Student Guide to APA 6th edition

2012-2013

What is APA Format?

APA Style establishes consistent standards of written communication concerning:

• the organization of content & writing style• citing references• and how to prepare a manuscript for

publication in certain disciplines

Why Do I Need to Use APA?

Aside from simplifying the work of editors by having everyone use the same format for a given publication, using APA Style makes it easier for readers to understand a text by providing a familiar structure they can follow. Abiding by APA's standards as a writer will allow you to:

• Provide readers with cues they can use to follow your ideas more efficiently and to locate information of interest to them

• Allow readers to focus more on your ideas by not distracting them with unfamiliar formatting

• Establish your credibility or ethos in the field by demonstrating an awareness of your audience and their needs as fellow researchers

Taken from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/664/1/

Who Uses APA?

APA is used to document papers in fields such as:

• Business• Health• Technology

• In other words, all majors and professions at DU! This includes you!

Similarities & Differences Between APA & MLA

• APA and MLA use parenthetical citations in the text to refer readers to sources at the end of the paper.

• APA and MLA both use numbered notes to add information that would interrupt the flow of the writing.

• APA lists of works cited in the paper are called “References”; MLA lists are “Works Cited.”

• Unlike MLA, APA includes the publication date in parenthetical citations, and the date appears after the author’s name in the References.

• Unlike MLA, which lists an author’s full name on the Works Cited page, APA uses the author’s last name and only initials for the first and middle names.

• APA and MLA capitalize, italicize, and use quotes with titles differently.

Taken from Prentice Hall’s Reference Guide, 8th edition, p. 456

Components of an APA Paper

• Cover page (also called a title page)• Abstract (approximately half a page)• Body/text (with in-text citations)• References • Optional: Figures and Tables• Appendix

General Format of an APA Paper

• Double-spaced• 12-point Times New Roman font• One-inch margins on all sides• Two spaces after all end-of-sentence

punctuation• Left-hand justification margins (no right-

hand justification)• Tab key paragraph indentations• Running header flush to the left margin (if

required)• Page numbers in header, flush to the right

margin

Title/Cover Page in APA Format

Each title page should have:

• A running head• A page number• Identifying

information (title, student name, university name)

Title/Cover Page in APA Format (Optional Info.)

NOTE: The first three lines are required; the last three lines are optional. Always follow the request of your instructors.

Details of an APA Abstract

• Note that this is now page 2 of the paper; students should remove the words “Running head:” from their header, leaving only the all-caps portion.

• The word “Abstract” is centered on the page, with no font changes.• The abstract begins without indentation on the second line of text.

Details of the Body in an APA Paper

• The title of the paper is restated at the top of the page, centered with no font changes.

• If the paper uses section headings, there are specific formatting guidelines for them. (refer to A Pocket Style Manual, 6th edition)

General Format of an APA Paper: Headings

Headings:

The first is for a major heading; the others are for subheadings beneath the major heading.

Follow the pattern in the chart:

General Format of an APA Paper: In-Text Citations

Avoid plagiarism by correctly citing in APA:

• Direct Quotes • Paraphrases• Summaries

• Please refer to pages 166-175 in A Pocket Style Manual, 6th edition.

In-text Citation Basics

Direct Quote

• Enclose the quote in double quotation marks• Provide the author• Year of publication• Print sources add a “p.” (page number)• Electronic sources add a “para.” (paragraph

number)• Include a signal phrase (p. 171-172 in A Pocket

Style Manual, 6th edition)• When using quote marks, all periods and

commas go inside the quote, ALWAYS, except when using a citation demonstrated below.

Example:

Jones (1998) discovered "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199).

In-Text Citation Basics

Paraphrases & Summaries

• If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required.)

• Provide the author• Year of publication• Print sources add a “p.” (page number)• Electronic sources add a “para.” (paragraph

number)• Include a signal phrase (p. 171-172 in A Pocket

Style Manual, 6th edition)• Helps to show beginning and end of source

Example:Jones (1998) argued that APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (p. 199).

The APA Reference Page

• The Reference page begins on its own page (not included at the end of the last page of the essay). (Hit CTRL-ENTER to start a new page.)

• The word “References” is listed at the top and centered, with no font change.• Listings are put in alphabetical order by author’s last name (if no author is

available, use the title). The date will never begin a reference on this page.

Reference Page Basics

Different types of sources have different requirements for what needs to be included, but the basics are:

• Author(s)• Date of publication• Title• Title of periodical (if necessary) with volume

and issue numbers• Page numbers (if part of a periodical)• Website retrieval information (if a web

source)• DOIs (if available)

Reference Page Basics

• Each reference cited in text must appear on the References page

• Each entry on the References page must be cited in text

Two exceptions (in-text citations only):• Classical works • Personal Communications

Reference Page Basic Examples

Book

Author. (Year). Title. City, State: Publisher.

Example:

Bradshaw, C. (2012). Foreplay and the suburbs: A prequel to Sex and the City. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Reference Page Basic Examples

Simple Website Citation

Author. (Date published if available; n.d.--no date-- if not). Title of article. Title of Website. “Retrieved from” URL.

Example:

Jones, H. (n.d.). Why did it have to be snakes? Raiders of the Lost Ark References. Retrieved from http:www.indyrefs.com/snakes.htm(Notice, there is no period after a URL when ending the reference)

(A date is only required if there is a belief that the webpage will disappear in the future; otherwise state, “Retrieved from URL”)

Reference Page Basic Examples

General Journal Citation

Author. (Year). Article title. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page numbers.

Example:

Summers, B. (2002). Stake your claim: Innovations in vampire slaying. Journal of Modern Demonology, 42(3), 149-159.

*Include the DOI if it is on the article:doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9351-2

It may also starts with http://

Citation Assistance

• www.apastyle.org• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/• www.citationmachine.net• www.bibme.org• A Pocket Style Manual, 6th edition• NoodleTools (DU library resource)

• DU’s APA Brief Guide document is available through the library webpage and under “research services” link and “APA help” link.

Questions?