title of site. (Date). Document name. Retrieved [date] from [URL]

Example

Greater New Milford (Ct) Area Healthy Community 2000, Task Force on Teen and Adolescent Issues.(n.d.). Who has time for a family meal? You do! Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http://www.familymealtime.org

9. MESSAGE POSTED TO AN ONLINE FORUM OR DISCUSSION GROUP

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date of posting). Message subject line [Message ID]. Message posted to [group address]

Example

Weylman, C. R. (2001, September 4). Make news to achieve positive press [Msg. 98]. Messageposted to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sales-marketing-tips/message/98

10. MESSAGE POSTED TO A NEWSGROUP

Basic Form

Author(s). (Date of posting). Message subject line [Message ID]. Message posted to [newsgroupaddress]

Example

Yudkin, M. (2001, July 4). The marketing minute: Truth is always in season [Msg. ID:ruf6kt0aiu5eui6523qsrofhu70h21evoj@4ax.com]. Message posted tonews://biz.ecommerce

*Dr. Guffey is the author of Business Communication: Process and Product, 3e (South-Western College Publishing, 2000); Essentials of Business Communication, 5e (South-Western College Publishing, 2001); and Business English, 7e (South-Western College Publishing, 2002). She and Carolyn M. Seefer are co-authors of Essentials of College English, 2e (South-Western College Publishing, 2002).