APA Citation Process

Basic Information
In citing a book in APA you need to follow this exact format in order to accomplish
proper APA citation style.

Step 1: Formatting the author’s name

The author’s name should be written in reversed order. The last name should be first
place followed by a comma and then add the initials of the first name only, follow it with a
period.
—Example: Howard, F.
In adding the middle initials of the author, place it after the period of the first name,
separate it with a comma and end it with a point.
—Example: Howard, F., E.
If the author’s name have suffixes such as Jr./Sr. or roman numerals, place it after the
period of the initials of the first name and separate it with a comma.
—Example: Howard, F., Jr.
If the source is written by multiple authors, cite the author’s name one after the other
using the format in author names and separate it with commas. If the source has more than six
authors, state all of the authors until the sixth and replace all succeeding authors with “et al.”
—Example: Howard, F., Lee, R., Lincoln, A., Adams, J., Johnson, E., Ronald, T., et al.
.
Step 2: Placing the Year Your Source was Published
When citing the year the source was published, place the year only and enclosed it with a
parenthesis. Place the year after the name of the author and end it with a period outside the
closing parenthesis.
—Example: Howard, F. (2009).

Step 3: Place the Title of the Source

In citing the title of your source, write the complete title of the source you are citing and
it should be italicized. Capitalize the first letter of the title and the first letter of the subtitle if
there are any. Observe capitalization rules on proper names and such. End it with a period.
—Example: Howard, F. (2009). The way to write perfectly in three methods.

Step 4: Cite the publisher of your source

Add the first the city where the source is published. Place it after the title and do not
italicize it. When placing the publisher’s city, only place the city’s name if it is widely known,
i.e. New York, Berlin, Tokyo, Washington DC etc. Afterwards add the name of the publishing
company, separating it from the city with a colon. Do not add suffixes such as (corp., Inc, Ltd
and such) however retain words such as “books” and “prints.” Finally end the citation with a
period.
—Example: Howard, F. (2009). The way to write perfectly in three methods. New York:
Press books.
 If the publishing city is not familiar or can be easily confused with other cities, place the
state or province where it is located separating it with a comma.

Step 5: Add the Page or Pages where the Citation was Taken
If the citation only taken from a selected part of a source, indicate the chapter and page/s
where the citation is found. Place the chapter after the date ending it with a colon, then add the
title. After the title add the page/s where the citation was taken. Remember to place the
abbreviation “pp” for pages, “p” for page, finally end it with a period.
—Example: Howard, F. (2009). Chapter 3: The way to write perfectly in three methods,
pp 43. New York: Press books.
If the citation is taken from consecutive pages in a source, place a hyphen between the
first page cited and the last page. (pp 65-68). If the pages are not consecutive, place a comma
between pages cited. (pp 32,43,54,66)
If the source has a revised or abridge editions and you are citing from those sources,
place the number, name or the year when the edition was published after the source’s title in
parenthesis, finally add the abbreviation “ed” for edition, “Rev. ed” for revised edition and “Abr.
ed” for abridge edition.
—Example: Howard, F. (2009). Chapter 3: The way to write perfectly in three methods
(2nd Rev. ed), pp 43. New York: Press books.
APA Format Process
Basic setup
The guidelines for basic setup apply to the entire paper. Perform these steps when you
first open your document, and then you do not have to worry about them again while writing
your paper. Because these are general aspects of paper formatting, they apply to all APA Style
papers, student or professional. Students should always check with their assigning instructor or
institution for specific guidelines for their papers, which may be different than or in addition to
APA Style guidelines.
Seventh edition APA Style was designed with modern word-processing programs in
mind. Most default settings in programs such as Academic Writer, Microsoft Word, and Google
Docs already comply with APA Style. This means that, for most paper elements, you do not have
to make any changes to the default settings of your word-processing program. However, you
may need to make a few adjustments before you begin writing.

Margins
Use 1-in. margins on all sides of the page (top, bottom, left, and right). This is usually how
papers are automatically set.

Font
Use a legible font. The default font of your word-processing program is acceptable. Many
sans serif and serif fonts can be used in APA Style, including 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial,
12-point Times New Roman, and 11-point Georgia. You can also use other fonts described on
the font page of the website.

Line spacing
Double-space the entire paper including the title page, block quotations, and the reference
list. This is something you usually must set using the paragraph function of your word-
processing program. But once you do, you will not have to change the spacing for the entirety of
your paper–just double-space everything. Do not add blank lines before or after headings. Do not
add extra spacing between paragraphs. For paper sections with different line spacing, see the line
spacing page.

Paragraph alignment and indentation

Align all paragraphs of text in the body of your paper to the left margin. Leave the right
margin ragged. Do not use full justification. Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5-in.
using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. For
paper sections with different alignment and indentation, see the paragraph alignment and
indention.

Page numbers
 Put a page number in the top right of every page header, including the title page, starting
with page number 1. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word-processing
program to insert the page number in the top right corner; do not type the page numbers
manually. The page number is the same font and font size as the text of your paper. Student
papers do not require a running head on any page, unless specifically requested by the instructor.

Title page setup

Title page elements
APA Style has two title page formats: student and professional (for details, see title page
setup). Unless instructed otherwise, students should use the student title page format and include
the following elements, in the order listed, on the title page:
 Paper title.
 Name of each author (also known as the byline).
 Affiliation for each author.
 Course number and name.
 Instructor name.
 Assignment due date.
 Page number 1 in the top right corner of the page header.
The format for the byline depends on whether the paper has one author, two authors, or three
or more authors.
 When the paper has one author, write the name on its own line (e.g., Jasmine C.
Hernandez).
 When the paper has two authors, write the names on the same line and separate them with
the word “and” (e.g., Upton J. Wang and Natalia Dominguez).
 When the paper has three or more authors, separate the names with commas and include
“and” before the final author’s name (e.g., Malia Mohamed, Jaylen T. Brown, and Nia L.
Ball).
Students have an academic affiliation, which identities where they studied when the paper
was written. Because students working together on a paper are usually in the same class, they
will have one shared affiliation. The affiliation consists of the name of the department and the
name of the college or university, separated by a comma (e.g., Department of Psychology,
George Mason University). The department is that of the course to which the paper is being
submitted, which may be different than the department of the student’s major. Do not include the
location unless it is part of the institution’s name.
Write the course number and name and the instructor name as shown on institutional
materials (e.g., the syllabus). The course number and name are often separated by a colon (e.g.,
PST-4510: History and Systems Psychology). Write the assignment due date in the month, date,
and year format used in your country (e.g., Sept. 10, 2020).

Title page line spacing

 Double-space the whole title page. Place the paper title three or four lines down from the
top of the page. Add an extra double-spaced blank like between the paper title and the byline.
Then, list the other title page elements on separate lines, without extra lines in between.

Title page alignment

Center all title page elements (except the right-aligned page number in the header).

Title page font

Write the title page using the same font and font size as the rest of your paper. Bold the
paper title. Use standard font (i.e., no bold, no italics) for all other title page elements.

Text setup
Text elements
Repeat the paper title at the top of the first page of text. Begin the paper with an
introduction to provide background on the topic, cite related studies, and contextualize the paper.
Use descriptive headings to identify other sections as needed (e.g., Method, Results, Discussion
for quantitative research papers). Sections and headings vary depending on the paper type and its
complexity. Text can include tables and figures, block quotations, headings, and footnotes.

Text line spacing

Double-space all text, including headings and section labels, paragraphs of text, and
block quotations.

Text alignment
Center the paper title on the first line of the text. Indent the first line of all paragraphs 0.5-
in.
Left-align the text. Leave the right margin ragged.

Block quotation alignment

Indent the whole block quotation 0.5-in. from the left margin. Double-space the block
quotation, the same as other body text. Find more information on the quotations page.

Text font
Use the same font throughout the entire paper. Write body text in standard (nonbold,
nonitalic) font. Bold only headings and section labels. Use italics sparingly, for instance, to
highlight a key term on first use (for more information, see the italics page).
Headings format
For detailed guidance on formatting headings, including headings in the introduction of a paper,
see the headings page and the headings in sample papers.
 Alignment: Center Level 1 headings. Left-align Level 2 and Level 3 headings. Indent
Level 4 and Level 5 headings like a regular paragraph.
 Font: Boldface all headings. Also italicize Level 3 and Level 5 headings. Create heading
styles using your word-processing program (built into AcademicWriter, available for
Word via the sample papers on the APA Style website).
Tables and figures setup
Tables and figures are only included in student papers if needed for the assignment.
Tables and figures share the same elements and layout. See the website for sample
tables and sample figures.

Table elements
Tables include the following four elements:
 Number
 Title
 Body (rows and columns)
 Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the table)

Figure elements
Figures include the following four elements:
 Number
 Title
 Image (chart, graph, etc.)
 Note (optional if needed to explain elements in the figure)

Table line spacing

Double-space the table number and title. Single-, 1.5-, or double-space the table body
(adjust as needed for readability). Double-space the table note.

Figure line spacing

Double-space the figure number and title. The default settings for spacing in figure images is
usually acceptable (but adjust the spacing as needed for readability). Double-space the figure
note.

Table alignment
Left-align the table number and title. Center column headings. Left-align the table itself and left-
align the leftmost (stub) column. Center data in the table body if it is short or left-align the data if
it is long. Left-align the table note.

Figure alignment
Left-align the figure number and title. Left-align the whole figure image. The default
alignment of the program in which you created your figure is usually acceptable for axis titles
and data labels. Left-align the figure note.

Table font
 Bold the table number. Italicize the table title. Use the same font and font size in the table
body as the text of your paper. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the table note. Write the
note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Figure font
Bold the figure number. Italicize the figure title. Use a sans serif font (e.g., Calibri, Arial)
in the figure image in a size between 8 to 14 points. Italicize the word “Note” at the start of the
figure note. Write the note in the same font and font size as the text of your paper.

Placement of tables and figures

There are two options for the placement of tables and figures in an APA Style paper. The
first option is to place all tables and figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second
option is to embed each table and figure within the text after its first callout. This guide describes
options for the placement of tables and figures embedded in the text. If your instructor requires
tables and figures to be placed at the end of the paper, see the table and figure guidelines and
the sample professional paper.
Call out (mention) the table or figure in the text before embedding it (e.g., write “see
Figure 1” or “Table 1 presents”). You can place the table or figure after the callout either at the
bottom of the page, at the top of the next page, or by itself on the next page. Avoid placing tables
and figures in the middle of the page.

Embedding at the bottom of the page

Include a callout to the table or figure in the text before that table or figure. Add a blank double-
spaced line between the text and the table or figure at the bottom of the page.

Embedding at the top of the page

Include a callout to the table in the text on the previous page before that table or figure. The table
or figure then appears at the top of the next page. Add a blank double-spaced line between the
end of the table or figure and the text that follows.

Embedding on its own page

Embed long tables or large figures on their own page if needed. The text continues on the next
page.

Reference list setup

Reference list elements
The reference list consists of the “References” section label and the alphabetical list of
references. View reference examples on the APA Style website. Consult Chapter 10 in both
the Concise Guide and Publication Manual for even more examples.

Reference list line spacing

Start the reference list at the top of a new page after the text. Double-space the entire reference
list (both within and between entries).

Reference list alignment

Center the “References” label. Apply a hanging indent of 0.5-in. to all reference list entries.
Create the hanging indent using your word-processing program; do not manually hit the enter
and tab keys.

Reference list font

Bold the “References” label at the top of the first page of references. Use italics within reference
list entries on either the title (e.g., webpages, books, reports) or on the source (e.g., journal
articles, edited book chapters).

Final checks
Check page order
 Start each section on a new page.
 Arrange pages in the following order:
 Title page (page 1).
 Text (starts on page 2).
 Reference list (starts on a new page after the text).
Check headings
 Check that headings accurately reflect the content in each section.
 Start each main section with a Level 1 heading.
 Use Level 2 headings for subsections of the introduction.
 Use the same level of heading for sections of equal importance.
 Avoid having only one subsection within a section (have two or more, or none).
Check assignment instructions
 Remember that instructors’ guidelines supersede APA Style.
 Students should check their assignment guidelines or rubric for specific content to
include in their papers and to make sure they are meeting assignment requirements.
Tips for better writing
 Ask for feedback on your paper from a classmate, writing center tutor, or instructor.
 Budget time to implement suggestions.
 Use spell-check and grammar-check to identify potential errors, and then manually check
those flagged.
 Proofread the paper by reading it slowly and carefully aloud to yourself.
 Consult your university writing center if you need extra help.

Reference: https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2020/09/apa-style-student-papers