APA STYLE

Manual

APA STYLE
American Psychological Association (APA) style is a widely accepted style of documentation,
particularly in the social sciences. APA style refers not only to how one should format references
and in-text citations, but also specifies how to organize and lay out entire documents: the order of
headings, the arrangement of tables, figures, footnotes, and appendices, as well as other
manuscript and documentation features.
DOCUMENT GUIDELINES
General
______ Margins: The margins must be 25 MM (one inch) on all sides (top, bottom, left, right).
______ Font Size and Type: The font must be 12-pt. Times New Roman or Courier. (Ive always
used Ariel, and have received no complaints.)
______ Spacing: The document must be double-spaced throughout the whole paper.
______ Alignment: Left (NOT justified!)
______ Paragraphs: The paragraphs must be indented 5-7 spaces on the first line (about 7mm).
______ Paging: The page number must appears 25mm (one inch) from the right edge of the paper
in the header of every page, beginning with the title page.
______ Page Header: An abbreviated version of the paper's title must appear five spaces to the
left of the page number on every page, beginning with the title page. Use headline style
(This means that the first letter of each important word should be capitalized. Example:
The World in Focus).
Body
______ Paging: The body of the paper begins on page 2 (page 3 if an abstract is included).
______ Subsections of the body of the paper DO NOT begin on new pages.
______ Title: The title of the paper is centered above the introductory text. Use headline style.
______ Introduction: The introduction begins on the line following the paper title; the introduction is
not labeled.
______ Headings: Center main headings. Use headline style.
Subheadings: Use italicized font and left align. Use headline style.
Sub-subheadings: Use italicized font and align left. Use sentence style. End with a
period.
EXAMPLE:
Learning APA Style
Citing Books
Citing Articles in Periodicals
Articles in a magazine.
Articles in a newspaper.
References
______ The References section begins on a new page.
______ Heading: References (centered on the first line)
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______ Format: The references begin on the line following the References heading. References
must be double spaced with a hanging indent.

REFERENCE LIST (GENERAL)

Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the information necessary
for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you
cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must
be cited in your text.
Your references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay; label this page
References (with no quotation marks, underlining, etc.), centered at the top of the page. It should
be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay.
BOOKS: For the titles of books, use italics and "sentence-style" capitalization. This means that for
a title only the first word, all proper nouns, and the first word after an internal colon are to be
capitalized.
Example: How to make money in French and German stocks: Your personal guide
MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS: Use italics and "headline" style capitalization. This means that
the first letter of each important word should be capitalized.
Example: The World in Focus
ARTICLES: For the titles of magazine and journal articles, do not use underlining, italics, or
quotation marks. Use "sentence-style" capitalization.
Example:
No:
No:
No:

Jobs in jeopardy: How to survive in today's climate

Jobs in jeopardy: How to survive in today's climate
Jobs in jeopardy: How to survive in today's climate
Jobs in jeopardy: How to survive in today's climate

FORMAT: All references must be double spaced and have a hanging indent, i.e. the second and
all following lines in a reference must be indented 5-7 spaces in from the first line. Example:
Gibbons, A. (1991). Bananas at 12:00 oclock: Chimp-language wars. Journal of
Contemporary Animal Ethics, 251, 261-262.

REFERENCE LIST: BOOKS

Basic Format for Books
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle.
Location: Publisher.
Note: For "Location," you should always list the city, but you should also include the state if the city
is unfamiliar or if the city could be confused with one in another state.
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for
journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. Editor &
B. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. of chapter). Location: Publisher.
O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys:
Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.),
Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). New York: Springer.
Note: When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp."
before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page
numbers in periodical references (except for newspapers).

Edition Other Than the First

Helfer, M. E., Keme, R. S., & Drugman, R. D. (1997). The battered child (5th ed.).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
A Translation
Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on probabilities. (F. W. Truscott & F.
L. Emory, Trans.). New York: Dover. (Original work published 1814).
Note: When you cite a republished work in your text (like the one above) it should appear with
both dates: Laplace (1814/1951).

Multivolume Work
Wiener, P. (Ed.). (1973). Dictionary of the history of ideas (Vols. 1-4). New York: Scribner's.
EXERCISE: Write correct references for three or four books.

REFERENCE LIST: ARTICLES IN PERIODICALS

Basic Form
APA style dictates that authors are named last name followed by initials; publication year goes
between parentheses, followed by a period. The title of the article is in sentence-case, meaning
only the first word and proper nouns in the title are capitalized. The periodical title is run in title
case, and is followed by the volume number which, with the title, is also italicized.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of
Periodical, volume number(issue number), pages.
Article in Journal Paginated by Issue
Paginated by issue means that the pages in every new issue of the journal start at 1; therefore,
the issue number gets indicated in parentheses after the volume. The parentheses and issue
number are not italicized or underlined.
Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(30), 5-13.
Article in Journal Paginated by Volume
Paginated by volume means that page numbers run across multiple issues. That is, Issue #1
may have 135 pages in it, numbered 1 to 135. Issue #2 will continue where Issue #1 left off, and
begin numbers its pages at 136 to, say, 312. Then the pages in Issue #3 might be numbered 313450. Etc.
Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology journal articles.
Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 55, 893-896.
Article in a Magazine
Henry, W. A., III. (1990, April 9). Making the grade in today's schools. Time, 135,
28-31.
Article in a Newspaper
Unlike other periodicals, p. or pp. precedes page numbers for a newspaper reference in APA style.
Single pages take p., e.g., p. B2; multiple pages take pp., e.g., pp. B2, B4 or pp. C1, C3-C4.
Schultz, S. (2005, December 28). Calls made to strengthen state energy policies.
The Country Today, (New York, NY), pp. 1A, 2A.

Review
Baumeister, R. F. (1993). Exposing the self-knowledge myth [Review of the book
The self-knower: A hero under control ]. Contemporary Psychology, 38,
466-467.
EXERCISE: Write correct references for three or four periodicals.

REFERENCE LIST: OTHER PRINT SOURCES

An Entry in An Encyclopedia
Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyclopedia britannica (Vol. 26,
pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
Secondary Work Discussed in an Original Source
In the text, both the secondary source and the original source are mentioned. For example, you
may have read an article by Curtis (below). In that article, a study by Seidenberg was mentioned.
You want to talk about that study in your paper. So: in your text, mention Seidenbergs study and
then cite Curtis:
In Seidenbergs study (as cited in Curtis, 1993), ...
List only Curtis in the references:
Curtis, B. (1993). Models of reading aloud: Dual-route and parallel-distributedprocessing approaches. Psychological Review, 100, 589-608.

REFERENCE LIST: ELECTRONIC SOURCES

For an excellent overview of on-line citation and referencing conventions, see
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html.
Web Pages
List as much of the following information as possible (you sometimes have to hunt around to find
the information; don't be lazy! If there is no author, begin with the subject.
Author, A. A. OR subject. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved
month day, year (only if the text may potentially change over time), from
http://Web address
The Amish, the Mennonites, and the Plain People. (n.d.). Retrieved May 30, 2000 from
Pennsylvania Dutch Country Welcome Center Web site:
http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml
NOTE: When an Internet document is more than one Web page, provide a URL that links to the
home page or entry page for the document. Also, if there isn't a date available for the document
use (n.d.) for no date.
Article From an Online Periodical
Note: In 2007, the APA released several additions/modifications for documentation of electronic
sources in the APA Style Guide to Electronic References. These changes are reflected in the
entries below.
Online articles follow the same guidelines for printed articles. Include all information the online host
makes available, including an issue number in parentheses. Provide a retrieval date only if the
information is likely to be updated or changed at a later date (as in the case of blogs and wikis).
Since many online periodicals appear in their "final" form, a retrieval date is not necessary.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Online
Periodical, volume number(issue number if available). Retrieved month
day, year, (if necessary) from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Bernstein, M. (2002). 10 tips on writing the living Web. A List Apart: For People
Who Make Websites, 149. Retrieved May 2, 2006, from
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writeliving
NOTE: no period is required after the URL
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BOOK CHAPTER, ESSAY, or ARTICLE when no author is credited (online version)

Russians. (1998). Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life. Retrieved January 9,
2003 from Discovering Collection database.
Article From an Online Periodical
Online scholarly journal articles require a URL but do not require a retrieval date. Provide a
retrieval date only if the information is likely to be updated or changed at a later date (as in the
case of blogs and wikis). Since most journal articles appear in their "final" form, a retrieval date is
not needed.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal,
volume number. Retrieved month day, year, from
http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Kenneth, I. A. (2000). A Buddhist response to the nature of human rights. Journal
of Buddhist Ethics, 8. Retrieved February 20, 2001, from
http://www.cac.psu.edu/jbe/twocont.html
Outbreak news. (2001, February 23). Weekly Epidemiological Record, 76, 57-64. Retrieved
February 28, 2001, from http://www.who.int/wer/pdf/2001/wer7608.pdf

If the article appears as a printed version as well, the URL is not required. Use "Electronic version"
in brackets after the article's title.
Whitmeyer, J.M. (2000). Power through appointment [Electronic version]. Social
Science Research, 29, 535-555.
Abstract
If you only cite an abstract but the full text of the article is also available, cite the online abstract as
other online citations, adding "[Abstract]" after the article or source name. If only the abstract is
available, write "Abstract retrieved from" and provide the database name or URL.
Paterson, P. (2008). How well do young offenders with Asperger Syndrome cope
in custody?: Two prison case studies [Abstract]. British Journal of
Learning Disabilities, 36(1), 54-58. Retrieved from EBSCO Host database.

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Bossong, G. Ergativity in Basque. Linguistics, 22(3), 341-392. Abstract retrieved

from Linguistics Abstracts Online.
Newspaper Article
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved
from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Parker-Pope, T. (2008, May 6). Psychiatry handbook linked to drug industry. The
New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Chapter/Section of a Web document or Online Book Chapter

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. In Title of book
or larger document (chapter or section number). Retrieved month day,
year, from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Peckinpaugh, J. (2003). Change in the Nineties. In J.S. Bough and G.B. DuBois
(Eds.), A century of growth in America. Retrieved from
http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
NOTE: Use a chapter or section identifier and provide a URL that links directly to the chapter
section, not the home page of the Web site.

Online Forum or Discussion Board Posting

Include the title of the message, and the URL of the newsgroup or discussion board. Please note
that titles for items in online communities (e.g. blogs, newsgroups, forums) are not italicized. If the
author's name is not available, provide the screen name. Place identifiers like post or message
numbers, if available, in brackets. If available, provide the URL where the message is archived
(e.g. "Message posted to..., archived at...").
Frook, B. D. (1999, July 23). New inventions in the cyberworld of toylandia [Msg
25]. Message posted to
http://groups.earthlink.com/forum/messages/00025.html

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Blog (Weblog) and Video Blog Post

Include the title of the message and the URL. Please note that titles for items in online
communities (e.g. blogs, newsgroups, forums) are not italicized. If the authors name is not
available, provide the screen name.
Dean, J. (2008, May 7). When the self emerges: Is that me in the mirror?
Message posted to http://www.spring.org.uk/
the1sttransport. (2004, September 26). Psychology Video Blog #3 [Video File].
Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqM90eQi5-M

Wikis
Please note that the APA Style Guide to Electronic References warns writers that wikis (like
Wikipedia, for example) are collaborative projects which cannot guarantee the verifiability or
expertise of their entries.
OLPC Peru/Arahuay. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2008, from the OLPC Wiki:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Peru/Arahuay
Online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
Often encyclopedias and dictionaries do not provide bylines (authors' names). When no byline is
present, move the entry name to the front of the citation. Provide publication dates if present or
specify (n.d.) if no date is present in the entry. Because updates and modifications are not normally
specified, provide the retrieval date in the citation. When listing the URL, give only the home or
index root as opposed to the URL for the entry.
Feminism. (n.d.) In Encyclopdia Britannica online. Retrieved March 16, 2008,
from http:// www.britannica.com.
Online Lecture Notes and Presentation Slides
When citing online lecture notes, be sure to provide the file format in brackets after the lecture title
(e.g. PowerPoint slides, Word document).
Hallam, A. Duality in consumer theory [PDF document]. Retrieved from Lecture
Notes Online Web site:
http://www.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ501/Hallam/index.html
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Roberts, K. F. (1998). Federal regulations of chemicals in the environment

[PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/40hrenv/index.html
E-mail
E-mails are not included in the list of references, though you parenthetically cite them in your main
text: (E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2001). See IN-TEXT CITATIONS, below.
EXERCISE: Write references for three or four web pages.

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IN TEXT CITATIONS
APA in-text style uses the (author, year, page number) method of citation. The first citation of any
work must include the author, year and page number (if applicable) of the work unless it is
mentioned in the text containing the citation. Subsequent citations to the same work need not
include the year as long as the work can easily be distinguished from other works cited in the
paper.
A. A typical citation of an entire work consists of the author's name and the year of publication.
Example: Charlotte and Emily Bronte were polar opposites, not only in their
personalities but in their sources of inspiration for writing (Taylor, 1990).
Use the last name in both first and subsequent citations, except when there is more than one
author with the same last name. In that case, use the last name and the first initial.
B. If the author is named in the text, only the year is cited.
Example: According to Irene Taylor (1990), the personalities of Charlotte. . .
C. If both the name of the author and the date are used in the text, parenthetical reference is not
necessary.
Example: In a 1989 article, Gould explains Darwin's most successful. . .
D. Specific citations of pages or chapters follow the year.
Example: Emily Bronte "expressed increasing hostility for the world of human
relationships, whether sexual or social" (Taylor, 1988, p. 11).
E. When the reference is to a work by two authors, cite both names each time the reference
appears.
Example: Sexual-selection theory often has been used to explore patterns of various
insect mating (Alcock & Thornhill, 1983) . . . Alcock and Thornhill (1983) also
demonstrate. . .
F. When the reference is to a work by three to five authors, cite all the authors the first time the
reference appears. In a subsequent reference, use the first author's last name followed by et al.
(Meaning "and others." Note that et does not have a period after it but al. does.)
Example of a subsequent reference: Patterns of byzantine intrigue have long
plagued the internal politics of community college administration in Texas (Douglas et
al., 1997)
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G. When the reference is to a work by six or more authors, use only the first author's name
followed et al. in the first and all subsequent reference. The only exceptions to this rule are when
some confusion might result because of similar names or the same author being cited. In that
case, cite enough authors so that the distinction is clear.
H. When the reference is to a work by a corporate author, use the name of the organization as the
author.
Example: Retired officers retain access to all of the university's educational and
recreational facilities (Columbia University, 1987, p. 54).
I. Personal letters, telephone calls, and other material that cannot be retrieved are not listed in
References but are cited in the text.
Example: Jesse Moore (telephone conversation, April 17, 1989) confirmed that the
ideas. . .
J. Parenthetical references may mention more than one work, particularly when ideas have been
summarized after drawing from several sources. Multiple citations should be arranged as follows.
Examples:
1. List two or more works by the same author in order of the date of publication: (Gould,
1987, 1989)
2. Differentiate works by the same author and with the same publication date by adding an
identifying letter to each date: (Bloom, 1987a, 1987b)
3. List works by different authors in alphabetical order by last name, and use semicolons to
separate the references: (Gould, 1989; Smith, 1983; Tutwiler, 1989).
K. Electronic sources that do not provide page numbers. For electronic sources that do not
provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, preceded by the abbreviation
"para."
Example: (Myers, 2000, para. 5).
If neither paragraph nor page numbers are provided, direct the reader to the location of the
referenced material by indicating the heading that precedes the material and, counting down from
that heading, the number of the paragraph containing the material.
Example: (Beutler, 2000, "Conclusion" section, para. 1).
L. Documents not indicating the name of the author. If an document does not indicate the name of
the author(s), refer to the document by repeating the first few words of its title.
Example: ("Study finds," 2001).

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If the information being referred to appears on an untitled Web page, indicate in the text of your
paper where the reader is to look if he or she wishes to find a full reference to the Web site that
contains that page.
M. Citing a source cited in your source.

Youve read and are citing Author A.

Author A cites Author B.
You havent read Author B, but you want to cite Author B.

Heres what you do:

1. List Author A (who you read) in the References List. Dont list Author B there.
2. In your text, use the following citation:
Author Bs study (as cited in Author A, Year, p. #)
for instance: Richters study (as cited in Santos, 2009, p. 75)
(Of course, you may also choose to find, read, and cite Author B as its own source.)

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QUOTING
How do I use direct quotes effectively?
In a word, sparingly. You could probably write a better paper if you didnt use any. Direct quotes
can be problematic.

Quotations are necessarily taken from their original context and may not fit properly in the
context you provide. Sometimes the meaning or intent of the quote is changed by the new
context.
Quoting someone directly provides no indication of how well, or even if, you
understand the material you are quoting. Overuse of quotes therefore can cause
you to lose credibility with your readers.
Quoting, if not done very skillfully, can break up the flow of your writing. Suddenly
encountering another persons writing style can be jarring to readers.

Use direct quotes only (a) if you intend to comment on the authors word choice or style of
expression, or (b) for emphasis or rhetorical effect.
Quotation of Fewer than 40 Words. Keep within paragraph text.
Phenix and Scott-Dunn (1991) stated, There is clearly a need for a new kind of
spelling instruction, one that raises students awareness about language and its
patterns, and focuses on word construction rather than word memorization (p. 26).
Jones and Smith (1992) described the social construction of word families as a
powerful tool in spelling instruction (p. 415).
Quotation of More than 40 Words. Place in separate, indented ("Blocked") paragraph.
Example:
Swicegood (1994) linked the use of portfolios with the Individual Education Plan (IP) when he
stated the following:
Insight gained through informal, ecological approaches gives
teachers access to viable information, which in turn leads to
more effective interventions and practices, both in schools
and clinical settings. The use of student portfolios in
placement and instructional planning contexts, including the
design of IEP goals and objectives, can add depth and
breadth to the intervention process. (p. 14)
Capitalization of Quotations
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Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.

Harris (2000) remarked, Finding information is an art, not a science (p. 214).
According to Plotnik (1982), The licensing or copyright agreement with the author
does not cover items the author borrowed from another source (p. 16).
However, if the quoted sentence completes an unfinished sentence or follows the
word that, do not capitalize the first word or precede it with a comma.
Sutter was fascinated with Lake Superior because the ore boats and foreign
freighters seemed impossibly exotic (p. 2).
Quincy acknowledged that negotiations over bride price sometimes involved
more than the price of the bride (p. 105).
Do not capitalize the first word of a quoted phrase (incomplete sentence).
Bryson (2002) called the English language a merry confusion of quirks and irregularities
that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense.
If the quote is interrupted, do not capitalize the first word of the resumed quote.
People and places, noted Zinsser, are the twin pillars on which most nonfiction
is built (p. 54).

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