Katrina G. Figgett Potomac Falls High School November 2006

What is MLA Format?  Described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  Used in Psychology and other sciences  Covers:  content  organization  writing style  references

What is Different about APA Format?  Write to a strict format  Simple sentence structure  Use third person  Never use the words “proof” or “proves”, instead use phrases such as “the evidence supports…”

General Layout  Typed and double-spaced  Margins of 1” on all sides  Title page  Number pages in top right corner preceded by a running head (a shortened form of the title)  Page numbering begins with the title page  Use only one space after punctuation marks

Title Page  Header  Page number  Title – centered in middle of page  Author’s name  Place of research The title page is always page 1, and the pages are numbered sequentially.If the paper is to be published, the running head (a shortened form of the title), is stated on the title page as shown. Teenage Anxiety 1 Running Head: TEENAGE ANXIETY Teenage Anxiety and Peer Pressure John A. Doe Potomac Falls High School The title page must contain the following information:

Sections for a Science Report  Title page  Abstract  Introduction  Method  Results  Discussion  References

Why use APA Format?  Consistency  Cross- referencing  Credibility  Accountability  Avoids plagiarism

Parenthetical Citations  Quoting words not your own, i.e. repeating word for word in quotation marks  Summarizing facts from another source  Paraphrasing a source Use When: Provide:  Author’s last name and year of publication in the text  Full citation information in the Works Cited list

Parenthetical Citation Examples Monroe (1996) states that “phobics need to learn about their mental health problem”. Or Before they use self help methods “phobics need to learn about their mental health problem” (Monroe, 1996).

Handling Citations in Text  If there are two authors cite both names for every reference Brown and Smith (2005) found or in a recent study (Brown & Smith, 2005)  If there are more than two, cite them all for the first reference and then use the first author followed by et al. Brown, Smith and Davis (2006) found then Brown et al. (2006) found  If there are more than six, cite only the first followed by et al.

Handling Citations in Text  If you reference a work more than once within a paragraph do not include the year in the parenthetical citation as long as the work cannot be confused with any other  If the source has no author use an abbreviated form of the title i.e. “Bridges and Borders Diversity in America” cite as (“Bridges and Borders,” 1994)  If you are citing from a specific part of a book remember to include the chapter or page number after the date (Brown & Smith, 2006, p.324)

Reference Page  Separate page  Titled – References  First line of entry flush with the margin – subsequent lines indented  Double spaced  Alphabetize by the first word in each entry – usually author’s last name

Reference Page Author(s) [ Last name, initials, and, last name, initials]. (Year of publication). Title: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher. Monograph Monroe, J. (1996). Phobias: Everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask. Springfield, N.J.: Enslow.

Reference Page Article on Website Author [last name, initials]. (Date of.Publication). Title of article.Title of periodical, volume number (issue number). Retrieved month day, year, from address. Benson, P.L., & Roehlkepartain, E. (1993, March). Youth violence in middle America. Midwest forum, 3(1). Retrieved February 24, 2004, from org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/drugfree/3-1youth.htm

Reference Page Online Databases  Follow the format appropriate for the work retrieved  Add a retrieval statement giving the date and the name of the database  Retrieved month day, year, from (name of) database

References Leary, M. (2004,July/August). Get over yourself! Psychology Today, 37, Periodical Author(s). (Year, month,day of publication) Title of article. Title of periodical, volume number, pages.

Where to Find More Information Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5 th ed. OWL website: APA crib sheet

Bibliography Baron, A. (2003). Bud’s easy research paper computer manual (5 th ed.). (2001). Larchmont, NY: Lawrence House Publishers Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5 th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Purdue University. (2004). Using American Psychological Association (APA) format (updated to 5 th edition). Retrieved February 24, 2006 from _apa.html.