A REVIEW APA Information

There are three things you need to consider when putting together your paper in APA format. First, general format, or the paper setup; second, in text citations, and last, a reference page. We will cover these ideas one at a time.

General Format Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches) with margins of 1 inch on all sides. Remember, I provided a template that covers the basic setup for the title page, page numbers, and margins. Title page: Includes a running head for publication, title, and byline and affiliation. Page Numbers and Running Head: In the upper right-hand corner of each page, include a 1-2 word version of your title. Follow with five spaces and then the page number. IF YOU USE THE APA TEMPLATE I PROVIDED, AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS, YOU SHOULD GET THIS RIGHT EVERYTIME.

In Text Citations You must put an in-text citation after EACH SENTENCE where you quote a source directly, use factual information from a source, OR use ideas from a source. In the in-text citation, you must have the author’s last name, year of publication, and (when quoting directly) the page number the information came from. Paraphrases do not need to include the page number. Quoting, For example: (Smith, 2002, p. 9) Paraphrasing, For example: (Smith, 2002). When using an online source, you can substitute paragraph number for page number. For example: (Smith, 2002, para. 18)

Exceptions to These Rules If the author’s name is mentioned in the signal phrase, put the year after their name and the page number at the end of the sentence. For example: Robert Stein (2002) reported that Jefferson’s relationships with African-American women were well known to Washington and his associates (p. 6). If there is no author, which sometimes happens in the case of a web page, you will then skip to the title of the article and use that in text. For example, (Cats are better pets, 2002). In the reference page, you would also start with the title, and use that for the ABC order. Example: Cats are better. (2002). Etc. etc. etc.

More Exceptions If there is no date for a website, which also happens sometimes, you will enter n.d. for no date in text and in the reference page. Example: (Smith, n.d.). Reference page example: Smith, T. (n.d.). etc, etc, etc. If you find that you wish to quote a quote within a quote, you must refer to both authors. For example, let’s say Todd used a quote by Jacques Cousteau that is excellent, and you want to use it. You have to give Cousteau credit, and Todd credit. You would do so by doing this in text: (Cousteau, qtd. In Todd, 2002, p. 3). In the reference page, you only need to refer to Todd, since he is the source of your information. Example: Todd, L. (2002). Etc., etc. If you have a source with two authors, three authors, etc, you put both names in text and in the reference page. Example: (Smith & Brown, 2002). You do need to use & for and for the in text citations. In the reference page, you would put: Smith, T. and Brown, W. (2002). Etc., etc, etc.

More Exceptions If the point you are summarizing is not located on a specific page, but rather is a major idea brought up throughout the entire article/book, then you do not need to put a page number. When using a direct quote that is more than 40 words long, you indent it ½ an inch from the rest of the text. This becomes a “block quote.” At the end of the entire block quote, put the in-text citation. Remember to drop the quotation marks and INDENT the ENTIRE quote.

The Reference Page List of References: Create your list of references on its own page after the last page of your text. Center the title References one inch from the top of the page. Double space. Alphabetize the list of references by the last name of the authors. If the work has no author or editor, alphabetize the work by the first word of the title (excluding A, An, or The). On the reference page, you will list a separate entry for each book/article/other source you used in your paper. You ONLY list those sources that you actually have cited within the paper itself. List these reference entries in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name. In each entry, you indent any lines that come after the first line. Think of this as a reverse paragraph. -For each entry, there is always something italicized---the largest text being mentioned. For each entry, you always need the author’s last name, first initial, and year of publication. Other information is also needed, but varies according to the kind of source:

Reference Entries Reference entries are different depending on the type of source you are using. Here are a few of the more common sources:

Book Author’s last name, first initial. (year). Title of Book. City of Publication: Publishing Company. Smith, B. (2002). The history of mud: A treatise on geography. Boston: Bedford.

Journal Article Author’s last name, first initial. (year). Title of article. Title of journal. Vol (issue), Smith, B. (2002). The history of mud. Journal of Modern Psychology, 8(3),

Online Journal Article from an Academic Database Author’s last name, first initial. (year). Title of article. Title of journal. Vol (issue). Retrieved July 11, 2003 from Name of Academic Database (reference number) Smith, B. (2002). The history of mud. Journal of Modern Psychology, 8(3). Retrieved October 11, 2004 fromExpanded Academic ASAP (A ).

Online Journal from the General Internet Author’s last name, first initial. (year). Title of article. Title of journal. Vol (issue). Retrieved July 11, 2003 from Smith, B. (2002). The history of mud. Journal of Modern Psychology, 8(3). Retrieved October 11, 2004 from

Article, Web Page from the General Internet Author’s last name, first initial [or organization name, if that’s all that’s given]. (year). Title of article. Name of Website. Retrieved July 11, 2003 from Watson, C. (2004.). Cheney & Edwards wage aggressive battle. CNN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2004 from arlos.cleveland/index.html

Plagiarism As we study our courses, we come across many ideas and statements, from reading our books, journals, and presentations in class. However, it is not right to submit these ideas and statements as our own, and it is important to give credit, where credit is due, or else, we face stiff university penalties for plagiarism. Plagiarism means using others’ ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. Do you think that ideas can actually be stolen, as if it were a commodity?. We have laws that say yes, words and ideas can be stolen. Original ideas, even merely words and phrases, are viewed as intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Many kinds of expressions can be protected by copyright, as long as they are recorded in any way, such as through books, recordings, and online, and borrowing them through copying, without permission of writers and correct citation breaks copyright laws. Furthermore, these acts are viewed as plagiarism:

submitting someone else's writing as your own work replicating the words and ideas of others, without giving proper credit not putting direct quotations inside quotation marks, and then not being followed by the in-text citation or footnote/endnote giving false information about the source of the material changing some of the words, but retaining the sentence structure of the original work, and then not giving proper citation copying many or some words, with credit given or without proper citation

The vital steps in avoiding plagiarism entail understanding its root causes.This section provides a guideline in: being aware of the causes of plagiarism, recognizing the different causes of plagiarism, and incorporating plagiarism prevention strategies in your writing.

Paraphrasing Many students also do not know how to correctly paraphrase material. Paraphrasing means putting a work into their own words and making their work “more original,” even when it is based to some extent on the works of others. Students can plagiarize by changing the main thought of the original work so much, and also by not changing the words and order at all or too little. In order to resolve this problem, there can be exercises in writing paraphrases, and then determining which ones are still considered as plagiarized. Highlighting the differences between the two can help students determine when they are plagiarizing or not. Students must know that a paraphrase maintains the original idea, but not the style and structure of the original work.

Example This is an example of a paraphrasing exercise, and this is from page 1 of Lizzie Borden: A Case Book of Family and Crime in the 1890s by Joyce Williams et al.: Original: Industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) Paraphrase: The increase of industry, the growth of cities, and the explosion of the population were three large factors of nineteenth century America. As steam-driven companies became more visible in the eastern part of the country, they changed farm hands into factory workers and provided jobs for the large wave of immigrants. With industry came the growth of large cities like Fall River where the Bordens lived which turned into centers of commerce and trade as well as production This passage is considered plagiarized; the paraphrase is far too close to the original.

Original: Original: Industry, the growth of cities, and the expansion of the population were the three great developments of late nineteenth century American history. As new, larger, steam-powered factories became a feature of the American landscape in the East, they transformed farm hands into industrial laborers, and provided jobs for a rising tide of immigrants. With industry came urbanization the growth of large cities (like Fall River, Massachusetts, where the Bordens lived) Paraphrase: Fall River, where the Borden family lived, was typical of northeastern industrial cities of the nineteenth century. As steam-powered production shifted labor from agriculture to manufacturing, the demand for workers "transformed farm hands into industrial laborers," and created jobs for immigrants. In turn, growing populations increased the size of urban areas. Fall River was one of these hubs "which became the centers of production as well as of commerce and trade" (Williams,2004). This paraphrasing is good, because it documents original passages, cites the source, and puts quotation marks for directly quoted material, including the page number.