APA Formatting and Style Guide

Purdue OWL staff

Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab
 What is APA Style?

The American Psychological Association (APA) citation

style is the most commonly used format for
manuscripts in the social sciences.

APA regulates:
• Stylistics
• In-text citations
• References
 Point of View

First-person pronouns rather than third-person

• : “We conducted an experiment…”

• : “The authors conducted an experiment….”
 Voice

Active voice when stressing the actions of the

research

• : “We asked participants questions.”

• : “The participants have been asked
questions by the researchers.”
Passive voice when stressing the recipient or
object of the action

• : “The tests were inconclusive.”

• : “We found the tests inconclusive.”
 Language

Language in an APA paper should be:

• Clear: be specific in descriptions and explanations

• Concise: condense information when you can

• Plain: use simple, descriptive adjectives and

minimize figurative language
 Types of APA Papers

Quantitative Articles:
• Report quantitative research, which uses
empirical and numerical information often
analyzed through statistical means.

• Includes:
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
 Types of APA Papers

Qualitative Articles:
• Report qualitative research, which uses scientific
practices to learn more about human experiences
that cannot be numerically quantified.

• Includes:
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Findings/Results
• Discussion
 Types of APA Papers

The Literature Review:

• Summarizes scientific literature on a particular
research topic

• While the APA Publication Manual does not

require a specific order for a literature review, a
good literature review typically contains the
following components:
• Introduction
• Thesis statement
• Summary and synthesis of sources
• List of References
 Types of APA Papers

If your essay is not quantitative, qualitative, or a

literature review:

• Consult the instructor

• Consult the APA Publication Manual

 General APA Format

Your essay should:

• Be typed
• Double-spaced
• Have 1” margins
• Use 10-12pt. Standard font (ex. Times New
Roman)
• Be printed on standard-sized paper (8.5”x 11”)
 General APA Format

Every page of your essay should include:

• The page number in the upper right
• If it is a professional paper: A page header
(shortened title, all caps) in the upper left-hand
corner.
• Student papers do not require running
headers.
 General APA Format

Your essay should

include four major References

sections:
Main Body

Abstract

Title page
 Note re: Formatting

Note that APA 7 has slightly different formatting

rules for professional and student papers.
Professional papers are those intended for
academic/commercial publication, while student
papers are those written for credit in a course.

Most of these differences extend to the title

page and the running header.

On the next few slides, we’ve noted these

differences where appropriate.
 Title Page – Student
Paper

Page header:
Student papers
contain no running
head. Simply insert
a page number flush
right.

Title:
(in the upper half of
the page, centered)
name (no title or
degree) + academic
department, course,
instructor, and date.
 Title Page – Professional
Paper

Page header:
(use Insert Page Header)
Type short form of title
flush left in all capitals +
page number flush right.

Title:
(in the upper half of the
page, centered)
name (no title or degree) +
affiliation (university, etc.)
 Title Page – Professional
Paper

Author Note:
this may contain the
following items, each
on a separate line:
- Links to ORCID iDs
- Any affiliation
changes
- Any special
disclosures or
acknowledgments
- Contact info for the
corresponding author
Omit any items that are
irrelevant.
 Page header
Abstract Page
continues on all
pages for
professional
papers only.
Student papers
contain only the
page number.

Abstract: centered
and bolded at the
top of the page.
Write a 150- to 250-
word summary of
your paper in an Follow the abstract
accurate, and with a short list of
concise manner.
 Main Body (Text)

• Number the first text page as page number 3

• Center and bold the (full) title of the paper at

the top of the page

• Type the text double-spaced with all sections

following each other without a break

• Identify the sources you use in the paper with

either narrative citations or parenthetical, in-
text citations

• Format tables and figures

 Reference Page

• Center the title

(References) at the top of
the page. Bold this title.

• Double-space reference
entries

• Flush left the first line of

the entry and indent
subsequent lines

• Order entries
alphabetically by the
surname of the first
 References: Basics

• Invert authors’ names (last name first followed by

initials)

• EX:“Smith, J.Q.”

• Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a

title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a
dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not
capitalize the first letter of the second word in a
hyphenated compound word.

• EX: The perfectly formatted paper: How the

Purdue OWL saved my essay.
 References: Basics

• Capitalize all major words in journal titles

• Italicize titles of longer works such as books

and journals

• Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes

around the titles of shorter works such as
journal articles or essays in edited collections
 Making the Reference List

APA is a complex system of citation. When compiling the

reference list, the strategy below might be useful:

1. Identify the type of source:

Is it a book? A journal article? A webpage?

2. Find a sample citation for this type of source

Check a textbook or the OWL APA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa7_s
tyle/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.ht
ml

3. “Mirror” the sample

4. Make sure that the entries are listed in alphabetical

order and that the subsequent lines are indented
(Recall References: Basics)
 In-text Citation: Basic

In-text citations help readers locate the cited source in the

References section of the paper. In-text citations follow either
a parenthetical format or a narrative format.

A parenthetical citation includes both the author’s last name

and year of publication, separated by a comma, in
parentheses at the end of the sentence.

EX: Research suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource

for students (Atkins, 2018).

A narrative citation includes the author’s name directly in the

sentence, with the year of publication directly following the
author’s last name.

EX: Atkins (2018) suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good

resource for students.
 In-text Citation:
Page Numbers

If the source you’re citing includes page numbers, add that

information to your citation.

For a parenthetical citation, the page number follows the year

of publication, separated by a comma, and with a lowercase p
and a period before the number (p.)

EX: Research suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource

for students (Atkins, 2018, p. 12).

For a narrative citation, the page number comes at the end of

the sentence, once again preceded by a lowercase p and a
period (p.)

EX: Atkins (2018) suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good

resource for students (p. 12).
 In-Text Citation:
Quotations

When quoting:
Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase

If using the parenthetical citation, include the author, date of

publication, and page number at the end of the quotation.

EX: As scientific knowledge advances, “the application of

CRISPR technology to improve human health is being
explored across public and private sectors”(Hong, 2018, p.
503).

If using the narrative-style citation, include the author’s last

name in the signal phrase, with the page number at the end
of the quote.

EX: Hong (2018) stated that “the application of CRISPR

technology to improve human health is being explored across
 In-Text Citation:
Summary or Paraphrase

Follow the same guidelines for parenthetical and narrative

citations when summarizing or paraphrasing a longer chunk of
text.

Parenthetical citation:

EX: In one study that consisted of 467 young adults, it

was found that social media use may not directly affect mental
health; rather, it depends on how young adults use social media
(Berryman et al., 2018).

Narrative citation:

EX: Berryman et al. (2018) sampled 467 young adults

about their social media use and mental health and found that
social media use may not directly affect mental health;
 In-Text Citation:
Signal Words

Introduce quotations with signal phrases, e.g.:

According to Reynolds (2019), “….” (p. 3).

Reynolds (2019) argued that“……” (p. 3).

Use signal verbs such as:

acknowledged, contended, maintained,

responded, reported, argued, concluded, etc.

Use the past tense or the present perfect tense of verbs in signal
phrases when they discuss past events.
 In-Text Citation:
Two or More Works

When the parenthetical citation includes two or more

works:
• Order them in the same way they appear in the reference list—
the author’s name, the year of publication—separated by a
semi-colon.

EX: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet (Adams, 2018; Collins,

2017).
 In-Text Citation:
Works with Two Authors

When citing a work with two authors:

• In the narrative citation, use “and” in between the authors’
names

EX: According to scientists Depietri and McPhearson

(2018), “Understanding the occurrence and impacts of historical
climatic hazards is critical to better interpret current hazard
trends” (p. 96).

• In the parenthetical citation, use “&” between names

EX: When examining potential climate threats,

“Understanding the occurrence and impacts of historical climatic
hazards is critical to better interpret current hazard trends”
(Depietri & McPhearson, 2018, p. 96).
 In-Text Citation:
Works with 3+ Authors

When citing a work with three or more authors:

• list the name of the first author plus “et al.” in every citation.

EX: Lin et al. (2019) examined how weather conditions

affect the popularity of the bikesharing program in Beijing.

EX: One study looked at how weather conditions affected

the popularity of bikesharing programs, specifically the Beijing
Public Bikesharing Program (Lin et al., 2019).
 In-Text Citation:
Unknown Author

When citing a work with an unknown author:

• Use the source’s full title in the narrative citation.
• Cite the first word of the title followed by the year of
publication in the parenthetical citation.

EX: According to “Here’s How Gardening Benefits Your

Health” (2018)

EX: (“Here’s,” 2018)

Titles:
Articles and Chapters = “ ”
Books and Reports = italicize
 In-Text Citation:
Group Authors

When citing a group author:

• Mention the organization the first time you cite the source in
either the narrative citation or the parenthetical citation.
• If you first mention the group in a narrative citation, list the
abbreviation before the year of publication in parentheses,
separated by a comma.

EX: “The data collected by the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA, 2019) confirmed…”

• If you first mention the group in a parenthetical citation,

list the abbreviation in square brackets, followed by a
comma and the year of publication.

EX: (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2019).

 In-Text Citation:
Same Last Name/Autho

When citing authors with the same last names:

• Use first initials with the last names.

EX: (B. Davis, 2018; Y. Davis, 2020)

When citing two or more works by the same author

and published in the same year:
• Use lower-case letters (a, b, c) after the year of
publication to order the references.

EX: Chen’s (2018a) study of bird migration…

 In-Text Citation:
Personal Communicatio

When citing personal communication (interviews, letters,

e-mails, etc.):
• Include the communicator’s name, the fact that it was personal
communication, and the date of the communication.
• Narrative citation:

EX: B. E. Anderson (personal communication, January 8,

2020) also claimed that many of her students had difficulties
with APA style.

• Parenthetical citation:

EX: One teacher mentioned that many of her students

had difficulties with APA style (Anderson, personal
communication, January 8, 2020).
 In-Text Citation:
No Page Numbers

When citing a text with no page numbers: parenthetical

citation
• Use any of the following four methods
• List the heading or section name
EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help
your body out in a number of ways” (London, 2019,
Health benefits of kale section).
• List an abbreviated heading or section name in quotation
marks (if the heading is too long)
EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your
body out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, “Health
benefits” section).
• List the paragraph number
EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your
body out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, para. 2).
• List the heading or section name and the paragraph
 In-Text Citation:
No Page Numbers

When citing a text with no page numbers: narrative

citation
• Use any of the following four methods
• List the heading or section name
EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, Health benefits of kale
section) noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body
out in a number of ways.”
• List an abbreviated heading or section name in quotation
marks (if the heading is too long)
EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, “Health benefits” section)
noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body out in a
number of ways.”
• List the paragraph number
EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, para. 2) noted that “A cup
full of kale can help your body out in a number of ways.”
• List the heading or section name and the paragraph
 Headings

APA uses a system of five heading levels (taken directly

from the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition):

APA Headings
Level Format
1 Centered, Bold, Title Case Headings
Text begins a new paragraph
2 Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading
Text begins as a new paragraph
3 Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading
Text begins as a new paragraph
4 Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text
begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.
5 Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text
begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.
 Headings

Here is an example of the five-level heading system:

 Tables

Label tables with an Arabic numeral and provide a brief but clear
title. The label and title appear on separate lines above the
table, flush-left and single-spaced.

Cite a source in a note below the table.

Table 1
Top 3 NBA Season Leaders 2019

Team Points Per Game

Milwaukee Bucks 119.8
Houston Rockets 119.1
Dallas Mavericks 116.8

Note: This data was collected on December 31st, 2019.

Retrieved from https://stats.nba.com/teams/
 Figures

Label figures with an Arabic numeral and provide a brief but clear title.
The label and title appear on separate lines above the figure, flush-left
and single-spaced.
You might provide an additional title centered above the figure.

Cite the source in a note below the figure.

Figure 1.
US Primary Energy Consumption by Energy Source, 2018
 Additional Resources

The Purdue OWL: http://owl.purdue.edu

The Purdue Writing Lab @ Heavilon Hall 226

Composition textbooks

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th

ed.

APA’s website: http://www.apastyle.org

 The End

APA Formatting and Style Guide

Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab