Introduction to APA Format(American Psychological Association)

brought to you by the Kutztown University Writing Center

Prepared with love by Amanda Funk (M.A. English ‘15)

Writing StyleLanguage should be clear, concise, and plain.

Flowery, complex writing can obscure your meaning.

Clear: be specific in descriptions and explanationsConcise: condense information when you canPlain: use simple, descriptive adjectives and minimize figurative languageAvoid passive voice whenever possible.Example: Instead of “The study was conducted to analyze..”Say, “We conducted a study to analyze…” or “The authors conducted a study to analyze…”

Setting up your paperTITLE PAGE (see handout for instructions)ABSTRACT150-250 wordsResearch topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, conclusions, possible implications of research, potential for future study (Depending on the type of paper you are writing, you may have different content to include. Check with your professor for guidelines!)MAIN BODY (divided into appropriate sections, e.g.

introduction, literature review, methods, conclusion, discussion, etc.)

REFERENCES- refer to Purdue OWL or other APA guide for specifications

In-text citationsBegin sentences with attributions when you can According to Smith (2012), this tendency to exaggerate symptoms can impede the quality of care.If you don’t mention the author in your signal phrase

, cite him/her at the end.Patients’ haste to return to normal, daily activities can result in further injury (Smith, 2012).If you are directly quoting, include page number.Smith (2012) notes that patients who are anxious to return to their normal activities too soon “heighten the risk of aggravating the injury” (p. 345).

In-text citations, continued

Citing two authors in signal phraseSmith and Jones (2008) claim…Citing two authors in parenthetical citation(Smith & Jones, 2008) Citing three to five authors in signal phrase for

the first timeCary, Klein, and Johnson (2010) observe…Citing three to five authors in parenthetical

citation for the first time(Cary, Klein, & Johnson, 2010)After first mention, or when 6 or more authors,

use “et al.” (Cary et al., 2010)

Reference Page Samplefrom Purdue OWL

Cummings, J. N., Butler, B., & Kraut, R. (2002). The quality of online social relationships. Communications of the ACM, 45(7),

103-108. Hu, Y., Wood, J. F., Smith, V., & Westbrook, N. (2004). Friendships

through IM: Examining the relationship between instant messaging and intimacy. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10, 38-48. Tidwell, L. C., & Walther, J. B. (2002). Computer-mediated communication effects on disclosure, impressions, and interpersonal evaluations: Getting to know one another a bit at a time. Human Communication Research, 28, 317-348. Underwood, H., & Findlay, B. (2004). Internet relationships and their impact on primary relationships. Behaviour Change, 21(2), 127- 140. Notice the abbreviation of author first and middle

names, capitalization of article titles, italicized volume numbers, issue numbers in parentheses but not italicized.

Commonly Used Reference Entriesfrom Purdue OWL

Article From an Online Periodical with DOI AssignedAuthor, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number, page range. doi:0000000/000000000000 or http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000Brownlie, D. (2007). Toward effective poster presentations: An annotated bibliography. European Journal of Marketing, 41, 1245-1283. doi:10.1108/03090560710821161Wooldridge, M.B., & Shapka, J. (2012). Playing with technology: Mother-toddler interaction scores lower during play with electronic toys. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33(5), 211-218. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2012.05.005 Article From an Online Periodical with no DOI AssignedAuthor, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number. Retrieved from http://www.journalhomepage.com/full/url/Kenneth, I. A. (2000). A Buddhist response to the nature of human rights. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 8. Retrieved from http://www.cac.psu.edu/jbe/twocont.html

Additional ResourcesPurdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/Here, you will find everything (seriously, everything!) you need to know about APA. Check out the PowerPoint for a more detailed version of what I’ve presented here.You may also use any textbook resources

you may have from one of your classes or the American Psychological Association.

If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for, meet with a tutor in the Writing Center. We can show you how to look them up!

Writing Center Contact InfoYou can make an appointment by calling us,

emailing us, or stopping in and signing up for a time in our appointment book on the front desk.

We are located in Old Main 132.Phone: 610-683-4733Email: wrcenter@kutztown.eduHours are Monday-Thursday 9-5, Friday 10-

4, and Monday/Wednesday nights 6-9We look forward to seeing your works in

progress!Questions? Ask us!