APA Style Basics

IDS 1001

Documentation Style

A “documentation style” refers to the way researchers and writers illustrate that information from sources used to support their assertions has been borrowed.

Plagiarism

The failure to properly acknowledge a borrowed source in an essay is a serious academic crime and could be

deemed plagiarism.

The word comes from the Latin word plagiarius,

meaning “kidnapping” or “literary thief.”

APA Style

To maintain coherence throughout the curriculum, Hodges University has adopted APA style as the standard method used to document sources in essay writing. APA is used by many colleges and universities.

What is APA style?

It is a social sciences

published style guide that

advises researchers and

writers on how to incorporate,

document, and format papers.

APA Quick Guide

See the Library main web

page to access an APA

guide that contains sample

pages and basic rules for

using APA Style.

APA Style in the essay

Your essays should contain reliable and valid sources

The essays should be formatted properly

They should follow APA rules for mechanics and expression (grammar)

They must have proper in-text citations

They must have a reference page with proper source citations

Reliable and Valid Sources

A reliable source is one that is generally current and written by an expert in the subject area.

A valid source is one that specifically addresses your chosen topic and can be used to support your assertions.

These sources would include books, periodicals (magazines, professional journals, newspapers), and respected organization web sites.

Formatting

Title page w/text double-spaced, centered, approx. 4” from top with title, student name, and organization (Hodges University). Approximately 4” from the bottom of the title page, include the class name & number, instructor name, and date.

12 pt. Times New Roman font

Double-spacing with no right justification

Margins of 1” all around (unless bound; if bound, use 1½” on left margin)

No more than 27 lines / page

Formatting (cont.)

Header w/page numbers in upper right corner (title page counts as page 1)

Indent each paragraph 5-7 spaces or one tab stroke

Tables and content footnotes appear after references

Reference page at end listing only sources used in the text as support

Abstract comes after title page, if instructor requires

See examples in the APA Publication Manual and the

Hodges APA Guide.

Mechanics and Expressions

Active voice over passive voice

No use of contractions (i.e. can‟t)

Key words in titles are capitalized and italicized in text, but capitalize only first word in reference list title and only italicize primary titles

Generally, all numbers 10 and above are expressed in figures, as are numbers used in measurements, dates, time, exact money sums, percentages, etc.

In-Text Citations

Writers use sources to build credibility in argumentation and as support for a claim.

You have three options for using sources in text:

Direct quoting

Paraphrasing

Summarizing

All must be documented

In-Text Citations (cont.)

Three elements are necessary for in-text documentation:

author’s last name (or in lieu of that,

group title, like National Institute of Health, or if no author, a part of the title--“College Guide”)

year of publication

page or paragraph #

This is true also for electronic sources

According to one study, academic performance

is enhanced by efficient use of study time (Doe,

2005, p. 25).

*Note: as a variation, date and author name can be placed in other pertinent areas in the sentence.

According to one study by Dr. Jane Doe (2005),

academic performance is enhanced by efficient

use of study time (p. 25).

Examples

In-Text Citations (cont.)

When quoting information over forty words, block it off—double spaced text indented 5 spaces.

*Note: in this case, the parenthetical citation goes after the quote, but outside the period.

Blend sources into your sentence structure. That is, a source must be properly introduced:

Examples

Jane Doe claims that “students do well in a rigorous

academic environment” (2005, p. 25).

In one study by Jane Doe (2005), students

functioned well in an environment with high

academic expectations (p. 25).

*Note: only use quotation marks when the author‟s words and ideas are borrowed.

Paraphrase or summarize in other cases:

In-Text Citations (cont.)

Use traditionally respected sources, whether in hardcopy or electronic form, including books, periodicals (journals, magazines, and newspapers) and respected organization web sites (U.S. Census Bureau, for example).

References Page

Center and title reference page as References

Alphabetize and double space entries

Each line after the first of an entry should be indented one tab stroke (five spaces)

Key elements to include in a citation: author, date of publication, specific title, source title, volume and page numbers (if applicable)

If an electronic source, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available. If not available, put the URL of where you retrieved the source (“Retrieved from www.ti.com/)

Examples

Book

Doe, J. (2005). Students in school. New York:

Academic Press.

Magazine or Journal

Doe, J. (2005). School study habits among

students. Journal of Academic Life,

10(2), 10-20.

Examples

Article from an Online Database

Doe, J. (2005, January). Students who study succeed in

school. Psychology Today, 125. doi: 543.1324

497256548746

Newspaper Article

Doe, J. (2005, March 2). Student study habits.

Naples Daily News, p. A5.

Examples

Government Agency or Group Author

U. S. Study Bureau. (2005). Research in student

study habits (Report #142-5). Washington DC:

Government Printing Office.

Electronic Source from Web

Doe, J. (2005). Students who study. Retrieved

from http://studentstudy/research.com

Examples

Audiovisual Source (movie, music CD, information CD, TV program)

King, L. (Host). (2005, March 2). Larry King live. New York: CNN.

Zemeckis, R. (Director). (1991). Forrest Gump [Film]. Hollywood, CA: Paramount.

Bono. (Lyricist). (2000). Walk on. On All that you can’t leave behind [CD]. New York: Interscope.

For more information about APA

See the many helps available through the AAS and Library websites.

See the Publication Manual of the

American Psychological Association

Make a one-on-one appointment

with an AAS tutor

Ask your instructor

For more information about APA

You can also view some short video tutorials (right click on URL, click „open hyperlink‟):

Citing Articles with APA

http://www.screencast.com/t/YTczMjQ5

Citing Books and E-books

http://www.screencast.com/t/MDUyNmU3

Citing Websites

http://www.screencast.com/t/MTUyMDcyNmYt

Citing Tables and Figures

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZDIzOTZmZjQ