APA Style & FormatElizabeth Kleinfeld, Ph.D. Writing Center Director, Associate Professor of English ekleinfe@msudenver.edu

According to the APA

• Uniform style helps us scan articles quickly for key points and findings. Rules of style in scientific writing encourage full disclosure of essential information and allow us to dispense with minor distractions.

• When we use an editorial style, we remove the distraction of puzzling over the correct punctuation for a reference or the proper form for numbers in text. Those elements are codified in the rules we follow for clear communication, allowing us to focus our intellectual energy on the substance of our research.

According to the APA

• The best scientific writing is spare and straightforward. It spotlights the ideas being presented, not the manner of presentation. Manuscript structure, word choice, punctuation, graphics, and references are all chosen to move the idea forward with a minimum of distraction and a maximum of precision.

• To achieve this clarity of communication, publishers have developed rules of style. These rules are designed to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material.

Three aspects: • General formatting of the title page and paper (including

headings)• In-text citations• References list

Title Page• Title: typed in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered

between the left and right margins, in the upper half of the page

• Author’s name (byline): first name, middle initial, last name

• Institutional affiliation (or course information: course number, professor’s name, date, each on a separate line)

• Header: the first 2-3 words of the title in all uppercase (top left-hand corner) with “RUNNING HEAD:” preceding

• Page number: the title page is numbered page 1 (top right-hand corner)

• Centered and double-spaced

Sample Title Page

Paper• 1” margins all around• Indent the first line of each paragraph by a half inch• Block indent quotations of 40+ words by a half inch• Double space everything, including the title page• Use a 12 point reader-friendly font• Use a header of the first three words of the title (in all

uppercase) in the upper left-hand corner • Put page numbers in the upper right-hand corner

Sample Paper

Blocked quotation

Page number

Running head

Double spaced with paragraphs indented

To create the header• Insert page number• Select “top of page”• Type the first three words of your paper in (right next to the

page number that automatically appears)• Hit “tab” twice

• NOTE: you’ll need to do this once on the first page (check the box “different first page”) with “running head:” and then again on the second page without “running head:” to set the headers correctly for the title page and the rest of the paper.

Abstract• A 150-250 word summary of the paper’s main ideas, including

method of research and results of research. • On its own page between the title page and paper.• The word “Abstract” should be centered at the top.

Headings Level Format

1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings

2 Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

3 Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period. Begin body text after the period.

4             Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. Begin body text after the period.

5              Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with a period. Begin body text after the period.

Headings Method (Level 1)

Site of Study (Level 2)

Sample Selection (Level 2)

Data Pool. (Level 3)

Consent. (Level 3)

Definition of Revision (Level 2)

Researcher definition. (Level 3)

Participant definitions. (Level 3)

First year students. (Level 4)

Upper division students. (Level 4)

Coding of Student Essays (Level 2)

NOTE• The

introduction does not get a heading • Do not

number or letter headings (outline style)

Tables and Figures • Number all tables and figures, using “table” to label tables and

“figures” to label all other graphics. • The first table is Table 1 and the first figure is Figure 1

• Every table and figure should have a caption that begins with “Table X” or “Figure X”

Source Use

Why cite sources? • To avoid plagiarism• To build credibility • To show that you did your research • To give credit to those who did research before you • Your grade/job depends on it • So others can track down those same sources

What needs to be cited?

Needs to be cited• Concepts original to

someone else• Statistics• Empirical studies• Quotes, summaries,

paraphrases

Doesn’t need to be cited• Common knowledge • is uncontested• you can safely assume that

everyone in your audience knows it

In-Text Source Citations Should• Let readers know every single time you’ve used a source• Indicate the author(s) and date of the source• If a paraphrase or quotation, indicate the page number (or

paragraph number if the source is from the internet)• Connect directly and clearly to an entry on the References list• Mark clearly where the borrowed material begins and ends

Mark clearly where the borrowed material begins and ends

• Signal phrase: Author’s name (just the last name is fine) and publication year plus a verb

• Miller (2008) claimed . . . • Smith (2011) found . . .

• Parenthetical note: the page number (or whatever information wasn’t in the signal phrase)

• Miller (2008) claimed . . . (p. 17).

• If the cited material all fits in one sentence, you can put all the in-text citation information into the parenthetical note: • There is evidence that existing categories don’t adequately cover

all the conditions that were reported (Smith, 2011, para 22).

In-text Citations

In 2010, Howard, Serviss, and Rodrigue shared the results of a study of source use in 18 First Year Composition students’ papers. Their research showed students “cit[ing] sentences rather than sources,” and raised the concern that students were not understanding their sources, or worse, possibly not even reading their sources (p. 186).

In-text Citations

Writing centers should take a leadership role on our campuses, “guiding teachers and students alike toward productive, reasoned pedagogical and textual practices” (Howard and Carrick, 2006, p. 250).

To cite a source within a source• According to Freud, “people are complicated” (as cited in

Bryant, 2013, p. 16).

• An entry for Bryant should appear on the References list.

References List

The References List Should

• Allow readers to quickly and easily locate each source• Follow same format as the rest of the paper (double-

spaces, same header, page number, 1” margins)• Use hanging indentation • Have “References” centered at the top of the page

• In general, IGNORE “cite as” information on the source. It is almost always either not in APA format or just plain wrong.

References List

Hanging Indentation • Type up your references list• Highlight all the entries • Right click on Paragraph• Click drop down menu under Special• Select Hanging

Basic Format for Books

Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of Publication). Title:     Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher.

• Example: • Grimm, N. (1999). Good intentions: Writing center work for 

postmodern times. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.

• In-text Citation: Grimm (1999) found . . . (p. 62).

Basic Format for E-Books

Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of Publication). Title:     Subtitle [description of source type]. doi: xx

• Example: Taylor, N., & Wallace, J. (2009). New writing centers: 

Reinventing ourselves [Adobe Digital Editions

version]. doi: 16.4987/9271490387

• In-text Citation: Taylor and Wallace (2009) claim . . . (p. 14).

Basic Format for Selection from an Edited CollectionSelection Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of Publication).

Selection title. In collection author’s Initial(s) and Last Name. Collection title:  Subtitle (selection page numbers). Publisher’s location: Publisher.

• Example: Pemberton, M.A. (2006). Critique or conformity?: Ethics and advocacy in the writing center. In C. Murphy & B.L. Stay (Eds.). The writing center director’s resource book (261-270). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Basic Format for Article in a Scholarly JournalAuthor’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of Publication).

Article title. Journal title, vol no., pages.

• Example: McClure, R. & Clink, K. (2009). How do you know

that?: An investigation of student research

practices in the digital age. Libraries and the 

Academy, 9, 115-132.

Basic Format for Article in a Scholarly Journal, accessed online or in a databaseAuthor’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year of Publication).

Article title. Journal title, vol no., pages. doi: xx

• Example: McClure, R. & Clink, K. (2009). How do you know

that? An investigation of student research practices in the digital age. Libraries and the Academy, 9, 115-132. doi: 10.1124.2789083

Basic Format for Webpage

Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (date last updated). Website title. Retrieved from URL

• Example: American Psychological Association. (2012, July 2).

Learning APA style. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx

Basic Format for a Report from a Private OrganizationOrganization. (Year of publication). Title of report. City and State: Publisher.

• Example: • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Practice                guidelines for the treatment of patients with                eating disorders (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: APA.

LEGAL CITATIONS

The Writing

Center has a copy!

General Principle #1• Even if you think you know how to cite the source, LOOK IT UP

General Principle #2• when you first cite a legal source in text, you must use the "full

citation"; subsequent in-text citations can use the "short form"

On the way!

Types of Sources • Statutes, Rules, & Regulations• federal statutes• state statutes• rules of evidence and procedure• restatements• uniform acts administrative rules and regulations • federal taxation materials • legislative materials (federal bills, congressional hearings,

congressional reports; state bills and resolutions) • Court & Litigation Documents

Basic Format for a Government DocumentGovernment organization. (Year of publication). Title of               document. City and State: Publisher.

• Example: • National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical                training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 90-1679). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

HELP! Basic Format for a Lower Federal Court Decision

Name v. Name, Volume number Reporter abbreviation Page number (Court Name).

• Reporter Abbreviations F., F.2d or F.3d for Federal Reporter (circuit courts)F. Supp. or F.Supp.2d for Federal Supplement (District Courts).

• Example: Flibotte v. Pennsylvania Truck Lines, Inc., 131 F. 3d 21 (1st Cir. 1997).

SBC Communications, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission, 981 F. Supp. 996 (N.D. Texas 1997).

• In-text Citation: In Flibotte v. Pennsylvania Truck Lines, Inc. (1997), the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that it is appropriate for a judge to refuse to direct the verdict.

HELP! Basic Format for a State Court DecisionName v. Name, Volume number Reporter abbreviation Page number (Court abbreviation Year). • Reporter Abbreviation refers to Northeastern Reporter: N.E. or N.E. 2d. The

citation appears after Cite as on the top of the page of Massachusetts Decisions.

• Example: Silverleib v. Hebshie, 596 N.E. 2d 401 (Mass. App. Ct. 1992).

• In-text Citation: In Silverleib v. Hebshie (1992), the Massachusetts Court of Appeals held that an order for the removal of a sewer line is in the nature of an equitable order.

Basic Format for a Federal StatuteName of Act § Section number, Volume number U.S.C. § Section number (Year).

Name of Act, Pub. L. No. Number , § Section number, Volume number Stat. Page number.

• Example: National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 § 102, 42 U.S.C. § 4332 (1994).

• In-text Citation: The National Environmental Policy Act (1969) established the Council on Environmental Quality.

Basic Format for a State StatuteMass. Gen. Laws ch. Chapter number, § Section number. Name of Act. Volume number Mass. Acts Page number. Date.

• Examples: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 71, § 1A.An Act Designating Certain Bridges in the Town of Middleborough.

1967. Mass. Acts 116. 8 October 1997.

• In-Text Citation: In Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, § 1A (1966), the Legislature provided for a period of silence at the beginning of the school day.

HELP! Basic Format for a State or U.S. ConstitutionAbbreviated name of Constitution pt. Part number (if any), art. Article

number in Roman numerals. § Section number.

• Example: Mass. Const. pt. 1, art. XV.

• In-text Citation: Freedom of assembly is guaranteed by Mass. Const. pt. 1, art. XV.

Basic Format for U.S. Supreme Court DecisionsName v. Name. Vol. number U.S. Page number. (Year).

• Example: United States v. Lane, 474 U.S. 438 (1986).

• This information is taken word-for-word from the Westfield State University Ely Library website

Basic Format for a Congressional Bill Title, Bill or Resolution Number, Number of Congress Cong.,

Number of Session Sess. (Year).

• Example: Equitable Health Care for Severe Mental Illnesses Act of 1993,

S. 671, 103d Cong., 1st Sess. (1993).

• In-text Citation: Senate Bill 671 (1993) provided for treatment of severe mental illnesses.

HELP! Basic Format for a Federal Legislative Report or DocumentSeries abbreviation No. Number, Number of Congress Cong.,

Number of session Sess. Page number (Year). • Abbreviations

Senate Report.: S. Rep.Senate Document: S. Doc.House Report: H.R. Rep.House Document: H.R. Doc.

• Example: S. Rep. No. 300, 106th Cong., 1st Sess. 7 (1999).

• In-text Citation: In House Report No. 300 (1999), the House Agriculture Committee approved amendments to the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

What is plagiarism?

You’re not alone!• The Writing Center! https://www.msudenver.edu/writectr/• Faculty• Ely Library Citation Guides: http://

lib.westfield.ma.edu/content.php?pid=486574&sid=3991782• Citation generators

• The APA Guide and http://www.apastyle.org/