APA 6th Sullivan Library @Dominican College

Updated 11/30/2012

What is APA? APA = American Psychological

Association. Psychology, Education, and Health

Sciences Used for publication of manuscripts

“Conformity” is the goal

What are the style rules? 12 point Times New Roman font 1” margins around all edges Double spaced throughout Running head (not author’s name) on

each page Page number in the upper right of each

page

What do I need? Title page (beginning) Main body of paper (middle) List of References (end)

General Formatting Rules Paper title – no more than 12 words in length. Capitalize

significant words. Running head - No more than 50 characters, including spaces.

This is a shortened version of your title. Use capital letters for the entire running head.

Setting up running heads and page numbers in Word 2007/2010:

1. Insert > Header. Choose “Blank” or the first option.2. IMPORTANT: Make sure you click “different first page” in

Design > Options before you start typing.3. Type your running head, Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER Running head: EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION1. Tab over your cursor to the far right side of the page, where

your page number goes.2. It might be helpful to view the ruler before you add a page

number, to see where the edge of the page is. View > “Show” Section > Ruler. Insert > Page Number > Current Position > Plain Number A page number should be inserted on the far right side.

General Formatting Rules

1.Go down to page 2 by pressing the enter key or similar to set up page 2 and higher.

Insert > Header. Choose “Blank” or the first option.

2.Type the running head (without Running head: …Compare to #3 on previous slide) TITLE OF YOUR PAPER EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION Thus, Running head: does not appear in the rest of your paper. This is why you need a different first page.2.Tab over your cursor to the far right side of the page, where your page number goes.

Insert > Page Number > Current Position > Plain Number

A page number should be inserted on the far right side.

Your paper should now be formatted appropriately in terms of the running head and page numbers.

Title Page

Start of your paper

If you need an abstract as page 2, this would be page 3.

Why cite? Gives credit to the researchers Shows which sources contributed to

your learning and intellectual growth Allows readers to easily find the sources

to further their own knowledge Prevents accidental plagiarism by you

Did you know. . . ? That it is plagiarism to:

Copy the words, ideas, graphs, images, etc. of others without proper credit

Cut and paste various ideas together from different sources without proper credit

Use the same paper in more than one class without permission

Edit material between quote marks without proper notice (look in the APA 6th manual for instructions on how to do it properly)

Citing what you found Author / Date system:

Underwood and Findlay (2004) found that the problem occurred when . . .

In-text citations

are a roadmap to your references page

Ways to cite properly Two places to put Author / Date info:

In the starting signal phrase:The experiments by Davis and Smith (2004)

found that “a further variable was needed: time” (p. 13).

In parentheses at the end: … found that “a further variable was needed:

time” (Davis & Smith, 2004, p. 13).

Rules you shouldn’t try to memorize . . . in-text citing1 author (for both first and subsequent citations)

Signal phrase… Williams (2001)*In the parentheses… (Williams, 2001, p. 13)

2 authors (for both first and subsequent citations)Signal phrase … Williams and Robinson (2001) *In the parentheses … (Williams & Robinson, 2001, p. 13)

3 authors (first citation)Signal phrase … Williams, Robinson, and Smith (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams, Robinson, & Smith, 2001, p. 13)

3 authors (subsequent citations)Signal phrase … Williams et al. (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams et al., 2001, p. 13)

* = do not forget the page number goes at the end of the quotation!

Rules you shouldn’t try to memorize . . . in-text citing4 authors (first citation)Signal phrase … Williams, Robinson, Smith, and Hu (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams, Robinson, Smith, & Hu, 2001, p. 13)

4 authors (subsequent citations)Signal phrase … Williams et al. (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams et al., 2001, p. 13) 5 authors (first citation)Signal phrase … Williams, Robinson, Smith, Hu, and Margt (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams, Robinson, Smith, Hu, & Margt, 2001, p. 13)

5 authors (subsequent citations)Signal phrase … Williams et al. (2001)*In the parentheses … (Williams et al., 2001, p. 13)

6 or more authors (first and subsequent citations)Signal phrase … Williams et al. (2001)* In the parentheses … (Williams et al., 2001, p. 13)* = do not forget the page number in the parentheses at the end!

Paraphrasing vs. Quoting Two ways to insert an idea into your paper

Direct quotation Requires author/date information requires a page number

Paraphrasing Requires author/date information Page number optional, but highly encouraged

(might be required by your professor)

Direct Quotation Example Examples with required page number

Interpreting these results, Robbins et al. (2003) suggested that the “therapists in dropout cases may have inadvertently validated parental negativity” (p. 541), contributing to an overall climate of negativity.

Author / date / page # in parentheses … and furthermore, “therapists in dropout cases

may have inadvertently validated parental negativity” (Robbins et al., 2003, p. 541), contributing to an overall climate of negativity.

What is paraphrasing? More than changing the word order

of a few words More than just summarizing

Synthesizing (putting together) the information

Expressing what you have learned to the reader

Paraphrasing Example Using a signal phrase for author / date to

begin the sentence has the advantage of letting your reader know in advance that it is not your idea(s), but parenthetical citations are okay, too.

Page number is optional but encouraged.

The researcher stated that the therapist might have seemed to take the parents’ side, which then caused the session to take a negative turn (Robbins et al., 2003, p. 541).

Unique phrases in paraphrases If you want to use a small unique phrase

from the original text within your paraphrase: The researcher stated that one of the issues

was a therapist who “inadvertently validated parental negativity” and thus caused the session to take a negative turn (Robbins et al., 2003, p. 541).

Paraphrasing Tips Re-read the text until you grasp its meaning Physically cover the text up! Re-write the quote from memory Look over your work:

Any unique phrases you would not normally use need to be put in quotes (with a page number!)

Try to use different words than the author did If it is close to the original idea, try again or ask

for help

Citing a source mentioned in the source you have

Williams stated that “Nursing is fun” (as cited in Kaymen, 2009, p. 245). Williams has the information you want to

state/quote, but you don’t have his article Kaymen is the text you have in your hands Kaymen is the text you include in your

reference list, because that is where you got the (secondary) information from, in case there is a discrepancy.

It is recommended that you try to find the original/primary source (Williams) rather than using the secondary source (Kaymen)

Two or more works in the same parentheses

If multiple items have the information, arrange in the parentheses by the order they would appear in the reference list: Several studies (Miller, 1999; Shafranske &

Mahoney, 1998) reinforce the claim… Exception: major citations which should

be consulted first by the reader: (Minor, 2001; see also Adams, 1999;

Storandt, 2007)

Personal Communication Private letters, interview, telephone

conversations, and etc. Sometimes includes online material, but be careful to make sure it is applicable for scholarly work. R. A. Bates (personal communication, March

18, 2007) T. K. Lithman (interview, April 2, 2012) As the information is not recoverable by the

reader, it is not included in the reference list, only the text of the paper.

Reference List Formatting Located at the end of your paper, on a

new page Every source in the paper has an entry One word at the top of the page,

centered:References

[Not bolded, italicized, or in quote marks]

Reference List Formatting Entries in alphabetical order by (the

first) author’s last name usually, or, if needed, the title of the work

Double spaced Hanging indents used for references of

2+ lines Cite the work of individuals whose ideas,

research, or theories have influenced your paper

Citing an item implies you have read it

Author info (all items) Two authors

Last Name, F. M., & Last Name, F. M. (1985). … Commas should separate last names and other

authors. There is also a comma before ampersands ( & )

Three to seven authors Last Name, F. M., Last Name, F. M., & Last Name, F.

M. (1985). More than seven authors

Last Name, A. A., Last Name, B. B., Last Name, C. C., Last Name, D. D., Last Name, E. E., Last Name, F. F., . . . Last Name, H. H. (1985).

Reference List - BooksLast Name, F. M. (Year). An italicized title with only the first word capitalized: Except proper nouns or after colons. Location of Publisher: Publisher.

Smith, T. S. (2004). Running home: An American sprinter’s story. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Jones, B. Y., & James, C. A. (Eds.). (2009). Geriatric physical therapy within the hospital. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.

Reference List - ArticlesLast Name, F. M., & Last Name, F. M. (Year). An

article title that is not italicized with only the first word capitalized: Except proper nouns or after colons. Name of Journal Italicized, vol#italicized(issue#), page#-page#. doi:##.######

EBSCOhost: ProQuest:(citation/abstract page)

Note: some articles might not have DOIs.

Reference List - Articles If the DOI is not available, you can use the URL of

the journal’s homepage instead: . . . vol#(issue#), page#-page#. Retrieved

from http://jopst.org

Or the name of the database (APA states only use this if that is what your professor wants).

. . . vol#(issue#), page#-page#. Retrieved from Academic Search Elite.

Article ExamplesSledziewski, L., Schaaf, R. C., & Mount, J. (2012). Preview

use of robotics in spinal cord injury: A case report. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 166(1), 51-8. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2012.000943

Passier, L. N., Nasciemento, M. P., Gesch, J. M., & Haines, T. P. (2010). Physiotherapist observation of head and neck alignment. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice, 26, 416-423. Retrieved from: http://www. informahealthcare.com/ptp

Note: If a journal uses continuous pagination (issue 1 is pg. 1 – 76, issue 2 is 77 – 183, etc.) you are not required to state the issue number in APA 6th, as shown in the 2nd example.

Note: Technically, example 1 comes from A.J.O.T., which also uses continuous pagination and thus the (1) should not be included.

Reference List - WebsitesLast Name, F. M. (Publication or last update

date). A website title with only the first word capitalized: Except proper nouns or after colons. Retrieved from: http://www.website.com

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2012, Jan. 9). NINDS stroke information page. Retrieved from: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm

Reference List - Websites No author – alphabetize by website title. No date – use n.d.

Stroke statistics. (2008, Nov. 30). Retrieved from: http:// nyp.org/health/neuro-strkstats.html

Stroke statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http:// nyp.org/health/neuro-strkstats.html

Reference List: MagazinesChamberlin, J., & Novotney, A., Packard, E., &

Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology, 39(5). Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/monitor/index.aspx

Magazines do not have DOIs, so use the magazine’s URL home page.

You probably won’t have a page number if you find it online. If you find it offline, you can use the page numbers instead of the retrieved from.

More help with APA Paper formatting video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pbUoNa5tyY Title: APA Format Citations-Sixth (6th)

Edition Username: peakdavid Occupation: University Professor, Media and

Communications APA Reference List Sample

http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/data/resources/references-sample.pdf

APA Sample Paperhttp://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf

APA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx