APA Handbook PDF
APA Handbook PDF
June 2011
APA Manual 1
What is APA?
American Psychological Association (APA) has created a set of publication guidelines known
as ―APA style.‖ This document provides rules for writing and publishing research materials.
This style is used primarily within the field of social sciences.
APA provides standard guidelines for all research papers, reports, and essays. NSU students are
expected to follow accurate APA rules when completing writing assignments. APA ensures
that sources are properly cited, helping to avoid plagiarism.
Further information may be found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association [APA Manual]. Copies of this manual may be found in the university library or
online at:
www.apastyle.org
Students may also wish to check the following websites for information on APA:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc
2 APA Manual
Table of Contents
I. Formatting a Paper
1. Parts of an Essay ...................................................................................................... 4
a. Title Page .......................................................................................................... 4
b. Body ................................................................................................................... 5
c. References Page ................................................................................................. 5
d. Section Headings ............................................................................................... 5
2. Parts of a Research Report ....................................................................................... 5
a. Title Page .......................................................................................................... 5
b. Abstract .............................................................................................................. 5
c. Table of Contents ............................................................................................... 6
d. Body (Sections of a Research Paper) ................................................................. 6
e. Section Headings ............................................................................................... 7
f. References Page ................................................................................................. 7
g. Appendix ............................................................................................................ 7
Tables and Figures ..................................................................................... .8
II. In-text Citations
1. Plagiarism .............................................................................................................. 9
2. Paraphrasing ........................................................................................................... 9
3. Quoting Directly .................................................................................................... 10
a. Regular Quotes / b. Block Quotes................................................................... 11
4. Citation Placement ................................................................................................. 12
5. Multiple Authors (Same Source) ........................................................................... 12
6. Multiple Authors (Different Sources) .................................................................... 13
7. No Authors ............................................................................................................. 13
8. Quoting a Secondary Source ................................................................................. 13
a. Within Text / b. In the References List ........................................................... 13
8. Quoting Personal Communications ....................................................................... 14
9. Modifying Direct Quotes ....................................................................................... 14
a. Removing Text / b. Adding Text .................................................................... 14
III. References
1. General Guidelines................................................................................................. 15
2. Document Identification System ........................................................................... 15
3. Referencing Books and Sections of Books ............................................................ 16
4. Referencing Periodicals ......................................................................................... 19
5. Referencing Reports and Documents..................................................................... 21
6. Referencing Audiovisual Media ............................................................................ 22
7. Referencing Online Communication, Online Communities .................................. 23
Note: The Publication of the American Psychological Association (6th Ed.) does not include a
section on using a table of contents. However, it might be helpful for longer papers, such as
dissertations or Master’s theses. The above Table of Contents is a common format that you
may wish to follow.
APA Manual 3
This booklet addresses the following aspects of APA style (or format):
I. Formatting a paper
II. In-text Citations
III. References
Students unfamiliar with the APA format should preview each of the three sections before
writing their paper. Those familiar with all aspects of APA style may refer to specific
information when needed.
I. Formatting a Paper
Academic writing is generally divided into two types—standard essays and research
reports based on the writer‘s clinical research. You must check with your instructor
regarding the format of your paper.
Essay
A properly formatted standard paper includes three parts appearing in the following order:
1. Title page
2. Body
Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
3. References
Research Report
A properly formatted research paper includes six parts appearing in the following order:
1. Title page
2. Abstract
3. Table of contents (optional)
4. Body
Introduction Note: This body format is not used for all
Literature Review academic papers. It is applicable only to
Methods papers based on field research.
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
5. References
6. Appendix
Tables and Figures (optional)
1. Parts of an Essay
a. Title Page
According to the APA Publication Manual, a title page should include
a running head
a title
the author‘s name
the institutional affiliation
Note: Some instructors may require other information on the title page, such as the title
and course number, the submission date, and his/her name. It is the student’s
responsibility to verify title page requirements with the instructor.
(2) Title
Capitalize all main words in the title.
Double-space all lines on the title page.
Place in the upper half of the page.
Title should not exceed 12 words.
b. Body
The body contains an introduction, a discussion, APA PAPER 3
and a conclusion. [APA—p. 27; 35; 36 respectively]
Writing an APA Paper
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
Double-space all text. The introduction of your academic
Use one-inch margins on all sides. paper will start with a strong thesis
Align all paragraphs to the left. statement which tells your reader what
Indent new paragraphs five spaces. your paper is about. The introduction
Insert a header to appear on the rest of the may also provide a preview of the topics
pages.
or main ideas that you will discuss in
Tip: To insert a header, go to the second page of your paper.
the paper. Double-click the header area. The header The body of your paper may be a few
function will open. In the Header & Footer group, paragraphs or several pages long,
select Page Number; select Top of Page; select Plain depending on the type of paper your
Number 1. The cursor should appear before a
instructor requires you to write.
number. Type in YOUR PAPER TITLE in caps.
Click TAB until the page number moves to the right
margin. Click on the X on the top ribbon to close the
header.
c. References Page
The references page appears at the end of the document. For more information, see
References (pages 15-24).
d. Section Headings
Standard essays do not typically have sections. The parts of the paper, such as
introduction, body, and conclusion, should not
be identified with headings. For section WORKPLACE BULLYING 2
headings in a research paper, see p. 7. Abstract
The aim of the study was to address the
2. Parts of a Research Report topic of workplace bullying and to
a. Title Page (see p. 4 ) experience the process of facilitation. A
series of workshops was held to explore
b. Abstract [APA—p. 25] the issue of workplace bullying. The aim
An Abstract is a brief summary
of the facilitation process was to examine
describing the purpose and content
of the paper. workplace bullying and to create
The Abstract follows the title page. solutions for better handling and
It is written as a single paragraph. resolution of the issue. Education,
It is double-spaced. training, and clear policy-making were
It is between 150 and 250 words in determined to be the three major
length. categories of solutions that should be
Center the word ―Abstract‖ at the top
implemented within organizations.
of the page. Capitalize the first letter
only. Skip one line and type the text
of the abstract in a block format
(aligned left, using no indentations).
6 APA Manual
d. Body
Note: Papers entailing field research, where you set
up a study and collect data, should include the
following sections:
(6) Conclusion
This section reviews the major points of the paper and paraphrases the information
in the introduction. It reminds the readers what they have just learned.
Reiterates the topic/problem discussed
States the importance of the findings
Summarizes the main findings of the research
Leaves the reader with a final thought or recommendation
f. References Page
The References page appears at the end of the document. For more information, see
References (pages 15-24).
The APA Publication Manual separates Remember to introduce tables with a brief
statement that tells the reader what to look for.
non-textual information into two categories: Highlight the most important information, but
Tables and Figures. do not repeat specific facts or statistics that
will be evident to the reader.
Dolphin Mall 96 90 83 72
(Remember that certain colors—ex. From ―This is a fake book title,‖ by I. M. Fake and M. R.
Pretend, 2006, Behavioral Studies Fake Journal, 100, p.
yellow—are difficult to read). 34.
Tables and figures must have a caption,
which consists of two parts: Political affiliation among college
students in 2007
Assign each table and figure a 60%
Books Websites
Magazines / journals / newspaper articles Blogs
Database articles Internet bulletin boards / forums
Films E-mails
Television programs Encyclopedias
Radio documentaries Personal Communications
Read the original passage below and compare it with the paraphrased versions.
Paraphrases must be cited with the name of the author and the year of publication of the
original source. Citing the page number is optional.
Current research provides insight into why immersion is a valuable aspect of adult
learning (Hewett & Ehmann, 2004).
OR
According to Hewett and Ehmann (2004), current research provides insight into why
immersion is a valuable aspect of adult learning.
Personal communications (e-mail messages, instant messages, text messages, online chats,
class lectures, and personal or telephone interviews) should be paraphrased. For information
on citing personal communications, see Quoting Personal Communications on p. 14.
Direct quotes use the language of the original author word for word.
Use quotation marks around all borrowed words, phrases, or sentences.
Cite the author's name, date, and page number.
When no author is available, use document title (if the piece is written by a random
individual) or an organization name (if the piece is presented by an organization).
When no page number is available, use a paragraph symbol (¶) or abbreviation ―para.‖
If the text is divided into titled sections, rather than paragraphs, use section title with
para. 1.
Introduce the author. Keep year Use quotation marks to identify the
and author’s name together. words of the author.
Diana Hacker (2003) writes, "To show readers that you are using a source‘s exact phrases or
sentences, you must enclose them in quotation marks‖ (p. 384).
Note: 40 words equal approximately three lines of text. Quotes that are longer than three lines
should be presented as a block quote.
Beginning of sentence
Palmacci (2007) argues that the curriculum is diverse.
Middle of sentence
After thoroughly researching the program, Palmacci (2007) concluded that the
curriculum is diverse.
End of sentence
The study found that the curriculum is very diverse (Palmacci, 2007).
When citing information from the same author more than once within the
same paragraph, list author‘s name only in the first citation. All subsequent
citations should simply list the page number.
Studies show that obese children are at risk of diabetes (Alberts, 1999; Peterson, 2003;
Smith, 2008).
7. No Authors
When no author is available, use document title (if the piece is written by an individual)
or an organization name (if the piece is presented by an organization).
Italicize titles of books and periodicals. Enclose titles of articles and chapters in
quotations marks. Capitalize every word.
Stress impacts one’s ability to perform work functions (―Why Can’t I Concentrate,‖ 2009).
Studies show that obese children are at risk of diabetes (National Health Association,
2008).
a. Within Text
cite the primary source without the year of publication;
place the words ―as cited in‖ and the citation for the secondary source in
parentheses.
According to Presley, Meilman, and Lyerla (as cited in Levine & Cureton, 1998), marijuana
is used by almost a quarter of the college population.
14 APA Manual
Personal communications include e-mail messages, private letters, instant messages, text
messages, online chats, class lectures, and personal or telephone interviews.
When quoting a personal communication, include the words ―personal
communication‖ into the citation.
The format of the citation is the same whether the information is directly
quoted or paraphrased.
The information from personal communications cannot be recovered by
other researchers. Therefore, it should not be listed in the reference section.
Nova Southeastern University offers many student services (J. Smith, personal communi-
cation, April 5, 2008).
a. Removing Text
When omitting unimportant information from the beginning or middle of a quote,
use an ellipsis (three periods with a space between each one) to indicate where the
information has been removed.
When omitting words from the end of a quote, put the period at the end of the sen-
tence followed by the ellipsis (four dots altogether).
b. Adding Text
When adding your own words to a quote, put the words in brackets.
According to The new St. Martin‘s handbook (1999), ―as you choose which sources to
use, . . . you may reevaluate the decisions [about which research material to use]. For
example, you may decide to summarize in your essay. . . . To avoid plagiarizing, docu-
ment any source material you do include with a citation within your text and an entry in
your list of sources‖ (p. 505).
1. General Guidelines
The references page appears at the end of the document before appendices.
The references should appear on a separate page.
The word ―References‖ should be centered at the top of the page.
The list of references should account for all in-text citations.
All entries must be alphabetized by author‘s last name (or organization name, in the
absence of the author).
The list must be double-spaced.
All entries must be placed with a hanging indent, so that the first line is flushed left and
subsequent lines are indented.
STUDY SKILLS 6
Tip: Use the hanging indent function References
to create a hanging indent. This way,
all reference entries will Fine, M., & Blume, L. (1993).
automatically be indented. Reflections on a therapy
experience. American
The abbreviation (n.d.) needs to be used in
the absence of a date. Psychologist, 48(2), 141-147.
Titles of books, magazines, and journals are Lamott, A. (1995). Bird by bird. New
italicized. York: Anchor Books.
Only proper nouns, the first words of titles,
and the first words after a colon in a title are Nicol, A., & Pexman, P. (1999).
capitalized. Presenting your findings: A
My friend Annie: A journey through time. practical guide for creating
tables. Washington, DC:
American Psychological
Association.
Author. (Year). Title of the book. Location: Publisher. (if DOI is not available)
Author. (Year). Title of the book. doi: 10.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (if DOI is available)
List the last name of the author, followed by his or her initial.
You may list only one initial or two (for first and middle names).
Crystal, D. (2007). How language works. New York: Avery Publishing Group.
If there is more than one edition of the book, the edition must be indicated after the title of
the book.
When an edition is listed, the period is placed after the parentheses instead of the title.
If a DOI is available, use it instead of the publishing information.
Palmacci, C. (2008). Chick lit and horror flicks (2nd ed.). doi:10.2039av/3910221
APA Manual 17
If the book has an editor instead of an author, place the editor‘s name in the author‘s
position, followed by (Ed.) for editor or (Eds.) for editors.
If the book is a compilation of chapters written by various authors, see Chapter in an
Edited Book (p. 18).
Oates, J. C. (Ed.). (1992). The Oxford book of American short stories. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Use commas to separate last names from initials and to separate each author from the next.
Use an ampersand (&) before the second author.
If the author has a suffix (ex. Jr. or II), use the pattern: Smith, B., Jr., & Jones, H.
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, K. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.). New York: MacMillan.
List authors in the order that they appear on the cover of the book.
Use commas to separate last names from initials and to separate each author from the next.
Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravitz, S. (2002). Keys to college studying: Becoming a lifelong
learner. doi:10.10056/2kh0414
If there are up to seven authors, include all. If there are eight or more, include the first six,
and then insert three ellipsis points and add the last author‘s name.
If the book is part of a volume or series, indicate the volume number in parentheses after the
title.
Baym, N., Franklin, W., Gottesman, R., Holland, L. B., Kalstone, D., Krupat, A., . . . Levine, G.
(1994). The Norton anthology of American literature (4th ed., Vol. 1). New York: W.
W. Norton & Company.
18 APA Manual
List author and title. DOI information takes the place of the publisher location and name.
Deer, P. (2009). Culture in camouflage: War, empire, and British literature. doi:10.1093/
acprof:oso/9780199239887.001.0001
Hacker, D. (2009). Research and documentation in the electronic age (4th ed.). Retrieved
from http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc
List the source by the name(s) of the author(s) of the chapter or article.
Write the title of the chapter or article after the authors‘ names.
Introduce the title of the book by stating ―In [editor‘s name] (Ed.) or (Eds.),‖
(Note that the editor‘s initials precede the last name).
The page numbers at the end reflect the pages of the chapter or article within the book.
Hartley, J. T., Harker, J. O., & Walsh, D. A. (1980). Contemporary issues and new directions
in adult development of learning and memory. In L. W. Poon (Ed.), Aging in the 1980s:
Psychological issues (pp. 239-252). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Costello, R. B. (Ed.). (1997). The American heritage college dictionary (3rd ed.) Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Miami. (2006, June 11). In Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://
www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/379665/Miami
APA Manual 19
If there is no information about the author of an encyclopedia or dictionary entry, use the
title of the entry.
Write the word ―In‖ before the title of the encyclopedia or dictionary.
Bergmann, P.G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyclopedia Britannica (Vol. 26, pp. 501-
508). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica.
Writing. (1997). In The American heritage college dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1558) Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
4. Referencing periodicals
Use the following basic pattern for all periodicals (newspapers, journals, and magazines).
This pattern may change slightly depending on the sources used.
Moore, S.D., & Brody, L.R. (2009). Linguistic predictors of mindfulness in written self-
disclosure narratives. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 28, 281. doi:
10.1177/0261927x09335264
Fine, M. A., & Kurdek, L. A. (1993). Reflections on determining authorship credit and
authorship order on faculty-student collaborations. American Psychologist, 48, 1141-
1147.
20 APA Manual
Wininger, S.R., & Green, J. M. (2009). Effects of hot vs. cold environment on psychological
outcomes during cycling. Athletic Insight, 11(2). Retrieved from http://
athleticinsight.com
Magazine Article (in print) [APA—p. 200]
Martin, S. (2009, July). A new day for practice. Monitor on Psychology, 40(7). Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/monitor
Hilts, P. J. (1999, February 16). In forecasting their emotions, most people flunk out. New
York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
APA Manual 21
The exact URL is provided because the website itself is not a periodical and the article may
be difficult to locate without it.
Website name is identified within the retrieval statement because the author of the report is
not the organization that sponsors the website.
An exact URL is used here because it may be difficult to locate the article on this site.
Document title is italicized.
Crosley, S. (2007, August 9). Lost in space. Retrieved from Salon website: http://
www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/08/09/spatial_disability/
Under this category, the organization is the author. In other words, you are taking
information written by an organization and presented on its own website.
Name (Producer), & Name (Director). (Year). Title [Motion picture]. Country: Studio.
(visual)
Writer’s name. (Copyright year). Song title [Recorded by]. On Album title. [CD]. Loca-
tion: Label. (audio)
Jarre, K., Carr, P. (Producers), & Sommers, S. (Director). (1999). The mummy. [Motion
picture]. United States: Universal Pictures.
McCreery, G., Rein, P. (Writers), & Halvorson, G. (Director). (1998, November 12). The
one where Ross moves in [Television series episode]. In D. Crane & Kauffman, M.
(Producers) Friends. Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers.
American Psychological Association. (Producer). (2009). Brief dynamic therapy over time
[DVD]. Available from http://www.apa.org/videos/
Kirkland, K. (2008). Are children almost always better off with their biological parents?
[Review of the film Gone baby gone, 2007] PsycCritiques, 53, 25.
APA Manual 23
Author. (Year). Title of post [Description of form]. Retrieved from exact URL
Screenname123. (2001, December 11). Re: Youth hostels in London [Msg 4]. Retrieved
from http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/307095755
Hammond, T. (2000, November 20). Re: YAHC: Handle Parameters, DOI Genres, etc.
[Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://www.doi.org/mail-archive/ref
-link/msg00088.html
Prof. Belandi]
This paper is Additional in-
written in a 12- formation is
point, Times optional and
New Roman may be added
font. All mar- per instructor’s
gins are one request.
inch wide.
APA Manual 25
tion, a dispute system was designed to address how conflicts are to be ad-
The heading of
the introduc- Dispute Systems Design in Conflict Resolution
tion section is
the title of the The field of conflict resolution can still be said to be in its infancy. Over
paper (not the past 60 years, there has been an increase in the number of theories and
bold).
practical applications of conflict resolution methodologies in a variety of so-
creased cultural diversity, employees retiring from the workforce and costs
associated with litigation. They also deal with a decrease in the number of Paraphrased
citations do not
qualified employees entering the workforce (Conbere, 2001) . Practitioners include page
look at the whole system of interactions within an organization. Dispute Sys-
numbers
manner. Its broader impact has been influential in shifting the focus to con-
ganizational conflict. . . .
Each new Ury, Brett, and Goldberg (1988) created the original model of
paragraph is
indented 5-7 DSD as a result of their consulting work within strike-ridden Caney Creek
spaces. All
paragraphs are mine. They classified existing approaches to conflict resolution into three
left-justified. categories, power, rights, or interests, and placed them on a cost continuum. .
..
Directly quoted ily utilize rights and power-based approaches. While they acknowledge that When several
citations ―not all disputes can be—or should be—resolved by reconciling inter- quotes from the
include page same source are
numbers ests‖ (Ury, Brett, & Goldberg, 1988, p. 18) , organizations feel that an effec- presented
within the same
tive conflict resolution system should approach most of the conflicts in the paragraph, list
full citation
following order: interest, rights, and power. The original systems design only the first
model offers six founding principles (p. 41). time. In subse-
quent citations
within the
paragraph, list
only the page
number.
APA Manual 27
This literature DISPUTE SYSTEMS DESIGN 4
review was
taken from a Literature Review
different paper
and is offered Social conflict has been a subject of extensive studies (Senechal de la
here as a Roche, 1996; Borrero, 2001; Cramer, 2003). Nonetheless, the research has
sample.
been somewhat lopsided in that social scientists primarily investigate conflicts
which result in group violence. Collective violence received so much atten-
tion because it is immediately apparent and much more easily studied. How-
ever, is only one of the ways that social conflicts can be solved. Conflicts are
generally approached in three ways – through contention, yielding, or prob-
lem-solving (Rubin, Pruitt, & Kim, 1994; Uri, Brett, & Goldberg, 1998). . . . When referring
to several
Social scientists agree that individuals and groups often employ extreme sources, list
forms of contention to rectify what they perceive as injustice. Senechal de la
them in
alphabetical
Roche (1996) calls it a ―form of self-help‖. She names four types of group order,
separating them
This section violence – lynching, rioting, vigilantism, and terrorism. These are distin- with a
offers an over- semicolon.
guished on the basis of the level of organization and liability each carries. . . .
view of schol-
arly research on The type of violence more likely to occur can be determined by the de-
the topic. The
job of the writer gree of social polarization and the continuity of the unjust negative behavior.
is to summarize
Senechal de la Roche (1996) claims that when ―those in conflict are relation-
the current dis-
cussion within ally and culturally extremely distant, have little or no interdependence, and
the academic
community by differ sharply in status‖ (p. 116). . . .
pointing out
major research Inequality, as one of the variables leading to group violence, has received In addition to
concerns and the summary,
findings. separate attention. Many studies have focused on various types of inequality this section
should point out
in an effort to predict its effects on group behavior. Cramer (2003) proposes existing gaps in
research. This
that the type of existing inequality has a much greater impact on conflict than should justify
the need for the
its extent (p. 397). . . . original
research
Other studies look at the historically existing structural inequality as a presented in the
paper.
determinant of violent behavior. Caldwell et al. (2004) and Anderson, Dyson
and Grandison (1998) suggest that when certain sectors of the population ex-
diverse, with faculty and students representing Eastern European, Asian, and
A typical pa-
per contains Latin American populations. The college faces a constant flow of student
up to three
levels of head- complaints about unfulfilled promises and unmet expectations, while at the
ings. This is a same time dealing with faculty complaints about student placement and the
first-level
heading – pressure to produce unrealistic results.
centered, This section
bold, using Method describes how
uppercase and the research
lowercase let- Personal experiences, interviews, and informal conversations with
was conducted.
ters. colleagues were used to collect information about common disputes and the
tion was used to create a dispute resolution system that could be applied to the
This is a second
-level heading organization‘s unique mission, culture, and environment.
– flush left,
bold, capital Assessment
and lower case.
Organizational assessment is required when designing a dispute reso-
lution system. Two methods will be combined when examining the organiza-
The section is
tional resolution system at Sample. The first method, proposed by Costantino written in the
and Merchant (1996), outlines the process in four steps: past tense
because the
Organization (what does the organization do, and what is its mis- research has
already been
sion?) completed.
However, if this
Disputes (what types of disputes are most prevalent?) were a research
proposal, the
Resolution methods (what methods are employed to address dis-
method section
putes?) would be writ-
ten in the future
Results (what are the outcomes of current resolution practices?) tense.
The second method is proposed by Ury, Brett and Goldberg (1988), who
break down the process into three sections—disputes, resolution methods and
rationale. The rationale section asks why certain resolution methods are em-
tions. Faculty members feel that they must comply or face the consequences,
making prevents effective conflict management because conflicts are not re-
staff suggestions.
tants, and ‗justice‘ options based on rights and power‖ (p. 84). The rec-