The document provides guidance on writing a paper using APA format. It discusses including an abstract if the paper is over 8 pages. It provides tips on formatting paragraphs, using topic sentences, in-text citations, block quotes, and references. The document also discusses evaluating source credibility and includes examples of in-text citations and references listed in APA style.

1. Running head: TYPE ABBREVIATED TITLE HERE (1st 2-3 words) 1
[Title of the Paper in Full Goes Here]
[Student Name Here]
[Name of School]

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Abstract
Abstracts are not required for the papers in this course unless your paper is +8 pages.
If your paper is more then 8 pages consider the following:
An abstract is a statement summarizing the important points of a paper; however it is not a
introduction or should have a thesis statement. Typically they are used for long research papers.
An acceptable length for an abstract is between 150 and 250 words. The text should be double-
spaced, the font should be Times New Roman and the margins should be 1 inch. Most classes
do not require an abstract. If you are not required an abstract, simply delete this page.

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Title of the Paper
Your introductory paragraph and every paragraph that follows should have a minimum
of three sentences, with an average of around four to five, and no more than seven sentences.
The last sentence of your opening paragraph should be some kind of thesis statement that
essentially sums up the purpose of the assignment and how you intend to cover it. The sentences
preceding your thesis statement should simply provide some background to lead up to it.
There should be a topic sentence for each paragraph that is kind of like a summary of
what will come in that paragraph. Also, the last sentence of each paragraph should be a
transition statement that connects what you accomplished in that paragraph and what is to come
in the next one. In the middle of each paragraph, you should cover something with your own
thoughts, and in a separate sentence, provide a sentence paraphrased from a source with an in-
text citation at the end. The source may back up your opinion, or give an alternative viewpoint,
or even simply provide some background.
Level 1 Head
Try to avoid direct quotes when possible, although 1-2 in a two-page paper is OK. Your in-
text citation should list in parentheses an author’s last name (or website name—not the website
address), year, and when appropriate, a page #. This should be identical to how the reference for
this in-text citation begins minus the author initials on your References page. If no date is given
for a source, you can list n.d. in place of the year (it stands for “no date”). This sentence does
not come from a source, but I will end it with an in-text citation so you can see an example
(Allaboutapples, Inc., n.d.). It is very important to understand that an in-text citation can only
"carry" a sentence of fact. In other words, if you have more than two sentences of information
from one source, you must use an in-text citation after each sentence, even if it's the same one

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twice. While there are exceptions to this, undergraduates typically interpret these rules
incorrectly and find themselves plagiarizing unintentionally, so it’s best to err on the side of
caution.
Now there will be an example of what is referred to as a block quotation. These are
quotations that are longer than 40 words. Start the block quotation on a new line and indent half
an inch from the left margin. You should retain the double spacing throughout your paper. Also,
the end punctuation, usually a period falls before the parenthetical citation. Please examine the
following example:
Autism affects the whole house good and bad. Dealing with this disorder gives some of
us purpose and patience. It can be very trying because of all the obstacles that lie ahead.
Parents bear the brunt of the family responsibility with mothers often feeling the impact
of their child's autism more personally than others. Having an open and honest discussion
with all who are involved about future care is important so that everyone is not worrying
unnecessarily. (Daniels, 2009, para. 6)
Again, the above is an example of a block quotation, a quote that is word for word taken from a
source and is over 40 words long. Finally, the reference page follows.
Level 2 Head
A lot of the websites that information comes from are suspect. In a nutshell, never use
Wikipedia, About.com, Answers.com, and similar websites. Though some .com sites are
acceptable, most undergraduates have trouble identifying whether they can be trusted, so the
easy thing to do is to avoid them. Websites ending in .gov, .net, .edu, .org, etc. are typically
more trustworthy over a .com source. Think of it in terms of whether a .com is an advertisement
or is pushing an opinion as a way to separate the good sources from the poor.
The body of your paper should have a couple of paragraphs or more. Your conclusion
paragraph should briefly summarize your paper and then mention something that would be
interesting to further research that was not talked about or something new that’s a neat fact you

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found not mentioned prior to the conclusion. Generally, you wouldn’t cite a source anywhere
in your conclusion paragraph…it would be all from your own thoughts.
Another Level 2 Head
Some APA reference information can be tricky to obtain, so I’m giving the following
example that may help you through whatever problems you may have. If the link takes you
straight to a document and it appears there is no information concerning an author, website, year,
etc, then you need to look at the link itself. For example, look at this link: http://pubs.usgs.gov/
wdr/2005/wdr-nj-05-1/pdf/Raritan05.pdf. This link takes you straight to the .pdf file, leaving
you with little to cite; however, if you look closely at the link, you’ll see that it has a year
embedded in it (2005). In addition, if you chop off the latter half of the link so that you only go
to what is up to the first backslash, you will see that a website does come up at
http://pubs.usgs.gov. If you check out that site, you will see that the author for this link is U.S.
Geological Survey (which you get by clicking on the home link) and that the section you would
list is at the top of the site before you click on Home to get the author. The reference should
look like this:
United States Geological Survey. (2005). Raritan River Basin. Retrieved on August 2,
2008, from http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-nj-05-1/pdf/Raritan05.pdf
This can be rough, I know, but this is how it is done.
In conclusion, the tips above should help you with writing a paper and using APA
format. With practice, much of this will become habit to the point that you won’t even think
about it. I wish you well with your future assignments.

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References
(Please note that the following references are intended as examples only.)
Alexander, G., & Bonaparte, N. (2008). My way or the highway that I built. Ancient Dictators,
25(7), 14-31. doi:10.8220/CTCE.52.1.23-91
Babar, E. (2007). The art of being a French elephant. Adventurous Cartoon Animals, 19,
4319-4392. Retrieved from http://www.elephants104.ace.org
Bumstead, D. (2009). The essentials: Sandwiches and sleep. Journals of Famous Loafers, 5,
565-582. doi:12.2847/CEDG.39.2.51-71
Hansel, G., & Gretel, D. (1973). Candied houses and unfriendly occupants. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Fairy Tale Publishing.
Hera, J. (2008). Why Paris was wrong. Journal of Greek Goddess Sore Spots, 20(4), 19-21. doi:
15.555/GGE.64.1.76-82
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2007). How to cite a video: The city is always Baltimore
[DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Name of program [Video webcast]. Retrieved from
http://www.courseurl.com
Sinatra, F. (2008). Zing! Went the strings of my heart. Making Good Songs Great, 18(3), 31-22.
Retrieved from http://articlesextollingrecordingsofyore.192/fs.com
Smasfaldi, H., Wareumph, I., Aeoli, Q., Rickies, F., Furoush, P., Aaegrade, V., … Fiiel, B.
(2005). The art of correcting surname mispronunciation. New York, NY: Supportive
Publisher Press. Retrieved from
http://www.onewaytociteelectronicbooksperAPA7.02.com

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White, S., & Red, R. (2001). Stop and smell the what now? Floral arranging for beginners
(Research Report No. 40-921). Retrieved from University of Wooded Glen, Center for
Aesthetic Improvements in Fairy Tales website: http://www.uwg.caift/~40_921.pdf
APA Template Sign-off sheet

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I, (PRINT NAME)___________________________________________have
received a copy of my APA Template. My instructor has gone over the template
with the class and has answered any questions that were brought up during the
discussion. I understand and agree to abide by the template for all papers required
within the course.
Student Signature:____________________________________________________