A
Crash Course in APA – Fifth Edition
The
APA style of formatting was first developed in 1928.
Since then it has been revised numerous times by professionals seeking a
unified form with which to prepare and present manuscripts.
The APA Publication Manual offers students and researchers a
common framework for clear communication. When
you write in “APA style,” you are writing in a format that is both
recognized and expected by others in your field of study.
When you write in APA style, you are also responsibly—and, we hope,
accurately—citing the scholarship you have used in the preparation and
presentation of your manuscript.
It
is common for students to complain about the seeming complexity of the Manual;
the text, after all, does not make for very good bedtime reading.
This is because the Manual is a reference guide; it’s not meant
to be read through from cover to cover. Using
the Manual is very much like using a dictionary:
if you know what you’re looking for, you can look it up.
To
this end, this handout is designed to be a companion to the fifth edition of the
APA Publication Manual. We
have identified some of the most common uses of the manual, and listed style
guidelines accordingly. Of course,
this “crash course” is not designed to take the manual’s place, but should
be used in conjunction with it. More
detailed and extensive information is contained within the manual itself.
Your professor and the Writing Center are sources of additional
information.
How To Use Your APA Manual
1)
Your
Manual is divided into 13
red-tabbed sections:
Ø
Stats (p.20)
Ø
Bias (p. 61)
Ø
Quotes (p.
117)
Ø
Numbers (p.
122)
Ø
Stats (p.136)
Ø
Tables (p. 147)
Ø
Figures (p.
176)
Ø
References
(p. 215)
Ø
MS Prep (p.
283)
Ø
Students (p.
321)
Ø
Ethics (p.
348)
Ø
Ethics (p.
387)
Ø
Legal (p.
397)
2)
There is a section of samples to help you visually understand how to format
your paper.
Ø
Sample Title
Page (p. 306)
Ø
Sample
Abstract (p. 306)
Ø
Sample First
Page of Text (p. 307)
Ø
Sample Use
of Multiple Headings (p. 317)
Ø
Sample of
figure captions and figures (p. 316)
3)
If you have a question, the first place to go is to the index.
This begins on page 413 and goes
Headings
– page 111-117
section 3.30 – 3.33
Ø
APA has five
levels of headings. It is very
important to know which level heading you are using and why.
The five headings are labeled for you on page 113, section 3.31.
Do not use a level 4 heading, for example, without using a level 3
heading before it. Level 4 headings
only support and illustrate the information contained beneath the level 3
heading.
Ø
All topics
of equal importance have the same level of heading throughout the text.
For example, on a research paper, the heading for “Specific Aims”
will be the same as “Background,” “Preliminary Studies,”
“Rationale,” “Method,” “Design and Analysis,” and “Predicted
Results.”
Ø
If you have
one subheading within a section, then you must have a second subheading.
Just like when you write an outline, if you have an ‘A’, you must
have a ‘B’, when you write an APA paper, if you have one subheading, you
must have two.
Quotations of less than 40 words are incorporated
directly into your sentence.
Remember:
1) Have a good lead in sentence. Don’t begin a sentence with a quote. Set it up. For
example, use, “Miele (1993) found that ‘…’” instead of just
beginning the sentence with Miele’s quote.
2)
Credit Where Credit Is Due. If
you are using information from ANY text you consulted (book, article, journal, website, personal communication, etc.)
THEN IT MUST BE CITED
whether it is a direct quote or a paraphrase.
Someone else’s words must be attributed to that person, not to yourself.
Otherwise, it is plagiarism.
3)
Direct
Quotations.
If you take words from one text word for word and put them in your paper,
you must provide the page number in your parenthetical citation.
4)
Paraphrased
Quotations.
For a quotation that you take from a text and put into your own words,
you do not need to provide the page number.
For an example, see
page 118, Quotation #3 in your APA Manual.
A
quotation of more than 40 words MUST be in a free-standing block quote without
quotation marks.
Remember:
1)
Use a colon at the end of your lead in sentence.
2)
Use a hanging indent (1 tab key) only on the left margin for the entire
quote.
3)
The block quote must be double spaced, just like your paper.
4)
**The period goes before the parenthetical citation at the
end of a block quote**
Ø
A work
with 2 authors:
cite both names every time in text.
Ø
A work
with 3,4, or 5 authors:
cite all authors the first time the reference occurs, and in subsequent
citations include the surname of the first author followed by “et al.” (not
underlined and with a period after “al”) And the year if it is the first
citation of the reference within a paragraph.
Ø
A work
with 6 or more authors: cite
only the surname of the first author followed by “et al” (not underlined and
with a period after “al”) and the year for the first and all subsequent
citations. In the reference list,
give the surname and initials of each author.
DO NOT use “et al.” in the reference list.
Ø
Every source
used in the paper, with the exception of personal communications MUST appear in
the reference list.
Ø
The
reference page MUST be alphabetized by the author’s last name.
Ø
Double space
the entire reference page (both within entries and between entries)
Ø
The first
line of each reference should be listed flush left—that is, against the left
margin. All subsequent lines begin
with a five-space indent.
Ø
The
first word of titles is capitalized. All
other words in the title are lowercase.
Ø
Journal and
newspaper articles: article titles
are NOT italicized. Only the name
of the journal or newspaper is capitalized and italicized.
Ø
Italicize
the volume number, but not the issue number if an issue number is necessary for
your citation (include the issue number only if the journal is paginated by
issue. That is, if each issue
starts over with page 1). If the
issue number is not required for your citation, italicize the comma following
the volume number.
Ø
A list of
accepted abbreviations for the reference list appears on page 217 & 218
& Table 4.1
Ø
Use only the
last name, first and middle initial of the author.
o
Correct:
Bell, A.G.
o
Incorrect:
Bell, Alexander Graham
o
Incorrect:
Bell, Alexander G.
Ø
Never assume
web-based information is reliable. In
fact, assume just the opposite. Imagine
the Internet as a huge bulletin board upon which anyone with even a slight
modicum of technological aptitude can place a note, and you’ll get the
picture. Do you really want to
stake your paper grade on flimsy, suspect sources?
Ø
We recommend
that you subject ALL Internet sources to the following FIVE-PART EVALUATION:
Ø
ACCURACY:
Who wrote the page/site? What
is its purpose? Is the author in
fact qualified to write this page? How
do you know?
Ø
AUTHORITY:
Who published this document (“Webmaster” doesn’t count).
Are the publisher’s qualifications listed?
Ø
OBJECTIVITY:
What are the goals of the page (hint:
check the domain name; learn how to distinguish between “edu,”
“com,” “biz,” “gov,” and “org”).
Where do facts end and opinions begin?
Ø
CURRENCY:
When was the page produced? Updated?
Ø
COVERAGE:
Are links fresh and up-to-date? Are
citations accurate and in proper form?
Ø
IF you’ve
answered “NO” or “I DON’T KNOW” to ANY of these questions, find
another source.
Ø
IF the
source checks out, here are some pointers:
Ø
In-text
citations: see section 3.39, p.
120, and section 3.101, pp. 213-214. Note
that author (if possible), date and paragraph/section # (if no page # available)
must be included.
Ø
References
list citations: see pp. 268-269.
A document title/description, date of publication or retrieval, and
address or URL, and authors, if possible, should be listed.
Ø
For more
instruction on web citations, reference section 4.16, beginning on page 268, of
the APA Manual.
Ø
Page 214
(section 3.102) of the APA Manual
Ø
Cite these
in text ONLY, not on the reference page.
Ø
Provide
initials as well as the surname of the communicator and as exact a date as
possible. (see manual for an
example)
3)
Use Figures To Express (p. 122-124):
Ø
All numbers 10
and over
Ø
Numbers
below 10 that are
grouped for comparison (ex: 3 of 21 kids)
Ø
Numbers that
immediately precede a unit of measurement
Ø
Numbers that
represent statistical or mathematical functions, fractions or decimal
quantities, percentages, ratios, percentiles, and quartiles
Ø
The numbers zero
and one when the words would be easier to comprehend than the figures or
when the words do not appear in context with numbers 10
and above
Ø
Any number
that begins a sentence, title, or heading (but try to reword your sentence so
that it does not begin with a number)
Ø
Common
fractions (ex: one fifth, two-thirds)
Ø
Universally
accepted usage (ex: Twelve Apostles, Fourth of July, Ten Commandments)
These
are just the tip of the iceberg as far as numbers are concerned, but this
information will definitely get you started.
For other number questions, check out the Numbers section beginning on
page 122.
Ø
Page 432 –
433
Ø
This is the
most often used portion of the index. It
tells you how to cite what you’ll be using in your paper both in the text of
the paper as well as on your references page. Simply scan the list for what you need (ex:
how to cite at the end of a block quote, how to cite one author, how to
cite multiple authors, how to cite the DSM, online citations, etc.).
It tells you what page number and what section to consult.