(updated January 3, 2013)
Little
Known and Hard to Find APA Facts
Please
Note: “Navigating the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association 6th Edition: A Guide for Tutors and Students” is neither a summary of the
APA manual nor a substitute for it. Students
are encouraged to use this guide only in conjunction with the book. Students are also strongly encouraged to
consult with their professors for final decisions about complex citation
questions. Please note that grading
issues regarding APA format accuracy are ultimately the student’s
responsibility. Students are also
responsible for determining which edition of the APA manual their teachers are
using. For additional support, visit the
official APA style website at www.apastyle.org AND take the Basics of APA Style Online Tutorial
at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx.
Hint: Use
the sample papers on pp. 41-59 as a visual reference.
Margins
|
p. 229
|
Set up
your document with 1” margins on all sides.
|
Line Spacing
|
p. 229
|
Double-space
the entire manuscript.
|
Typeface
|
p. 228
|
Your
computer's default font style will generally be sufficient, or choose 12
point Times New Roman.
|
Running Head and Page Numbers
|
p. 229
|
The
running head is an abbreviated version of the title that appears flush left
on every page of the manuscript including the title page. Type the words “Running head” with a capital letter R on
running and lowercase h on head. Follow with a colon and the abbreviated title in all caps. The words “Running head” should only appear
on the title page. The page number in
Arabic numerals should appear flush right on every single page, except for
artwork and figures. The title page is
page 1.
|
Order of Manuscript Pages
|
p. 229-230
|
Title
page, abstract, body, references, tables, figures, appendices
|
Please
Note:
The APA
format is specifically designed for writers who are publishing. Therefore, faculty may choose to modify the
format to conform to their academic assignments and teaching/learning goals. Students are responsible for determining the
specific modifications each instructor makes. Some instructors will provide written formatting guidelines. In this case, students and tutors should
defer to these even if they differ from the APA manual.
Hint: Create a descriptive title for your text.
Title Page Overview
|
p. 23
|
The
main features in order of appearance on the page are: running head (flush left), Arabic page
number (flush right), title of your paper, your name, The College at Brockport,
author note.
Note:
Your instructor may not require you to include an author note (see p.24), but
you need to include the course title/number and date. Please note that the name, title, and
institutional affiliation must all be positioned on the upper third of the
page, centered, and double spaced. Use
upper and lower case letters for the title.
|
Brief
Description: The Abstract tells the
reader what your paper is about so that he or she may decide quickly whether or
not to read the piece in its entirety.
Hint: The abstract should provide a meaty summary
of the main points of your paper to help potential readers quickly decide
whether or not to continue reading. Because the abstract is the first point of contact between your text and
potential readers, be concise yet specific as you inform your reader of what
the paper does/is rather than what
you hope to do. Think of the abstract as
the very essence or energy of your purpose, research, focus, conclusions, etc.
Hint: Not
all instructors will ask you to compose an abstract. Be sure to ask.
Content Guidelines
|
p.
25-27
|
Think
topic, thesis, main points, sources, methods, conclusions.
|
Typing Instructions
|
p. 27
|
The
abstract begins on the second page of your document, with the word
"Abstract" centered at the top. While the abstract is similar in
size to a paragraph, do not indent the
first line. Limit the abstract to
approximately 150 words.
Note:
Your instructor may ask you to omit the abstract.
|
Brief
Description: Parenthetical citations, positioned directly after quotes or
paraphrases within your text, provide the reader with enough information to
identify the complete source in the Reference List and ensure academic and
professional honesty. Please consult table 6.1 on p. 177 for
examples of in text citations. Make note
of the difference in treatment of sources with one, two, three, four, five, or
six or more authors. Also make note of
citation format for sources that have groups as authors.
Hint: Please note that the APA format requires you to include page numbers
with direct quotations; however, using page numbers with paraphrased material
is “encouraged.” Please see p. 171 for
further clarification about quotes, blocked quotes, and paraphrases, and
discuss the issue of page numbers with your professors.
Direct
quote with author’s name in your sentence:
|
According to Smith (1991),
“------------------” (p. 4).
|
Paraphrase
with the author’s name in your sentence (this example includes the page
number, which the APA manual “encourages.”):
|
Smith and Gomez (2007) found
that ------------------------ (p. 24).
|
Paraphrase
without the author’s name in your sentence (this example omits the page
number.):
|
---------------------------------
(Kowalsky, 2001).
|
Direct
quote without the author’s name in your sentence:
|
“--------------------------------”
(Geraci & Cirri, 2003, p.4).
|
Blocked Quotations
|
p. 171
|
Present
quotes of 40 or more words in a double-spaced block. Omit quotation marks. The entire block should be indented the
width of a regular paragraph indent. End the blocked quote with a period followed by a free standing
parenthetical citation. Please refer
to p. 171 for a visual aid.
|
Brief
Description: The Reference page lists
your sources alphabetically. Items in
the reference list must correspond with parenthetical citations.
Hint: Review pp. 180-192 for reference list discussion and pp.193-224 for reference examples. Pay
close attention to capitalization of titles. Pages 193-198 provide an index of all of the reference examples.
Typing Instructions
|
p.
37
|
Center
the word “Reference(s)” at the top of a new page. The first line of each entry begins flush
left. Subsequent lines are indented
(hanging indent). Arrange entries in
alphabetical order, and double-space the entire page(s).
|
Example Reference Entries
Book Print Version p. 203
Shotton,
M.A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency.
Book
Chapter p. 202
Cotton,
M.P., & Jeffers, E. (2007). A day in the life. In B. Smith (Ed.), Married at last (pp. 42-59).
Journal Article Print Version p.
199
Light,
M.A., & Light, I.H. (2008). The
geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the
Journal
Article Electronic Version without Digital Object Identifier (DOI) p. 199
Sillick,
T.J., &
Journal
Article Electronic Version with DOI p. 198
Herbst-Damm,
K.L., & Kulik, J.A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally
ill patients. Health Psychology, 24, 225-229. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.25
Newspaper
Article p. 200
Schwartz,
J. (1983, September 30). Obesity affects
economic, social status. The
Online
Newspaper Article p. 200
Brody,
J.E. (2007, December 11). Mental
reserves keep brain agile. The NewYork Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com.
And
or Ampersand
Use
the ampersand (&) in the reference list and in parenthetical
citations. Do not use the ampersand in
text. See sample paper p. 48-49.
Page
Number Abbreviations: p. or pp.
In
parenthetical citations, use p. for a single page and pp. for a page
range. In the reference list, use
neither p. or pp., just the Arabic numeral.
Page
numbers for Paraphrases p. 171
In
APA format, you must include the page number in a parenthetical citation for
direct quotes. Including the page number
in citations to paraphrased passages is, according to APA, “encouraged,” but
not required. Please discuss this with
your professors for clarification.
Personal
Communications p. 174, 179
APA
uses the term “personal communication” to refer to emails, personal interviews,
phone conversations, etc. You do not
need to include personal communications in the reference list.
Subsequent
Citations to Same Source within a Single Paragraph p. 174
The
question will inevitably arise: Do I
need multiple parenthetical citations when all of the information in a single
paragraph comes from the same source? According
to APA, “Within a paragraph, when the name of the author is part of the
narrative [i.e. In 2003, Kessler’s study of epidemiological samples showed
that…], you need not include the year in subsequent non-parenthetical references to a study as
long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the
article. Do include the year in all
parenthetical citations” (174). See pp.
174-175 for more information.
Secondary
Sources p. 178
If
you are citing a source (let’s call this source A) that is quoted in another
source (let’s call this source B), and you do not actually possess source A, then
you need only include source B in your
reference list. You do not need to
include the original source in your reference list since you do not physically
posses it. Ex: Allport’s diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003)
reveals the dual nature of the psychopath. Nicholson (2003) will be in your reference list, not Allport’s diary,
since you have not actually consulted the diary.
No
Author, Groups as Author, No Date
See
page 176 for works with no author or groups as authors and p. 185 for works
with no date.
Online
APA Tutorial
The
Student Learning Center recommends that all students who are required to use
the APA format and whose professors do not provide detailed written APA
guidelines go through the official APA online tutorial at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx?imw=Y
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