APA Writing Style Basic Formatting and Style Guide
APA Writing Style Basic Formatting and Style Guide
What is APA? The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is the most commonly used format for manuscripts in the social sciences. However, students and writers in other fields have adopted this style of writing. APA regulates: • Stylistics • In-text citations • References
General Format • 1" margins on all sides set for printing on standard 8. 5" x 11" paper. • Include header (title) in the upper left-hand corner of every page and a page number in the upper right-hand corner of every page. * Cover page only includes "Running head: " • Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font. • Lines are double-spaced with no extra spacing after paragraphs. • Two spaces between sentences.
References APA Paper Sections Most short papers will not need an abstract, but if required, it comes after the Title page. Main Body Abstract Title Page
Running head: APA FORMATTING GUIDE Title Page Header: • Use "Insert Page Header" to set this up. • Title must be flush left and page number flush right. • Verbiage "Running head: " will only be found on the Title Page. Title: • Centered. • Include your name (no title or degree) and affiliation (university, etc. ). APA FORMATTING GUIDE Student Name Montana State University - Billings 1
APA Headings APA uses a system of five heading levels Level 1 2 3 4 5 APA Heading Format Centered, Boldface, Uppercase, and Lowercase Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase, and Lowercase Indented, boldface, lowercase with a period. Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase with a period. Indented, italicized, lowercase with a period.
APA FORMATTING GUIDE 2 APA Formatting Guide Main Body (Text) Formatting a paper according to the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines takes practice and repetition. With that in mind, here are some things to watch for when setting up papers in APA style, followed by some general recommendations that will help you write excellent college papers. When beginning a paper, be sure to set the margins to one inch on the left, right, top, • Header: Title (without “Running head: ”) and page number. • Title: Centered at the top of the first page in the body of your paper. • Never use creative effects (i. e. graphic art, extra lines, or Word. Art). and bottom of your page. Then set the font to Times New Roman, 12 pt. The next thing is to ensure that the line spacing of the paper is set to double-spaced, with “ 0” line spacing before and after each line (go to Page Layout and change the Before and After setting to 0). Adjusting the default page setting in Microsoft Word (MS Word) will set the margins, font, and line spacing automatically with each new paper. You can also open the page Layout menu and make these settings there. Next, on the first page, which will become your title page, double click near the top of the page to open the header box. Next, under the Header and Footer Tools tab, Design, select Different First Page. Then, open the Page Number menu, select Top of Page and Page Number. Next to the page number, type in Running head: followed by an abbreviated title for your paper, all in CAPS. Finally, hit the Tab key until it moves your Running head and title left to the left margin. Note: You may need to change the font and size of the Running head and page number to Times New Roman, 12 pt. The Running head for your first page is now completed. When you begin your second page, you will need to repeat this procedure for the Running head since you selected Different First Page, but all subsequent headers should format automatically. Please note that the words, “Running head, ” only appear on the first page.
APA FORMATTING GUIDE 2 APA Formatting Guide Main Body (Text) Formatting a paper according to the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines takes practice and repetition. With that in mind, here are some things to watch for when setting up papers in APA style, followed by some general recommendations that will help you write excellent college papers. • Paragraphs indented a full one-half inch. • Left-aligned only • Two spaces after every sentence. When beginning a paper, be sure to set the margins to one inch on the left, right, top, and bottom of your page. Then set the font to Times New Roman, 12 pt. The next thing is to ensure that the line spacing of the paper is set to double-spaced, with “ 0” line spacing before and after each line (go to Page Layout and change the Before and After setting to 0). Adjusting the default page setting in Microsoft Word (MS Word) will set the margins, font, and line spacing automatically with each new paper. You can also open the page Layout menu and make these settings there. • Numbers one through ten must be spelled out in your text. All other numbers are written numerically. Next, on the first page, which will become your title page, double click near the top of the page to open the header box. Next, under the Header and Footer Tools tab, Design, select Different First Page. Then, open the Page Number menu, select Top of Page and Page Number. Next to the page number, type in Running head: followed by an abbreviated title for your paper, all in CAPS. Finally, hit the Tab key until it moves your Running head and title left to the left margin. Note: You may need to change the font and size of the Running head and page number to Times New Roman, 12 pt. The Running head for your first page is now completed. When you begin your second page, you will need to repeat this procedure for the Running head since you selected Different First Page, but all subsequent headers should format automatically. Please note that the words, “Running head, ” only appear on the first page.
In-text Citations Direct Quotes When quoting, introduce the quotation with a signal phrase. This can include the author’s name, the year of publication, the page number, but keep the citation brief—do not repeat the information. • Smith (2012) argued that for a studentcentered approach to work, students must maintain “ownership for their goals and activities” (p. 64). • The Cincinnati Public Schools Virtual High School brought students together to engage in highly individual instruction according to their own needs, strengths, and learning styles, using 10 teachers as support (Watson, 2008, p. 7).
In-text Citations Block Quotes When citing quotations of 40 or more words, the quotation is set in a block style format. Indent the entire quotation one-half inch from only the left margin and double-space. • Professor Grey’s study found the following: Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be attributed to the fact that many students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (Jones, 1998, p. 199)
When citing a work with two authors, name both authors in the signal phrase or in parentheses each time you cite the work. In the parentheses, use “&” between the authors’ names; in the signal phrase, use “and. ” • According to Adams and Miller (2014), “demographic growth in the school population” can lead to teacher shortages (p. 426). In-text Citations A Work with Two Authors • In the United States, most public school systems are struggling with teacher shortages, which are projected to worsen as the number of applicants to education schools decreases (Adams & Miller, 2014, p. 420).
In-text Citations A Work with Three to Five Authors When citing a work with three to five authors, identify all authors in the signal phrase or in parenthesis the first time you cite the source. • In 2013, Harper, Nelson, Evans, and Wenz studied teachers’ perceptions of projectbased learning (PBL) before and after participating in a PBL pilot program (p. 42). In subsequent citations, use the first author’s name followed by “et al. ” in either the signal phrase or the parentheses. • Surprisingly, Harper et al. (2013) advised school administrators “not to jump into project-based pedagogy without training and feedback” (p. 54). • ( Harper et al. , 2013, p. 54).
In-text Citations A Work with Six or More Authors When citing a work with six or more authors, identify the first author’s name followed by “et al. ” in the signal phrase or in parentheses. • Hermann et al. (2012) tracked 42 students over a three-year period to look closely at the performance of students in the laptop program (p. 49). • (Hermann et al. , 2012, p. 49).
In-text Citations A Work of an Unknown Author If the author is unknown, mention the source’s full title in the signal phrase or cite the first word or two of the title in parentheses. Titles of short works such as articles are put in quotation marks. Titles of long works such as books and reports are italicized. • In 2015, “Tech Seeds” reports … (p. 30). • According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010), “…” (p. 115). • Collaboration increases significantly among students who own or have regular access to a laptop (“Tech Seeds, ” 2015, p. 30). • (Publication Manual, 2010, p. 115). * Note: In the rare case when “Anonymous” is specified as the author, treat it as if it were a real name: (Anonymous, 2011). In list of references, also use the name Anonymous as author.
When citing an organization, name the organization in the signal phrase or in the parentheses the first time you cite the source. • According to the International Society for Technology in Education (2016), “Student-centered learning moves students from passive receivers of information to active participants in their own discovery process. ” In-text Citations Organization as Author If the organization has a familiar abbreviation, you may include it in brackets the first time you cite the source and use the abbreviation alone in later citations. First Citation: • (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2012). Later Citations: • (FDA, 2012).
In-text Citations Two or More Works in the Same Parentheses When citing two or more works in the same sentence, put the works in the same order that they appear in the reference list, separated with semicolons. • General Carter’s actions were seen as “an act of terrorism, ” as well as a “declaration of war” (Moore, 2015; Taylor, 2014).
Reference Page List of References APA FORMATTING GUIDE 2 References American Psychological Association. (2009). Concise rules of APA style (6 th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author. The Holy Bible: Today’s new international version. (2005) Grand Rapids, MI: Zandervan. Kennedy, X. J. , Kennedy, D. M. , Moth, M. F. (2011). The Bedford guide for college writers (9 th • Center title “References” at the top of the page. * Do not bold. • Double-space lines ed. ). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Jackson, Shirley. (2011). The lottery. In X. J. Kennedy, D. M. Kennedy, & M. F. Moth (EDS. ), The Bedford guide for college writers (9 th ed. , pp. 257 -264). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Lundsford, A. (2010). The everyday writer (4 th ed. ). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Smith, G. (2011. Courage & calling: Embracing your God-given potential (Rev. ed. ). Downers Grove, IL: Inter. Varsity Press. • Use a hanging indent * Flush left the first line of the entry and indent subsequent lines one-half inch. • Alphabetize entries by the author’s last names.
Resources Purdue Owl: https: //owl. purdue. edu/owl/purdue_owl. htm Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2018). A pocket style manual. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s * Pocket Manual can be purchased on Amazon for $32. ISBN: 978 -1 -319 -05740 -4 (8 th Edition)
Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2018). A pocket style manual. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s Professional Adjunct, LLC. (2013, February). APA powerpoint [Presentation slides]. Retrieved from https: //www. slideshare. net/Eliza. Beth. Harger/ap a-powerpoint-16788446 References Citation for Power. Point Purdue University. (2019). Purdue Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from https: //owl. purdue. edu/owl/purdue_owl. html
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