Fillable Printable A Guide to APA Format
Fillable Printable A Guide to APA Format
A Guide to APA Format
A Short Guide to APA Format
brought to you by
The College of Saint Rose Writing Center
Quick Links:
Basic Formatting
o What is APA and why do I need to use it? Page 1
o What are APA’s requirements for margins, spacing, font, etc.? Pages 1 and 3
o How do I set up the title page? Page 2
o What exactly is a running head? Pages 2-3
o What are the different levels for headings? Page 3
o What source titles are italicized and which ones are in quotation marks? Page 3
o Where can I find out about APA writing style? Page 4
Using Sources within the Paper
o What is plagiarism? Page 4
o When do I cite my sources? Page 5
o How do I cite my sources within the text of my paper? Pages 5-6
How do I cite a website in my paper? Page 6
How do I cite an idea stated in a source that is from another source? Page 6
o How do I format quotations? Pages 7-8
o What is paraphrasing? Page 9
Reference Page
o What’s a Reference page and how do I set it up? Pages 10-11
o What’s a DOI number? Page 12
o What are these odd rules about capitalizing and italicizing on the Reference page that I
keep hearing about? Page 10
o How do I cite my sources on the Reference page? Page 12-17
How do I cite a scholarly article from a database? Pages 12-13
How do I cite my text book or any other book? Page 14
How do I cite an online book? Page 14
How do I cite a website? Page 15
What if my source doesn’t have an author or publication date? Pages 16-17
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A Short Guide to APA Format
brought to you by
The College of Saint Rose Writing Center
What does APA stand for? American Psychological Association. This handout will follow
the guidelines set forth by the 6
th
edition of the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. It is not meant to serve as a substitute for the manual, but
rather as an overview of the more common formatting issues and procedures.
In general, what is APA format? It is a system that specifies how your paper should be
set up and how any sources you use within the paper should be referenced. This system is
used most frequently in the fields of Education, Communication Disorders, Psychology, and
other Social Sciences. It is always recommended, however, that you ask your professor at
the beginning of the semester which format he/she would like your class to use.
Paper set-up for APA style:
Standard sized, 8 ½‖x 11‖ paper
Typed
1‘‘ margins on all sides
2 spaces after punctuation that ends a sentence
Double-spaced
o Microsoft Word 2007 may insert an extra space in between paragraphs. To remove this extra
space, click on the small arrow at the lower right corner of the Paragraph box, which can be
found under the Page Layout tab. Under Spacing, check the box that says ―Don‘t add space
between paragraphs of the same style.‖
Times New Roman, size 12 pt.
o Times New Roman is not always the default font of newer versions of Microsoft Word. To
make this the default font in Word 2007, open up the Font options box (click on the small
arrow at the lower right corner of the Font tab), make sure the font is set at Times New Roman,
size 12, and click on the Default button.
General components of an APA style paper:
Always ask your professor which parts he/she would like included as part of your assignment. The items below are
listed in the same order that they would be in within your paper.
Title Page
*Abstract—a brief summary of your paper, maximum 250 words
Text pages—the body of your paper, sometimes organized according to section headings
depending on the type of research paper written
Reference page—a list of sources used in your paper
*Tables
*Figures
*Appendices—materials relevant to your paper‘s topic which would be too distracting if
presented within the paper (ex. charts, tests, questionnaires, interviews, etc.)
*Footnotes or endnotes—information about the author, content, copyright permissions,
or tables that you want your audience to be aware of, but which
would be too distracting within the main part of your paper
*Please see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6
th
edition, for
more information on the starred* components.
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Title Page
Consists of:
Title—give your paper a title (no more than 12 words) that is relevant to your
specific topic
Your Name
Your Affiliation—as a student, your affiliation is The College of Saint Rose
Center and double-space the above information in the top half of the page
Running head—a shortened form of your title, no more than 50 characters. It is
generally used for publication purposes, but professors still like to see you use it in
your classes. On the title page, write the words ‗Running head‘ at the top left in the
header section, followed by a colon and the shortened form of your title in all caps.
Page number—the title page is numbered as 1 in the upper right corner, in line with
the running head.
Sample Title Page
Running head: POSITIVISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM 1
Positivism and Constructivism in the Science
Classroom: A Study of Student Reactions
Jane Smith
The College of Saint Rose
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General Text Pages
Running head continues to run at the top of each page, but without the actual words “Running
head” ( see example below)
Page number appears in the upper right corner
Title of the paper is included on the first text page (after the Abstract section), centered and
double-spaced
New paragraphs are indented 5 spaces from the margin
Titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, movies, and TV shows are italicized.
Titles of essays, articles, webpages, and songs are placed within ―quotation marks.” (NOTE: this
rule does not apply to the titles within Reference page citations).
Headings can be used to group and organize the text of advanced research papers (ex. ‗Method,‘
‗Discussion,‘ etc.). Please see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6
th
edition) for more information on Headings, including examples.
APA Headings Levels
Level
Format
1
Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Heading
Your paragraph begins below, indented as usual.
2
Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
Your paragraph begins below, indented as usual.
3
Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period. Your paragraph begins
here, in line with the heading.
4
Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. Your paragraph
begins here, in line with the heading.
5
Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. Your paragraph begins here,
in line with the heading.
POSITIVISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM 2
Positivism and Constructivism in the Science
Classroom: A Study of Student Reactions
Traditionally, most scientists and many teachers have
believed knowledge to be something concrete and measurable.
A person is said to be knowledgeable if he or she has a large
amount of information in his or her head (Hinchey, 1998).
This view, called positivism, has been challenged since the
beginning of the 20
th
century up until the present.
Hinchey (1998) maintains that knowledge cannot be based
on the amount of information a person can retain but rather on
how this person understands the information and applies it to
other situations. Hinchey follows what is known as the
constructivist view of learning. Constructivism maintains that
“learning is sense-making…
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APA Writing Style
• Clear and logical communication of ideas
• Use transition words (then, next, furthermore, consequently, therefore, conversely, etc.)
• Be aware of your verb tenses:
• Use Past (―Jones showed‖) or Present-Perfect (―Jones has shown‖) tense when
writing a literature review or the Procedure section of your paper
• Use Past tense when describing the Results (―anger increased significantly…‖)
• Use Present tense to discuss the Results and to write the Conclusion (―the change
signifies that…‖)
• Be specific when using certain pronouns:
• Instead of simply using ―this,‖ write ―this test‖
• Be concise!
• Avoid jargon, wordiness, and colloquialisms
• Watch for redundancy in your ideas
• Be aware of your sentence/paragraph length: nothing too long or too short
• Be objective!
• Do not use ―I‖ in a research paper unless instructed by your professor (using ―I‖ and ―we‖
can be acceptable when writing a personal reflection or when discussing the steps you took
to complete an experiment) (see page 69 in the Publication Manual for more information)
• Be aware of biases when it comes to gender, ethnicity, and other labels (see pages 73-77 in
the Publication Manual for more information)
Using APA to Document Your Sources
Why do I have to cite my sources?
• You have to give credit where credit is due. Otherwise, you would be stealing, and thus
plagiarizing!
What is Plagiarism? The College of Saint Rose Catalog of Undergraduate Studies (2009-
2011) defines Plagiarism:
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
Purchasing, copying, down-loading, printing or paraphrasing another’s
book, article, paper, speech, exam, portfolio, creative work, argument or
any other work and presenting it as one’s own, either in whole or in part.
Incorporating portions of another’s work without proper acknowledgement
and documentation. (p. 51-52)
What are the consequences of plagiarism?
• Plagiarism could result in an F on the assignment, for the course, and possibly lead
to your expulsion from the college
• In your professional career, you could be fired, sued, or see your reputation
tarnished
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How do I know when to cite my sources?
• When you have quoted from a text* (i.e. used the exact wording from it) in your own writing…
• When you have paraphrased (i.e. put into your own words) a specific idea from another text…
• When you have summarized (i.e. presented a condensed version of) an idea or text in your own
writing…
• When you use facts, statistics, or data from an outside text in your writing…
• When you refer to an idea or source in passing… You may use this method when you want your
reader to know about the existence of a specific source or idea relevant to your topic, but do not
want to go into specific detail.
• When you use a visual (a photograph, painting, chart, table, or graph) from an outside source
within your paper…
*Note: A text can be written, visual, auditory, or electronic (i.e. a website).
How do I go about citing my sources?
• You will need a Parenthetical Citation: information that appears in your text that tells your
reader the general information about where the ideas used can be found in the sources they come
from. Citations must be used when referring to information or ideas that are not your own (see the
above section on ―How do I know when to cite my sources?‖). There must also be a complete
bibliographic citation on your Reference page for each in-text citation and vice versa.
APA parenthetical citations generally include: Author‟s last name, Year, and sometimes
the page number
• A citation can appear in parentheses directly following the borrowed idea with the
author, year, and the page number if needed (see below) separated by commas…
• Ex. Today‘s students study more than their parents did (Smith, 1998).
• OR, the author and year can be integrated within the wording of the sentence.
• Ex. According to Smith (1998), today‘s students study more than their
parents did.
• When citing text that you have QUOTED, add the page number
• Ex. Most educators would disagree that ―today‘s students study more than their
parents did‖ (Smith, 1998, p. 24).
• Ex. According to Smith (1998), ―today‘s students study more than their parents
did‖ (p. 24). Note that the page number is indicated only with a p. and that it always
appears after the source material, even if the author and year were included earlier.
• When citing text that you have PARAPHRASED, including the page number is not
required, but you are encouraged to do so to help your reader find the information
more easily.
Setting up Citations in Various Circumstances
Works with two authors (list the authors in the order they appear on the source):
• Use an & (ampersand) to separate the authors’ names when you place them in parentheses.
• (Smith & Jones, 2004, p. 44)
• Use the word and to separate them if you write their names in the sentence.
• As Smith and Jones (2004) maintain…(p. 44).
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Works with 3-5 authors (list the authors in the order they appear on the source):
• Write out all of the authors‘ last names the first time you reference them in your paper.
• (Smith, Lewis, Harris, & Clark, 2005) OR Smith, Lewis, Harris, and Clark (2005) found…
• Each subsequent time you refer to these authors, write the first author‘s last name only and ‗et al.‘.
• (Smith et al., 2005) OR Smith et al. (2005) found…
Works with 6 or more authors:
• You do not have to write out all of their names. Simply list the first author‘s last name and the
abbreviation ‗et al.‘
• (Bell et al., 1997, p. 32) OR Bell et al. (1997) claim that…(p. 32).
More than one author with the same last name:
• Add the first initial to each duplicate name
• (M. Jones, 1997) OR According to M. Jones (1997)…
Two or more works in the same parentheses:
• Used when multiple sources address the same idea
• Arrange sources alphabetically within the parentheses and separate each source with a semi-colon
• (Leonard & West, 1997; Lewis, 1985; Smith, 1978)
Specific part of a source:
• (Lewis, 1985, Chapter 10, p. 5) OR According to Lewis (1985) there was… (Chapter 10, p.5).
The source has no known author:
• Cite it in parentheses using an abbreviated version of the title.
• If referring to the source in your sentence, use the full title
• Note: Rules regarding capitalization and the use of quotation marks to signal a title differ here
from those followed on the Reference page.
• Original title: an article called “The Truth about Constructivism”
• (“The Truth,” 2002)
• In “The Truth about Constructivism” (2002), this concept…
Personal Communication (e-mail, personal interview, conversation, etc.):
• Cited only in the text – does not appear on Reference page; give the person‘s first initial(s)
• Cite as: (J.S. Jones, personal communication, September 4, 2000)
OR
• J.S. Jones (personal communication, September 4, 2000) stated that….
Webpage:
• Cite it using the author, or if none given, follow the rules for a text without an author
• (Smith, 2001) OR In “APA Today: New Rules” (2001), the idea that…
• No page number? If you cite from the website, try to indicate the paragraph number or a section heading
and paragraph number
• (“APA Today,” 2001, para. 4). OR (“APA Today,” 2001, FAQ section, para. 6).
Indirect Quote/Paraphrase: If the source you are using cites another author‘s idea and you want to use
this idea in your paper, you must make it known to your reader you came across this idea in a secondhand
manner:
• Lewis (1985) cites an experiment conducted by Brown (1975)…. (p. 10).
OR
• Brown (1975) conducted an experiment which…(as cited in Lewis, 1985, p. 10).
Lewis is the author of the text you have in front of you, and he has a quote from Brown in his book on page 10.
Lewis should also be cited on your References page, rather than Brown. This is to emphasize to your reader that
you obtained Brown’s idea from Lewis’s text.
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Quoting Correctly and Effectively
Quoting is used when you repeat another source‘s ideas word for word.
Page numbers (or paragraph numbers and/or subject headings for online sources) must be
included in the citation.
Quotes should be properly introduced and explained.
If you need to add words or phrases within a quote to make the quote flow more fluidly
within your sentence, place these added words in brackets [ ]. See example below.
If you need to omit words within a quote that are not essential to the point trying to be
made, insert 3 elliptical points in place of this information. If you choose to omit an entire
sentence, use 4 elliptical points.
o Ex.: According to Harris (2001), there are “some students [who] are tempted to take
shortcuts because of . . . course difficulty . . . and even shortness of time now that so
many students work part-time to help themselves through school” (p. 4).
Sample Quoting
Original Text:
Some students are tempted to take shortcuts because of the pressures of workloads, course difficulty,
competition to get into graduate school, and even shortness of time now that so many students work
part-time to help themselves through school (Harris, 2001, p. 4).
Incorrect Quote:
Students plagiarize for many reasons. “Some students are tempted to take shortcuts because of course
difficulty and even shortness of time now that so many students work part-time to get themselves
through college” (Harris, 2001, p. 4).
This is an incorrect quote because the writer has left out words and phrases (“the pressure of workloads” and
“competition to get into graduate school”) and has altered other phrasing (“help” became “get” and “school”
became “college”). This would be considered a form of plagiarism because the writer is misrepresenting the
exact idea of the author. The writer has also left the quote by itself in a sentence with no introduction or follow-
up wording, which is ineffective academic writing.
Correct Quote:
Students plagiarize for many reasons. According to Harris (2001), “some students are tempted to take
shortcuts because of the pressures of workloads, course difficulty, competition to get into graduate
school, and even shortness of time now that so many students work part-time to help themselves
through school” ( p. 4). This stress can thus make plagiarism seem like the only answer to completing
their work in an efficient manner, no matter the risks.
This is a correct quote because the writer has properly introduced, copied, cited, and explained the quote.
Types of Quotes
Short Quotes:
• Fewer than 40 words
• Quotation marks indicate the exact wording of the author‘s idea
• Page number is included in the citation
• Lead-in/Follow-up: the quote is either introduced or followed-up with the writer‘s
own wording within the same sentence
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• Explanation: most quotes also need to be explained in relation to your ideas
• Punctuation is placed after the citation at the end of a sentence
• Commas should be placed before the end quotation marks
• Periods should be placed before the end quotation marks when there is not a
citation that follows
• Semi-colons ( ; ), colons, question marks, and exclamation points should be
placed after closing quotation marks when they are not part of the quoted material
• If you quote text that already includes a quote, place this quote within single
quotation marks:
• Ex. According to Smith (2002), ―there are many ways to „fix this
complicated problem‟ which has manifested…‖ (p. 45).
• Short quotes are preferred over long quotes!
Example (see previous section for additional examples):
Harris (2001) suggests that in order to help students better understand why plagiarism is so troubling,
teachers can require “students to think about who is really being cheated when someone plagiarizes”
(p. 33). Students can consider how authors are hurt when others steal their work and how they as
students are missing out on the valuable educational experience of doing research and producing a text
that they can call their own.
Long Quotes:
• Longer than 40 words
• Printed in a self-standing block, indented 5 spaces from the left margin
• Spacing: block is double-spaced
• No quotation marks “” used
• End punctuation is placed before the citation
• Lead-in: the quote is introduced with the writer‘s own wording
• Explanation: long quotes need to be explained in relation to your ideas
Example:
The reasons for why students plagiarize are varied. As Harris (2001) explains:
Many students are simply not convinced that the hard work required for a real education is
worth it. The reasons may be manifold. Some students believe that the diploma will be a
magic ticket to a high-paying job regardless of what they learn, so that all the shortcuts they can
find are appropriate. (p. 4)
This perception shows how education’s role in preparing individuals for life is now reduced to being
seen as a mere obstacle to overcome, rather than as something necessary and even desired.
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Summarizing and Parenthetical Citations
• Summarizing is not a word for word quotation of a source. You take the information from a large
passage of the source (or the entire text) and condense it into your own words, following the same
general order as the original text. It is very similar to writing a book report. You will use this
method when writing annotated bibliographies or literature reviews.
• Citation includes author(s) and year of publication—no page number.
Example: Smith and Jones (1995) explore the dangerous effects of repeated viewing of violent
television on children.
Paraphrasing and Parenthetical Citations
• When paraphrasing, the writer uses his or her own words and phrasing in presenting an idea of a
source. A paraphrase does not follow the same order as the original passage—it must be
restructured!
• Citation includes author(s) and year of publication—no page number is required, although APA
encourages writers to include one.
Sample Paraphrase
• Original text:
• It is not surprising, therefore, that sociable people are significantly more likely than nonsociable
people to watch reality television, although the differences are small (Reiss & Wiltz, 2004, p.
374).
• Incorrect Paraphrase
• It is not shocking that outgoing individuals are much more probable than introverted individuals
to view reality television, but the gap is not that significant (Reiss & Wiltz, 2004).
Although the writer has properly cited the idea, this is an incorrect paraphrase because the
writer has not changed the structure of the author’s original sentence, instead simply
substituting synonyms for various words.
• Correct Paraphrases
• Reiss and Wiltz (2004) emphasize that reality television is viewed slightly more often by
outgoing individuals than by those who are introverted (p. 374).
OR
• Reality television has been found to be viewed slightly more often by outgoing individuals than
by those who are introverted (Reiss & Wiltz, 2004, p. 374).
The writer has used his/her own wording and has restructured the order of ideas within the
sentence. The idea is also properly cited.
Tips for an effective paraphrase:
Read the original passage several times until you feel you fully understand it.
Imagine how you would explain this passage orally to someone who had not read it.
Put the passage aside and write/type it in your own words.
Check your version with original. Make sure that the structure and wording of your version and that of the original are
different. If you cannot think of how else to say certain words or phrases, place quotation marks around them.
Once you feel you have a strong paraphrase—one that is structured differently from the original and uses your own
words— place a properly formatted parenthetical citation after it.
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Reference Page
What is a Reference Page?
• A list of every source that you make reference to in your essay
• It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any sources cited
in your essay. Each entry usually includes the author‘s last name and first initial, year of
publication, titles, publishing information, and page numbers accessed.
• Each source cited in the essay must appear on the Reference page, and vice versa.
General Format:
• Hanging indent (first line of each entry is flush against the left margin; the second and
subsequent lines of each entry are indented 5 spaces)
• Double-spaced
• Running head and page number appear at the top of the page (without the words
―Running head‖)
• Include only the last name of the author and his/her first and middle initials in each
citation
• If there is no author given, start the entry with the title of the text
• List sources in alphabetical order by the 1
st
word of each entry, usually the author‘s last
name. When the title of a text begins an entry, alphabetize according to the first
significant word of the title (i.e. ignore ―the‖ and ―a‖)
• Works are organized by the date of publication when the same author has written more
than one work (See Hinchey entry in the sample Reference page on p. 10)
• Capitalize only the first word of the title and the subtitle of non-periodicals (books) and
articles, essays, and other sections of larger texts, along with any proper nouns in those
titles
• Italicize the titles of books and journals
• Italicize the volume number for journals and other periodicals
• All citations in text must be referenced on the Reference page, and all Reference page
citations must be referenced in the text.
• See page 16-17 of this handout for information on handling variations in citation
information (i.e. multiple authors, no author, no date etc.)
