APA Style Citations and Formatting Rebecca Yantis Reference

APA Style: Citations and Formatting Rebecca Yantis Reference Librarian ULM Library

Overview • General Paper Structure and Formatting – Physical Format – Title Pages – Abstracts • Stylistics – Basics – Avoiding Bias – Headings and Seriation • Quotes and Citations – Quotes and In-Text Citations – References ©American Psychological Association

Structure and Formatting General Rules • Every page has a number Font – Times New Roman – 12 point Running head 1 inch – Double-spaced • Margins – 1 inch margins on all sides • Running head – Shorter version of the title Doublespaced – On every page • Numbered pages – Always to the right – Title page is #1 – No Roman numerals © The OWL at Purdue

Structure and Formatting, cont. • Tables & Figures Figure Example – If used, both are placed after the references Are You A Dragon in Disguise? – Tables require a table note – Figures require a caption ©The OWL at Purdue Yes Table Examples No Maybe Figure 1. “Are You A Dragon in Disguise” survey. These are the amount and variety of answers received during the survey.

Title Page • Organization – Running head – Title (1 or 2 lines) – Author’s name (no title) – Institutional affiliation • Format – Double-spaced – Information in upper-half of page ©The OWL at Purdue

Not indented Abstract • Organization – Running head (should be automatic) – The word “Abstract” (centered) – One paragraph – Double-spaced Keywords if needed – Summary of key points – Between 150 and 250 words – Keywords (if needed) – Indent – The word “Keywords” italicized ©The OWL at Purdue

Stylistics: Basics • Point of View and Voice – First person allowed – Do not anthropomorphize the research – Active voice – Focus on the research, not the researchers • Word Choice – Check terminology in use in your field – Certain words often have multiple meanings – Avoid poetic language • Clarity and Conciseness – Be specific – Give enough information for the reader to understand your research – Be concise – Don’t pad out your sentences and paragraphs – Balancing these concepts is key

Stylistics: Avoiding Bias • Terminology – Some words change in different contexts, and some have varied meanings – Keep your audience in mind when labeling research populations or individuals • Gendered pronouns – Be clear about the gender of participants in experiments, but do not use gendered terms when unnecessary – He/Him or She/Her not approved as general descriptors by APA – Use plurals or nouns • Alternate Descriptors – Use research parameters to provide alternative descriptors (unless they are offensive) – Use adjectives – i. e. “elderly people, ” not “the elderly”

Stylistics: Headings Creatures in Fantasy Novels Blah blah and blah. Blah blah. Blah, blah. • Headings Dragons – Strict organization for headings Blah blah, blah. western. wyvern. heraldry. physiology. eastern. myths. dragon gods. physiology. ©The OWL at Purdue Levels of Headings example

Stylistics: Seriation • Seriation = Lists – Several types of lists are allowed by APA – Numbers – Bullets – For lists without specific order or chronology – Letters – For a list within a sentence and paragraph – Bullet lists – For when you wish to separate points within a sentence

In-Text Quotations and Citations • General rules – Author and date required – Page number only required if it is a direct quote – If there is no author, use a shortened title – If no date, use “n. d. ” – Always capitalize proper nouns – Italicize titles of longer works, such as books, movies, and albums – e. g. : The Norton Anthology of English Literature; The LEGO Movie; Thriller – Use quotation marks around shorter works, such as journal articles, song titles, and television series episodes – e. g. : “Shakespeare and the Beauty of War”; “Rolling in the Deep”; “Eye of the Beholder”

Short Quotations • Direct quotations – Always in quotation marks – Requires author, date, and page number • If introduced by a signal phrase, place the date after the author’s name, with the page number at the end of the quote. – According to Andrews (1989), “Dragons still exist in the unexplored reaches of the planet” (p. 20). – Andrews (1989) determined that “dragons still exist in the unexplored reaches of the planet” (p. 20); what implications will this have on Earth’s ecosystem? • If the author is not included in a signal phrase, the name is included at the end with the date and page. – He decided that “dragons still exist in the unexplored reaches of the planet” (Andrews, 1989, p. 20), but did not explain his decision.

Long Quotations Dragons, always considered a part of myth, are now in question. Recent scientific analysis postulates • Long (or block) quotes that dragons were a type of dinosaur. – Quotes that are 40 words or longer – No quotation marks Mummified remains thought to be the – Entire quote is indented bones of a tyrannosaur variety have – Same citation method as short quotes, except the information in parentheses comes after the punctuation. been proven to be of a different reptilian creature, one with wings and a strange organ within their necks. (Andrews, 1989, p. 46) Many scientists refute this evidence, but it is true that a Citation at the end mummified creature unlike any other dinosaur was unearthed from a deep bog in Ireland. Entire quote indented

References: Basic Rules • Reference list is always on a new page, after the essay – Lists each source cited in the paper • Formatting Basics – Double-spaced – Each line indented after the first – Authors’ names always inverted – Alphabetized by author name – For articles by the same author, listed chronologically – Maintain spelling, capitalization, and punctuation used by the source ©OWL at Purdue

References: Examples • Journal articles (basic format) – Author(s). (Date). Article title. Journal title, journal volume(issue), page numbers. • If citing an online article, add the DOI (digital object identifier) – If there is no DOI, use the URL of the journal homepage (not always required) Andrews, J. D. (1989). Scientific proof for the existence of dragons. Journal of This and That, 33(2), 19 -49. doi: 12. 3456/78910111213 Basic With DOI

References: Examples, cont. • Books (basic format) – Author. (Date). Book title. Place of publication: Publisher. • Books with author and editor – Just add the editor’s name plus (Ed. ) after the book’s title Mayberry, M. S. (2000). Cherry coke: a history of flavored soda. Atlanta, GA: Peachy-Keen Publishers. Basic Mayberry, M. S. (2000). Cherry coke: a history of flavored soda. A. Griffith (Ed. ). Atlanta, GA: Peachy-Keen Publishers. With Editor

References: Examples, cont. • Electronic books (e-books) – This is only if the book is only available online as an e-book; if there is a print version, use that reference, and add the digital information to the end. Muffins, M. R. (1970). Differences in the taste of canned tuna. Retrieved from Cat. Books database. Murgatroyd, M. S. (2015). How to catch the red dot and keep it. http: //catbooks. org/database/laser_pointers/murgatroyd. html • Webpages – This depends on what, exactly, you’re trying to cite. Most things have a citation form, but if it’s simply a webpage (not an article, news column, or other option), then simply find and cite as much information as possible.

Questions? • Thank you for your time! • Resources – The OWL at Purdue – owl. purdue. edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style – Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6 th ed. – APA official website – www. apastyle. org – The Write Place, Walker Hall, ULM