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 spacing5.03 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 page5.15

• 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 page1.07 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

Citations3.94 – 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 sources4.16: 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 list4.16, 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

RTFMRead 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!