1. NUR 103 Professional Foundations
APA
NUR 103
Professional Foundations

2. Purpose
Provides a framework for organizing scholarly writing and references.
Provides guidelines for sound communication principles.
Supports Bellin College – School of Nursing Program Outcome #4: Upon completion of our program, the graduate will use effective interpersonal and technological communication in the provision of nursing care.
Supports Bellin College – School of Nursing program goal of preparing graduates for advanced study.

3. Resources
Bellin College requires all papers and references be submitted in APA format
Primary resource is the APA manual, 6th ed. (2010)
Other resources: APA website,
There are some computer programs that provide APA formatting:
Microsoft 2007
Purchase products

4. Look for the reference tab in 2007, then the citations & bibliography section.
Select APA as your style choice

5. General Guidelines All pages are typed with 1” margins on all 4 sides
Left margin is justified
Page number: upper right corner beginning with page 1 on the title page
All text is double spaced
Acceptable font: Times New Roman and 12 pt font

6. Title Page Required Elements Running head: Brief title Title of paper
Max 50 characters
Top of the title page, flush left, directly across or one line below the page number
Title of paper
Max 12 words
Concise statement of the main topic of the paper/article
Upper and lower case letters, no abbreviations
Centered, in upper third of the title page
Student Name (first name, middle initial, last name) (no titles)
College Name

7. One of the changes with the 6th edition involved the running head
One of the changes with the 6th edition involved the running head. On the title page – it is formatted as shown.
For subsequent pages, the words running head are deleted and just the caps are placed on. To accomplish that – go to insert, page header, design, and click different first page

8. Abstract
Abstract is course-specific. Some faculty may require an abstract, whereas other faculty will not. Clarify need with faculty if not specified.
An abstract is a brief and comprehensive summary of the paper/article. An abstract can be the most important piece of a paper/article as it allows the reader to quickly survey the contents of the paper/article and decide whether to read the paper/article or not.
Key components of an abstract are on Section 2.04, pg 25-27

9. Body of Paper
Repeat the title of the paper centered at the top of the first page of text
Running head and page numbers should occur on each page of the paper (starting on title page, page 1)
Headings should be used for organization and easier reading…Section 3.02, pg 62

10. Note:
You will need to reenter the new header and reinsert page number on page 2. From then on it will work automatically

11. Body of Paper - Headings
APA consists of 5 possible formatting arrangements:
Level 1- Centered, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading
Level 2- Flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading
Level 3- Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
Level 4- Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
Level 5- Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
Section 3.03, pg 62-63

13. In text Citations - 1 Author
Section 6.11, pg 174 begins in-text citation
Cite the surname of the author and the year every time the reference occurs in text:
Kessler (2003) found that among nursing textbooks…
Early use results in improved retention (Kessler, 2003).
In 2003, Kessler’s study of nursing textbooks showed that…
Do not add first name, initials or suffixes (such as Jr.)
Include only the year (not the month) in the citation

14. In text Citations - 2 Authors
Section 6.12, pg 175
Cite the surnames of both authors and the year every time the reference occurs in text:
York and Smith (2007) examined a variety of students…
Nursing students were found to be the most caring (York & Smith, 2007).
Do not connect names of authors with a comma
(York, Smith, 2007)
List multiple authors in the order they are listed in the source

15. In text Citations – 3 to 5 Authors
Section 6.12, pg 175
Cite the surnames of all authors and the year the FIRST time the reference occurs in text:
Berman, Snyder, Kozier, and Erb (2008) demonstrated several ways to communicate…
Therapeutic communication was found to be most effective (Berman, Snyder, Kozier, & Erb, 2008).
Cite the surname of the first author, followed by et al. and the year with each SUBSEQUENT in-text reference:
Berman et al. (2008) discovered nonverbal behaviors…
Smiling was the most important nonverbal behavior (Berman et al., 2008).

16. In text Citations – 6 or more Authors
Section 6.12, pg 175 – 176
Cite the surname of the first author, followed by et al. and the year EVERY TIME the reference occurs in text:
Monroe et al. (2010) observed hospitalized patients…
Patients were surveyed about the care they received (Monroe et al., 2010).
If two references have 6 or more authors, the names of as many authors as necessary should be cited in order to distinguish the two references from one another

17. Personal Communication
Section 6.20, pg 179
Private letters, memos, some electronic communications ( s, messages from discussion groups or electronic bulletin boards), personal interviews, telephone conversations
Personal communications are cited in-text only, not on the reference page!
Cite the initials and the surname if the author and provide an exact date if possible:
“Teaching is so rewarding,” (M. Rolloff, personal communication, September 28, 2006).
M. Rolloff (personal communication, September 28, 2006) found that teaching…

18. Reference Page Section 2.11, pg 37 Format
Center the word References on a new page at the end of the paper/article.
Double space all entries. Do not add additional spaces between entries.
List references in alphabetical order by lead author.
Hanging indentation of all references: First line of reference is flush left, subsequent lines are indented.
Initials only of authors first and middle name (no credentials).
List all authors up to 6 authors. After 6 abbreviate remaining authors with et al.

19. Journal References Section 7.01, pg 198-202 Example:
Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Cheung, S. P., Sloane, D. M. & Silber, J. H.
(2003). Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical
mortality. Journal of Hospital Nursing, 290(12),
Article title: Capitalize first word of journal article
Journal title: Capitalize main words & italicize the title, volume number
Place issue number in parentheses
List the pages by number
End with a period

20. Book References Section 7.02, pg 202-205 Example:
Berman, A., Snyder, S. J., Kozier, B. & Erb, G. L. (2008). Fundamentals
of nursing: Concepts, process, and practice. (8th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, N. J.: Pearson Education, Inc.
Book: Capitalize first word & italicize the title
Place edition in parentheses, do not italicize
Always use the city of publication, abbreviated state
Include the publisher/publishing company
End with a period

21. Electronic References
Section 6.31, pg 187 – 192 and Chapter 7 pg 193 – 224
In general, include the same elements as you would for an article or journal and as much electronic retrieval information as possible
At a minimum, a reference of an Internet source should include:
A document title or description
A date (either a date of publication or update or the date of retrieval)
URL address
Whenever possible – include the authors as well

22. Reference Examples Examples:
Aiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Cheung, S. P., Sloane, D. M. & Silber, J. H. (2003).
Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical mortality. JAMA, 290
(12),
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (1996). The essentials of Master's education for advanced practice nursing. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from
Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.

23. Conclusion
I hope this PowerPoint was helpful for you! It is not all-inclusive, however, so remember to use your textbook: APA manual, 6th ed. (2010) and the APA website: to assist you with additional questions…