A brief but detailed guide to using APA style writing in a college or university course.

1. An Overview

2. The Big Picture

3.  1) APA=American Psychological Association
 2) Uniform format used for social sciences
 Psychology, Linguistics, etc.
 Business
 Nursing
 3) Organization, Style, Citations
 4) Reasons: Clear direction, less distractions,
Audience Connection

4.  Writing style is the voice an author uses to
communicate with the audience.
 APA Style Guidelines:
◦ 1st person acceptable/preferred in APA style
 (unless assignment says differently)
◦ Clear and Simple=Good
◦ Vague and Complex=Bad
◦ Concise=Good
◦ Wordy and/or Repetitious=Bad
◦ Avoid poetic language

5.  Vary from Class to Class
 May not include all elements
 Definition of elements may vary
 May include additional elements

6. Overall Mechanics

7.  Typed
 Double Spaced
 12pt Font
 Serif (Times New Roman for Body)
 Sans-Serif (Tahoma for Headings)
 Uniform 1” Margins
 Flush left align (DO NOT JUSTIFY)
 Tab indent every new paragraph

8. Most Common Elements

9.  Title Page (First Page)
 Abstract (New Page)
 Text (New Page)
 References (New Page)
 Tables (New Page)
 Figures (New Page)
 Appendices (New Page)

10.  Running Head: Running Head
 Page Number
 Title (12 pt, TNR, Centered)
 Author (12 pt, TNR, Centered)
 Institution (12 pt, TNR, Centered)
 Author Note

11.  Various Elements
 Style Considerations
◦ Accurate
◦ Nonevaluative
◦ Coherent and readable
◦ Concise

12.  Mechanics
◦ New Page
◦ TNR 12 pt
◦ Running Head
◦ Page #
◦ Double Spaced
◦ Do not indent paragraph
◦ Single Paragraph
◦ Word Limit

13.  Introduction
◦ What is the problem?
◦ Why is it important?
◦ What is the hypothesis/thesis?
 Body
◦ What research/testing did you do?
◦ Does your research prove/disprove your
thesis/hypothesis?
◦ How does it prove/disprove?
◦ What are the implications?
 Conclusion
◦ Tie it all together

14.  Mechanics
◦ New Page
◦ TNR 12 pt
◦ Running Head
◦ Page #
◦ Tab indent new paragraphs
◦ Double spaced
◦ Other authors properly cited

15.  Acknowledge Resources cited in text
 Provide an easy/accurate way to locate cited
work
 Alphabetize by last name/first name

16.  Tables
 Figures
 Appendices

17. Avoiding Plagiarism

18.  Claiming the words, ideas, or research of
another person as your own.
 Failing to cite the author when quoting
 Failing to cite the author when paraphrasing
 Theft of intellectual property

19.  In Text Citations
◦ One sentence quotes
◦ Block quotes
◦ Paraphrasing
◦ Graphs that are not your original work
◦ Figures that are not your original work

20. Mechanics

21.  One Author-Direct quote
◦ Author not mentioned in Sentence:
 “Deciding on a suitable subject and narrowing it down
to manageable proportions are crucial steps toward
the success of your research paper” (Rozakis, 1999,
p.25).
◦ Author is mentioned in Sentence:
 Rozakis (1999) suggests that “Deciding on a suitable
subject and narrowing it down to manageable
proportions are crucial steps toward the success of
your research paper” (p.25).

22.  One Author-Paraphrase
◦ Author not named in Sentence:
 Determining your subject and simplifying the main
ideas are very important to the overall success of a
research paper (Rozakis, 1999).
◦ Author named in sentence:
 Rozakis (1999) states that finding a sufficient subject
and simplifying the ideas are very important in the
overall success of a research paper.

23.  One author-Multiple references in one
paragraph
◦ Note: As long as the author is mentioned in a
sentence at the beginning of the paragraph, the
author’s name need not be mentioned in
subsequent citations in the same paragraph, as
long as no other resource is quoted in that
paragraph (American Psychological Assocation,
2011).

24.  One Author-Multiple References in one
Paragraph:
◦ Rozakis (1999) shows the importance of
narrowing a subject to ease the process of research.
She suggests that the first step is to find a very
general subject that suits the limits of the
assignment (1999). A student may have an
awesome idea, but if it doesn’t meet the limits of
the assignment, it will not be sufficient to earn a
good grade. It is best if the subject chosen can be
phrased as a question (1999).

25.  One Work-Two Authors-Direct Quote
◦ “An informal outline can be as simple as listing the
major ideas in the order you plan to discuss them,
or it may use the topic sentences from each
planned paragraph as a blueprint from which to
work”(Barnwell & Dees, 1995, p.87).
◦ Barnwell and Dees (1995) state, “An informal
outline can be as simple as listing the major ideas
in the order you plan to discuss them, or it may use
the topic sentences from each planned paragraph
as a blueprint from which to work” (p. 87).

26.  One Work-Two Authors-Paraphrase
◦ Barnwell and Dees (1995) show that an informal
outline can have many forms, but that all forms will
create a starting point from which to write.
◦ Informal outlines vary in complexity, but all outlines
provide a starting point for a writer (Barnwell &
Dees, 1995).

27.  One Work-Three to Five Authors-Direct
Quote-First Appearance in Paper
◦ Alexander, Decker-Lucke, Ernest, Kutsko, and
Peterson (2002) state, “Primary and ultimate
responsibility for accuracy in fact-checking and
verification of quotations (including Scripture
references) must lie with the author” (p. 8)
◦ “Primary and ultimate responsibility for accuracy in
fact-checking and verification of quotations
(including Scripture references) must lie with the
author” (Alexander, Decker-Lucke, Ernest, Kutsko,
& Peterson, 2002, p. 8).

28.  One Work-Three to Five Authors-Paraphrase-
First appearance in Text:
◦ Alexander, Decker-Lucke, Ernest, Kutsko, and
Peterson (2002) show that the author of a work in
Biblical studies holds the primary responsibility for
ensuring the accuracy of quoted information in all
written work.
◦ The author of a work in Biblical studies holds the
primary responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of
quoted information in all written work (Alexander,
Decker-Lucker, Ernest, Kutsko, & Peterson, 2002).

29.  One Work-Three to Five Authors-Direct
Quote-Subsequent Appearances in Text:
◦ Alexander et al. (2002) state, “Primary and ultimate
responsibility for accuracy in fact-checking and
verification of quotations (including Scripture
references) must lie with the author” (p. 8)
◦ “Primary and ultimate responsibility for accuracy in
fact-checking and verification of quotations
(including Scripture references) must lie with the
author” (Alexander et al., 2002, p. 8).

30.  One Work-6 or more Authors-Direct Quote:
◦ Huggins et al. (2011) say, “The ability to write a
paper is a skill that students must have in order to
successfully complete their college education” (p.
3).
◦ “The ability to write a paper is a skill that students
must have in order to successfully complete their
college education” (Huggins et al., 2011, p.3).

31.  One Work-6 or more authors-Paraphrase:
◦ Huggins et al. (2011) shows the necessity of prior
writing instruction for students who enter college.
◦ Students need to know how to write a paper before
they enter college (Huggins et al., 2011).

32. Help readers find sources

33.  Allows readers/professors to find and use the
same data you have
 Ensures that you have not violated any
copyright limitations or laws
 Protects you from charges of plagiarism

34. Mechanics

35.  Book-Print-1 Author:
◦ Lastname, Initial(s). Year of Publication or copyright.
Title of Book. Location: Publisher.
◦ Example:
 Rozakis, L. 1999. Writing Great Research Papers. New
York: McGraw-Hill.
 Book-Print-2 Authors:
◦ Lastname, Initials of 2nd author,& Lastname, Initials
1st author. Year. Title of Book. Location: Publisher.
◦ Example:
 Dees, R. & Barnwell W. H. 1995. The Resourceful Writer: A
Basic Writing Course. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

36.  Book-Print-3 to 7 Authors:
◦ Note: Same elements as 2, but must list all authors.
Start with 2nd author listed on book.
◦ Example:
 Kutsko, J.F., Alexander, P.H., Ernest, J.D., Decker-
Lucke, S.A., & Peterson, D.L. 2002. The SBL Handbook
of Style. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson
Publishers.

37.  Book-Print-More than 7 authors:
◦ Note: Same order of elements. The only thing that
changes is the way the authors are listed.
◦ List the First 4 Authors using standard method, add
an ellipses, and then list the last author. Should be
a total of 5 named authors.

38.  Additional elements for journals, referencing individual
chapters only, and online resources.
 Various types that can be valid resources include:
◦ Periodicals
◦ Books (Reference Books or Individual Chapters)
◦ Technical and Research Reports
◦ Meetings and Symposia
◦ Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses
◦ Reviews and Peer Commentary
◦ Audiovisual Media
◦ Dataset, Software, etc.
◦ Archival Documents and Collections
◦ Internet Message Boards, Mailing Lists, and Other Online
Communities
◦ Author Variations, Title Variations, Publication Info Variations

39. Online and In-Person

40.  Purdue Online Writing Lab
◦ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/0
1/
 Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association
◦ Available for purchase on Amazon
 http://www.amazon.com/Publication-Manual-
American-Psychological-
Association/dp/1433805618/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid
=1321658616&sr=8-1
◦ Available for purchase from the APA website
 http://www.apastyle.org/manual/

41.  American Psychological Association. 2010. Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association
6th edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
 Dees, R. & Barnwell W. H. 1995. The Resourceful Writer: A
Basic Writing Course. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Company.
 Kutsko, J.F., Alexander, P.H., Ernest, J.D., Decker-Lucke,
S.A., & Peterson, D.L. 2002. The SBL Handbook of
Style. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson
Publishers.
 Rozakis, L. 1999. Writing Great Research Papers. New
York: McGraw-Hill.