1. APA Style for Students
By Kate Cottle

2. What is APA? A style of formatting papers A way to note sources
Consistency
A way to level the playing field
A way to note sources
Sources are any outside information that you use in your projects
Noting sources is a two step process
In-text citation: within the body of the paper
References page: a list at the end of your sources

3. APA…
…is just one type of style. You may worked with MLA or Chicago Style in other settings.
We use APA here because it is the style used in social sciences and nursing.

4. APA Style There are three main aspects to APA Manuscript Style
Formatting choices
Editorial Style
MUGs (Mechanics, Usage and Grammar)
Sourcing: noting where you got your information
In-text citations
References

5. Manuscript Style This is how the paper looks. Margins: 1 inch
Spacing: double spaced
Paragraphs begin with indents
Font: 12 point, serif font (Times New Roman)
Header:
In the upper margin of the page
On the left, a shortened version of the title.
On the right, a page number.

6. Editorial Style MUGs Mechanics Usage
Punctuation
Capitalization
Numbers
Usage
Active Voice
Agreement
Grammar (actually mechanics and usage)
Punctuation: 2 spaces after end-of-sentence punctuation. Capitalization: normal in the body text, but book and article titles are mostly lower case in the References. Numbers: and beginning of sentence are spelled out; other numbers are numerated.

7. Editorial Style Word Choice Jargon Colloquialisms Biased Language
Specific
Noun Clusters: DNREC (Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control); Jargon: I talk about “sponge activities” in education; Colloquialisms: what drives you the craziest?; Specificity: a lot, things, etc.; Biased Language: ageism, racism, ethnocentrism, sexism

8. Sourcing
When you write research papers, you have to both use and acknowledge outside information.
All outside sources must noted, whether you have incorporated the information as a quote, a paraphrase, or a summary.
All sources that have in-text citations should also have an entry on the References page.

9. Sourcing Sourcing is a two-part process.
In-text citations are short entries of author’s name (or a shortened version of the title if not author), date of publication, and a page or paragraph number.
The references page contains the longer, more informative entries that a person could use to find your source.
Both kinds of entries have consistent information that would allow your reader to find that material.

10. (Sparrow, 2005, p. 187) In-Text Citation
The entry will consist of four parts
Parentheses
Author’s name
Date of publication
Page number or paragraph number (if a quote rather than a paraphrase or summary)
(Sparrow, 2005, p. 187)

11. In-Text Citation
These go in your sentence as close as possible to the end of the outside material, but still where the reference fits in best.
If your quote/ paraphrase ends at the end of the sentence, that is where the citation will go.
Many people have discussed the topic, but the ultimate authority said, “Aaaarrrr, they be landlubbers” (Sparrow, 2005, p. 187).
If your quote/ paraphrase ends at the middle of the sentence, that is where the citation will go or you can split it so it flows better.
Sparrow (2005) wrote, “Aaaarrrr, they be landlubbers,” in opposition to many experts (p. 187).

12. References Page
Once you have cited something in the body of your paper, it must go into your References page.
This page is double spaced and each entry has a hanging indent
A hanging indent means that the first line of the entry is on the left margin and every entry after that is a half inch in.
This page is alphabetized by author.
If no author, then listed alphabetically by title.

13. References Page
There are many variations of entries, based on the source.
To determine what information is necessary, first think about what type of source you are looking at.
Book?
Newspaper?
Online journal article?

14. References Page
Once you have determined what your source is, look in the APA Style Manual (6th ed.) for the information that you will need.
Most often this includes:
Author name
Data of publication
Name of article
Name of book/ journal/ newspaper
Website or database

15. Resources APA Style Manual, 6th Edition
Make sure it is the revision: the second printing
Pocket Guide to APA Style by Robert Perrin
Purdue OWL
APA Paper Template
Writing Resources Website