American Psychological Association (APA) Format Learning Resource Center Loyola Marymount University

What is APA format? APA =American Psychological Association’s Guidelines Formatting & Organizing Papers Formatting & Organizing Papers Writing Style: clear & concise, avoid use of “I”, reduce bias Writing Style: clear & concise, avoid use of “I”, reduce bias Punctuation, abbreviations, capitalization, numbers, headings, etc. Punctuation, abbreviations, capitalization, numbers, headings, etc.

APA format… Manuscript preparation for publication Manuscript preparation for publication Documentation of sources Documentation of sources –Citations within text –Reference List at end of text Followed by fields in the social sciences: psychology, education, communication studies. Followed by fields in the social sciences: psychology, education, communication studies. Sample of Title Page:

Why document sources? Allows you to trace the logic of your argument in the literature review Allows you to trace the logic of your argument in the literature review Gives you credibility as a writer Gives you credibility as a writer

Why document sources? Allows readers to locate your sources easily for their own research Allows readers to locate your sources easily for their own research Protects yourself from plagiarism Protects yourself from plagiarism

When should you use a parenthetical citation? When paraphrasing or summarizing an idea from another source. Include… Author’s last name and year of publication only Examples: 1. McLeod (2001) presents a historical overview of the reform movement, Writing Across the Curriculum. 2.The Writing Across the Curriculum movement began in the 1970s as faculty felt a need to do something about the declining writing ability of college freshman (McLeod, 2001).

Use a parenthetical citation… When directly quoting from a source. Include… –Author’s last name, year of publication and page number of quote –Be sure to quote accurately word for word. Examples: 1. “Greenhill librarians have discovered that the library project pages have been a crucial aid in mapping information-literacy curriculum” (Terry & Spear, 2003, p. 19). 2.According to Terry and Spear (2003), “Greenhill librarians have discovered that the library project pages have been a crucial aid in mapping information-literacy curriculum” (p. 19).

Short Quotations If the source you are quoting is fewer than 40 words, incorporate it into your text and use quotation marks. She stated, “The ‘placebo effect’ … disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner” (Miele, 1993, p. 276), but she did not clarify which behaviors were studied. She stated, “The ‘placebo effect’ … disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner” (Miele, 1993, p. 276), but she did not clarify which behaviors were studied. Example from APA, 2001, p. 118

Long Quotations If the source you are quoting is 40 or more words, start it on a new line and indent the entire quote ½ in. from the margin. Do not use quotation marks and double space. Miele (1993) found the following: The “placebo effect”, which had been verified in previous studies, disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner. Furthermore, the behaviors were never exhibited again even when reel [sic] drugs were administered. Earlier studies were clearly premature in attributing the results to a placebo effect. (p. 276) Example from APA, 2001, p. 118

Quotations  Be stingy; use direct quotes sparingly.  Change in voice results from over quoting.  Use when paraphrasing cannot capture the authenticity of the source.

How do you cite more problematic sources? 3-5 authors. Cite all authors first time mentioned. 3-5 authors. Cite all authors first time mentioned. –(Tate, Rupiper & Schick, 2001); thereafter cite only (Tate et al., 2001) 6 or more authors 6 or more authors –(Kosslyn et al., 1996) more than 1 author with same last name more than 1 author with same last name – (M. Collins & S. Collins, 2004)

Problematic sources… Problematic sources… 2 or more works in same parentheses: alphabetical by author’s last name 2 or more works in same parentheses: alphabetical by author’s last name –(Balda, 1980; Kamil, 1988; Pepperberg & Funk, 1990) specific parts of a source when no page number specific parts of a source when no page number –(Shimamura, 1989, chap. 3) or (Beutler, 2000, Conclusion section, para.1) source with no author, use abbreviated version of title source with no author, use abbreviated version of title –(“US Students,” 2003) reference to personal communication reference to personal communication –(M. Baltodano, personal communication, May 26, 2004)

Problematic sources… When referring to a work mentioned in a secondary source, give the author’s name of the work you are quoting or paraphrasing. Cite the secondary source name and year and page number (if direct quote) in the parentheses. When referring to a work mentioned in a secondary source, give the author’s name of the work you are quoting or paraphrasing. Cite the secondary source name and year and page number (if direct quote) in the parentheses.Examples: Hawkins was the first to study the long term effects of abuse (as cited in Caruso et al., 2003). Hawkins’ study found “no evidence of mistreatment by the counselors” (as cited in Caruso et al., 2003, p. 49).

Reference Page alphabetical listing of all retrievable sources named in paper alphabetical listing of all retrievable sources named in paper provides author name, title and publication information necessary for reader to locate and retrieve provides author name, title and publication information necessary for reader to locate and retrieve Sample Reference Page:

Some examples of how to Reference Books Books Tate, G., Rupiper, A., & Schick, K. (2001). A guide to composition pedagogies. New York: Oxford University Press. Article in journal Article in journal Murray, J.E. (2004). Literacy acquisition in an orphanage: A historical-longitudinal case study. American Journal of Education, 110,

Reference Examples cont. Reference Examples cont. Internet Article based on a print source Internet Article based on a print source Terry, M. & Spear, D. (2003). Connecting the classroom and the library [Electronic version]. Multimedia School, 10(4), Web page Web page Delaney, B. (1998, November 23). Alcohol still top health risk to college students. Cable News Network. Retrieved December16, 2003, from Delaney, B. (1998, November 23). Alcohol still top health risk to college students. Cable News Network. Retrieved December16, 2003, from Source with no known author Source with no known author US students improve writing skills, reading skills stagnant. (2003). Society, 40(6), 6-8.

Sample Paper Click on the link for a sample of a student paper written in APA style. Click on the link for a sample of a student paper written in APA style. *Note, for more complex citations and references not shown in the sample paper, please refer to the Publication Manual of the APA. Psych tutoring\Louise's psych paper for web.doc Psych tutoring\Louise's psych paper for web.doc Reprinted with permission of the author.

Where can I get more help? Learning Resource Center, Daum Hall, 2 nd floor, Learning Resource Center, Daum Hall, 2 nd floor, –ask for APA style writing tutor Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Writing reference handbooks, for example, A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker. Writing reference handbooks, for example, A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker. Online resources Online resources Consult your professor Consult your professor