1. A presentation by the Writing Center
APA Style
A presentation by the Writing Center

2. What is APA style? The style of the American Psychological Association
APA style is used by:
psychology classes
social sciences classes

3. Why use APA style? Avoid plagiarism
must cite quotations and borrowed ideas
information borrowed word for word must be in quotation marks
summaries and paraphrases must be in your own words

4. In-text citations
Establish source’s credibility by using his or her name
No “dropped quotes” – quotes that are just dropped into a paragraph without identifying where information is coming from
Each needs to correspond to an entry on the Works Cited page

5. In-text examples (Smith, 1999, p. 33).
punctuation follows closing parenthesis
If no author: (“Many People,” 1999, p. 33).
If no page number: (Smith, 1999).
If no date: (Smith, n.d., p. 33).
If more than one author for one item: (Smith & Johnson, 1999, p. 33).

6. Works Cited entries

7. Books
Last Name, First Name. (Year). Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher.
Example: Smith, John. (1999). Many People, Many Faiths. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Books with edition numbers: Smith, John. (1999). Many People, Many Faiths (2nd ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Books with editors: Smith, John (Ed.). (1999). Many People, Many Faiths. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

8. Newspaper or magazine articles
Always consider credibility of source – for example, an article from The New York Times is usually more reliable than an article from Cosmo
Last Name, First Name. (Year, Month Date). Article Title. Newspaper or Magazine Title, pp. Section and Page Number.
Example: Smith, John. (2001, February 13). Many People, Many Faiths. The New York Times, pp. A1.

9. Scholarly journals
Last Name, First Name. (Year). Article Title. Journal Title, Volume Number(Issue Number), Page Numbers.
Example: Smith, John. (1999) Many People, Many Faiths. Language 11(3),

10. Web sites
Again, always consider reliability of source. For example, a newspaper, journal, or university site is more trustworthy than “Joe’s Homepage.” Always check the author of your material.
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. (Date of Publication). Section or Page on Web Site. In Overall Web Site. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from Address
Example: Smith, John. (May 19, 2004). Hinduism. Many People, Many Faiths. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from

11. References
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers (5th ed.).
OR A Pocket Style Manual (4th ed.).
Web sites:
NMU Library’s site:
Writing Center’s site:

12. Formatting the paper

13. Page numbers Upper right hand corner of page
Start on cover page; first page of text will be page 2
Should include a shortened version of your title
Insert > Page Numbers > Upper Right > Double click on page numbers in document to add shortened title
Example: Dolphins and Language 1

14. Headings Cover page: Dolphins and Language: What Do They Understand?
(begin halfway down the page)
Dolphins and Language:
What Do They Understand?
(return halfway down the rest of the page)
Jane Doe
(return to bottom of the page)
EN 111, Section A
Professor Johnson
March 2, 2001

15. Works Cited page Page numbers should continue from main body of paper
Double space, with no extra returns between entries
Hanging indent: Second line of entry (and any following lines) should be indented
Alphabetize entries
“References” should be centered on first line of page
No italics, bold, underlining or font type or size change

16. Other formatting issues
White paper
1-inch margins
Double space
Basic font, like Times New Roman
12-point text
Key is readability

17. The Writing Center Contact us: Hours: M-R 10-4 & 6-9, Sun. 1-5
x2683
LRC 111G
Hours: M-R 10-4 & 6-9, Sun. 1-5
Closed finals week
Remember that finals week = long waiting lines