An Overview of APA Style and Format

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An Overview of APA Style and Format

• Portland State Writing Center
• 2002

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Table of Contents

• Section One Basic APA Manuscript Guidelines
• Section Two How, When, and Why to Quote
• Section Three Samples of Reference and In-text
  Parenthetical Citation

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Section One Guidelines

• Type or print on one side only of white, unruled
  paper
• Double-space the entire paper--title page,
  abstract, headings, text, references, and block
  quotations. Left justify text only no right
  flush text.
• Leave a minimum one-inch margin on the sides,
  top, and bottom of each page.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• A separate title page is required. The title
  page includes four elements manuscript page
  header running head for publication title by
  line and institutional affiliation.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• If an abstract is required, begin an abstract on
  a new page. Do not exceed 120 words.
• Abstracts are required for most journal entry
  submissions however, most often you do not need
  an abstract for academic papers.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• Begin the actual text on a new page.
• Type the title of the paper, centered, at the
  top of the page, double-space, indent, and then
  type the text.
• Indent the beginning of each paragraph 5 spaces.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• Remember to document your sources.
• You must document all quotations and any
  paraphrases.
• Material that is repeated in more than one
  source, may not have to be documented.

• When using a long quotation, indent 5-7 spaces
  and omit the quotation marks. If the quotation
  has internal paragraphs, indent the internal
  paragraphs a further 5-7 spaces.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• The Reference list is alphabetized according to
  author's last name--or title if no author is
  given
• Start the reference list on a new page. Type
  References, centered, at the top of the page.
  Double-space all reference entries. Format.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• Any bibliographic or content notes should be
  numbered
• Place the content notes on a separate page,
  titled Footnotes, and insert after the
  References, or in some cases, at the bottom of
  the page.

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Section One Guidelines cont.

• Graphs, charts, figures, tables, and other
  illustrative materials are placed near the
  applicable paragraph.
• Tables need to be numbered and titled.
• Some professors prefer all illustrations in an
  appendix.

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Section Two The How, When, and Why of Quotations

• Your own words should clearly dominate. You are
  in control, not your sources. If you rely
  heavily on other peoples words, then you are not
  writing the paper they are.

• Use a variety of sources. If you rely too much on
  one source, your reader may as well go directly
  to that source instead of reading your paper.
  Dont overuse any one source.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Choose your quotations carefully and for specific
  reasons
• Memorable language
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Brevity

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Cite a source and page number for each quotation.
  
• You must cite a source and page number for
  quotation but may not be required to give a page
  number for paraphrase.

• Most professors also like to see a page number
  even for paraphrase check with your professor to
  make sure. When in doubt, give the page number.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Avoid plagiarism by paraphrasing carefully and by
  keeping track of where you found your material.
• Paraphrasing is more than substituting noun or
  verb synonyms it involves changes in sentence
  structure..

• A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little
  minds (Emerson, 1993, p.394).
• After all, as Ralph Waldo Emerson (1993) implied,
  ill-advised and overly consistent behavior can
  lead to narrow-mindedness.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Because the reader needs to know how you are
  connecting the ideas, you need to provide your
  own link between quotations. Never use
  quotations back to back without your own linking
  words.

• Discuss your quotations. Dont just pop in a
  quotation and run. Along with introducing the
  quotation, you often need to discuss the
  quotations significance.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Avoid wordiness in introducing your quotation.
  At times you may wish to discuss the background
  of a source at length, but mostly you will want
  to avoid this sort of wordy introduction.

• Make sure the reader knows where your ideas end
  and others begin.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• At times change the position of your quotations
  to provide variety in your sentences. Remember
  that quotations can appear in different
  positions.

• After youve finished your first complete draft,
  scan the entire paper to make sure that youre
  not quoting too much. If necessary, revise the
  paper to quote less and paraphrase more.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Select the right verb and tense. Dont overuse
  says or states. For example
• adds, agrees, alleges, argues, asserts, claims,
  compares, concludes, contrasts, declares,
  deduces, defines, demonstrates, disagrees,
  establishes, explains, finds, grants, holds,
  implies, includes, infers, juxtaposes, maintains,
  notes, observes, points out, posits, proposes,
  provides, reports, shows, speculates, stresses,
  suggests, supposes, thinks, views, volunteers.
• When you use these descriptive verbs, make sure
  that you use them correctly.

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Section Two Quotations cont.

• Put prose quotations in running text when fewer
  than forty words.

• When forty words or more, indent 5-7 spaces from
  the left margin. Block quotations are not
  enclosed in quotation marks.

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Section Two Quotations, cont.

• Tables have three kinds of notes, which are
  placed below the table general notes, specific
  notes, and probability notes.
• Order the notes to a table in the following
  sequence general note, specific note, and
  probability note.
• For a more specific discussion of tables, please
  see the example and consult the APA Handbook.

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Section Three Reference and In-text
Parenthetical Citation

• Book
• Author, A.A. (1994). Title. Location Publisher.
• Book with more than
• one author
• Smith, B. Larsen, D. (1998) Title. Location
  Publisher.

• Book with an editor
• Editor, B. (Ed). (1992). Title. Location
  Publisher.
• Book with no author
• Title. (1993). Location Publisher.

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Section Three Reference and In-text
Parenthetical Citation

• Journal paginated by volume
• Author, B.A. (2000).
• Title of journal
• article. Title of
• Journal., Volume ,
• 10-36.

• Journal w/ 2 authors
• paginated by issue
• Author, R., Author, S.
• (1993). Title of article. Title of Journal.
  45(2), 10-36.

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Section Three Reference and In-text
Parenthetical Citation

• Newspaper
• Author, J. (1995 September 30). Title of article.
  Title of Newspaper, pp. A1.

• Newsletter
• Author, A. B. (1993, Spring). Title of Article.
  Title of Newsletter, 46, 85-86.

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Section Three Reference and In-text
Parenthetical Citation

• Book
• According to Annie Dillard (1975), adolescence
  made her aware of how adults had died to
  themselves through self-consciousness and made
  her question whether she too would lose forever
  the passion peculiar to children (p. 225).

• Annie Dillards adolescent turmoil caused her to
  question whether she must lose the passion
  peculiar to children as she matured (1975, p.
  225).
• One writer focuses on the passion peculiar to
  children in her exploration of adolescence
  (Dillard, 1975, p. 225).

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Section 6 APA Links

• APA Website
• Purdues APA information Page
• PSU Writing Center