APAinMSWord

Formatting Research Papersfor APA Style with MS Word

Table of Contents

I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 2 II. Formatting Pages .......................................................................................................................................... 2 To set the margins ................................................................................................................................... 2 To set the type font .................................................................................................................................. 3 To set the line-spacing ........................................................................................................................... 4 III. The Title Page ................................................................................................................................................. 5 To create a title page .............................................................................................................................. 5 IV. Page Breaks ................................................................................................................................................... 11 To insert a page break .......................................................................................................................... 11 To create the header for pages after the title page ....................................................................12 V. The Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 15 To format and create an abstract .................................................................................................... 15 VI. The Body of the Paper ............................................................................................................................... 17 Headings .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Reference Citations in the Text ........................................................................................................ 18 Paraphrasing .................................................................................................................................... 18 Quoting ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Long quotations ............................................................................................................................. 19 Secondary or indirect sources .................................................................................................. 21 VII. References ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 To create a hanging indent ................................................................................................................. 21 Appendix: Examples of Citations for APA Reference Sources ....................................................23

Formatting Research Papersfor APA Style with MS Word

1

IntroductionWhen we write research papers, it is important to follow a particular formatting style

throughout the paper. A consistent style enhances readability and helps to give our papers a professional appearance. The following information is based on the format set out in the American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual (6th edition). APA Style is commonly used in the social sciences, education, and sociology. This reference guide provides instructions for formatting research papers with Microsoft Word. This guide is written for users who are familiar with the basic features of MS Word, so if you don’t know MS Word yet, learn it.

The information that follows is intended as a general guide and does not address all aspects of APA Style or formatting. For more detailed guidelines see the latest edition of the APA’s Publication Manual, or consult Concise Rules of APA Style, the pocket handbook based on the manual.

This reference guide is based on a similar guide provided by the library staff at Marygrove College in Detroit. We have added MS Word screenshots and tailored the guide to our needs, but we are indebted to the Marygrove staff for their excellent work and resource.

Formatting PagesMargins should be one inch in all directions (top, bottom, left, right). Font size can be 11-point

or 12-point; the acceptable typefaces include Times New Roman, Calisto MT or this one, Cambria. Sans-serif typefaces, such as Arial or Tahoma, are not allowed. Especially avoid MS Word’s default typeface, Calibri. All type should be set lush with the left margin, creating an uneven right margin (not justi ied). The paper should be double-spaced throughout, including the title page, abstract, and the body of the paper. The body includes references, appendixes, and tables.

To set the margins:

Open a new document in MS Word and click the “Page Layout” tab.

Click the “Margins” button in the “Page Setup” group.

2 Formatting Research Papers

Select “Normal” to set the margins at 1-inch on all four sides of the page.

To set the type font:

Click on the “Home” tab.

In the “Font” group, click the down arrow to the right of the font menu (the default font type is Calibri).

Select “Times New Roman” (or whichever serif font you choose, as long as it is not a funky typeface or a sans-serif face such as the default Calibri, or Arial or Tahoma).

Formatting Research Papers 3

The default font size in MS Word is 11-point. If you want to change it to 12-point or if your current font is a size other than 11-point or 12-point, click the down arrow to the right of the font size menu.

Select “12” (or “11,” if you desire) as the font size.

To set the line-spacing:

In the “Paragraph” group (still on the “Home” tab), click on the “Line-Spacing” button. When the drop-down menu appears, select “2.0” for double-spacing.

Click on the “Line-Spacing” button again and select “Remove Space After Paragraph.” (This will undo the default setting in MS Word, which adds space after each paragraph.)


The Title PageThe irst page of your paper is called the title page. This page includes the title of your paper,

your name, the name of your institution, the manuscript page header, and the running head.

To create a title page:

Click on the “Insert” tab.

Click the “Header” button in the “Header & Footer” group, and choose “Edit Header” from the drop-down menu.


This will activate a “Design” tab with tools speci ic to the Header and Footer. Check the box before “Different First Page” in the “Options” group. (This step is necessary because the words “Running head” appear only on the title page.)

Click the “Header” button a second time. (Look to the far left of the tab.)

Choose the “Blank (Three Columns)” header.


Click on the middle header column ([“Type Text”]) and then press the [Delete] key.

To insert the page number, irst click on the right-hand column of the header.

Click the “Page Number” button in the “Header & Footer” group.

From the drop-down menu, click on “Current Position” and select “Plain Number.”


Click on the left-hand header column.

Type the words “Running head” followed by a colon and a space.

Type the running head (two or three key words taken directly from the title of your paper)in ALL CAPS.

You probably changed the typeface and font size when you set up the documen. However, the typeface and font size in the header may have defaulted to Calibri and 11-point. To maintain consistency throughout the paper, select all text in the header, return to the “Home” tab, and set the typeface and font size to match the rest of the paper.



Click on the “Design” tab.

Click on the red Close Header and Footer button located at the top right of the tool bar.

Press the [Enter] key 10 times.

Click on the “Home” tab and then click the “Center” button in the “Paragraph” group.

Type the following on separate lines: the full title of the paper, your name, and the name of your institution (in this case, “Southern Utah University”).

Save the ile by clicking on the “File” menu and using the “Save As” command.

If you’re working on an APA Style paper that requires running heads, go to the next page and insert a page break. Then follow the directions for inserting running heads on subsequent pages. If your paper requires an abstract, continue to that section, Otherwise, procede to instructions for the body of the paper.


Page BreaksIn a research paper formatted in APA style, you must start a new page for each of the sections

listed below and arrange them in the following order: Title page, Abstract (if required), Body, References. And, as stated above, all pages after the title page have a header with only the short title and page. With the Page Break feature of Word, you can easily divide your paper into sections.

To insert a page break:

Place the cursor after the last text character you typed in a section.

Click on the “Insert” tab.

Click the “Page Break” button in the “Pages” group.


Clicking on the “Page Break” button will instruct MS Word to conclude the page and begin a new page. The cursor will appear at the top of the new page, and its alignment will be congruent with the alignment at the end of the previous page (in this case, centered).

To create the header for pages after the title page:

Click on the “Insert” tab; then click the “Header” button in the “Header & Footer” group.


Choose the “Blank (Three Columns)” header.

Click on the middle header column and hit the [Delete] key.



Click on the right-hand header column, and click the “Page Number” button in the “Header & Footer” group. Then, from the drop-down menu, click on “Current Position” and select “Plain Number.”

Click on the left-hand header column and type the running head in ALL CAPS. Make sure it matches the running head you typed on the title page.

Select all the text in the header and set the typeface and font size to the preferences you selected when you set up the document. (You may need to return to the “Home” tab.)


Click on the red “Close Header and Footer” button located at the top right of the tool bar.

The AbstractThe abstract is a one-paragraph, self-contained summary of the most important elements of

the paper. The abstract begins on a new page and should not exceed 120 words. All numbers in the abstract (except those beginning a sentence) should be typed as digits rather than words.

To format and create an abstract:

Click on the “Home” tab; then click the “Center” button in the “Paragraph” group.

Type the word “Abstract” on the irst line. Then highlight the word “Abstract” and make it bold by clicking on [B] in the “Font” group.

Press [Enter] to go to the next line of the page; then click the “Align Left” button in the “Paragraph” group. Note that the cursor will move to the lush-left position.

Type the text of your abstract. Do not indent the irst line. Then press [Enter].

Click on the “Insert” tab, and click the “Page Break” button in the “Pages” group.



The Body of the PaperThe body of the paper begins on a new page. Subsections of the body of the paper do not

begin on new pages (until you reach the “References” section). The irst line of each paragraph is indented one-half inch from the left margin.

Headings

Headings are used to organize the document and re lect the relative importance of sections.

Like other main ( irst-level) headings, the introduction uses boldface centered uppercase and lowercase letters, but it does not use the word “introduction.” Instead, it uses the entire title of the paper.

All other main headings (such as Literature Review, Rationale, Research Questions, Method, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References and Appendix) use boldface centered uppercase and lowercase letters.


Subheadings (second-level headings) are lush left and boldface. They use uppercase and lowercase letters. Subheadings are commonly used in the literature review (below) and in the Method section, where information about Participants, Design, and Procedure appears.

Reference Citations in the Text

Following APA Style, source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing the author(s) and date(s) of the sources. The principle here is that ideas and words of others must be formally acknowledged. The reader can obtain the full source citation from the list of references that follows the body of the paper.

Paraphrasing — Paraphrased or summarized material is documented like this:

If the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal structure of the sentence, the year of publication appears in parentheses following the identi ication of the authors:

Smith and Jones (2004) found Einstein’s theory fl awed.If the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in parentheses, separated by semicolons:

Subsequent research supports these results (Brown & Greene, 2006; Hamilton, 2008).

The same general rules regarding author(s) and date(s) apply to electronic sources cited within your paper. For a source without an identi ied author, use the irst few words of the title to document the source within the text, followed by the date of publication, if given:

His status as a pop culture icon grew in the last generation (“Einstein Online,” n.d.).

Note: The ampersand symbol (&) is used when multiple authors are identi ied in parenthetical material, but the word “and” is used when multiple authors are identi ied as part of the formal structure of the sentence.


Quoting — When a direct quotation is used, always include the author, year, and page number as part of the citation. Give the page number immediately after the quotation, even in midsentence.

The key is to remember that all 3 elements of the citation – author, year, page number – must be given, whether in parentheses or as part of the sentence. For example:

In their 2007 article, Duncan and Sebastian claimed the results of the university study were inconclusive due to the “unscientifi c method of data collection” (p. 121).

Here’a another example:Duncan and Sebastian criticized the university’s “unscientifi c

method of data collection” (2007, p. 121) that led to the study’s inconclusive results.

And another example:Numerous members of the scientifi c community were critical of the

“unscientifi c method of data collection” (Duncan & Sebastian, 2007, p. 21) that led to the results of the study.

Note: For a quotation from an electronic source such as an online article or Web page, give the paragraph number if no page number is available. Use the abbreviation “para.”

Long quotations — A quotation of more than 40 words should be set off (without quotations marks) from the surrounding text. A long quotation is a double-spaced block of text, indented ½ inch from the left margin. Place the parenthetical reference two spaces after the end punctuation of the last sentence.

To format a long quotation:

Begin the quotation on a new line; type the quotation, and then select the text.


If necessary, click on the Home tab.

Click the dialog-box launcher (lower-right corner) in the “Paragraph” group.

In the “Paragraph” dialog box, under the “Indents and Spacing” tab, increase the left indent to 0.5”. Then click [OK].


Second or indirect sources — Give the secondary source in the reference list; in the text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source.

For example, if Grodin’s work is cited in Jones and you did not read Grodin’s work, list the Jones work in the reference list. The citation in the text would look like this:

Jones concluded that librarians are one of the more trusted professions in the United States (as cited in Grodin, 2004).

ReferencesAll sources included in the References section must be cited in the body of the paper. The

References section begins on a new page with the heading “References” centered on the irst line below the manuscript page header. The references are formatted with a hanging indent (see below) and begin on the line following the References heading.

Entries are organized by last names of irst authors. Most Reference entries have three components:

Author(s) — Multiple authors are listed in the same order as speci ied in the source, using last names and initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are seven or more authors, list the irst six and then use “et al.” to represent the remaining authors. If no author is identi ied, the title of the document begins the reference.

Year of Publication — Place the year in parentheses following the author(s), with a period following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date is identi ied, use “n.d.” in parentheses following the author(s).

Source Reference — For a journal article, this includes the article title, journal title, volume (and sometimes issue) number, and page number(s); for a book, it includes the title, city of publication, and publisher. In general, the source reference for Web documents includes author and date (if known) as well as title, date of retrieval, and URL (Web address). Italicize titles of journals, books, and web pages, and periodical volume numbers.

To create a hanging indent:

Select (highlight) all references on the References page.


If necessary, click on the Home tab. Then click the dialog-box launcher (lower-right corner) in the “Paragraph” group.

In the “Paragraph” dialog box, under the “Indents and Spacing” tab, go to the menu for “Special” indentation, and select “Hanging.” The click on [OK].

MS Word will then create the hanging indent for your references.After using the “Paragraph” dialog box for indenting long quotes or creating a hanging indent, you may ind that the new formats apply to text you type after the long quote or the references (for example, for information you include in an appendix). It may be necessary to return to the “Paragraph” dialog box and restore the previous format.At this point, we have concluded format instructions using MS Word. The next several pages include helpful hints for bibliographic information required in the reference section of APA Style documents. It serves as a supplement to, but not a substitute for, the APA Publication Manual.


Appendix:Examples of Citations for APA Reference Sources

In communication research and in the social sciences in general, the most common style is the style of the American Psychological Association — APA Style. The entire set of APA Style rules is found in the APA’s Publication Manual, but bookstores charge so much for it that we have instead asked you to buy the pocket style guide, Concise Rules of APA Style. Please become familiar with it as you will need to use it for items not covered in this section. Meanwhile, we offer some examples here of commonly used references in APA style.

General Reference Form for Articles in Periodicals

This basic form is taken from page 215 of Concise Rules of APA Style:Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Title of article. Title of

Periodical, xx(x), pp-pp. doi: xx.xxxxxxxxx

Note that only the authors’ last names and initials are used; no irst names.

If there is more than one author, insert a comma after the irst author’s initials. Then insert either the next author’s name, or an ampersand (&) for an article with only two authors.

Do not insert another comma after the last author’s initials.

Next comes the year in parentheses, followed by a period.

Next comes the title of the article. Only the irst word and proper nouns should be capitalized in titles of articles. Do not italicize titles or use quote marks. Conclude the title with a period.

Next comes the title of the periodical. It is italicized, but do not use quote marks. All key words in the publication title should be capitalized. After the title of the article, insert a comma.

The next item is the volume number of the publication. It is also italicized and followed by a comma, unless each issue of the journal begins on page 1, in which case the volume number is also accompanied by the issue number.

If the volume number is accompanied by the issue number, switch from italics to normal case without skipping a space, and insert the issue number in parentheses, followed by a comma.

Insert the page numbers where the article is found in the periodical, followed by a period.

If available, conclude with the digital object identi ier (DOI). To do so, insert the letters “doi” followed by a colon after the page numbers. Then provide the DOI registration number. Do not insert a period after the DOI number.

The DOI is an alphanumeric string assigned by the International DOI foundation to identify content and provide a reliable link to its location on the Internet. It is a fairly new innovation. APA Style recommends including them at the end of all periodical references when they are available. It will make it easier both for you and for future scholars to ind articles.


Periodicals

This section examples of citations for periodicals, including academic journals, magazines, newsletters and newspapers. The basic form is:

Author, A. A. (date of publication). Title of article. Title of periodical, Volume and/or Number, page(s).

Article in an academic journal with volume and issue number:Shagoury, R. (2009). Language to language: Nurturing writing development in

multilingual classrooms. YC Young Children, 64(2), 52-57.

Article in a monthly or bimonthly periodical:Quirk, M. (2007, December). Bright lights, big cities: Slums are burgeoning

worldwide — and that’s a good thing. The Atlantic Monthly, 159, 32-33.

Article from a weekly or biweekly magazine or newspaper:Samuels, A. (2009, May 18). Michelle hits her stride: The fi rst lady’s diverse

approach to diversity. Newsweek, 125, 40.

Article from a daily newspaper:Beckmann, F. (2008, December 5). Skeptical scientists caution Obama on

climate change fi xes. The Detroit News, p. 19A.

Books and Other Non-Periodicals

This section examples of citations for books and other sources, such as reports, pamphlets, brochures, and manuals. The basic form is:

Author, A. A. (year of publication). Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher.

One author:Chang, J. (2005). Can’t stop, won’t stop: A history of the hip-hop generation. New

York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Two authors:Huetinck, L. & Munshin, S. N. (2008). Teaching mathematics for the 21st century:

Methods and activities for grades 6-12. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

Three to seven authors (list all authors):Hood, R.W., Hill, P.C., & Williamson, W.P. (2005). The psychology of religious

fundamentalism. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Eight or more authors Ilist the irst six authors, insert ellipses, and add the last author’s name:

Hunt, T. C., Joseph, E. A., Nuzzi, R. J., Williams, R. B., Traviss, M. P., Shimabukuro, G., . . . Hewson, P. D. (2001). Handbook of research on Catholic education. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.


Group author:National Center on Education and the Economy. (2007). Tough choices for tough

times: The report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Multiple books or other works by the same author (arrange by year of publication, oldest irst):

Gurian, M. (1999). The good son: Shaping the moral development of our boys and young men. New York, NY: Penguin Press.

Gurian, M. (2003). What could he be thinking? How a man’s mind really works. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Edited book:Graham, M. (Ed.). (2004). Cambridge companion to the African American novel.

New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Encyclopedia or dictionary:Beaulieu, E. A. (Ed.). (2003). The Toni Morrison encyclopedia. Westport, CT:

Greenwood Press.

Part of a Non-Periodical

Book chapter, essay or article from an edited work:Vogel, D. (2007). How green is Judaism? Exploring Jewish environmental ethics.

In T. O’Brien & S. Paeth (Eds.), Religious perspectives on business ethics: An anthology (pp. 259-276). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefi eld.

Book chapter, essay or article from an edited work (no author given):A period of commercial crisis: 1900-1903. (1990). In C. Harpole (Ed.), History of

the American cinema (Vol. 1, pp. 297-336). New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

Electronic Sources

Electronic book (eBook):Chidester, D., Dexter, P., & James, W. (2003). What holds us together: Social

cohesion in South Africa. Retrieved from http://books.google.comThomas, R.W. (1992). Life for us is what we make it: Building black community

in Detroit, 1915-1954. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Retrieved from NetLibrary.

Article in an Internet-only journal:Cotton, S. M. & Crewther, S. G. (2009). The relationship between reading and

intelligence in primary school aged children. The Open Education Journal, 2. Retrieved from http://www.bentham.org/open/toeduj/openaccess2.htm

Web page with a larger Web site:Smith, R. C. (2000, June 1). Imari Obadele: The father of the modern reparations

movement. Retrieved from http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/312.html Web page within a larger Web site (no author, no date):

Talking with kids about HIV and AIDS (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.talkingwithkids.org/aids.html

Multipage Web site created by a private organization (no date):The International Re-evaluation Counseling Communities. (n.d.). Re-evaluation

counseling. Retrieved from http://www.rc.org Blog post:

Watson, Angela (2009, May 5). Who’s in control in your classroom? [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://thecornerstoneforteachers.blogspot.com/

Papers Presented at Academic Conferences or Meetings

One author:Husselbee, L.P. (2008, March). Diffusion of news and the death of LDS church

president Gordon B. Hinckley. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Utah Communication Association, Cedar City, UT.

Two authors:Husselbee, L.P., & Stein, K.A. (2010, August). In the rough: Tiger Woods’

apology and journalistic antapologia. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication, Denver, CO.

Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses

For an unpublished dissertation or thesis:Nunamaker, N.A. (1977). The National News Council: A study of its concept and

development, 1972-77. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

For a doctoral dissertation listed in Dissertation Abstracts International:McLaughlin, K.M. (1990). Legitimating fi ctions: Journalism and the aesthetics

of autonomy in the nineteenth century European novel. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section A. Humanities and Social Sciences, 50(09), 2889A.

No Publication Date

When no date of publication is given, insert “n.d.” where you would insert the date:Freedom Forum Media Studies Center. (n.d.). When no news is good news.

Retrieved from http://www.freedomforum.org


Audiovisual MediaThe basic format for audiovisual media begins with the name and function of the primary contributor(s), such as producer, conductor, or interviewer. After the title, specify the medium in brackets. Then provide the location and name of the distributor. For example, the basic form for motion pictures looks like this:

Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor.

Motion picture:Speilberg, S., Molen, G. R., Kennedy, K., & Lustig, B. (Producers), & Spielberg,

S. (Director). (1993). Schindler’s list [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Studios.

A&E Television Networks (Producer). (2001). Forensic fi rsts: The criminal mind/Under the microscope [Motion picture]. United States: A&E Television Networks.

Gardner, R. (Producer & Director). (1998). Warnings from the ice [Motion picture]. United States: WGBH Boston.

Episode of a television show:Sorkin, A. (Writer), & Boyle, D. (Director) (2000). Take out the trash day

[Television series episode]. In A. Sorkin, & T. Schlamme (Executive producers), The west wing. Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers.

Audio recording, individual song:Berryman, G., Buckland, J., Champion, W., & Martin, C. (2008), Viva la vida

[Recorded by Coldplay]. On Viva la vida or death and all his friends [CD]. United Kingdom: Capitol Records.

Audio recording, entire recording:Corporon, E. (Conductor). (2003). Teaching music through performing marches

[CD]. Chicago: GIA.Osborne, H. (Interviewer). (2005). Adult learners in healthcare [CD]. Natick, MA:

Health Literacy. Audio podcast:

Shapiro, J. (2009, May 19). Report: Discipline methods endanger disabled kids. Morning Edition [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org

Video podcast:de la Cruz, B. (Director). (2008). Growing up bi-racial [Video podcast]. Retrieved

from http://www.washingtonpost.com

Online video iles:C-SPAN. (2009, January 20). President Barack Obama 2009 inauguration

and address [Video fi le]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4



Notes about URLs (Web addresses)

Punctuation — Do not place a period after a citation that ends with a URL. Long URLs — Do not insert a hyphen if you need to break a URL across lines; instead break

the URL by inserting a space after punctuation such as a period (“dot”) or slash ( / ). Hyperlinks — After you type or paste a URL into your paper and press the [Enter] key

(or the spacebar), MS Word may automatically hyperlink the URL, and it will become blue underlined text that will link to the Web page with that URL when you click on it. To remove the hyperlink, right-click on the URL and select “Remove Hyperlink.”

Interviews and Personal Communications

During the course of your research, you will at times exchange letters, memos, or e-mail messages with sources. You may even talk to sources on the phone. These sources do not provide recoverable data; therefore, they are not cited in the reference list. However, you still need to cite them in the text of your paper. Use this format:

(P. Breinholt, personal communication, November 23, 2008)The citation is parenthetical. It follows the quoted material in the text. It begins with the irst initial and last name of the source, followed by the words “personal communication,”

and concludes with the date of the communication or conversation.

Documents

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