The APA FormatMarleonie M. Bauyot, PhD

The APA Format

• The APA Publication Manual is intended primarily as a guide for preparing articles or manuscripts for journal publication.

• This format facilitates easier editing should the theses and dissertations be published on different journals.

• The entire thesis or dissertation report shall have four (4) chapters (in special cases, five (5) chapters) while the thesis or dissertation proposal shall only have two (2) chapters, excluding Chapters III and IV which are results, and discussion respectively.

The APA FormatOVERVIEW OF THE CONTENTS OF A THESIS

Title pageApproval sheets (1 recommending oral defense; 1 acceptance of paper)AcknowledgementsAbstractTable of Contents (including List of Tables and List of Figures)CHAPTER IINTRODUCTION

Review of LiteratureTheoretical/Conceptual FrameworkStatement of Problem(s)Hypothesis(es) (if applicable)Significance of the Study (for proposal, include in INTRODUCTION; for final paper, integrate in DISCUSSION)

CHAPTER IIMETHOD

DesignSetting (if applicable)ParticipantsMeasuresProcedure

Data Analysis (for proposal, include in METHOD; for final paper, integrate in RESULTS)Limitations of the Study (for proposal, include in METHOD; for final paper, integrate in DISCUSSION)CHAPTER IIIRESULTSCHAPTER IVDISCUSSION(Note that the subsections in this chapter may be organized and integrated in flexible ways, depending on the nature of the topic, study design, writing style, etc.)CHAPTER V (optional)SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSREFERENCESAPPENDICES

You can visit http://www.apastyle.org for more information.

Chapter I

– Introduction– a thorough discussion of the literature review– shows the theoretical and conceptual

framework– presents the problem and hypothesis to be

studied– describes the research strategy

Chapter II

– Method– describes in detail how the study will be

conducted for a thesis or dissertation proposal and details on how the study was conducted for a thesis or dissertation report.

– discussion on the design, setting, participants, measures, and procedures.

– (proposal) discussion on the data analysis and limitations of the study

Chapter III

– presents in detail a report of the data collected in relation to or subjected to the statistical or data analytic treatment used for quantitative researches; emerging themes, and observations thematically analyzed for qualitative researches.

Chapter IV

– Discussion– presents the interpretation of the results and

its implications in relation to the hypothesis.– this chapter may be organized in subsections

and integrated in flexible ways, depending on the topic, study design, writing style, etc.

Chapter V

– Summary and Conclusion– provides a summary of the entire thesis or

dissertation report and highlights the significant results of the study and its implications.

– initiatives that could be taken by other researchers and stakeholders to further the results and implications of the study will also be discussed in this chapter.

The APA Format

References– Provides a list of the references or literatures

cited in the thesis or dissertation report.

Appendices– Includes materials or documents needed for

complete documentation

Abstract

• Is a brief summary (usually written in 350 words or less) of the main points of the study i.e., its topic, purpose or hypothesis, method, and findings.

• It is integral to the thesis, therefore should accompany each copy of the thesis.

Abstract (cont…)Tips on Abstract Preparation1. An essential skill of the social scientist is the ability to

communicate ideas and research results effectively.2. The purpose of the abstract is to highlight the most important

features of the study. It is very important because it is all that many people will read. It should include a brief description of the problem being investigated, the methods used, the results and their implications.

3. The abstract should be accurate (do not include information that is not in the body of the manuscript), self-contained (spell out abbreviations), concise, and specific (begin this section with the most important information and limit it to the 4 or 5 most important concepts, findings, or implications of the study).

4. For conciseness, use digits for all numbers except when they begin a sentence.

5. Avoid citing references in the abstract.

Abstract (cont…)

6. Paraphrase rather than quote.7. Use the active rather than the passive

voice (but avoid using personal pronouns).8. Use past tense for procedures and

present tense for results.9. Type the abstract in a block format10. The abstract should not exceed 350

words, or more than one page.

The APA Format

Paper Quality– 8 ½ by 11 inches and 20 pound weight (substance 20)

Print and Fonts– All thesis copies should be produced with a sharp, high contrast black

image of the original.Running Head

– The first two or three words of the thesis/dissertation title appear five spaces to the left of the page number on every page. The running head can be inserted as a header, which then automatically appears on all pages.

Margins– The left hand margin must be wide enough for binding, thus 1 ½ inches

or 4 centimeters is suggested while the top, right-hand, and bottom margins are 1 inch or 2.54 centimeters, respectively.

Alignment– Flush left (creating uneven right margin)

The APA Format

Chapters – Must always begin on a new page.

Spacing– Double-spacing is required throughout most

of the thesis or dissertation proposal or report, except for table titles, figure captions, references, and footnotes where single-spacing is used. Long quotations are also indented five spaces or ½ inch.

The APA Format

Figures, tables, and footnotes• Figures and tables used must be mentioned in

the thesis and dissertation report.• Refer to all tables as tables and to all graphs,

pictures, or drawings as figures.• Tables should be given brief and clear

explanatory titles typed above the pertinent table, and should be numbered using Arabic numerals; figure captions are typed below the pertinent figure.

The APA Format

Table format

The APA Format

Figure Format– All figures (photographs, drawings, charts, graphs,

etc.) must be neatly drawn and lettered in black or colors as needed. All such figures must fit inside the margins.

– Illustrations should be labeled as “Figures”, such as “Figure 1”, and the labels should be labeled consecutively throughout the text, e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, etc. Figures and Tables are not the same and should NOT be numbered with reference to each other, such as Figure 1, Table 2, Figure 3, etc. All pages carrying figures must have page numbers in the upper right hand corner.

The APA Format

Label

The APA Format

Caption– It explains enough about the content so the reader

need not refer to the text.Quotations

– Quotations of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated into the text and enclosed by double quotation marks (“ ”)

– Display quotations of 40 or more words in a double spaced block type written lines with no quotation marks. If the quotation is more than one paragraph, indent the first line of second and additional paragraphs five to seven spaces or ½ in. from the new margin.

The APA Format

Appendices– An appendix should be topically independent

of the other appendices. An appendix should be labeled and, if necessary, separated from other appendices by a single sheet of paper. Ordinarily, an appendix should not have footnote (documentation can be inserted into the text).

– The word “Appendix” should be placed in the center, written in capital letters, with corresponding letters, e.g., APPENDIX A

How to Cite References

General Guidelines: In-Text Citations• Citing an Author or Authors

– One Author• If the author’s name appears in your sentence, cite

only the year of publication in parenthesis.– Price (1954) described nursing as a combination of both

art and science.• If both the year and the author are mentioned in

the text, do not add parenthetical information.– In 1954, Price described nursing as a combination of

both art and science.

• If you do not use the name or year of publication in your text, insert the information where appropriate. If the citation occurs at the end of the sentence, the end punctuation appears after the parenthetical reference.

– A recent study (Barrett, 1997) found that … – The basis for this argument is provided by a recent

comprehensive study of ….(Barrett, 1997).• Within a paragraph, you need not include the year

in subsequent reference to a study as long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the article.

– In a recent study of reaction times, Walker (2000) described the method…..Walker also found out that….

• Citing an Author or Authors– Two Authors

• Name both authors in the signal phrase or parenthesis each time you cite the work. In the parenthesis, use the ampersand “&” between the authors’ names. In the signal phase, use “and.”

– Spiritual health is achieved when a person finds balance between his or her own life values, goals and belief system and those of others (Potter & Perry, 2004).

– According to Potter and Perry (2004), spiritual health is achieve when a person finds balance between his or her own life values, goals and belief system and those of others.

• Citing an Author or Authors– Three, Four, or Five Authors

• Cite all authors the first time the reference occurs. In any other references, include only the last name of the first author followed by “et al.” and the year if it is the first citation in the paragraph.

– First Citation for this source in your paper:» Greasely, Chiu, and Gartland (2001) posit that….» In 2001, Greasely, Chiu, and Garland posited

that…..» The concept of …(Greasely, Chiu, & Garland, 2001)

– Second Citation for this source in your paper:» As Greasely et al. (2001) also discussed …» This study (Greasely et al., 2001) also found …» This study found …(Greasly et al., 2001).Note: In et al., et should not be followed by a period.

• Citing an Author or Authors– Six or More Authors

• Include only the last name of the author followed by “et al.” from the outset.

– One study (Bautista et al., 1996) attempts to explain …– In a recent study … (Bautista et al., 1996).– Bautista et al. (1996) argued that

– Unknown Author • If the work does not have an author, cite the source by its

title in the signal phrase or give the first word or two in the parenthesis. Titles of books and reports are italicized or underline and titles of articles and chapters are in quotation marks.

– Children struggling to control their weight must also struggle with the pressure of television …. (“Television,” 2002).

– A similar study was done of students learning t o format research papers (“Using APA,” 2001).

Note: In rare case the “Anonymous” is used for the author, treat it as the author’s name (Anonymous, 2001). In the reference list, use the name Anonymous as the author.

• Citing an Author or Authors– Organization as Author

• The names of groups that serve as authors (e.g. corporations, association, and government agencies) are usually spelled out each time they appear in a text citation. The names of some associations or government agencies acting as group authors, however, are spelled out in the first citation and abbreviated thereafter. If the name is long and cumbersome and if the abbreviation is familiar or readily understandable, you may abbreviate the name in the second and subsequent citations. If the name is short or if the abbreviation would not be readily understandable, write out the name each time it occurs.

– First text citations:» Although health is defined as…. as stated by the World

Health Organization (WHO) in 1999…» Although health is defined as … (World Health

Organization [WHO], 1999).» According to a recent … (World Health Organization

[WHO], 1999) …– Subsequent text citations:

» In the WHO (1999) report …» A study found that … (WHO, 1999).

• Citing an Author or Authors– Two or More Works by Different Authors

• List the works in alphabetical order and separate them with semi-colons.

– There is evidence to suggest that …. (McSherry & Draper, 1997; Narayanasamy, 1993; Ross, 1996).

– Authors with the same Last Name• To avoid confusion, use initials with the last names if your

reference list includes two or more authors with the same last name.

– Research by D. Brown (1989), revealed that …– Research conducted by A. Brown (1990), revealed …

– Multiple Works by One Author with Same Publication Date

• Identify works by the same author with the same publication date by adding the suffixes a, b, c and so forth after the year. These kinds of references are ordered alphabetically by the title on the References page.

– Several studies (Johnson, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c; Singh 1983) found that …

– Johnson (1991b) conducted an additional …

• Citing Indirect Sources– If you use a source that was cited in

another source, name the original source in your paragraph. Use the phrase “cited in” followed by the author and year of the text in which you found the material.

• Dombeck mentioned that the word spiritually was derived from the Latin word spiritus, which refers to breath or wind (as cited in Potter & Perry, 2005).

• Van Leeuwen and Cusveller conducted a literature review …. (as cited in Pesut, 2008).

• Electronic Sources– When possible, cite an electronic

document as you would any other document (using author-date style).

• A person is composed of body, mind and spirit. When the physical domain of an individual is compromised, the mind and the spirit are also involved (Makhija, 2002).

• For Watson in 1999, the transpersonal caring relationship characterizes a special kind of human care relationship that….

– Electronic sources may lack author’s name or dates.

• Electronic Sources– Unknown Author

• If no author is named, mention the title of the document in a signal phrase or give the first word or two of the title in parenthesis.

– The body’s basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is a measure of its at-rest energy requirement (“Exercise,” 2003).

– Unknown Date• When the date is unknown, APA recommends using the

abbreviation “n.d.” (for “no date”).– Attempts to establish a definitive link between television

programming and children’s eating habits have been problematic (Magnus, n.d.).

– Unknown Author and Unknown Date• If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal

phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses and use the abbreviation “n.d.” (for “no date”).

– Another story of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with tutoring (“Tutoring and APA,” n.d.).

• Personal Communication– Personal Communications may be letters,

memorandum, electronic communications (e.g., e-mail or messages from nonarchived discussion groups or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, telephone conversations, and like. Since they do not provide recordable date, they are not included in the reference list. However, they will be cited in text only. In the text, initials as well as the surname of the communicator as well as the exact date should be given.

• T. K. Lutes mentioned that … (personal communication, April 18, 2001).

• In a certain study … (T. K. Lutes, personal communication, April 18, 2001).

Sample References for Works-Cited List• Book/ Edited Book

Buss, A. H. (1980). Self-consciousness and social anxiety. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman.

Chickering, A. W., & Smith, L. E. (Eds.). (1981). The Modern American College Responding to the new realities of diverse students and a changing society. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass.

• Book, Two to Six AuthorsEggins, S., Smith, J. R., & Slade, D. J. (1997).

Analyzing casual conversation. London: Cassell.• Book, More Than Six Authors - include first 6

authors then abbreviate remaining authors as et al.Quirk, R., Eggins, S., Smith, J. R., Slade, D. J., Buss,

A. H., Jones, B. D. et al. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London: Longman.

• Book by a Corporate AuthorPublic Agenda Foundation (1992). The health care

crisis: Containing costs, expanding coverage. New York: McGraw

• Book with no Author or EditorMerriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.)

(1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster• Work in an Anthology or Edited Book

Allende, I. (1992). Toad’s mouth. (M.S. Peden, Trans.). In T. Cochie (ed.), A hammock beneath the mangoes: Stories from Latin America (pp.83-88). New York: Plume.

Good, T. L, & Brophy, J. E. (1986). School effects. In M.C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (3rd ed., pp. 570-602). New York: Macmillan.

• Work Reprinted in a Multi-volume Collected WorkWashington, M. H. (1992). An essay on Alice Walker.

In J. P. Draper (Ed.) Black literature criticism. (Vol. 3, pp. 1810-12). Detroit: Gale. (Reprinted fromSturdy black bridges: Visions of Black women in literature, pp. 133-49, by R. P. Bell, B. J. Parker, & B. Guy-Sheftall, 1979, Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/ Doubleday).

• Encyclopedia ArticleBergman, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new

encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 26, pp.501-508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

• If an entry has no author, begin the reference with the entry title and publication date.

Relativity. (1993). In The new encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.

• Article in a Journal- include issue number only if each issue is separately paged.Lacayo, R. (1991, April 22). Global warming: A new warning.

Time, 137(16), 32.Smith, M. L., & Finn, J. (1997, October). The use of the World

Wide Web by Undergraduate social work education programs. Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 3(1), 71-84.

Stacks, D. W., & Hickson, M. (1991). The communication investigator: Teaching research methods to undergraduates. Communication Quarterly, 39, 351-357.

• Article in the Published Proceedings of a ConferenceBrock, D. (1981). New public broadcasting programs and services.

In J. Brown (Ed.), Technology and education: Policy, implementation, evaluation. Proceedings of the National Conference on Technology and Education. January 26-28 (pp.30-59). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

• Unpublished Convention PaperMcCormack, S. A. (1988, May). When lovers become leery: The

lie-bias of suspicion. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans, LA.

• Article in a Newspaper or Weekly/ Biweekly Magazine - do not include the volume and issue numbersSchwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic,

social status. The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4. • If an article has no author, begin the reference with the article title

and publication date.• Review - include name of work reviewed if not part of

title.Kauffman, S. (1993, December 13). A new Spielberg. [Review of

the movie Schindler’s list]. New Republic, 30.Updike, J. (2002, February 4). No brakes. [Review of the book

Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street]. New Yorker, 77-80.

• Doctoral Dissertation obtained from the universityByerly, J. (1982). An investigation of factors that condition student

enrollment in broadcast courses at Coastline Community College (Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University, 1981). Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, 58A.

• Unpublished Doctoral DissertationWilfley, D. E. (1989). Interpersonal analysis of bulimia: Normal-

weight and obese. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri, Colombia.

• Unpublished master’s thesis, university outside the United StatesAlmeida, D.M. (1990). Fathers’ participation in family work:

Consequences for fathers’ stress and father-child relations. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

• Give the name of the city and the name of the state. (Do not give the name of the state if it is included in the name of university.

• Give the city, state or province (if applicable) and country of a university outside the United States.

• Motion PictureLehman, E. (Producer), & Nichols, M. (Director). (1966). Who’s

afraid of Virginia Woolf? [Motion Picture]. Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers.

• Television BroadcastCrystal, L. (Executive Producer). (1993, October 11). The MacNeil/

Lehrer news hour. [Television broadcast]. New York and Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting Service.

• Legal Sources– Statutes - Name of Act, Volume Source Section (Year).

• Mental Health Systems Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9401 (1988).– Cases - Name v. Name, Volume Source Page (Court Date).

• Lessard v. Schmidt, 349 F. Supp. 1078 (1972).– Regulations - Title/Number, Volume Source Section (year).

• FTC Credit Practices Rule, 16 C.F.R. Sec. 444 (1999).• Patent

Smith, I. M. (1988). U.S. Patent No. 123,445. Washington, DC: U.S Patent and Trademark Office.

• Electronic Stand-Alone Document– Author/Authoring Body. (Date). Title of the Document.

Retrieval Date from URLBryant, P. (1999). Biodiversity and conservation. Retrieved

October 4, 1999, from http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/bio65/Titlepage.htm

• Electronic Document from a Multi-Page Site– Author/Authoring Body. (Date). Title of the Document.

Retrieval Date from URL [of the home (or entry) page for the document].

Bell, S. H. & Gallagher, L. J. (2001, February). Prime-age adults without children or disabilities: The “least deserving of the poor”—or are they? Retrieved April 20, 2001, from Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Institute Project Web site: http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/series_b/b26/b26.html

• Article from an Internet Journal/Periodical - same as article in journal/periodical, followed by retrieval date and URL.Fine, M., & Kurdek, L. A. (1993). Reflections on

determining authorship credit and Authorship order on faculty-student collaborations. American Psychologist, 48, 1141-1147 Retrieved June 7, 1999, from http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/kurdek.html

• Article from an Online EncyclopediaDaniel, R. T. (1995). The history of Western music.

Britannica online: Macropaedia. Retrieved June 14, 1999, from http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g:DocF=macro/5004/45/0.html

• Article from a Journal or Conference in an Electronic Database - same as article in journal or conference, followed by retrieval date and name of database.Kramer, J. F. (1999, December/2000, January). Valuing

accounting practices. The National Public Accountant, 44(10), 32. Retrieved April 4, 2000, from ABI/Inform Global via Proquest Direct.

• Abstract of a Magazine/Journal Article in an Electronic DatabaseHolmes, M. D. (1998). Perceptions of abusive police

practices in US-Mexico border community. Social Science Journal, 35, 107-118. Abstract retrieved April 4, 2000, from Criminal Justice Abstracts via Silver Platter.

• Newspaper Article in an Electronic Database - same as article in a newspaper, followed by retrieval date and name of database.Henneberger, M. (1995, June 8). Republicans battle

party on arts funds. The New York Times, B6. Retrieved April 4, 2000, from Lexis Nexis Academic Universe/ General News.

• Electronic Book in an Electronic Database - same as book, followed by retrieval date and name of database.Gross, C. G. 1998. Brain, vision, memory: Tales in the

history of neuroscience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Retrieved January 19, 2004. from netLibrary.

• Item from a CD-ROMAlbatross. 1992. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed.

[CD-ROM]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.