APA handout page 1

APA (American Psychological Association) writing-style basic

guidelines:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/faculty/douglas-degelman/apa-style/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

*see sample APA paper:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf

https://www.avc.edu/studentservices/lc/

 Peer-reviewed (refereed or scholarly) journals - Articles are written by experts and are reviewed
by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to insure
the article's quality. (The article is more likely to be scientifically valid, reach reasonable
conclusions, etc.) In most cases the reviewers do not know who the author of the article is, so that
the article succeeds or fails on its own merit, not the reputation of the expert.

BASIC INFO

1. All pages must be typed on ONE side of the paper.

2. Uniform margins must be kept of 1” at the top, bottom, left and right of every
page.

3. Double spacing must be used throughout the entire paper – even the abstract!

4. The order of pages is as follows:

a. Title page (includes: running head --flush left – all uppercase) (Numbered
page 1)
b. Abstract (Numbered page 2)
c. Text (Numbered page 3, etc.) – includes introduction, body of paper, and
conclusion.
d. Don’t forget to type the title of the paper at the top (and centered) of page
3 before you begin the text.
e. References (Start on a separate page) – Type the word References at the
top of the page, centered

Abstract- (write word Abstract centered top of page) - the abstract is a brief summary of
what your paper is about. It should be no longer than 120 words and should be a single
paragraph in block form. Do not indent. (See sample paper:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf)

Text- The text portion of the paper is where you discuss the article that you have chosen.
Remember, this is not an English course. Do not analyze the information; simply
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summarize the article, for example, what was the experiment about? How many subjects
were used? What methods did the researchers use for gathering information? What were
the results? Be sure to discuss the research in the past tense. Do not include your
opinion in this part of the paper.

Conclusion- Summary of the paper - You may include your own opinion on the topic at
the end- but only briefly.

TEXT CITATIONS

The last names only of the author or authors and date of publication for general
information.

Direct quotations must include author(s), date of publication, and page numbers or
paragraph numbers for electronic sources. Page numbers are optional for paraphrasing.
For electronic sources, if there are no page numbers visible use the paragraph number if
given (use abbreviation para.)

Examples:

Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that although there was a reduction in depression…..

Reviews of religion and happiness conclude that…. (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991).

Basu and Jones (2007) went so far as to suggest that “intellectual….” (para. 4).

Using et al.,

 When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included every time the
source is cited.

 When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors are included the
first time the source is cited. When that source is cited again, the first author's surname
and "et al." are used. Consider the following examples:

Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some types of
religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental health (Payne,
Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991).

Payne et al. (1991) showed that ...

Bradley, Ramirez and Soo (1999) stated that…..

Then later in the paper you state:

This study found that …. (Bradley, et al., 2006)

 When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first author's surname
and "et al." are used every time the source is cited (including the first time).
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Quotes and Paraphrasing:

Quotes – include author(s) and date AND page number

Examples:

Wirth and Mitchell (1994) stated, “There is ample evidence that watching movies reduces
anxiety in teens” (p. 822).

According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially
when it was their first time" (p. 199).

Jones (1998) found that "students often had difficulty using APA style" (p. 199); what
implications does this have for teachers?

If there are no visible page numbers, as with online sources, use the paragraph numbers
(abbreviate to “para”). For example:

“Empirical studies have found mixed results on the …..” (Golan, Kuchler, & Krissof,
2007, para. 4).

For quotes with 40 or more words use freestanding blocks of text without quotation
marks.

Work Discussed in a Secondary Source (ie, using “as cited in”)

If Seidenberg and McClelland's work is cited in Coltheart et al. that you are reading, list
the Coltheart et al. reference in the References. In the text, use the following citation:

In Seidenberg and McClelland's study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller,
1993), it was concluded that depression is correlated with low self-esteem….

ONLY list the article by Coltheart, et al. on the reference page (DO NOT list the
Seidenberg, and McClelland study!)

REFERENCES

Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper.

Your references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay; label this
page "References" centered at the top of the page (do NOT bold, underline, or use
quotation marks for the title). Continue the header from the rest of the paper. All text
should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay.

 All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented
one-half inch from the left margin.
 Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first
author of each work.
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APA style dictates that authors are named last name followed by initials; publication year
goes between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-
case, meaning only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The
periodical title is run in title case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the
title, is also italicized or underlined.

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical,

volume number(issue number), pages.

EBSCO Discovery Services scholarly journal articles.

Journal articles with DOI must include the doi reference number (see example below). If
no DOI is available, give the URL of the journal home page. (see example below).

Article in Journal

Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(30), 5-13.

Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology journal articles. Journal of

Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 55, 893-896. doi: 10.1037/0278-

6133.24.2.225

Slick, T. J. & Schuttle, N.S. (2006). Emotional intelligence in the workplace. Journal of

Applied Psychology, 2(2). Retrieved from http://ojs.lib.swin.edu.au/index.php/.

Single Author

Last name first, followed by author initials.

Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and social development. Current Directions in

Psychological Science, 11(5), 7-10.

Two Authors

List by their last names and initials. Use the ampersand instead of "and."

Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood management across affective states: The

hedonic contingency hypothesis. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology,

66(2), 1034-1048.
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Three or more Authors

List by last names and initials; commas separate author names, while the last author name
is preceded again by ampersand.

Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R., Berry, A., Harlow, T., & Bach, J. S. (1993).

There's more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The importance of

stability of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(3),

1190-

1204.

More than 7 Authors

Gilbert, D.G., McCue, J. F., Rabinovich, N. E., Sugai, C., Plath, L. C., Agard, M,

…Botros, N. (2004) Effects of quitting smoking on EEG activation. Nicoltine and

Tobacco Research, 6(4), 249 – 266. doi: 10.1080/1462220004`00001676305

Unknown Author

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.).(1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-

Webster.

Article in a Magazine

Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135, 28-31.

Article in a Newspaper

Unlike other periodicals, p. or pp. precedes page numbers for a newspaper reference in
APA style. Single pages take p., e.g., p. B2; multiple pages take pp., e.g., pp. B2, B4 or
pp. C1, C3-C4.

Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies. The

Country Today, pp. 1A, 2A.

Basic Format for Books

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle.
Location: Publisher.

Note: For "Location," you should always list the city and the state using the two letter
postal abbreviation without periods (New York, NY).

Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal
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publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Edited Book, No Author

Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor.

New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

Edited Book with an Author or Authors

Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals K.V. Kukil, (Ed.). New York, NY: Anchor.

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor & B.
Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.

Note: When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title,
use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear
before the page numbers in periodical references, except for newspapers.

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys: Metaphor for

healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues

across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). New York, NY: Springer.

Two or More Works by the Same Author

Use the author's name for all entries and list the entries by the year (earliest comes first).

Berndt, T. J. (1981).

Berndt, T. J. (1999).

When an author appears both as a sole author and, in another citation, as the first author
of a group, list the one-author entries first.

Berndt, T. J. (1999). Friends' influence on students' adjustment to school. Educational

Psychologist, 34(2), 15-28.

Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends' influence on adolescents' adjustment to school.

Child Development, 66, 1312-1329.

References that have the same first author and different second and/or third authors are
arranged alphabetically by the last name of the second author, or the last name of the
third if the first and second authors are the same.
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Wegener, D. T., Kerr, N. L., Fleming, M. A., & Petty, R. E. (2000). Flexible corrections

of juror judgments: Implications for jury instructions. Psychology, Public Policy,

& Law, 6, 629-654.

Wegener, D. T., Petty, R. E., & Klein, D. J. (1994). Effects of mood on high elaboration

attitude change: The mediating role of likelihood judgments. European Journal of

Social Psychology, 24, 25-43.

Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year

If you are using more than one reference by the same author (or the same group of
authors listed in the same order) published in the same year, organize them in the
reference list alphabetically by the title of the article or chapter. Then assign letter
suffixes to the year. Refer to these sources in your essay as they appear in your reference
list, e.g.: "Berdnt (1981a) makes similar claims..."

Berndt, T. J. (1981a). Age changes and changes over time in prosocial intentions and

behavior between friends. Developmental Psychology, 17(2), 408-416.

Berndt, T. J. (1981b). Effects of friendship on prosocial intentions and behavior. Child

Development, 52, 636-643.