A quick guide to APA formatting

							  A quick guide to
  APA formatting
William A. Sodeman, Ph.D.
Hawaii Pacific University
    Use only one font and size!
• Times Roman, Arial or Courier
  – Fonts affect page length!
• 12 point size
• No bold or underlines
  – Be careful with web addresses and URLs!
• Italics are acceptable
  – Required in Level 3, 4 and 5 headers
          Margins and spacing
                5.03 and 5.04

• One inch margins on all sides
• Double spacing
        APA paper structure
Page Section
   1 Title page
   2 Abstract page
   3 Body of the paper
     Reference list
     Appendixes, author notes, footnotes,
     figures and tables
         Page 1: The title page
                       5.15

• Page header with page number 1 (5.06)
  – Include 2-3 descriptive words from title
• Running head with an abbreviated title
  – 50 characters maximum
• Author's title and affiliation
• Course and date may be included
       Page 2: The abstract page
                     1.07 and 5.16

• The last page you should write!
  – Provides a summary of the paper's content
     • Not the paper's structure, headers or organization
  – One paragraph, 120 words maximum
• The first page many readers look for
  – Used in bibliographic databases for indexing
    your paper
          Page 3 and beyond:
         The body of the paper
• Contains the actual content of the paper
• Indent each paragraph (5.08)
  – ½ inch or 5-7 spaces
                         Headings
                          3.30-32

• Use at least 2 levels of headings
  – Provide structure for your content
  – Clearly organized and well chosen
  – See 3.32 and 5.10 for examples
     •   1, 3
     •   1, 3, 4
     •   1, 2, 3, 4
     •   5, 1, 2, 3, 4
       Outline your headings
• In a separate document, outline your APA
  headings
• Print and use that document as a guide
  while you write the paper
      Avoid using block quotes!
                 3.34 and 3.35

• Indirect quotes are better
  – Paraphrase carefully in your own words
• Use direct quotes only when these words
  really help your paper
• Size matters! Shorter quotes are better
                Citations
              3.94 – 3.103, 4.16

• Must appear with every outside source and
  quotation in the paper
• Must be accurate and properly formatted
 Find reliable and reputable sources

• Look for high quality news and journal
  articles
• Find and cite books and other textbooks
  when relevant
• Use the library databases (EBSCO)
• Don't depend on the Internet and search
  engines!
    Find a variety of references
• Avoid excessive bias in your research
• Don’t rely on the same articles or authors
  for most of your citations
• Directories and reference works are a good
  place to start, but avoid using them in your
  paper
      Avoid marketing material!
• These sources are usually biased
  –   “White papers”
  –   Advertising sections and supplements
  –   Press releases
  –   Sales and catalog content
  –   Corporate web sites
 Find reliable and reputable sources

• Your course textbooks do not count as a
  primary source!
• You may use but not cite general references
  – Dictionaries
  – Glossaries
  – Encyclopedias
            Secondary sources
                 4.16: 17 and 22

• A source that is mentioned in another
  source of material
  – An author cites or quotes an article or book
• If you need to cite this secondary source, it
  is always best to find and cite the original
  source
• If you can't find the original source, then
  use the APA formats for secondary sources
                  Reference list
                        4.16, 5.18

• All sources and citations used in the body of
  the paper must appear in the reference list!
  – Hanging indent
  – Double-spaced
  – Alphabetical order by first author’s last name
     • If there is no author, use the article or book title
           Academic honesty
• Students in this course can't help each other
  on individual papers!
  – All paper content must be your own work
  – Find your own sources and references
     • Does the instructor keep an updated databases of
       references?
     • Can he check references across several student
       papers?
  You can get some help, but you
  need to do the actual corrections
• Style, grammar and spelling
• Word processors and other programs
• APA formatting
        Proofread        your work!
• Have someone else read your work!
  – The instructor should never be the first person
    to read your paper
• Use but don't trust spell and grammar check
  – Look for synonyms and homonyms
  – Check people, place and company names
  – Be careful with technical terms
               RTFM
        Read the fine manuals!
• The APA Publication Manual is the best
  source for formatting and style information
• Learn to use your word processor!
  – Use the Help function or check the Web
  – Don't reinvent the wheel!
  – Find the function you need
    Plan and manage your time
• Start early!
• Plan ahead!
• Don’t wait for the last minute!
• Back up your files!
• Allow 24-72 hours for TurnItIn.com to
  return a draft originality analysis
• Ask plenty of questions!