APA Formatting

and Style Guide

• 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
• First-person pronouns
rather than third-person

• : “We conducted an
experiment…”

• : “The authors
conducted an
experiment….”
Active voice when stressing the actions of the
research

• : “We asked participants questions.”

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

• : “The tests were inconclusive.”

• : “We found the tests inconclusive.”
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
Quantitative Articles:
• Report quantitative research, which uses empirical
and numerical information often analyzed through
statistical means.

• Includes:
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
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
Manuscript 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”)
Every page 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.
Manuscript should References
include four major
sections: Main Body

Abstract

Title page
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.
 Page header:
Student papers
contain no running
head. Simply insert
a page number flush
right.
Abstract: centered
and bolded at the
top of the page.

Write a 150- to 250-

word summary of
your paper in an
accurate, and
concise manner.
• 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
• 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
author of each work
 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

Thank you for listening!