This document provides an overview of key APA style guidelines for formatting papers, in-text citations, quoting sources, reference lists, tables and figures. It highlights important elements like using 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, 1-inch margins, page numbers, a running head on each page, and citing paranthetical references. The document also lists resources for further guidance on APA style.

1. From Running Head to Reference List

2. Meet your new BFF!
Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, Sixth Edition

3. Significant changes were made in 2009
rendering previous editions obsolete!
And, be careful
what you find on-line. . .

7.  Font: Times New Roman 12pt
 Margins: Set ALL margins to 1”
 Spacing: Double including the Reference
list and block quotes
 Page numbers: Upper right corner of each page
 Running head: Upper left corner of each page
-short title of paper in ALL CAPS (no more than 50
characters counting spaces). The words “Running
head” only appear on the cover page.

8. Source: http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf

9. Source: http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf

10.  APAstyle.org tutorial
 UNC Writing Center: APA Tutorial
 Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
 Formatting Your Microsoft Word Doc for APA

11.  General Guidelines
 Describe appropriate level of specificity
 Be sensitive to labels
 Acknowledge participation
Reducing Bias by Topic
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Racial and Ethnic Identity

12.  Continuity of Ideas & Smoothness of Expression
◦ Use transitions
◦ Connect(ing) words and ideas
◦ APA recommends:
 Have a colleague read your paper
 Read your paper aloud
 Tense:
◦ Be consistent (avoid tense shifts)
◦ Past tense (Smith showed) and present perfect (researchers have shown)
okay for literature reviews
◦ Past tense to describe results
◦ Present tense to discuss implications of the result and to present
conclusions
 Tone:
◦ Consider audience
◦ Write a way to educate and persuade

13.  Wordiness and Redundancy
◦ Based on the fact that (because)
◦ At the present time (now)
◦ For the purpose of (“for” or “to”)
◦ The present study (this study)
 Avoid “to be” constructions
◦ There were several students who completed the
study.
◦ Several students completed the study.
 Avoid passive voice (use active voice)
 Avoid vague pronouns
 Avoid editorial “we”

14.  Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes
the author’s last name followed by the year of publication
in parentheses.
 Put the page number preceded by "p." (or "pp." for more
than one page) in parentheses after the quotation.
Smith (2003) noted that despite growing numbers of overweight
Americans, many health care providers still “remain either in ignorance
or outright denial about the health danger to the poor and the young”
(p. 5).
 If the author is not named in the signal phrase, place the
author’s name, the year, and the page number in
parentheses after the quotation: (Smith, 2003, p. 5).

15.  With three, four, and five authors: Cite all of the authors at
first mention. For each subsequent mention, abbreviate to
just the first surname followed by et al.
For example, the first time Rasmussen, Hopkins, and
Fitzpatrick (2004) is used, the source is cited like this:
In research-based development planning, decision-making is based on
careful, systematic examination of goals, data, and results (Rasmussen,
Hopkins, & Fitzpatrick, 2004).
 The second time Rasmussen, Hopkins, and Fitzpatrick
(2004) is used, the source is cited like this:
Rasmussen et al. (2004) emphasized the vital role research plays in
development planning, saying that thoughtful examination of data and
evidence should be present.

16.  With six or more authors, only cite the first
author followed by et al. the first time and
every time.
 For example, each time Allard, Goldblatt,
Kemball, Kendrick, Millen, and Smith (2007) is
used, the source is cited like this:
Communities of practice have been used to support the reflective
practice of teacher education planning committees (Allard et al.,
2007).
 No comma between the surname and et al.
 Place a period only after the al.

18.  Used for direct quotations that are longer than 40
words.
 The block format is a freestanding quote that does
not include quotation marks.
 Introduce the block quote on a new line.
 Indent the entire quote ½ inch or 5-7 spaces.
 Include the page number at the end of your block
quote outside of the ending period.
 Include the author's last name, date of publication,
and page numbers (if available).

19. Source: http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/874.htm

20.  Tables  Figure
◦ Ch. 5, Sect. 5.07-5.19 ◦ Ch. 5, Sect. 5.20-5.25

21.  American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association.
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
 American Psychological Association (2012). APA style.
Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx