APA

DOCUMENTATION/CITATIONS

What is APA?

A style guideline used to write

academic papers (Publication Manual
of the American Psychological
Association, 6th ed.)
Offers consistency in writing style
Protects you from plagiarism

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

THE CONTENT
Documentation and Citations

Two Components to
Documentation
1.References (sources) - list at the end of your
paper/project/report
2. In-text Citations - material within our
papers

Sample Reference Formats

One Author, Book:

Last
Name

First Initial

Edition (if present)

Holten, M. (2012). The business plan. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace and World.
Year of
Publicatio
n

Title of Book

Place of
Publication

Publisher

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

One Author, Journal Article:

Peterson, J. M. (2010). SWOT analysis in

business. Journal of Business Research, 10,
60-70.

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Data from Government Resources:

Statistics Canada (2008). Gross international

product, income-based. [Table]. Retrieved
May 01, 2011, from
http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/
l01/cst01/econ03-eng.htm

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Lectures and Seminars:

Patterson, S. (2009, 14
September).Transitioning from high
school to college [Lecture]. London, ON:
Fanshawe College.

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Emails, Interviews, etc. (non-retrievable

sources) :

As these are not recoverable

sources, they are NOT included
in the References. Include a
detailed reference in the in-text
citation.
The abundance of .. (L. Jones, personal
communication, September 12, 2009).

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Refer to the APA 6

Edition handout for more
examples (posted on
FOL).
th

How do we identify our

sources within our
written information?
PARENTHETICAL
CITATIONS
(in-text citations)

What is a Citation?

Quoted words that are not your own:

repeating another source word-for-word:
(Smith, 2007, p.32).

OR
Paraphrased words:
using another sources ideas but
changing the phrasing into your own
words:
(Smith, 2007).

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Add Variety to Citations

People need people (Timmons, 2010, p.40).

People need people to survive (Timmons, 2010).

Timmons (2010) suggested that people need people

(p.40).
Timmons (2010 suggested that people require the presence
of other people in their lives.

As indicated by Timmons (2010), people need people

(p.40).

A study outlined in Timmons (2010) recent book advocated

that humans are independent beings; nonetheless, Timmons
still adamantly maintained that "people need people (p.40).

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Additional Citation Rules

Two Authors

(Jones & Smith, 2011)

3-5 Authors

(Canes, Jones, & Smith, 2011)

the first time; All following uses:
(Canes et al., 2011)

Six or more authors:

(Jones et al., 2011)

Indirect Source (a secondary source,

or a source within a source)

Smith (2004) indicated that (as

cited in Jones, 2011)
NOTE: YOUR source, Jones,
appears in References

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Additional Citation Rules

Two authors with the same last
name, include the first initial:

(J. Jones, 2009)

Two works, same citation:

(Canes, 2002; Crawford, 2003)

Groups as authors

(University of Western Ontario

[UWO], 2008)

No date

(Smith, n.d.)

No author (use 1st word or two of

title)

(Transportation, 2007)

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Using the Ellipses

Ellipses ( . . . ) indicates gap in quoted text

Never use to start or finish a sentence
Three-dot ellipsis ( . . . ) used when only
word/phrase is omitted within a quote
Four-dot ellipsis ( . . . . ) used when quote skips
from one sentence to another

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Use of Parenthesis ( ) and Brackets [ ]

Use ( )

for citations: (Beck, 2010)

For acronyms: (CSI)

Use [ ]
For words changed or added within
quote

Smith indicated [t]he current Canadian

economy...

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

APA STYLE
Structure and Layout of an Academic Paper

General Rules

81/2 x 11 paper
Times new roman, 12 pts
Double space (all pages)
1 inch margins
Number all pages
One space after punctuation
Use indentation for paragraphs

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

General Layout
(note red indicates components always present)

Title page
Abstract
Table of contents (lengthy documents only)
Introduction
Body (usually divided into several smaller
subsections)
Conclusions
Recommendations
References
Appendices

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Title Page

Numbered with the paper

Includes running head
Includes title, authors name, and
educational institution

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Business Ethics1
Running head: Ethics in Business

Shortened title (often shorter than running

head) and page number appears on ALL
pages
Shortened title for publication purposes on
title page only

Business Ethics Trend or Common Practice

Aindrea Clemmins

Title of Paper

Fanshawe College
Student Name
Name of Educational Institution

Introduction

CLEARLY establishes the goal of the

paper
overview of the topic/goal; background
information; relevant information
map of what you will discuss

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Body

series of paragraphs that follow your map

each paragraph is a different point of
discussion
ONE idea per paragraph
start each paragraph with a topic sentence
remainder of paragraph should provide
specifics to back up topic - includes reasoning,
facts, statistics, and quotes
often organized under headings

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

APA - Headings
Five Levels of Headings:
CENTRED UPPERCASE (L5)
Centred Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

(L1)

Centred, Italicized, Uppercase, and Lowercase Heading

(L2)
Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side
Heading (L3)
Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading
ending with a period (L4)

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

The Conclusion

a restatement of what you have discussed

for a paper of more than three or four pages,
you might want to briefly summarize your main
points
Conclude ideas

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Reference Page

Use References as title

All sources used in paper
Alphabetical order
Left align

Using hanging indent (1/2 inch) for 2 nd

line

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

DESIGN, STYLE, AND OTHER

APA PAPER CONSIDERATIONS

Academic Integrity

The Voice of the Paper

Use active voice over passive voice

Use third person when topic writing
1st person (i.e. I) is acceptable when
direct reflection or personal research is
required
Use we only if referring to yourself
and co-author
DO NOT use we as a general pronoun

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Other Writing Considerations

Be clear and concise.

Don't use sarcasm, harsh criticism,
mockery, satire, snide commentary, or
exclamation points.
Be analytical and objective.
Use transition words (i.e. however,
despite, consequently, additionally,
furthermore)
Dont try to sound sophisticated!
~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Check Spelling!

Dont rely on spell check:

I have a spelling checker
It came with my pea see
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

Always Review Grammar and Punctuation

Version 1
Dear Jon:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You
are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not
like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have
ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be
forever happy -- will you let me be yours?
Gloria
Version 2
Dear Jon:
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you
are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not
like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have
ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no
feelings~ whatsoever.
When
we're Kinlin
apart,
I can
be ~
Strategies for Success
~ The Lawrence
School
of Business

Finally

PROOFREAD,
PROOFREAD, and
PROOFREAD!!!

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~

In-class activity:

Complete the in-class APA assignment

distributed in class or shown on screen.
Submit your assignment at the end of
class.

~ Strategies for Success ~ The Lawrence Kinlin School of Business ~