A quick guide to APA formatting William A. Sodeman, Ph.D. Hawaii Pacific University.
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Transcript of A quick guide to APA formatting William A. Sodeman, Ph.D. Hawaii Pacific University.
A quick guide to APA formatting
William A. Sodeman, Ph.D.
Hawaii Pacific University
Use only one font and size!
• Times Roman, Arial or Courier– Fonts affect page length!
• 12 point size
• No bold or underlines– Be careful with web addresses and URLs!
• Italics are acceptable– Required in Level 3, 4 and 5 headers
Margins and spacing5.03 and 5.04
• One inch margins on all sides
• Double spacing
APA paper structure
Page Section
1 Title page
2 Abstract page
3 Body of the paper
Reference list
Appendixes, author notes, footnotes, figures and tables
Page 1: The title page5.15
• Page header with page number 1 (5.06)– Include 2-3 descriptive words from title
• Running head with an abbreviated title– 50 characters maximum
• Author's title and affiliation
• Course and date may be included
Page 2: The abstract page1.07 and 5.16
• The last page you should write!– Provides a summary of the paper's content
• Not the paper's structure, headers or organization
– One paragraph, 120 words maximum
• The first page many readers look for– Used in bibliographic databases for indexing
your paper
Page 3 and beyond:The body of the paper
• Contains the actual content of the paper
• Indent each paragraph (5.08)– ½ inch or 5-7 spaces
Headings 3.30-32
• Use at least 2 levels of headings – Provide structure for your content– Clearly organized and well chosen– See 3.32 and 5.10 for examples
• 1, 3
• 1, 3, 4
• 1, 2, 3, 4
• 5, 1, 2, 3, 4
Outline your headings
• In a separate document, outline your APA headings
• Print and use that document as a guide while you write the paper
Avoid using block quotes!3.34 and 3.35
• Indirect quotes are better– Paraphrase carefully in your own words
• Use direct quotes only when these words really help your paper
• Size matters! Shorter quotes are better
Citations3.94 – 3.103, 4.16
• Must appear with every outside source and quotation in the paper
• Must be accurate and properly formatted
Find reliable and reputable sources
• Look for high quality news and journal articles
• Find and cite books and other textbooks when relevant
• Use the library databases (EBSCO)
• Don't depend on the Internet and search engines!
Find a variety of references
• Avoid excessive bias in your research
• Don’t rely on the same articles or authors for most of your citations
• Directories and reference works are a good place to start, but avoid using them in your paper
Avoid marketing material!
• These sources are usually biased– “White papers”– Advertising sections and supplements– Press releases– Sales and catalog content– Corporate web sites
Find reliable and reputable sources
• Your course textbooks do not count as a primary source!
• You may use but not cite general references– Dictionaries– Glossaries– Encyclopedias
Secondary sources4.16: 17 and 22
• A source that is mentioned in another source of material– An author cites or quotes an article or book
• If you need to cite this secondary source, it is always best to find and cite the original source
• If you can't find the original source, then use the APA formats for secondary sources
Reference list4.16, 5.18
• All sources and citations used in the body of the paper must appear in the reference list!– Hanging indent– Double-spaced– Alphabetical order by first author’s last name
• If there is no author, use the article or book title
Academic honesty
• Students in this course can't help each other on individual papers!– All paper content must be your own work– Find your own sources and references
• Does the instructor keep an updated databases of references?
• Can he check references across several student papers?
You can get some help, but you need to do the actual corrections
• Style, grammar and spelling
• Word processors and other programs
• APA formatting
Proofread your work!
• Have someone else read your work!– The instructor should never be the first person
to read your paper
• Use but don't trust spell and grammar check– Look for synonyms and homonyms– Check people, place and company names– Be careful with technical terms
RTFMRead the fine manuals!
• The APA Publication Manual is the best source for formatting and style information
• Learn to use your word processor!– Use the Help function or check the Web– Don't reinvent the wheel!– Find the function you need
Plan and manage your time
• Start early!
• Plan ahead!
• Don’t wait for the last minute!
• Back up your files!
• Allow 24-72 hours for TurnItIn.com to return a draft originality analysis
• Ask plenty of questions!