APA Style Citation and Documentation

JJ Clark,Professional Writing Consultant

Agenda

• General Ideas• Basic Formatting• Principles of Citation• In-Text Citations• Reference List• Visual Elements and Appendices

General Ideas

• American Psychology Association• Developed to standardize scientific writing• Concerned with relevant and recent data• Focused on dates and titles instead of the

author• Emphasizes your own words and ideas

– Prefers paraphrase to quotation

Fields of Study

• Architecture and Design• Business• Communication• Computer Sciences• Economics• Linguistics 

• Nursing• Philosophy• Psychology• Political Science• Public Administration• Sociology

Basic Formatting in APA

Basic Formatting in APA

• Use 1” margins all around• Double-space the entire paper• Use a 11 or 12 point serif font for text

– Times New Roman or Cambria• Use a sans-serif font for figure labels

– Arial or Calibri• Align all paragraphs to the left

– Indent the first line of each paragraph (except the abstract which is not indented.

Title Page• Running head: includes a shortened title or

assignment description – Use in the header of every page – The words RUNNING HEAD will only appear on

the title page

• Center full title of the paper, your name, and your institutional affiliation near top half of page

• If instructor requests, add class information, instructor’s name, and date centered at bottom

Abstract• If your paper requires an abstract, this will be the first page

after the title page• Center ABSTRACT at the top of the page• The words RUNNING HEAD do not appear, but the

shortened title does• Give a brief summation (between 250 and 500 words) of the

focus, major research, methods, and findings of your paper• The abstract is a single paragraph, double spaced, and

begins at the top of the page– Remember, the first line of the abstract is not indented, unlike

all other paragraphs

First Page• Center the full title at top of page, whether you

have an abstract or not• Do not write INTRODUCTION unless specifically

required by your instructor• Begin section headings on this page if

appropriate– Refer to the APA Style Guide, 6th Edition, for the

formatting of different heading levels

Principles of CitationUsing paraphrasing and quotations

Paraphrasing• Putting someone else’s ideas and words into your own

words– Demonstrates your knowledge of the material– Maintains clarity when synthesizing sources (using

quotations with numerous sources can get messy and hard to read)

– Promotes synthesis between many sources and your own work

• Most of the cited information in a paper should be paraphrased

• Page numbers are not required for paraphrasing – Encouraged only for long, complex, or highly specific works

Direct Quotations• Using the exact words of the author• Direct quote only if exact wording is needed as a means

of comparison or critique of the primary source– Nightingale (1860) defined nursing over 100 years ago as

"the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” (p. 17). Nightingale considered a clean, well-ventilated, and quiet environment essential for recovery. Often considered the first nurse theorist, Nightingale raised the status of nursing through education (Jones, 1956). Nurses were no longer untrained housekeepers but people educated in the care of the sick.

Block Quotes• Put quotations of 40 words or over in block

quotes• Indent all lines of block quote by one inch• Double space all lines in the block quote• Provide page number(s) at the end of the citation• Do not use quotation marks

In-Text Citations

Authors and types of sources

Paraphrase• Cite all works you reference in the paper• APA style uses the author-date citation system

– Place the name followed by the year at the beginning of the sentence

• Doe (2007) found that rats cannot vomit.

– Place the name and year in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence

• A recent study of rats found that they cannot vomit (Doe, 2007).

Direct Quotations• Page numbers are required for each direct quote

citation– Use “p.” for a single page

• Doe (2011) found that “rain water can contain radioactive toxins” (p. 7).

• Moreover, “rain water can contain radioactive toxins” (Doe, 2007, p. 7).

– Use “pp.” for multiple pages• (Doe, 2007, pp. 21–22)

Citing Two Authors• For two authors, cite the last names of both

authors each time the source is used– Doe and Koenig (2007) note that modern

Western political idealism has its basis in the writings of Immanuel Kant.

– Modern Western political idealism has its basis in the writings of Immanuel Kant (Doe & Koenig, 2007).

Citing Three to Five Authors• Cite the last names of all authors the first time it is used

– Doe, Koenig, and Porpora (1998) note that constructivism is becoming a more popular theory in political science.

– Constructivism is becoming a more popular theory in political science (Doe, Koenig, & Porpora, 1998)

• For all citations afterward, use “et al.”– Doe et al. (1998) found that most political scientists

prefer synthesizing political theories.– Most political scientists prefer synthesizing political

theories (Doe et al., 1998)

Citing Six or More Authors• Cite only the first author followed by “et al.” for

each citation– Mearsheimer et al. (2008) assert that neo-

realism as a theoretical paradigm is experiencing a backlash.

– Neo-realism as a theoretical paradigm is experiencing a backlash (Mearsheimer et al., 2008).

Authors with Multiple Works• For authors with multiple works published in the

same year you have to begin with your references page citation

• On the references page, alphabetize the sources based upon the title of the work and assign a lowercase letter for each source

• Doe (2008a) notes that Egyptian death rituals were highly complex. In the case of Tutankhamen, the boy pharaoh was adorned in a highly ritualized fashion with precious metals and jewelry (Doe, 2008b).

Electronic Sources• Electronic sources are cited in the same fashion

as print sources– Never put a website URL in an in-text citation

• When using an online source, you will need– Name of the author (person or organization)

• If an author is not identified, use the name of the article

– Year of publication– Section of internet document– Paragraph number

Electronic Sources• Using the section or paragraph number of an

electronic source– Dolce and Gabanna had to change their 2004–

2005 advertising campaign after the “profuse level of complaints from consumers” (Herneckli, 2006, Trends section, para. 3).

– Prada was “favored 7/10 over Oakley” (Herneckli, 2005, para. 5).

Reference List

Citing sources in the References pages

Reference List• References begin on a new page after the last

page of your paper– Include all the research you referenced

• Arrange alphabetically by author (person or organization)– Use a hanging indent for each entry

• Do not divide your sources based upon type or category

Reference List• Author(s) name(s)

– Last name first, then first/middle initial– For sources without named authors, use the first letter of

the title

• Publication date in parenthesis• Title of the work (do not use italics or quotation marks)

• Publication data – Journal titles in italics (but not volume or issue number)– Book titles in italics

• Include page numbers if did not reference entire book• Include publication location and publisher.

Basic Print Sources• Journal article

Doe, J. (2001). Realism: An examination of its efficacy. Journal of International Relations, 82(5), 19–27.

• Journal article from author with multiple publications Doe, J. (2008a). Egyptian death rituals. Journal of Egyptian

History, 9(2), 90–123.

• BookDoe, J. (2001). Egyptian death rituals and their historical

significance. Cairo: National Publishing.

Basic Electronic Sources• Whole website

National Kleptomaniacs Association [NKA]. (2008). Who has time to buy anything? Retrieved from from

http://kleptomaniacal.org/stealing

• Section of a websiteNational Kleptomaniacs Association [NKA]. (2008).Why

stealing isn’t stealing. In Who has time to buy anything?

Retrieved from http://kleptomaniacal.org/stealing

Visual Elements and Appendices

Using Visual Elements• APA typically requires figures, graphs, tables,

charts, and photographs to be placed in an Appendix after the References List– Check with your instructor if this info should

appear in the body of the paper

• You must distinguish between visuals you created and those borrowed from an outside source

Visuals from Outside Sources• You must include a source note below the

element that includes the title, author, date, publication, pub. info, page number, and copyright

Note. From “Title of Article,” by J. Doe and J. Horrocks, 2008, Journal of Ethology Studies , 50(6), p. 92. Copyright 2008 by Name of Copyright Holder.

Visuals You Created• Label (Graph 1, Graph 2, Table 1, etc.) and

refer to them in the paper– As shown in Table 8, most respondents

indicated a preference for Prada.

• Your own visuals will not include source notes

Other Resources

• APA Manual, 6th Edition• Our very own Writing Center APA style handouts

(available on our website and in the Center on campus)

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/CLAS/

Centers/writing/resources/Pages/guides.aspx

Review

• General Ideas– Field specific citation style

• Basic Formatting– Title page, major sections, and formatting for subsections

• Principles of Citation– Author-year system that prefers paraphrasing

• Reference List– Use our handout or the APA manual for specific concerns

• Visual Elements and Appendices– Label correctly and use source notes for outside sources

The Writing Center

• For more information please visit us:– Denver Campus, North Classroom Building– Anschutz Medical Campus, Health Sciences

Library– Campus Village Apartments, North 3rd Floor

Common Room– Synchronous Online Consultations– http://writingcenter.ucdenver.edu