* * RESEARCH PAPER * *

APA IN TEXT AND REFERENCE LIST SOURCE DOCUMENTATION

When writing a research paper you will borrow a lot of facts and ideas from other people. Each time
you use someone’s fact or idea, whether “directly quoted” or paraphrased (put in your own words), you
must give credit to the source the fact or idea comes from. In other words, you must cite (give credit to)
the source used. If you do not give credit to the source, you plagiarize, steal, someone else’s property,
and that’s a major no-no.

There are two places where you must cite the source: 1) as an in text notation after each fact or idea
that’s borrowed and used in the paper, and 2) as a reference list entry (bibliography), a complete,
alphabetized list of sources on a separate sheet that becomes the last page of your research paper. The
research paper reader must be able to glance at the in text notation that cites a source and know what
to look for in the reference list to get more information about the source.

To make things easy for you to write the in text notations and reference list entries, each time you borrow
something to use in your paper from a source like a book, the internet, or a magazine, record the
following data and use it in the text notations and reference lists as follows:

Book Citations:
1. One author – Reference List Entry (Author, Copyright Date, Title, Place of Publication, Publisher)
Pike, J. (2006). Guide to fishing Drift Creek. Portland, OR: Globe Printers.
In Text Notation: The best fishing is in “deep pockets below fast water” (Pike, 2006).
OR Joe Pike claims that holes ending rapid water produce good results (2006).

2. Multiple authors – Reference List Entry (Write authors list as they appear in the book)
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.) New York: Wiley and Sons.
In Text Notation: The comma is always used before and, or, but, for, nor, so, and yet (Shrunk &
White, 1979).
If there are more than three authors, just list the first three, then add ,et al.
Jones, R., Bones, R. P., Montani, N., et al. Research tactics. (2006). New York: Tate Press.
In text: Use italics or underline to set off titles (Jones, Bones, Montani, et al., 2006).

3. Author of a chapter in an edited book – Reference List Entry

Beers, D. (2005). Mood disorders. In J. Jones & P. Mays (Eds.), Caffeine addiction. New York:
McMillian and Sons.
In Text Notation: Too much coffee affects a person’s sleep health (Beers, 2005).

Magazine/Newspaper Citations:
1. Author(s) – Reference List Entry
Elliot, W. (2005, June 8). Sun and cancer. Time, p. 37.
In Text Notation: “You don’t want to be a pig on a spit” (Eliot, 2005, p. 37).

2. No author – Reference List Entry

When Sunning. (2005, June 8). News Guard, pp. B 1 - 2.
In Text Notation: Use sun block lavishly (When Sunning, 2005).

On Line/Internet Sources:
1. Author without copyright date – Reference List Entry
Wilson, T. (ND). How liquid armor works. How stuff works. Retrieved March 17, 2007 from
http://science.howstuffworks.com/liquid-body-armor.htm
In Text Notation: Liquid armor is much lighter then conventional armor (Wilson, ND).

2. No author with copyright date – Reference List Entry

Sequoia. (2006, Nov. 11). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 29, 2007 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia
In Text Notation: Redwoods have shallow, widespread roots systems (Sequoia, 2006).
3. Magazine – Reference List Entry
Outboards for skateboards. (1979, Jan. 22). Time. Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006 from
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,920070,00.htm
In Text Notation: Small outboard motors propel skateboards up to ten miles per hour (Outboards, 1979).
When a title is long, you need only the first few significant words in the in text notation.
****************************************************************
TITLE PAGE SETUP (Center the title page information in the center of the page.):

COSTA RICA: A SOLID DEMOCRACY

Mary Worth
Global Studies
June 5, 2007
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EXAMPLE PASSAGE USING IN TEXT NOTATIONS:
The last paragraph, the concluding paragraph, has three major functions: It reminds the
readers what they read (Bland, 2004). It works to convince the readers one more time that your
thesis statement is correct (Bloom, 2005). “It lets the readers know that what you’ve said is finished”
(Paragraph perfection, ND, pp. 34 - 35). The concluding paragraph should be as brief and as
complete as possible to serve its function (p. 36); therefore, no new material can be introduced or the
readers mentally anticipate a new subject and feel cheated (Zigs & Walker, 2001, pp. B22 – 23).
Often all a concluding paragraph needs is a revision of the introductory paragraph (Bland). The test
of a great concluding paragraph is if it ties everything that’s been said together and leads the reader
smoothly out of what’s been said (Lenn, 2003, p. 39).
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EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCE LIST (A reference list is a separate page at the end of the paper.
Take note of the indentation and spacing between the lines.):

REFERENCE LIST

Bland, R. (2004). Research paper guide. Los Angeles: Simon Wigby Publishers.

Bloom, A. (2005, May 22). The perfect closure. Research paper writers’ monthly. Retrieved Feb. 27,
2006 from
http://www.researchpaperwritersmonthly/bloom/perfectclosure/htm

Lenn, B. (2001). The last gasp. In G. Linzey (Ed.), Working a research paper from beginning to end,
p. 39. Boise, Idaho: Boise University Press.

Paragraph perfection. (ND). Encyclopedia Americana. Retrieved Jan. 2, 1998 from

http://encylopediaamericana.org/writing/paragraphperfection/htm

Zigs, M. & Walker, T. (2007, Feb. 29). Does the writer know the reader’s mind?. New York Times,
pp. B 22 – 23. Retrieved March. 6, 2007 from
www.nytimes.com/B/22,23/2-29-07/doesthewriterknowthereadersmind?/htm

For additional APA data, try this site: http://www.docstyles.com/apacrib.htm