Fillable Printable AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) FORMAT

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) FORMAT

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) FORMAT (6th Edition)

Revised 9/24/09 by Amy D’Andrade

This crib sheet is a guide to the APA style. It is not intended to replace the Publication Manual of

the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. Only selected citations were chosen for

inclusion here. For other examples, see the printed Manual. Use this only as a reference.

REFERENCES AND CITATIONS

Some general rules for APA reference pages:

 Begin the reference list on a new page. The page begins with the word References

(Reference if there is only one), centered in the top, middle of the page, using both upper

and lower case, bold typeface. If the references take up more than one page, do not re-

type the word References on sequential pages, simply continue your list.

 References cited in text must appear in the reference list; conversely, each entry in the

reference list must be cited in text.

 The first line of the reference is flush left. Lines thereafter are indented as a group five or

so spaces, to create a hanging indention.

 The reference list is double-spaced.

 Arrange entries in alphabetical order.

 Give the year the work was published in parentheses. If no date is available, write (n.d.).

 Use italics for titles of books, newspapers, magazines, and journals.

 Capitalize the first word of the title of the article or book, and the first word following a

colon. Also capitalize all proper nouns, including names of instruments or agencies that

appear in the title.

 Always use an ampersand (&) before the last author in the reference page. Do not use

and.

 Use one space after all punctuation.

Citations in Text

To refer to an item from the list of references in the text, an author-date method should be used.

That is, use the surname of the author (without suffixes) and the year of the publication in the

text at appropriate points. Unless you are quoting, page numbers are not used.

One author

In a recent study, Isaac (2001) found that . . .

Many social workers suffer from anxiety (Isaac, 2001).

Two or more authors

When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs.

Smith and James (2001) found that drug use . . .

Adolescent drug use occurs more frequently in rural areas than in suburban areas

(Smith & James, 2001).

Multiple authors

For works with three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference

occurs. In subsequent citations, include only the last name of the first author followed by

et al. (not italicized and followed by a period). If the work has six or more authors, cite

only the surname of the first author followed by et al.

Gilbert, Terrell, and Specht (1985) have stated . . .

Social policies in the United States do not provide equity for marginalized

populations (Gilbert, Terrell, & Specht, 1985).

US social policies are driven by dominant class interest groups (Gilbert et al.,

1985).

Typically, when citing more than two authors in text, use the first author’s name followed

by and associates, or and colleagues.

In a study by Jones and associates (2000), social workers . . .

Within a paragraph, you need not include the year in subsequent references to a study as

long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the article:

In a recent study of social work attitudes, Hanson (2004) stated that students . . . .

Hanson also found that . . .

Groups as authors

When groups (e.g., organizations, government agencies) are cited, write out the full name

in the initial citation and abbreviate in subsequent citations.

First citation: Twenty-two percent of all adults in the US have a substance abuse

problem (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

[SAMHSA], 2004).

Next citation: Less than 10 % of adults are alcohol dependent (SAMHSA, 2004).

Multiple works, same authors

Arrange two or more works by the same author(s) by year of publication.

Child abuse is a major problem in the United States (Berrick & Barth, 1995,

2001).

Multiple works, same authors, same year

Identify works by the same author(s) with the same publication date by the suffixes a, b,

c, and so forth after the year. The suffixes are assigned in the reference list, where these

kinds of references are ordered alphabetically by title.

Child neglect is the most common type of child abuse (Berrick, 2001a, 2001b).

Multiple works, multiple authors

When citing multiple works by different authors, place the citations in alphabetical by the

first author’s surname. Separate the citations with semicolons.

Substance abuse is a phenomenon that few policymakers appreciate or understand

(Albert, 2001; Johnson, 1996, 2003; Zimmerman, 1999).

Quoted Material

When citing quoted material, you must include the page number in parentheses from

which the quote was taken as well as the author and year. If you are using a long

quotation of over 40 words, indent the whole quotation and do not use quotation marks.

McCafrey (2002) asserts “criminals should not be given the right to vote upon

release from prison” (p.25).

The best intervention for violent criminals is “harsh and severe punishment”

(McCafrey, 2002, p.126).

Personal communications

Personal communications may be things such as email messages, interviews, speeches,

and telephone conversations. Because the information is not retrievable, they should not

appear in the reference list.

J. Burnitz (personal communications, September 20, 2000) indicated that . ..

In a recent interview (J. Burnitz, personal communication, September 20, 2000) I

learned that . . . .

The Reference List

Arrange entries in your reference list in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author. If

you have many publications by the same author, arrange by year of publication with the earliest

date first.

Articles

The digital object identifier, or DOI, provides a persistent link to the article and is

included in the reference. The DOI can be found on the first page of the article, and in the

electronic summary provided by the database. You do not include the web address or the

date retrieved. If no DOI is available, include the home page URL for the journal,

newsletter, or magazine in place of the DOI. Do not include the date retrieved.

Journal articles from online source

Simon, A. (2000). Perceptual comparisons through the mind’s eye. Memory &

Cognition, 23, 635-647. doi:10.1037/0278-6833.24.2.225

Simon, A. (2000). Perceptual comparisons through the mind’s eye. Memory &

Cognition, 23, 635-647. Retrieved from http://www.memory.com.

Journal article, two authors

Becker, M. B., & Rozek, S. J. (1995). Social justice and immigration. Journal of

Social Issues, 32, 230-343. doi:10.1037/0278-6833.24.2.225

Journal article, three to six authors

Garner, H. J., James, J., Berlin, T. K., & Smith, H. S. B. (1998). Psychology

Today, 102, 70-77. doi:10.1037/0278-6833.24.2.225

Journal article, more than seven authors

Include the first six authors’ names, then insert three ellipses, and add the last

author’s name.

Teasel, J. R., Cunningham, K., Porter, K. L., Johnson, M. N., Werner, H. H., West,

G.H., ….Smith, T. (2000). Journal of Social Welfare, 22(1), 222-245.

doi:10.1037/0278-6833.24.2.225

Books

Just as with articles, if the book is available on-line and there is a DOI, include it after the

publisher information. If there is no DOI for an on-line book, use the URL from the

website from which the book was retrieved. Do not include retrieval date.

Book, one author

Burch, H. A. (1999). Social welfare policy analysis and choices. New York: The

Haworth Press.

Edited book

Letheridge, S., & Cannon, C. R. (Eds.). (1997). Bilingual education. Englewood

Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Chapter from edited book

Jackson, J. J., & Packer, F. L. (1997). English as a second language: The

experience of first generation Filipinos. In S. Letheridge & C. R. Cannon

(Eds.), Bilingual education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Government author

U.S Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National

Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools

(NIH Publication No. 02-2650). Retrieved from

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/ asthma/asth_sch.pdf

Web page with private organization as author

Urban Institute for Poverty. (2003). Poverty in the United States. Retrieved from

http://www.uip.poverty/publications.html

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HEADINGS

Use the following formats for headings.

First level: Centered, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading.

Second level: Flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading.

Third level: Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

Fourth level: Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

Fifth level: Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

If you were writing a methods section for a research paper, headings might look like this (there

are only three levels of headings used in this example):

Method

Research Design

Sample.

Variables and Measures.

Qualitative.

Quantitative.

Procedures

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RUNNING HEAD

The running head provides an abbreviated title (maximum of 50 characters) that is printed at the

top of all pages of the manuscript. It should appear flush left at the top of the title page (as a

header) and on all subsequent pages. It includes the words: “Running head:” and the abbreviated

title in all uppercase letters.

Running head: EFFECTS OF AGE ON DETECTION OF EMOTION