Documentation

in APA Format
Fred Meijer Center for
Writing and Michigan
Authors
LOH 120 (Allendale Campus)

DEV Building C, Student Study Area(Pew

Campus)
Overview of APA Formatting
⚪ Used in scientific, education, social
science, and some humanities fields
⚪ Expressed by in-text, parenthetical
documentation
⚪ Includes a References page

Definitive Source: Publication Manual

of the American Psychological
Association, 6th Edition, 2010.
Why Document Sources
in APA Format?

⚪ To give credit where credit is due: avoid

plagiarism
⚪ To establish your credibility as a careful
scholar within the field
⚪ To ensure consistency within the
discipline: readers know what to expect
⚪ To give readers access to the sources you
cite
How Documentation Works
⚪ In-text citations refer to a
References page

⚪ References page gives readers

bibliographic information to locate
sources themselves
Reference Page
⚪ Provides bibliographic information so readers can
find sources themselves

⚪ Each entry includes this basic information:

● Author’s name
● Date of publication
● Title of work
● Other publication information, such as source of
work, page numbers, and digital object identifier or
doi for both print and electronic sources if available

Quick Tip: See pp. 189-192 in the Publication Manual

of the American Psychological Association for further
information on doi numbers.
Quick Tip: All sources cited in the paper must be listed
on the Reference page. All sources listed on the
Reference page must have been cited in the paper
itself.
 A Sample Reference Page
References
Davis, B.G., Scriven, M., & Thomas, S. (1987). The evaluation of
composition instruction. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hanson, F. A. (1993). Testing testing: Social consequences of the examined
life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Huot, B. A. (1990). The literature of direct writing assessment: Major
concerns and prevailing trends. Review of Educational Research, 60, 237-
263. doi: 10.1037/8942-6734.88.995
Yancey, K. B. (1999). Looking back as we look forward: Historicizing
writing assessment. College Composition and Communication, 50(3),
483-503. doi:10.3597/892467496257867952
Sample References
⚪ Book:

Davis, B.G., Scriven, M., & Thomas, S.

(1987). The evaluation of
composition instruction. New York:
Teachers College Press.

Quick Tip: Simply use the initials of the authors’

first and middle names, rather than spelling them
out completely.
Sample References
⚪ Article in a scholarly journal:

Yancey, K. B. (1999). Looking back as we look

forward: Historicizing writing assessment.
College Composition and Communication,
50(3), 483-503. doi:
10.5975/36589245793679572561

Quick Tip: See pp. 198-202 in the Publication

Manual of the American Psychological Association
for help in citing articles you get from databases
or download from Web sites.
Sample References
⚪ Scholarly article from a database:

Walstad, W.B. (2001). Improving

assessment in university economics.
Journal of Economic Education, 32(3),
281-294. doi:
10.1080/6795.97264982374121

Quick Tip: When a doi number is assigned no further

information is needed to locate the article.
Quick Tip: Each type of electronic source is documented
differently. Consult the APA Style Manual and visit
www.apastyle.org for information about how to format
correctly each source you cite.
Sample References
⚪ A source with no known author:

Squeezing the poor for votes. (2004,

February 18). New York Times.
Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com

Quick Tip: Since there is no author’s name listed,

you’ll simply include this information on the
References page alphabetized by the first key
word in the title (in this case, “Squeezing”).
In-Text, Parenthetical Citations
Use them to:

⚪ Quote directly
⚪ Summarize material
⚪ Paraphrase material

Quick Tip: Plagiarism is using someone’s words or

ideas without giving the source proper credit.
In-Text, Parenthetical Citations
⚪ Are brief

⚪ Refer readers to the Reference page

⚪ Avoid repetition
 Formatting An In-Text,
Parenthetical Citation
⚪ There are two common ways of writing
an in-text citation:

● Integrate the author’s name into the

sentence itself

● Include the author’s name in a

parenthetical citation at the end of the
passage in which you quote, summarize, or
paraphrase the work
Sample In-Text Citation
Example 1:
Paulson and Paulson (1997) concede that their
student-teachers “discovered that the need to
tailor a portfolio was influenced by how much
personal risk could result were they to bare
their own perspectives” (p. 289).
The author’s name appears within the text of
the sentence itself, with the date directly after
it; the page on which the quotation can be
found is in parentheses at the end of the
quotation.
Sample In-Text Citation
Example 2:

One study found that teachers “discovered that

the need to tailor a portfolio was influenced by
how much personal risk could result were they
to bare their own perspectives” (Paulson &
Paulson, 1997, p. 289).

The author’s name, the publication date, and

the page number on which the quotation
appears are included in the parentheses after
the quotation.
Special Cases
⚪ More than one author with the same last
name:
● (K. Sutherland, 1999)
● (D. Sutherland, 2004)
⚪ Two or more works within the same
parentheses:
● (Cruise, 1999; Cruz, 2003; Kidman,
2001)
⚪ A work by six or more authors:
● (Brady et al., 1995)
--Adapted from Purdue’s OWL presentation on
APA documentation
Special Cases
⚪ Source has unnamed author
● Use first key word from the title
● “Squeezing the Poor for Votes” is the title of
the article, so (“Squeezing,” 2004, para. 3) is
the parenthetical citation

⚪ General reference to a web site

● GVSU’s Writing Center is the source, so (Grand
Valley State University [GVSU] Writing Center,
2004, para. 7) is the parenthetical citation
--Adapted from Purdue’s OWL presentation on APA
documentation
Sample Passage with
Parenthetical Citations
More recently, however, scholars have begun to
register possible concerns about teaching portfolio use.
Yagelski (1997), for instance, cautions that teacher
educators should make careful choices about the design of
their portfolio systems in order to address the tensions
teachers experience in an evaluative context. Paulson and
Paulson (1997) concede that their student-teachers
“discovered that the need to tailor a portfolio was
influenced by how much personal risk could result were
they to bare their own perspectives” (p. 289). Another
study found that it is desirable to use separate portfolios
for development and credential purposes, suggesting “that
efforts to combine the dual purposes of support and
accountability in a single portfolio do not always result in
constructive tension” (Snyder, Lippincott, & Bower, 1998,
p. 139). And Leverenz and Goodburn (1998) warn teacher
educators about the problems with professionalizing
teaching too quickly.
Where Can You Find
APA Documentation Help?
⚪ Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, 6th ed., 2010.
● All GVSU libraries—noncirculating
● Writing Center, Allendale & Pew campuses
● GVSU bookstore

⚪ The American Psychological Association website

(http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html)
● Information about ordering the book or
software
● Help with electronic sources
GVSU Writing Center
❑ Allendale, LOH 120:
● Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
● Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
● Sunday, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
❑ Pew Campus, DEV Building C, Student
Study Area:
● Monday-Thursday, 2:00-7:00 p.m.
❑ Meijer Campus, Holland: See
www.gvsu.edu/wc for hours
❑ CHS Building, Grand Rapids, Frey Learning
Center, 4th Floor:
● Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Questions?