1. Understanding APA Format for Papers

2. Objectives Learn what APA format is
Identify the basic guidelines of APA format
Describe the four main elements of an APA-style paper.
Explain how to format each element of an APA-style paper.
Objectives
This presentation will give you the opportunity to:
Learn what APA format is
Identify the basic guidelines of APA format
Describe the four main elements of an APA-style paper.
Explain how to format each element of an APA-style paper.

3. What is APA? American Psychological Association
Most commonly used format for manuscripts in the Social Sciences. Updated information on APA Website
Provides method for crediting sources used for research methods.
APA stands for the American Psychological Association. APA style is the most commonly used format for papers in the Social Sciences—business, economics, psychology, sociology, nursing, etc. The most up to date information can be found on the APA
APA format provides is a method for referencing sources. This system allows readers to locate the publications used in your research. It is important to give credit to the writers for their material. This is how you can avoid plagiarism by documenting where you located the information you used.

4. APA General Guidelines
Third person
Example: The study indicated that chocolate promotes good health.
Avoid using “I” or “you”
Active voice
Example: Mike must have eaten 5 hamburgers.
Clear and concise language
Be specific,
Avoid metaphors and figurative language
APA style requires the use of third person in an APA paper.
An example of third person would be: The study indicated that chocolate promotes good health.
You should also write using an active voice. This means the subject is the one doing the verb.
An example of an active voice would be: Mike must have eaten 5 hamburgers. Passive voice would be: Five hamburgers were eaten by Mike.
Use clear and concise language. Balance clarity (providing details) and conciseness (keeping it brief). To achieve clarity, avoid vague wording and be specific in descriptions and explanations. To achieve conciseness, a writer should condense information. Use plain and simple language, avoid metaphors, and minimize the use of figurative language.

5. Paper Format Standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”)
Typed, double-spaced, with spaces after punctuation between sentences.
Standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”)
1-inch margins on all sides
10-12 pt. Times New Roman or similar font
Page header with:
Short title on upper-left side of every page
Page number in upper right corner of every page.
An APA style essay should be typed and double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”) with 1” margins on all sides. Times New Roman or a similar font in pt. size should be used for easier reading. The document should include a page header indicating a short title of the essay on the upper-left side of every page, and a page number in the upper right side of every page including the title page.

6. Your essay should include four major sections:
References
Your essay should include four major sections:
Main Body
Abstract
Title page
An APA paper has four major sections: a title page, abstract (be sure to ask your instructor if they require an abstract, some do not) , main body, and a list of references. Each has a specific format and should include certain elements.

7. Title Page Running Head Page number Title
Author’s name and affiliation
The title page, which is the first page of your paper, will contain the following information:
a page number
a running head for publication
a title.
Your Name
School affiliation
To create a running head for publication, type Running Head: ABBREVIATED TITLE on the first line, flush-left, with a maximum of 60 characters. Note: Although a running head section is required for manuscripts submitted for publication, it is an optional sections for student papers. Ask your instructor if they require this.

8. Abstract Page Heading (“Abstract”)
Page header (do NOT include “running head” in the header after the title page)
Abstract
The abstract page consists of a page header, a heading, and a brief summary of the paper accurately presenting its contents.
Type the heading –Abstract– centered at the top of the page. Below that, type the paragraph of the paper summary (between 150 and 250 words) in block format, without indentation. The abstract may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings, as well as keywords associated with your topic.
Keywords

9. Main Body (Text)
Typed, double-spaced, with spaces after punctuation between sentences.
Type the title of the paper centered, at the top of the page
Type the text double-spaced with all sections following each other without a break
Identify the sources you use in the paper in parenthetical in-text citations
For the text:
Make sure that the first text page is page number 3 (page#1 is a title page, page #2 is an abstract page).
Start with typing the essay title centered, at the top of the page.
Type the text double-space with all sections following each other without a break. Do not use white space between paragraphs.
Create parenthetical in-text citations to identify the sources used in the paper.

10. In-Text Citations
Use whenever you include information from another source.
In parentheses, include:
Author’s name and date of publication
Ten minutes of sunshine a day will increase your vitamin D levels. (Johnson 2009)
For quotations and close paraphrases, also provide a page number
Johnson (2009) states that receiving sunshine for ten minutes each day will increase your vitamin D levels.
In-text citations help establish credibility of the writer, show respect to someone else’s intellectual property (and consequently, avoid plagiarism). More practically, in-text citations help readers locate the cited source in the references page. This is an example of what an in text citation will look like.

11. References Page Heading (“References”) Page header Sources
The references page will list all of the sources used for your paper. It should include the heading—References— centered at the top of the page and double-spaced reference entries.
Flush left the first line of each entry and indent subsequent lines in the same entry. Order entries alphabetically by the author’s surnames. If a source is anonymous, treat its title as an author’s surname.

12. Reference Guidelines Invert author names
Alphabetize the list by author’s last name
Capitalize only:
First letter of first letter of first word of title and subtitle
First word after colon or dash in title
Proper nouns
Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around titles of shorter works in collections.
Invert authors’ names (last name first followed by initials).
Alphabetize reference list by the authors last name.
Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word.
Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections.

13. Summary
Images from here: Use these or make something similar.
It is important to correctly identify the type of source: e.g., Is it an article from a newspaper or from a scholarly journal? Hard copy or electronic version? Once you know the sources, look at samples of similar references on the APA website or other source and model your reference list after them.
There is a citation feature available through the electronic library in your course.
APA is a complex system of citation, and you’re not expected to remember it all, but you are expected to use it! To minimize confusion, refer to the APA website or other online and print sources. Templates for all parts of APA papers are also available—just do a search!

14. The End Writer and Designer: Jennifer Liethen Kunka
Contributors: Muriel Harris, Karen Bishop, Bryan Kopp, Matthew Mooney, David Neyhart, and Andrew Kunka
Revising Author: Elena Lawrick, 2008
Developed with resources courtesy of the Purdue University Writing Lab
Grant funding courtesy of the Multimedia Instructional Development Center at Purdue University
© Copyright Purdue University, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008