APA FORMAT QUICK REFERENCE6TH EDITIONSusanne Kaesbauer and Dr. Jennifer Ann MorrowThe University of Tennessee
Overview
APA is the official style of writing of the American Psychological Association (APA) Used to present findings and arguments in
a coherent and concise manner APA used mainly in social sciences APA dictates the structure of the writing
Easier to write and read Critical thinking
Required for publications
General Document Guidelines Do not use first person, instead use third
person or passive voice You cannot prove a theory or hypothesis in one
study Avoid the words “proves” and “proof” Use confirm/support or disconfirm/does not
support Instead use “the results support the hypothesis”
Avoid slang terms Use terms “participants” for humans and
“subjects” for animals
General Document Guidelines Use the terms “respondents” or
“interviewees” when applicable Format to have one inch margins on
each side Use 12pt Times New Roman Font
Maintain the same font throughout the paper. You may use a smaller size (no less than 10pt) within text of tables and figures
Double space the entire paper (incl. title, abstract, appendix, references, footnotes, tables)
General Document Guidelines Use one space after commas, colons,
and semicolons Use two spaces after end of sentence
punctuation marks Left-align everything except title page
and select headers Indent paragraphs 5-7 spaces. Do not
add additional spacing between paragraphs or sections of the paper unless noted in APA guide
General Document Guidelines Page numbering starts on title page Page order: Title Page, Abstract, Body
(Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion), References, Appendices
Refer to the APA manual!!! Use Google if you don’t own the manual
Use spell check and have others proofread your paper
Avoid plagiarism
Use of Numbers
Use numerals for numbers 10 and above Use numerals when preceding units of
measurement (ex: 20mg, 46cm) Write out the number when beginning a
sentence with it Use numerals for statistical functions,
percentages, ratios, percentiles (ex: the 11th percentile)
Use commas to separate groups if three digits
Abbreviations
Use sparingly and only if they make the paper easier to read
Write it out completely the first time followed by the abbreviation in parentheses Ex: A two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
was used to test hypothesis one Write out units of measurement, unless
preceded by numbers
Title Page
Running head: Abbreviates the title and reappears on every page of the manuscript. Set up a left-aligned
header and capitalize the word “Running” but not “head” and then use uppercase for the entire abbreviated title
Use the header function to create this
Running head: WRITING APA STYLE 1
Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee
Title Page
Page Numbers: Appear on every page of the research paper starting on the title page In the header
created for the running head, insert right-aligned page numbering starting with the number 1 on the same line as the running head
Running head: WRITING APA STYLE 1
Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee
Title Page
Byline: Name of author/authors and their institutional affiliation. The order of the authors on the title page must be how you want it to appear on publications Author name(s) appear
centered under the title in the upper half of the page. Use First name, followed by middle initial, followed by last name
Author(s) affiliation(s) appear centered under the author name on the upper half of the page. Use the affiliation where the research was conducted
Running head: WRITING APA STYLE 1
Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee
Abstract
Abstract: Place the abstract on a new page
after the title page Write “Abstract” in upper and
lowercase letters centered on first line of the page
Type the abstract as one paragraph without paragraph indentations. The paragraph should be left aligned
Keywords: Write 3-5 key words under the
abstract. Example: “Keywords: attrition,
learning, comprehension” Indent and italicize the word
“Keyword:” followed by colon in uppercase and lowercase letters in the line under the abstract paragraph. Next list the keywords separated by commas in lowercase letters
Introduction
Begin the introduction section on a new page. This should be page three of your research paper
At the top of the page type and center the full title, as it appears on the title page, in uppercase and lowercase letters
Begin the first paragraph in the next line using left-alignment and indent it and each following paragraph of the introduction section
When adding sub-headers to your introduction section, use upper and lowercase letters, bold, left align and indent the second level header. Start the following text on a new line and indent it
Use past tense for the literature review
Levels of Heading
For additional headings, make sure they are consistent with the levels of heading
Method
The method section does not begin on a new page. Simply write “Method” in bold uppercase and lowercase letters on the next line and center it. The following text will begin on the next line
The second level headings (Participants, Materials, Procedure) are each on the following lines, flushed left, bolded and written in uppercase and lowercase letters. The following text will begin on the next line
Third level headings (used for specific measures) will be left-aligned, bolded, indented have only the first letter capitalized and end with a period. The following text will begin after the period
Parts of the Method Section Participants Materials Procedure Design Analyses
Note: It is called “Method” and not “Methods”
Results
The results section does not start on a new page. Place the heading “Results” centered and bolded in upper-and lowercase letters on the next line and start your first paragraph on the next line
Pay attention to italicize the correct statistical symbols when reporting statistics
Use superscripts and subscripts
N, M, F, p, df, f… Overview:
Don’t include raw data Don’t discuss
implications Report all findings Refer to all
tables/figures Remind reader of
hypotheses Include preliminary
analyses as the first paragraph
Discussion
The discussion section does not start on a new page. Place the heading “Discussion” centered and bolded in upper-and lowercase letters on the next line and start your first paragraph on the next line
Overview: Give meaning to the
results and related to the context
State whether hypotheses were supported or not supported
Address limitations, and future research
Discuss implications of findings
Refer back to the literature
References
The reference page starts on a new page. Center “References” in uppercase and lowercase letters
Double space and format all references with a hanging indent
Overview: Include DOI when
possible Make sure all in-
text citations in the introduction and discussion section appear on the reference page
References – Journal Articles
General Form:Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.
(Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, xx(xx), xxx-xxx.
One AuthorWilliams, J. H. (2008). Employee
engagement: Improving participation in safety. Professional Safety, 53(12), 40-45.
References – Journal Articles
Two to Seven Authors [List all authors]Keller, T. E., Cusick, G. R., & Courtney, M. E. (2007).
Approaching the transition to adulthood: Distinctive profiles of adolescents aging out of the child welfare system. Social Services Review, 81, 453-484.
Eight or More Authors [List the first six authors, ... and the last author]
Wolchik, S. A., West, S. G., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J.-Y., Coatsworth, D., Lengua, L.,...Griffin, W. A. (2000). An experimental evaluation oftheory-based mother and mother-child programs for children of divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 843-849.
References - Books
General FormAuthor, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Location:
Publisher.One AuthorAlexie, S. (1992). The business of fancy
dancing: Stories and poems. Brooklyn, NY: Hang Loose Press.
References - Books
Corporate Author with an Edition and Published by the Corporate Author
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Anonymous AuthorDorland’s illustrated medical dictionary
(31st ed.). (2007). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.
References - Books
Chapter in a BookBooth-LaForce, C., & Kerns, K. A. (2009).
Child-parent attachment relationships, peer relationships, and peer-group functioning. In K. H. Rubin, W. M. Bukowski, & B. Laursen (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (pp. 490-507). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
References – ERIC DocumentShyyan, V., Thurlow, M., & Liu, K. (2005).
Student perceptions of instructional strategies: Voices of English language learners with disabilities. Minneapolis, MN: National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota. Retrieved from the ERIC database. (ED495903)
References - Databases
General Format Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C.
(Year). Title of article. Name of Journal, xx, xxx-xxx. doi:xxxxxxxxxx
Article Retrieved from an Online Database
Senior, B., & Swailes, S. (2007). Inside management teams: Developing a teamwork survey instrument. British Journal of Management, 18, 138-153. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.2006.00507.x
References - Databases
Article from an Online MagazineLodewijkx, H. F. M. (2001, May 23).
Individual-group continuity in cooperation and competition under varying communication conditions. Current Issues in Social Psychology, 6(12), 166-182. Retrieved fromhttp://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.6.12.htm
References – Other Online ContentGeneral FormAuthor, A. A. (Year). Title of work. Retrieved
from web addressOnline Report from a
Nongovernmental OrganizationKenney, G. M., Cook, A., & Pelletier, J.
(2009). Prospects for reducing uninsured rates among children: How much can premium assistance programs help? Retrieved from Urban Institute website: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411823
References – Other Online ContentOnline Report with No Author
Identified and No DateGVU's 10th WWW user survey. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.cc.gatech.edu/user_surveys/survey-1998-10/
Entire Website (in-text is sufficient)Kidpsych is an excellent website for young
children (http://www.kidpsych.org).
In-text Citations
Indirect Quotation with Parenthetical Citation Libraries historically highly value intellectual
freedom and patron confidentiality (LaRue, 2007). Indirect Quotation with Author as Part of the
Narrative LaRue (2007) identified intellectual freedom and
patron confidentiality as two key values held historically by libraries.
Direct Quotation with Parenthetical Citation Darwin used the metaphor of the tree of life "to
express the other form of interconnectedness–genealogical rather than ecological” (Gould & Brown, 1991, p. 14).
In-text Citations
Direct Quotation with Author as Part of the Narrative Gould and Brown (1991) explained that
Darwin used the metaphor of the tree of life "to express the other form of interconnectedness–genealogical rather than ecological” (p. 14).
References & In-text Citations of Secondary Sources
Seidenberg and McClelland’s study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993) provided a glimpse into the world…
Cite the original study in your reference page
Appendices Singular is “Appendix” and Plural
is “Appendices” Each Appendix begins on a new
page For only one appendix, title the
first line of the page “Appendix” and center it. Do not bold this heading
For more than one appendix, title each first line of each appendix “Appendix A”, “Appendix B” and so on. This title should be centered. Do not bold this heading
Appendices may contain subheadings that should be formatted according to the levels of heading on page 62 of the APA Version 6 manual
Appendices should appear in the order in which they were referred to in the body of the research paper
Tables and figures must be numbered in the order in which they were discussed in the text of the research paper
Must be double spaced Remember, appendices often
include: Informed consent forms Letters to participants Survey instruments Interview/focus group protocols Data observation sheets SPSS output of analyses
conducted Tables and figures
Presentation References
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://www2.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/apa-july-09.pdf
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/3apa.pdf
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/detail.aspx?doc_id=796
APA Manual, Version 6, 2nd Printing APA Format Made Easy Presentation by
Cady Block