APA Formatting and Style Guide

APA Formatting and Style Guide

• APA (American Psychological Association) style is the most common format for social science manuscripts.
• APA style regulates stylistics, in-text citations, and references.

Point of View

• Use first-person pronouns ("We") instead of third-person pronouns ("The authors").

Voice

• Use active voice when emphasizing the actions of the research.
• Use passive voice when emphasizing the recipient or object of the action.

Language

• APA papers should have clear and concise language.
• Use simple, descriptive adjectives and minimize figurative language.

Types of APA Papers

• Quantitative Articles: Report quantitative research using empirical and numerical information often analyzed through statistical means.
  • Include Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion.
• Qualitative Articles: Report qualitative research focusing on human experiences not quantifiable.
  • Include Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Findings/Results, and Discussion.
• Literature Review: Summarizes scientific literature on a particular research topic.
  • Includes Introduction, Thesis Statement, Summary and Synthesis of Sources, and List of References.
• Other essay types, consult the instructor and/or APA Publication Manual.

General APA Format

• Essays should be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins.
• Use 10-12pt standard font (e.g., Times New Roman).
• Print on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11").
• Every page includes a page number in the upper right corner.
• Professional papers have a page header (shortened title, all caps) in the upper left corner.
• Essays include four major sections: Title page, Abstract, Main Body, and References.

Title Page - Student Paper

• Page header: No running head, page number flush right.
• Title: (centered) Name, academic department, course, instructor, and date.

Title Page - Professional Paper

• Page header: (Insert Page Header) Shortened title, all caps, flush left, plus page number, flush right.
• Title: (centered) Name, affiliation (university, etc.).

Author Note

• Potential elements: ORCID IDs, affiliation changes, disclosures or acknowledgments, contact information for the corresponding author.
• Omit irrelevant items.

Abstract Page

• Abstract: Centered and bolded text at the top of the page.
• Summary: 150-250 words, concise, accurate summary of the paper.
• Keywords: List keywords.

Main Body (Text)

• Number the first text page (page 3).
• Center and bold the full title of the paper at the top of the page.
• Type the text double-spaced with all sections following without breaks.
• Identify sources with either narrative or parenthetical in-text citations.
• Format tables and figures correctly.

Reference Page

• Center and bold the title "References".
• Double-space reference entries.
• Flush left the first line of each entry and indent subsequent lines.
• Order entries alphabetically by the surname of the first author.

References: Basics

• Invert authors' names (last name first, followed by initials).
• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title, subtitle, words after colon/dash, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in hyphenated compound words.

References: Basics (cont.)

• Capitalize all major words in journal titles.
• Italicize titles of longer works (books, journals).
• Do not italicize or quote shorter works in edited collections.

Making the Reference List

• Identify the type of source (book, journal article, webpage).
• Find a sample citation in the APA guide.
• "Mirror" the sample and ensure alphabetical order, with subsequent lines indented.

In-text Citation: Basics

• In-text citations help locate cited sources.
• Use either parenthetical or narrative format.
• Parenthetical citation: Author's last name, year of publication (e.g., (Atkins, 2018)).
• Narrative citation: Author's name, year of publication (e.g., Atkins, 2018).

In-text Citation: Page Numbers

• Include page numbers in citations when the source has them.
• Parenthetical: (Atkins, 2018, p. 12).
• Narrative: Atkins (2018, p. 12).

In-text Citation: Quotations

• Introduce quotations with signal phrases.
• Include author, date, and page number in parenthetical citations.
• Include author's last name in a signal phrase and end with page number in narrative citations.

In-text Citation: Summary or Paraphras

• Follow the guidelines for parenthetical and narrative citations.

In-text Citation: Signal Words

• Use signal phrases to introduce quotations.
• Use signal verbs (e.g., acknowledged, contended).
• Use past tense or present perfect tense when discussing past events.

In-text Citation: Two or More Works

• Order citations in the same way they appear in the reference list.
• Separate works with a semicolon (Adams, 2018; Collins, 2017).

In-text Citation: Works with Two Authors

• Use "and" in narrative citations.
• Use "&" in parenthetical citations (Depietri & McPheon, 2018, p. 96).

In-text Citation: Works with 3+ Authors

• List the first author's name plus "et al." in every citation.

In-text Citation: Unknown Author

• Use the source's full title in narrative citations.
• In parenthetical citations, use the first word of the title, year (e.g., ("Here's," 2018)).

In-text Citation: Group Authors

• Mention the organization first time in the citation; use abbreviation if repeating (e.g., FDA, 2019).
• Within parentheses, place square brackets around the abbreviation (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2019).

In-text Citation: Same Last Name

• Use first initials with last names for authors (e.g., (B. Davis, 2018; Y. Davis, 2020)).
• Use lower-case letters (a, b, c) after the year for works by the same author in the same year. (e.g., Chen's (2018a)).

In-text Citation: Personal Communication

• Include communicator's name, "personal communication," and date.
• Do not include in the reference list.

In-text Citation: No Page Numbers

Use any of these four methods in parenthetical citations:

• List the heading or section name.
• List an abbreviated heading or section name in quotations.
• List the paragraph number.
• List the heading or section name and paragraph number.

Headings

• APA uses five levels of headings.
• Specific format for each level.

Tables

• Label tables with an Arabic numeral and brief title.
• Title and label should be on separate lines, flush-left, and single-spaced.
• Cite the source below the table.

Figures

• Label figures with an Arabic numeral and brief title.
• Title and label should be on separate lines, flush-left, and single-spaced.
• Centered additional title for the figure itself above the figure.
• Cite the source below the figure.

Additional Resources

• Purdue OWL website: http://owl.purdue.edu
• Purdue Writing Lab.
• Composition textbooks.
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.
• APA website: http://www.apastyle.org