L AM E R I A L J AC O B S O N M C R AE , P H D , L M H C
WRITING APA-STYLE
APA
• American Psychological
Association (APA, 2013)
• Most commonly used
style formatting for
publications, papers,
articles, manuscripts in
social sciences
APA: THREE MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS
1. Style
2. Format
3. Citations and References
APA STYLE: VIEW AND VOICE
• Use third person point of view rather than first person point
of view, when possible.
• What not to do: I (we) found that…
• What to do: The study showed that…
• Use active voice rather than passive voice, when possible.
• Hint: Use the basic subject-verb-object (SVO) structure
• What not to do: The participants have been asked….
• What to do: The researchers inquired… The participants responded…
APA STYLE: VIEW AND VOICE
1. Be crisp: use simple, descriptive adjectives and minimize
metaphorical or figurative language, which makes stronger
statements to the reader.
1. Be clear: use specific descriptions and statements to provide
clarity for the reader.
2. Be concise: condense information into succinct statements
to reduce confusion for the reader.
• Typed, double-spaced.
• Two spaces after punctuation
between sentences.
• Standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”).
• 1” margins on sides, top, and
bottom.
• 12 point, Times New Roman font.
• Page header (title) in the upper
left-hand of every page and a page
number in the upper right-hand
side of every page.
Consistent and does not
change!
APA FORMAT
APA FORMAT: FOUR MAJOR SECTIONS
1. Tile page
2. Abstract
3. Main Body
4. References
APA FORMAT: TITLE PAGE
• Page header: (View >
Header and Footer)• Running head: title flush
left + page number flush
right. Lower case h and
colon. Title in ALL CAPS.
• Title (centered, upper
half of page), name (no
title or degree), and
affiliation (institution).
APA FORMAT: ABSTRACT
• Page header: do not include
Running head:
• Abstract (centered, top of the
page).• Brief (150 and 250 words) summary of
your paper in an accurate, concise,
and specific manner.
• Include research topic, research
questions, participants, methods,
results, data analysis, and conclusions.
• Include implications of your research
and clinical practice.
• Keywords: key points, use two
APA FORMAT: MAIN BODY
• First main body begins
on page number 3.
• Title (centered, top of
page, level 1 header)
• Identify sources and use
parenthetical in-text
citations (e.g.,
Jacobson, 2016).
• Format tables and
figures
APA FORMAT: IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Paraphrases and Direct Quotes
• Author’s last name and the year of publication
in parenthesis after a summary or a paraphrase• APA graduate level papers need to show rigor for
readability purposes (Jacobson, 2016).
• Authors last name outside of parenthesis and
year of publication in parenthesis after direct
quotes. Also, provide a page number in
parenthesis and quotations around any use of
direct quotes from source.
• Introduce quotations with key phrases such as
acknowledged, maintained, responded, reported,
argued, concluded..
• Jacobson (2016) argued that graduate level papers
include “…the most rigorous APA style in order to
increase readability” (p.11).
Two or More Sources
• With two or more sources, order them as they
appear in the References, the author(s) name,
the year of publication, separated by a semi-
colon.• In parenthesis: (Jacobson, 2016; Roach, 2016)
• As signal Phrase: Jacobson (2016) and Roach (2016)
argued…
APA FORMAT: IN-TEXT CITATIONS
• With two authors, use and in between authors’ name in the signal phrase yet ampersand (i.e., &) between their
names in parenthesis.• According to Jacobson and Roach (2015), “the Stetson counseling programs appear among the best…” (p. 2).
• Researchers report “the Stetson counseling programs appear among the best…” (Jacobson & Roach, 2015, p. 2).
• With three to five authors, identify all authors in the signal phrase or in parenthesis. In subsequent citations, only
use the first author's last name followed by et al. in the signal phrase or in parenthesis. • First use: Jacobson, Roach, and Thanasiu (2015) OR (Jacobson, Roach, & Thanasiu, 2015)
• Subsequent uses: Jacobson et al. (2015) OR (Jacobson et al., 2015)
• When citing a work with six and more authors, identify the first author’s name followed by et al. • Jacobson et al. (2014) stated that…
• (Jacobson et al., 2014).
APA FORMAT: REFERENCES
• Identify a type of source (e.g., book, journal).
• Find an example of citing this type of source in the APA Manual and mirror.
• References (centered, top of page).
• List in the alphabetical order, author’s last name first followed by initials.
• Flush left and hanging indent subsequent lines, per reference.
• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns.
• Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections.
• Capitalize each letter of each word and italicize titles of books.
• Example:
Jacobson, L. (2016). The use of APA style writing in counselor education graduate programs. Journal of
Graduate School Papers, 10, 1(3).
RESOURCES
• Purdue Owl:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/
• APA 6th edition manual
STETSON COUNSELOR EDUCATION RESEARCH
CLUB (CERC)
• At least one meeting per semester.
• Research topics include:
• creating conference proposals and presentations
• writing journal articles
• submitting proposals to an institutional review board (IRB)
• implementing research studies, and (d) applying for external funding.
• Benefits include
• CERC is free with no membership dues.
• A great way to meet others interested and involved in research.
• Receive tips on how to approach faculty and administrators about
research projects.
• Find out more information on stipends and scholarships for graduate
research.