APA Quick Reference Guide

APA Quick Reference Guide

Caveat: This guide is intended to supplementnot replacethe sixth edition of the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA,
2010). As a quic reference, this guide is not comprehensi!e "ut co!ers
the most common st#le issues that arise in student $riting.
Disclaimer: This reference tool is "ased on the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (%th ed.). As such, none of the contents should
"e assumed the original $or or thoughts of the editor&compiler&adapter.

The "asic structure for a paper in APA st#le includes four components'
1. (o!er or title page
2. A"stract
). *od# of the paper
+. ,eference section
-n addition, ta"les, figures, and appendices ma# "e added to the paper. .or most
student papers, ta"les and figures $ill "e incorporated into the "od# of the paper.
/o$e!er, papers "eing su"mitted for pu"lication should indicate an approximate
placement for ta"les or figures in the "od# of the paper, and ta"les and figures (printed
one per page) are included $ith the paper after the ,eference section.

Essentials of APA Page Formatting and Style
Margins 0inimum of 11 margin on all sides
.lush left (ragged right edge)
Font New Times Roman for text;
Sans Serif font (e.g., Arial) for statistics in tables and figures
Font size 12 pt. for text and headings2 Ta"le font can "e reduced to 10 pt., "ut no smaller
Spacing 3ou"le4spaced throughout, including references
One space follo$ing an# punctuation mar2 one space "et$een sentences
5o spaces on internal punctuation for a""re!iations such as i.e., or e.g., or
6.7.
8ne space "et$een author9s initials
Example' ...funky lowercase (e.g., te writing of e. e. cummings!.
Paragraps -ndent the "eginning of a ne$ paragraph 0.:1
A!oid one4sentence paragraphs.
Pagination Page num"ers "egin $ith the title page (i.e., page 1), "ut the num"er is not
sho$n on the title page. *eginning $ith page 2, num"ers are placed in the
upper right4hand corner.
Allo$ : spaces "et$een the end of the header and the page num"er.
!um"ers 5um"ers less than 10 are $ritten out as $ords (i.e., one through nine)
5um"ers 10 and greater use Ara"ic figures (10 ; <<<,<<<)
6se the = s#m"ol and figures to report an# num"er as a percentage (%=,
22.:=)
E#$EP%&O!S' 3o not use a figure to start a sentence' $rite out the num"er
4>hen $riting out the num"er also $rite out ?percent1
46se the $ord percentage $hen $riting in general terms and not
referring to a specific numerical !alue.
Example' "#ixty$se%en &ercent of te sam&le....as com&ared to '( tat did not
)ualify. Tis was a larger &ercentage tan &re%iously *+
&talics $orrect use'
1. To introduce a $ord used as a term2 drop italics on su"sequent use of
term (APA +.21)
2. Titles of "oos, periodicals, "rochures, reports44in text @ reference
entries (APA %.1:)
). Anchors of a scale
Examples' "Familism is *&reser%ing te family of origin. Tus, familism *+
",&ra-s latest .ook clu. selection, Share the Wealth Girlfriend, sold a staggering*+
"*used a /$&oint scale wit ratings tat ranged from 0 (poor! to / (excellent!*+
&ncorrect use'
APA Quick Reference Guide '

3on9t use italics for emphasis ; rel# on #our $riting to gi!e emphasis to a
thought.
.oreign phrases that ha!e "ecome accepted as Anglish $ords (i.e.,
included in Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary) Examples'
et al. &er se %is$1$%is ad oc ad infinitum )uid &ro )uo
a &osteriori ad li. a &riori &ro .ono ad nauseam sine )ua non
(ypen use
APA st#le is sting# $ith h#phens, and most students tend to o!eruse h#phens.
!ote' -gnore >ord9s suggestions for h#phenationit9s not APA compliant.
)ords tat are al*ays ypenated'
An# compound $ords $ith self+ as the prefix (self$re&ort, self$talk, self$
esteem)
T$o $ords acting as a compound adBecti!e to modif# a third $ord
$ (low$dosage grou&, 0't$grade students, a two$tirds ma2ority)
An# $ord easil# misunderstood $ithout a h#phen
$ (re$&air for pairing again, re$form for form again)
An# compound $ith a "ase that is capitaliCed, a num"er, or an a""re!iation
$ (non$3atino, &ost$0445, anti$678 rally)
,o not ypenate'
o ,acial&ethnic group names
$ (African American, 9uro&ean American, Ara. American, #cot 8ris)
o (ompound adBecti!es that include an ad!er" ending in 4ly
$ (federally funded grant, randomly assigned rats, widely acce&ted term)
o (ompounds that include a comparati!e or superlati!e adBecti!e
(.etter written text, less informed grou&, iger order analysis, worst case scenario)
A""re-iation
s .
Acronyms
APA recogniCes onl# se!en acron#ms as $ords that do not require definition'
/-D, A-37, -E, A7P, ,A0, 5A3P, A(T/
,efine all oter a""re-iations "# $riting out name in full on first use and
putting a""re!iation in parentheses. Example' "*#cool of #ocial :ork (##:!
*+
8nce defined, #ou must use the a""re!iation for all su"sequent references2
no flip+floppingF
6se a""re!iations sparingl#o!eruse turns a paper into alpha"et soupF
APA does not set a limit on the num"er of a""re!iations allo$ed2 ho$e!er,
most readers can eep trac of onl# + to : unfamiliar a""re!iations.
Quotes
7tudents tend to o!eruse quotes either "ecause the# lac confidence in their
APA Quick Reference Guide /

/ess tan 01
*ords
is an 2in+line
3uote45
01 or more
*ords
are set as a
"lock 3uote
a"ilit# to express profound ideas in their o$n $ords or "ecause the# are laC#
$riters. -n either case, #our instructors are interested in learning #our thoughts
on a topic, not the $ords of another author.
-t is appropriate to include a quote $hen the author9s unique phrasing suffers
su"stantiall# or loses meaning $hen paraphrased.
Euotes must "e introduced in the text "# explaining the meaning, rele!ance, or
significance of the quote to #our text. -n4line quotations are incorporated into
the text, set $ithin dou"le quotation mars, and follo$ed "# the in4text citation
$ith the page num"er of the quote. 6se p. for a quote from a single page, use
pp. for a quote that spans a range of pages. 5ote that the sentence
punctuation follo$s the citation.
Example' ;ee& your writing accessi.le .y a%oiding use of "&ointy$eaded &rose+
(7ar.aro, '55<, &. <!.
-f an in4text citation for the quoted author $as gi!en earlier in the sentence,
onl# the page num"er follo$s the quote.
Example' #mit and =ones (044/! found gum cewing im&ro%ed students- retention
of classroom material, .ut also noted &rofessors found "te sigt of /5 cud$cewing
faces disgusting and demorali>ing+ (&. /'!.
Gong quotes of +0 $ords or more are set as "loc quotes2 each line is indented
: spaces (0.:1 in.) and dou"le4spaced. 7ee 7ample APA paper at the end of
this document for an example.
APA Quick Reference Guide ?

Quick Reference for &n+%ext $itations
(Citations that appear within the text of your paper and
refer to sources cited in your References page)
One autor A!er# citation' (author9s last name, pu"lication #ear)
(Gam.rill, '550!
6 autors A!er# citation' (Author 1 @ Author 2, #ear) 6se ?@1 $ithin parentheses.
>rite out the $ord ?and1 $hen authors9 names are used in the signal
phrase.
"*tus, leading to iger rates of @8A infection (Peacock & Slocum, 2004).
"According to Peacock and Slocum (2004), te iger rates of @8A *+
7+8 autors First use' Gist all authors (separate names $ith commas) and
pu"lication date
(8%y, Bees, C Doe, 0444!
Su"se3uent use' Gist first author H et al., H date2 (et al. means ?and
others1)
(8%y et al., 0444!
5ote' et is Gatin and (not an a""re!iation, no period)al4 is an
a""re!iation for the Gatin alia (?others1) and therefore al*ays uses a
period. -n the citation, a comma separates et al. from the date.
9 or more
autors
First use' first author H et al., H date (comma separates et al. and
date)
(7ucket et al., '55/!
Organization
or
Go-ernment
,ept4 as
corporate
autor
-f indi!idual authors are not listed, use the organiCation as the author.
To define an a""re!iation $ithin a citation for a corporate author that
#ou $ill cite se!eral times, enclose the a""re!iation in square "racets.
(Earc of Bimes 6oundation, '554!
(Be&artment of @ealt and @uman #er%ices FB@@#G, '55<!
&nternet site 6se same author;date format. -f no indi!idual author for a >e" page is
gi!en, list the organiCation as the author. The date to use from a $e"
page is sometimes difficult to determine. The APA "log entr# for dating
online documents cautions against using an# of the follo$ing as the
date44a ?last modified,1 or ?re!ised on1 date or cop#right date that is
site4$ide44as none of these usuall# refers to $hen the material $as
actuall# created or posted. -f no o"!ious posted date is a!aila"le at the
"eginning or the end of a document, use ?n.d.1 for ?no date1 instead.
,O !O% put a $e" address in the text of the paper.
APA Quick Reference Guide H

(Planned Parentood, n.d.! (#tearns, '554! (National @ealt #tatistics, '55/!
$iting
multiple
pages from
one )e" site
&n+text (1
st
pg.)
Ref4 entry
&n+text (2
nd

pg.)
Ref4 entry
&n+text ()
rd

pg.)
Ref4 entry
>hen citing multiple pages from an organiCation9s >e" site, the
reference entr# should use the exact 6,G for each page. *ecause
each in4text entr# $ould ha!e the same author&organiCation and #ear,
#ou $ill need to add a lo$ercase letters to the #ear to distinguish
citations for each page. Getters are assigned in the order that the
citations are used in the text.
The examples "elo$ are different pages from 5orth (arolina (5( )
3i!ision of 7ocial 7er!ices >e" site that $ould all "e cited as (5(
3i!ision of 7ocial 7er!ices, 2010). A lo$ercase letter is added to in4text
citation and the corresponding reference entr#. -f #ou choose to
a""re!iate the source, #ou9ll need to define the a""re!iation onl# once
and then appl# to all'
(Nort Darolina Bi%ision of #ocial #er%ices FNDB##G, '505a!
Nort Darolina Bi%ision of #ocial #er%ices. ('505a!. Role & responsibilities of CSE
agency. Retrie%ed from tt&IJJwww.ncds.go%JdssJcseJgeninfo.tmKrole
'/
rd

(NDB##, '505.!
Nort Darolina Bi%ision of #ocial #er%ices. ('505.!. Work First. Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJwww.ncds.go%JdssJworkfirstJindex.tm
(NDB##, '505c!
Nort Darolina Bi%ision of #ocial #er%ices. ('505c!. Lo income energy assistance
program. Retrie%ed from tt&IJJwww.ncds.go%JdssJenergyJindex.tm
Personal
$ommunicati
on
7ources such as letters, e4mails, telephone con!ersations, personal
inter!ie$s, nonarchi!ed electronic "ulletin "oards. %ese are
nonretrie-a"le sources: terefore; tere sould "e no
corresponding reference entry; only an in+text citation as
illustrated "elo*'
"According to a ser%ice re&resentati%e at Buke Power (8. E. Gil, &ersonal
communication, Eay0, '554!, connection carges incurred*+
" T. 3. Graf (&ersonal communication, Eay 0, '554! noted te eligi.ility*+
More tan
one *ork "y
same autor
or group
6se a comma to separate #ears of multiple $ors.
(#elter, 0444, '55?, '55<!
(Peacock, Ti..s, C #locum, 1989, 1992)
APA Quick Reference Guide L

More tan
one *ork <
different
autors
6se semicolons to separate different $ors $ithin the same
parentheses. (itations are alpha"etiCed "# first author $ithin the
parentheses.
"6indings from se%eral researc studies a%e su&&orted tis y&otesis (Adey,
0444; Doe C ;in, '55L; 3ong, Aic, Trout, C Gam.le, '550; :ing et al., n.d.;
Ma%ier, Ealton$Rui>, Ec7ride, @ealy, ;eefer, 0444!
More tan
one *ork
Same autor;
same year
Add a lo$ercase letter to distinguish "et$een same author;same #ear
$ors. The first citation encountered in the "od# is assigned a, the
second ", and so on. *e sure to add the letters to the reference
entries.
(#mit, '55'a! (#mit, '55'.! (#mit, '55'a, '55'.!
$lassical
*orks
or
repu"lised
,eprinted or repu"lished $ors, not issued as re!ised editions. -nclude
"oth the original pu"lication #ear and the date of reprinting.
(6reud, 04'/J04L0!
!e*spaper
article;
pamplet;
"rocure
!o autor
6se a shortened !ersion of article9s title in place of the author name.
6se dou"le quotation mars to enclose the title of an article, $e" page,
or chapter. 6se italics for the titles of a "oo, periodical, "rochure, or
report.
To cite ne$spaper stor#' ?7oldier9s 7er!ice Geads to (ustod# *attle at
/ome,1 shorten title to 2Soldier=s Ser-ice5 (rather than ?(ustod#
*attle1);eeping the first $ords allo$s the reader to easil# find source
in the reference list.
" *com&licated scenarios ("#oldier-s #er%ice,+ '554!.+
"...range of &rograms (!"al #SW$%&' !egree, n.d.!+
Federal
Statutes
>asic form' 5ame of Act (Iear) or 5ame of Act of Iear
" Te Americans wit Bisa.ilities Act (0445! esta.lised * or
" as mandated .y te American wit Bisa.ilities Act of 0445.+
APA Quick Reference Guide <

Quick Guide to Reference Entries
Note: Be sure to double-space your reference entries, and use a
hanging indent.
Print
?ersion
@ournal
article
One autor
*asic form'
Author A. A., @ Author, *. *. (Pu"lication #ear). Title of article $ith first
$ord capped. Journal ame, vol(issue no.), page range.
Gam.rill, 9. B. ('550!. Te tide is turningI Dor&oreal &unisment in our scools.
("arterly of Social Work )eaching and Ed"cation* +,('!, 0?$04.
Note: here is no space between the !olu"e nu"ber and the issue
nu"ber in parentheses (#$ and #, respecti!ely, in this exa"ple).
@ournal
article *it
A autors4
paginated
"y -olume
Article *it
more tan A
autors
paginated
"y issue
/ist first 9 autors B . B At autor4
Author, 1., Author, 2., Author, )., Author, +., Author, :., Author, %., @
Author, J. (Iear). Title in sentence st#le caps' (ap first $ord after
internal punctuation. Journal !itle in "eadline Caps and #talics, $%
12+412<.
-f Bournal uses continuous pagination, do not include issue num"er in
reference.
/ist first 9 autors B C; B last autor4 (,emainder of format is the same
as a"o!e)
Guo, #., =une, 7., Eay, 6., Bay, #., 7ird, E., Tyro, G., 7ates, 7. ('554!. 9ffects
of small grou& &rocess on &ersonal goal setting. Gro"p Work, -+(/!, 0$<.
-f each issue of a Bournal "egins $ith page 1, include issue num"er in
reference.
Electronic
Source
)at=s a ,O&D ,igital o"Eect identifier, a unique alphanumeric identifier
that acts as a persistent lin to content on the >e". 6suall# found on the
APA Quick Reference Guide N

@ournal
Articles
using
,O&
a"stract page, sometimes near the cop#right date, or on the citation page
in a data"ase.
%xa"ple: doiI 05.055<Js05N5'$55L$45?4$?
Electronic
@ournal
ArticleF
Articles
*it ,O&
assigned
.ormat is the same as for print articles "ut add the 38- instead of retrie!al
infor4mation. .or entr#, doi is lo$ercase and follo$ed "# a colon, no space
after colon.
5o retrie!al date is needed. 5ote' 3o not add punctuation after 38-
num"er
7moo$si, P. ,., @ *acallao, 0. G. (200%). Acculturation and aggression
in Gatino adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, &',
%:J4%J1. doi' 10.100J&s10K02400%4<0+<4+
Electronic
@ournal
article +
no ,O&
a-aila"le
Article <
no ,O&
a-aila"le
from
!$/&?E or
oter
su"scriptio
n data"ase
GAPA+
appro-ed
metodH
Article <
no ,O&
a-aila"le
o 5ot all Bournal articles $ill ha!e a 38- num"er. -f retrie!ed online from a
pu"lic data"ase or Bournal $ith free access, then gi!e the specific 6,G
(uniform resource locator, a..a. >e" address) that $ill lin the reader
to the article. G,o not add punctuation after te IR/4H
#illick, T. =., C #cutte, N. #. ('55L!. 9motional intelligence and self$esteem. E.
/o"rnal of 'pplied %sychology* 01* 0'$'5. Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJo2s.li..swin.edu.auJindex.&&Je2a&JarticleJ%iewJ<0
4 5o retrie!al date is needed "ecause the final (archi!ed) cop# is
referenced.
o -f the article has "een retrie!ed from a Bournal or aggregate data"ase
that requires a su"scription (lie those from 5(G-DA), gi!e the 6,G for
the Bournal9s home page rather than the data"ase lin. .or example, the
article "elo$ $as retrie!ed from the *arton (ollege li"rar# using an
A*7(8host data"ase, Academic 7earch (omplete (from 5(G-DA),
$hich is a su"scription data"ase.
Rose, R., C 7owen, G. ('554!. Power analysis in social work inter%ention
researcI Besigning cluster$randomi>ed trials. Social Work Research* 22*
?/$H?. Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJwww.nasw&ress.orgJ&u.licationsJ2ournalsJswr.tml
o /o$e!er, "ecause some Bournals ma# ha!e difficult to4locate home
APA Quick Reference Guide 4

from
!$/&?E or
oter
su"scriptio
n data"ase
GSuggested
alternati!e
to APA=s
standard
metodH
pages, or ma# onl# "e accessi"le !ia su"scription, /acne# Gi"rar#
recommends the follo$ing alteration to standard APA style' include
te data"ase name from *ic te full text article cited *as
retrie-ed; follo*ed "y te -endor pro-iding te data"ase4 -n this
$a#, *arton (ollege professors (and fello$ students) can easil# access
the articles cited in assignments.
o ()or our rationale behind this suggestion% scroll do*n to the Comments area
to vie* the various responses on this very topic from APAs Paige Jac+son to
a variety of respondents on the APA blog post: ,What to -se.the )ull
Document -/0 or "ome Page -/012 3 Particularly pertinent is the ov3 44%
$556 post in *hich Jac+son clarifies that the APA does indeed vie* it as
permissible to include database information *hen that is the best *ay for the
reader to access an article being cited3 #nclusion of the database name also
alerts the papers reader that this article *as retrieved in online rather than
print format3 )or these reasons% *e recommend this deviation from standard
APA style37
&lease note that the following exa"ple highlighted in a'ua is a
de!iation fro" standard (&( style) chec* with your professor to see
if this suggestion is acceptable) if not, use the (&(-appro!ed "ethod
abo!e instead:
Rose, R., C 7owen, G. ('554!. Power analysis in social work inter%ention
researcI Besigning cluster$randomi>ed trials. Social Work Research* 22*
?/$H?. Retrie%ed from Academic #earc Dom&lete %ia 97#D,ost.
S)O%
Analysis
from
,atamonitor
*itin
>usiness
Source
$omplete
,ata"ase
Reference
entry
&n+text
citation
There is no person designated as author of this document, so use the
corporate author (3atamonitor), and mo!e it to the author position. The
date is found on the document itself rather than on the citation page, and it
is in!erted, $ith the #ear listed first, follo$ed "# the month and da#.
5ormall#, the $ord LcorporationL $ould not "e capitaliCed in the title, "ut
"ecause itMs part of a proper name for the compan#, it is capitaliCed in this
case2 ho$e!er, the $ord LprofileL in the su"title is not capitaliCed, per the
APA st#le of onl# capitaliCing the first $ord in a title, unless a proper noun.
Batamonitor. ('505, Eay 0N!. 6ed9x Dor&orationI Dom&any &rofile. Retrie%ed
from tt&IJJwww.datamonitor.com
(Batamonitor, '505!
>ook <
"asic
format
Gprint
Author, 1., @ Author, 2. (Iear). !itle in italics and sentence style caps. (it#,
7T' Pu"lisher.
3i%ermore, =. 7., C Quigley, 9. ('55'!. Field assessment in crisis co"nseling ('nd
APA Quick Reference Guide 05

-ersionH
up to A
autors
more tan A
ed.!. Tousand ,aks, DAI #age.
Note: +or editions other than the first, include in parentheses in
non+italicized type, after the title, as in (2
nd
ed.) abo!e.
/ist first 9 B . B At4
/ist first 9 B C; B last4
E+>ook
Gelectronic
-ersion
from
su"scriptio
n data"ase
suc as
e>ooks on
E>S$Oost
H
GSuggested
alternati!e
to APA=s
standard
metodH
Although APA standard st#le $ould call for including the 6,G from $hich
the e4"oo $as accessed rather than the name of the electronic data"ase
or collection from $hich an e4"oo $as retrie!ed, $e recommend using
the data"ase name instead, "ecause the 6,G generated "# the data"ase
does not allo$ access to the e4"oo. 5ote that the ?,etrie!ed fromN1
information replaces the pu"lisher and place of pu"lication. &lease note
that the following exa"ple highlighted in a'ua is a de!iation fro"
standard (&( style) chec* with your professor to see if this
suggestion is acceptable) if not, use the (&(-appro!ed "ethod
instead:
7lair, A.@. (044'!. 't ar in the G"lf3 ' chronology. (0st ed.!. Retrie%ed from
e7ooks on 97#D,ost %ia 97#D,ost.
!o autor
#erriam.Webster4s collegiate dictionary. (05t ed.!. (044N!. #&ringfield, EAI
Eerriam$:e.ster.
Editors
instead of
autors
Ricman, =., C 6raser, E. (9ds.!. ('55?!. 'ssessment tools for beha5ior of
elementary.school children. New Oork, NOI Aldine.
Article from
an
Encyclopedi
a +
Electronic
?ersion+
Freely
@agen, =. 3., C 3awrence, D. ;. ('55N!. Tem&orary assistance for needy
families. 8n T. Ei>rai C 3. 9. Ba%is (9ds.$in$Dief!, Encyclopedia of
social ork ('5t ed.!. :asington, BD, and New Oork, NOI NA#: Press
and ,xford Pni%ersity Press. Retrie%ed from tt&IJJwww.oxford$
naswsocialwork.comJentryQentryRt'5/.e/4/
APA Quick Reference Guide 00

accessi"le
on te *e"
Article from
an
Encyclopedi
a +
Electronic
?ersion+
From *itin
a
su"scriptio
n data"ase
Gnot freeH
GSuggested
alternati!e
to APA=s
standard
metodH
The follo$ing is an article from an electronic enc#clopedia (for $hich there
is also a print counterpart) from $ithin a su"scription (not free) data"ase.
The citation "elo$ is for the electronic !ersion. 5ote that the citation
de!iates from standard APA st#le, $hich $ould call for the 6,G in the
?,etrie!edN1 area2 ho$e!er, the 6,G $ould not allo$ access to the
article2 hence, the recommended ,exception- to standard (&( .tyle,
highlighted in aqua, "elo$. (Chec* with your professor to see if this
suggestion is acceptable/)
Reynolds, 6.9., C @allisey, D. ('55H!. 7uddismI An o%er%iew. 8n 3. =ones (9d.!,
Encyclopedia of religion ('nd ed., Aol. ', &&. 05N<$0054!. Retrie%ed from
Gale Airtual Reference 3i.rary %ia GaA39JD9NGAG9 3earning.
$apter in
edited "ook
#ar&e, T. =., C Dreed. R. T. ('55<!. Be%elo&mental disa.ilities. 8n #. =. Paris C
@. @u (9ds.!, 'd5ances in ser5ing 5"lnerable pop"lations (&&. //$L<!.
Eedfield, ,RI :alnut Press.
Note: %ditors na"es are not in!erted.
Organizatio
n or
Go-ernment
,ept4
GPrint
FormatH
Put organiCation9s name in place of author9s name slot'
Be&artment of @ealt and @uman #er%ices. ('55<!. G"ide to ser5ice policy and
program administration. :asington, BDI Autor.
Note: 0f the agency or organi1ation is also the publisher, put
,(uthor- in the spot for publisher rather than repeating the na"e (as
illustrated in the exa"ple abo!e).
Organizatio
n or
Go-ernment
,ept4
GElectronic
FormatH
Put organiCation9s name in place of author9s name slot'
6.7. 3epartment of Ga"or, *ureau of Ga"or 7tatistics. (n.d.). ,egistered
nurses.
8ccupational 8utloo+ "andboo+% $545-443 ,etrie!ed 8cto"er 2J,
2010,
from http'&&$$$."ls.go!&oco&ocos0K).htm
APA Quick Reference Guide 0'

Note: .ince there is no clear posted or created date on the page, use
,n.d.- for ,no date- instead, as illustrated abo!e. (lso, the
article2section na"e (Registered Nurses), appears in Roman Gnon+
italicizedH type, while the docu"ent na"e (3ccupational 3utloo*
4andboo*) appears in italici1ed type.
&nternet site
G*it
autor;
date; title
and sourceH
&nternet Site
G*Jno
indi-idual
autor: only
an
organizatio
n as autorH
A reference citation for a $e" site or online source contains four elements'
Author, date, title, and source. /ere9s the format to use $hen all four
elements are present'
%emplate'
Autor; A4 GdateH4 %itle of document KFormat descriptionL4
Retrie-ed from ttp'JJIR/
(As Chelsea 0ee e9plains on her APA :tyle ;log post ,"o* to Cite
:omething <ou found on a Website in APA :tyle%2 a ,format description in
brac+ets Oas in the template a"o!eP is only used *hen the format is
something out of the ordinary% such as a blog post or lecture notes=
other*ise% its not necessary327 )ollo*ing is the e9ample she gives in her
post:
Example'
6reakanomics. ('505, ,cto.er '4!. 9$SPass is a life$sa%er (literally! F.log
&ostG. Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJfreakonomics..logs.nytimes.comJ'505J05J'4Je$>&ass$is$a$life$
sa%er$literallyJ
Note: he K"log postL in the abo!e exa"ple is the for"at description.
3ther for"at description exa"ples, listed on p. 567 of the (&( .tyle
8anual, include K/etter to te editorL; KSpecial issueL; KSpecial
sectionL; KMonograpL; KA"stractL; KAudio podcastL; K,ata fileL;
K>rocureL; KMotion pictureL;K /ecture notesL; K$,L; K$omputer
soft*areL; K?ideo *e"cast9, and KSupplemental materialL4
-f no indi!idual author for a >e" page is gi!en, list the organiCation
responsi"le for the content of that page as the author.
Example'
Te Dollege of :illiam and Eary. (n.d.! Dollege mission statement.
Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJwww.wm.eduJa.outJadministrationJ&ro%ostJmissionJindex.&&
APA Quick Reference Guide 0/

&nternet Site
or
electronic
document
*it no
autor
0o!e the title of the page (or the online document) into the author position'
Example'
All // Dile miners freed in flawless rescue. ('505, ,cto.er 0/!. Retrie%ed
from tt&IJJwww.msn.c.msn.comJidJ/4L'HN54JnsJworldTnews$
americasJ
Note: he date for this source (3ctober 5:, #;5;), is in!erted in the
citation: the year goes first, followed by a co""a, and then the
"onth and day.
&nternet Site
*it no date
>hen no posted or created date is o"!ious or is missing on a $e"site, use
?(n.d.)1 for ?no date1 in place of a date'
Example'
Te Dollege of :illiam and Eary. (n.d.! Dollege mission statement.
Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJwww.wm.eduJa.outJadministrationJ&ro%ostJmissionJindex.&&
Note: he date to use fro" a web page is so"eti"es difficult to
deter"ine. he (&( blog entry for dating online docu"ents cautions
against using any of the following as the date--a ,last "odified,- or
,re!ised on- date or copyright date that is site-wide--as none of these
usually refers to when the "aterial was actually created or posted. 0f
no ob!ious posted date is a!ailable at the beginning or the end of a
docu"ent, use ,n.d.- for ,no date- instead (as in the preceding
exa"ple)
An App
,ightsholder, A. A. (#ear). Title of soft$are or program (Dersion num"er)
O3escription of formP. ,etrie!ed from http'&&xxxx
Note: ,Rightsholder, (. (.- stands for either an indi!idual author or
a corporate author of the software.
Example'
#kysca&e. ('505!. #kysca&e medical resources (Aersion 0.4.00! FEo.ile
a&&lication softwareG. Retrie%ed from tt&IJJitunes.a&&le.comJ
A Mou%u"e
?ideo
Author, A. A. O7creen nameP. (#ear, month da#). Title of !ideo
ODideo fileP. ,etrie!ed from http'&&xxxxx
APA Quick Reference Guide 0?

G)en
AutorJIser
name is
a-aila"leH
Note: +or retrie!ability, the person who posted the !ideo is put in
the author position<in this case, ,(psolon, 8.- he capitali1ation
=or lac* thereof9 in the screen na"e<,"ar*apsalon-<is in *eeping
with how it appears online.
Example'
A&solon, E. Fmarka&solonG. ('500, #e&tem.er 4!. Real gost girl
caugt on Aideo Ta&e 0? FAideo fileG. Retrie%ed from
tt&IJJwww.youtu.e.comJwatcQ%RLnyGD.xBN?N
A Mou%u"e
?ideo
G)en only
screen
name is
a-aila"leH
7creen name. (#ear, month da#). Title of !ideo ODideo fileP. ,etrie!ed
from http'&&xxxxx
Note: 3n >ouube, the screen na"e is "ost pro"inent. 0f the user?s
real na"e is not a!ailable, include only the screen na"e<in this
case, ,Bellofolletti-<without brac*ets.
Example'
7ellofolletti. ('554, A&ril N!. Gost caugt on sur%eillance camera
FAideo fileG. Retrie%ed from tt&IJJwww.youtu.e.comJwatcQ%
RB)0ms'=O78CfeatureRrelated
Reference
for
Federal
/a*s
(ite a statute in its location in the 6.7. (ode. >asic form'
5ame of Act Q 7ection num"er, Dolume num"er 6.7.(. Q 7ection num"er
(Iear).
5ame of Act, Pu". G. 5o. 5um"er, Q 7ection num"er, Dolume num"er
7tat. Page num"er.
5ational An!ironmental Polic# Act of 1<%< Q 102, +2 6.7.(. Q +))2 (1<<+).
Americans $ith 3isa"ilities Act of 1<<0, Pu". G. 5o. 1014))%, Q2, 10+ 7tat.
)2K (1<<1).
APA Quick Reference Guide 0H

Running eadI H5 D@ARADT9R# EAM. A33 DAP#
0
Oour Pa&er TitleI 05 to 0' :ords
Oour Name
Pni%ersity of Eassacusetts 3owell
#cool of #ocial :ork
APA Quick Reference Guide 0L

Dlass Num.er and #ortened Title (#,#: 05' I 9%aluation!
Professor-s Name
Bate of #u.mission
APA Quick Reference Guide 0<

A.stract
7ot single moters and moters wit disa.ilities are o%erre&resented among te P.#. &o&ulation
li%ing in &o%erty. #ingle moters wit disa.ilities face s&ecial callenges raising cildren in low$
income ouseolds. To de%elo& a .etter understanding of teir ex&erience, we conducted L focus
grou&s wit a total of /L single moters wit disa.ilities wo are recei%ing #u&&lemental #ocial
#ecurity .enefits. Psing coding metods a&&ro&riate for )ualitati%e data, we analy>e temes
related to te dynamic nature of callenges tese moters face as teir cildren age. 6indings
sow tat none of tese women identify teir disa.ility as a s&ecific callenge. All &artici&ants
agree increased ad%ocacy ser%ices are critical to el&ing tem to successfully raise teir cildren.
Recommendations for future researc and &ractice im&lications are discussed.
APA Quick Reference Guide 0N

11 margin at top of page
(enter heading, not "old
3ou"le4space
5o indentation of first line
/eader is R1 from top of
page
A"stract is p. 2 of paper
A"stracts !ar# in length, "ut 120 $ords is a t#pical length.
The A"stract should clearl# state
stud# purpose
stud# methods
stud# findings
conclusions or implications of the stud#
A"stracts follo$ special st#le rules'
use present tense $hene!er possi"le
no indentation on first line
use digits for all num"ers, except those starting a sentence
rst use
3,:$8ND,E9 E,T@9R# :8T@ B8#A7838T89# '

Financial Burden in Families o !"ildren #i$" S%ecial &eal$" !are 'eeds
An estimated 0 out H cildren in te Pnited #tates is considered to a%e s&ecial ealt
care needs, defined as cronic de%elo&mental, emotional, &ysical or .ea%ioral conditions tat
necessitate ealt care and su&&orti%e ser%ices .eyond tose re)uired .y ty&ically de%elo&ing
cildren (EcPerson C Arrango, 044N, '55'!. Te costs of meeting te care needs of cildren
wit cronic or disa.ling conditions are ig relati%e to ty&ically de%elo&ing cildren,
(Newaceck, 8nglas, C ;im, '55?; Newaceck C ;im, '55/; P.#. General Accounting ,ffice
FGA,G, '55L!. As identified .y Newaceck et al. ('55?!, tese increased costs are incurred
.ecause of extraordinary needsI
*ele%ated re)uirements for &rimary and s&ecialty medical care, as well as tera&eutic
su&&orti%e ser%ices suc as rea.ilitation, en%ironmental ada&tations, assisti%e de%ices,
&ersonal assistance, mental ealt, or res&ite care. Tera&eutic and su&&orti%e ser%ices
often allow families to care for teir cildren at ome rater tan seeking ex&ensi%e,
and often &u.licly$financed, out$of$ome care. (&. H4!
(nluen$ial Financial Fac$ors
e%idence related to factors tat influence te family financial .urden of caring for cildren
wit s&ecial ealt care needs (D#@DN! is limited. #ome studies a%e examined te
ex&enditures associated wit caring for cildren wit s&ecific im&airments (Dan, San, C
@omer, '55'! or in s&ecific states (3ukemeyer, Eayers, C #meeding, '555!. Aery few studies
a%e examined family financial .urden for a nationally re&resentati%e sam&le of D#@DN
(Domstock C ;im, '55H; ;ultau, @ill, Oucel, C Perrin, '55H!. ;ultau and Oin (0444!
found tat a&&roximately ?5( of P.#. families caring for D#@DN re&orted financial concerns,
APA Quick Reference Guide 04
$enter te
/e-el N %itle

&ndent 8
spaces for
paragrap
&n+text citations
gi-e GAutor;
dateH4
Most appear at te
end of a sentence4
3,:$8ND,E9 E,T@9R# :8T@ B8#A7838T 89# /
Euotes of +0 $ords or
more are set as bloc+ >uote
$ithout quote mars ; each
line is dou"le4 spaced and
indented : spaces. The
page num"er is put in
parentheses outside the
quote punctuation.

To define an
a""re!iation,
$rite out full#
on 1st use @
gi!e a""r. in
parentheses.
0ultiple ^
references $ithin
the same
parentheses are
separated $ith a
semicolon,
alpha"etiCed "# first
author.
R >hen
authors9 names are
used in the text
(signal phrase),
replace the @ $ith
?and.1
/e-el 6
eading


6se ^
OsquareP
"racets to
define a""r.
$ithin
parenthese
s

References
A.elson, A. G. (0444!. Res&ite care needs of &arents of cildren wit de%elo&mental disa.ilities.
Foc"s on '"tism and 6ther !e5elopmental !isabilities, -0('!, 4L$050. @ournal
7runs, 9. =., C 7urcard, =. B. (044N!. )he financial impact of disabilities on 'merica4s poor.
Tousand ,aks, DAI #age. >ook
;ultau, ;., @ill, ;. #., Oucel, R., Bau, :., 3ea, T., Perrin, =. E., *6iser, E. ('55H!.
6inancial .urden for foster families raising cildren wit disa.ilities. #aternal and Child
&ealth /o"rnal* 7* '5<$'0N.
National Denter for 9ducation #tatistics. ('55'!. C"rrent expendit"res per st"dent* -777.+888.
Retrie%ed from tt&IJJnces.ed.go%JccdJ.atJ
Newaceck, P. :., 8nkelas, E., C ;im, #. 9. ('55H!. @ealt ser%ices use and ealt care
ex&enditures for cildren wit disa.ilities. 8n #. 3. Paris C E. #el>er (9ds.!,
9mplications of caregi5ing for :.S. families (&&. <4$NH!. Da&el @ill; Pni%ersity of Nort
Darolina Press.
Newaceck, P. :., C ;im, #. 9. ('55?!. A national &rofile of ealt care utili>ation for cildren
wit s&ecial ealt care needs. 'rchi5es of %ediatric #edicine* -17(00!*05$0<.
doiI05.0H?'J&eds.'55H$''/N
P.#. General Accounting ,ffice. ('555!. #edicaid managed care3 Challenges in implementing
safeg"ards for children ith special needs (GA,J@9@#$55$/<!. :asington, BDI P.#.
Go%ernment Printing ,ffice.
APA Quick Reference Guide '5
,eference section starts on
ne$ page
/eading, sentence caps, not
"old
Antries use a :4space hanging
indent (0.:1 indent).
,unning head (hidden here)
should "e at left margin
-n!ert authors9 names, use
surname and initials
Alpha"etiCe entries "# first
author9s last name.
3ou"le4spaced throughout
5o extra line of space "et$een
' 0ultiple $ors $ith same 1st author are ordered
u "# 2nd author9s last name.
5ote' 5o end punctuation $ith
' So!ernment agenc# as author.
' )e"
site
$apter
in
edited
Eore tan
< autors
9lectronic article wit doi assigned; don-t add &eriod to doi

&dentifying AutorJOrganization; %itle; and IR/ for a )e" Page
-n4text (6.7. 3epartment of Agriculture, 2010)
,ef. entr# 6.7. 3epartment of Agriculture, .ood and 5utrition 7er!ice. (2010).
:upplemental utrition Assistance Program (:AP7.
,etrie!ed from http'&&$$$.fns.usda.go!&snap&
O Page title is proper name therefore capped lie a proper noun.P

APA Quick Reference Guide '0
PR3
Page title
,rgani>ation as
autor

APA Style Resources on te )e"
When its not clear from the Manual ho* to cite a particular source% try these
alternatives belo* (all are from the APAs *eb site7:
APA=s (elp Site; /earning APA Style Gtutorial on APA "asics; FAQs; "log *it
Q.AsH
!his site encompasses lin+s to the tutorial% the )A?% and the blog% *hose direct lin+s
are listed individually belo*3
APA Fre3uently Asked Questions GFAQH
o APA >log
0an# of the follo$ing lins are to pages on the in!alua"le APA "log site, $hich is the
official companion to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association% :i9th @dition3 -tMs run "# a group of experts $ho $or $ith APA 7t#le
e!er# da#.
5ot onl# does it gi!e #ou examples for things that ma# not "e co!ered extensi!el#
(or at all) in the Manual itself, it also fields and ans$ers questions from users (this
could "e #ouF) a"out specific pro"lematic or idios#ncratic sources that need citations
formatted in APA st#le. Iou can scroll through the E@A at the end of each entr# to
see ho$ these experts ad!ise dealing $ith quir# or pro"lematic citations, or #ou can
su"mit #our o$n questions if #ou don9t see an ans$er alread# a!aila"le.
The follo$ing lins are to Bust a fe$ of the pages a!aila"le on the "log. Disit the "log
site for more help in citing in APA st#le.
o Seneric ,eference (http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&200<&11&the4generic4
reference.html)
;oth of the follo*ing posts are helpful in identifying the ,*hen2 and ,*here2
aspects of a reference3
>hen (http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&2010&01&the4generic4reference4
$hen.html)
>here (http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&2010&01&the4generic4reference4
$here.html)
o .ranenreference (http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&2010&02&the4
franenreference.html)
:ometimes% you have to create your o*n reference out of *hatever pieces of
information that are available to you (li+e the ,monster2 )ran+enstein *as
created= hence the ,)ran+enreference2 title above7 % depending on the
APA Quick Reference Guide ''

information that you have available% because your source may not be li+e any
of the e9amples included in the Manual3 !his blog entry helps to clarify *hat
pieces of information are important and in *hat order they need to be
presented *hen you construct your o*n ,)ran+enreference32
o /o$ to (ite 7omething Iou .ound on a >e"site in APA 7t#le
(http'&&"log.apas#tle.org&apast#le&social4media)
o ?/o$ to (ite 7omething Iou .ound on a >e"site in APA 7t#le' >hat to 3o
>hen -nformation is 0issing1 ta"le (http'&&"log.apast#le.org&files&ho$4to4cite4
something4#ou4found4on4a4$e"site4in4apa4st#le444ta"le41.pdf) (0f you can?t open
this table by clic*ing on the lin*, copy and paste it into a browser window.)
!his very helpful table is a tool to use *hen youre creating a citation for a
*ebsite and you dont have all the typical elements= it tells you the solution%
positioning% etc3% in a table format3
o /o$ to (ite 7ocial 0edia
http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&social4media&
o /o$ to (ite T$itter and .ace"oo, Parts - and --
Part -' http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&200<&10&ho$4to4cite4t$itter4and4
face"oo4part4i.html
Part --' http'&&"log.apast#le.org&apast#le&200<&10&ho$4to4cite4t$itter4and4
face"oo4part4ii.html
APA Quick Reference Guide '/

A-oid Plagiarism "y Ackno*ledging Sources
Plagiarism occurs $hen a $riterintentionall# or unintentionall#presents the $or, $ords,
thoughts, or ideas of others as his or her o$n. Plagiarism is a serious !iolation of the *arton
(ollege /onor (ode to $hich all facult# and students are "ound.
A-oiding plagiarism is easil# accomplished "# maing sure that #our reading notes include all
the information #ou $ill need to create accurate citations in #our $or (e.g., papers, posters,
Po$erPoint presentations) to acno$ledge the source of the ideas, statistics, or other details
that #ou use to present a con!incing argument. Although the original germ of the ideas ma#
come from other sources, the $a# #ou com"ine and s#nthesiCe the material "ecomes #our
contri"ution to the field.
&n+text citations appear in the "od# text of #our paper to acno$ledge the source of the ideas
or data discussed in #our paper. APA uses the author;date (author9s last name, #ear of
pu"lication) s#stem of in4text citations that encloses the citation $ithin parentheses. (itations
are t#picall# placed at the end of the sentence that first presents the idea, fact, date, reference
to a stud#, contrasting opinion, or $hate!er else #ou ha!e gleaned from a source2 the citation
precedes the end punctuation for the sentence.
%xa"ple' 7ome scholars hold that Adith >ilson $as, in effect, the nation9s first $oman
president (G#nn, 1<<<).
References appear as a separate section at the end of the paper, and should al$a#s start on
a ne$ page after the "od# of the paper. >ith t$o exceptions
1
, e!er# in4text citation must ha!e
an entr# in the ,eference section that pro!ides the reader $ith all the information needed to
retrie!e the source. A!er# reference entr# must ha!e at least one in4text citation. The APA
manual has numerous examples of !ariations and nuances in reference formats.
The format for the ,eference section uses a R1 or 8+space anging indent, and is dou"le+
spaced trougout. 8nl# the sources cited in the text of #our paper are listed in the ,eference
section. ,eferences are listed $ith authors9 names in!erted (i.e., surname precedes initials for
first and middle names) and entries are listed alpha"eticall# "# first author9s last name. -f there
are t$o or more $ors "# the same author(s), those $ors are arranged "# pu"lication date $ith
the oldest $or cited first.
0
The t$o exceptions are personal communication and the first source in a secondar# source. Personal
communication (e.g., letters, e4mail, personal inter!ie$s) are considered non retrie!a"le sources "ut
should "e documented in the text. A secondar# citation occurs $hen #ou cite information from Author A
that appears in a $or "# Author *. .or example, #ou read a "oo "# Surst that reported on the research
of *orge and #ou $ant to use e!idence from *orge9s research in #our paper. Iou cannot read *orge9s
original $or "ecause the articles $ere $ritten in .innish and Anglish translations are not a!aila"le. -n
this case, #our in4text citation $ould use the follo$ing format' (*orge, 2002, as cited in Surst, 200K).
Surst $ould "e listed in #our ,eference section, "ut not *orge "ecause #our source $as the secondar#
source. 7econdar# sources should "e used sparingl#2 it is al$a#s "etter to use the primar# source.
APA Quick Reference Guide '?

%ransitions' /ittle )ords %at ,o a /ot
The goal of academic $riting is to con!e# complex, technical information in a $a# that
maes the information accessi"le to the reader. Transitions help #ou achie!e this goal
"# lining #our ideas together in a smooth, logical progression and enhancing the
reader9s a"ilit# to process the information presented.
Transitions ser!e as important ?road maps1 for readers, telling them ho$ to handle,
organiCe, and $eigh the information. Transitions can "e a single $ord, a "rief phrase, a
full sentence, or a complete paragraph. Affecti!e $riting uses transitions "et$een
sections of length# papers, "et$een paragraphs, and $ithin paragraphs.
The t#pe of transition signals the reader a"out the relationship "et$een pieces of
information or ideas. Transitional $ords such as further or moreover alert the reader9s
"rain to tae note of additional information $hereas ho*ever signals that contrasting
information follo$s.
.unction Axamples of Transitions'
-llustration thus, for example, for instance, namel#, to illustrate, in other $ords,
in particular, specificall#, such as
(ontrast despite, on the contrar#, "ut, ho$e!er, ne!ertheless, in spite of, in
contrast, #et, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or, nor,
con!ersel#, at the same time, although this ma# "e true, surel#,
not$ithstanding, indeedN"ut
Addition in addition to, furthermore, moreo!er, "esides, too, also, "oth4and,
another, equall# important, again, further, last, finall#, not onl#4"ut
also, as $ell as, in the second place, next, lie$ise, similarl#, in fact,
as a result, consequentl#, in the same $a#, for example, for
instance, ho$e!er, thus, therefore, other$ise.
Time since, after$ard, "efore, then, once, next, last, at length, formerl#,
rarel#, usuall#, finall#, soon, mean$hile, later, ordinaril#, generall#, in
order to, su"sequentl#, pre!iousl#, immediatel#, e!entuall#,
concurrentl#, simultaneousl#
(oncession
although, at an# rate, at least, still, thought, e!en though, granted
that, although it ma# "e true, in spite of, of course.

(omparison sho$ing
7imilarit#
similarl#, lie$ise, in lie fashion, in lie manner, analogous to

Amphasis a"o!e all, indeed, trul#, of course, certainl#, surel#, in fact, reall#, in
truth, again, "esides, also, furthermore, in addition.
3etails specificall#, especiall#, in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate,
in detail, namel#, including.
Axamples for example, for instance, to illustrate, thus, in other $ords, as an
APA Quick Reference Guide 'H

illustration, in particular.
(onsequence or
,esult
so that, $ith the result that, thus, consequentl#, hence, accordingl#,
for this reason, therefore, so, "ecause, due to, as a result, in other
$ords, then.
7ummar# altogether, in other $ords, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in
summar#, that is, to put it differentl#, to summariCe therefore, finall#,
consequentl#, thus, in conclusion, in "rief, as a result, accordingl#
7uggestion for this purpose, to this end, $ith this in mind, $ith this purpose in
mind, therefore.
(oncluding therefore, thus, so, and so, hence, consequentl#, finall#,
on the $hole, all in all, in other $ords, in short
Trace (ause and Affect accordingl#, as a result, "ecause, consequentl#, other$ise,

Pro of course, no dou"t, dou"tless, to "e sure, $hereas, granted
that, certainl#, perhaps, concei!a"l#, although
APA Quick Reference Guide 'L