Transcript Citing Sources - Albemarle County Public Schools

The APA Style:
Formatting the Manuscript
and References
Ginger Lejeune
2014
General Rules for a Research
Paper using the APA Format

Times New Roman, 12-point font

Double space throughout paper

Uniform margins of 1 inch all around

Page numbers are flush right at the top
of each page (including the title page)

Title should be no longer than 12 words
More General APA Rules

Every page has the same header called a
“running head,” which is a shortened form
of the title (50 characters maximum)

The running head is flush left, on the same
line as the page number, & in all capital letters

Abstract should be 150 to 250 words

Main section headings (Method, Results,
etc.) are centered & in bold type
Order of Manuscript Pages



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
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Title page (numbered 1)
Abstract (numbered 2)
Text (start on separate page)
References (start on separate page)
Tables (start each on separate page)
Figures (start each on separate page;
include caption on page with figure)
Appendices (start each on separate page)
Sample Paper
Citing Sources
in the APA Style

Whether you directly quote, paraphrase, or
summarize, you must credit the source of any
information you use in your paper.

In-text citations in APA use an author-date
citation system.

The References page at the end of your paper
includes the full bibliographic information on
each source cited in the text.
APA In-Text Citation Format
 Author’s
 If
last name in parentheses
author is unknown, use title of work
 Year of
publication
 For
direct quotations, add page number
(optional for material not directly quoted)
Example: (Carter, 2010, p. 263)
NOTE: If the author’s name and/or the date appear elsewhere
in the text itself, omit from the in-text parentheses.
Examples of In-Text Citations:
Directly Quoted or Paraphrased
One study found that “students often had difficulty using
APA style, especially when it was their first time”
(Johnson, 2009, p. 27).
According to Johnson (2009), “students often had difficulty
using APA style, especially when it was their first time” (p.
27).
According to Johnson (2009), APA is a difficult citation
format for first-time learners.
APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time
learners (Johnson, 2009, p. 27).
Examples of In-Text Citations:
Special Cases

No author, use title:
(Teaching APA, 2009)
(“Personality Traits,” 2004)

No date, use n.d.: (Smith, n.d.)

Two authors: (Jones & Wilson, 2011)

Secondary sources: Nixon’s diary (as cited in Hoza, 2013)

No page numbers, use paragraph or chapter number:
(Williams, 2004, para. 7)
(Taylor, 1997, Chapter 22)
APA References Page Format

The References page comes immediately after
the main text of your paper
 Title of page is References
 List sources in alphabetical order by the author’s
last name (use title if the author is unknown)
 Print, online sources, etc. are all mixed together
 Use hanging indent: 1st line of each entry is flush
left & succeeding lines are indented 5 spaces
 Use double spacing throughout
Let’s look at that Sample Paper one more time..
More Help with the APA Style

Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, 6th edition

APA Style Online (includes a tutorial)

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Cornell University Library APA Guide
NOTE: All of the examples used in this presentation were either made
up or borrowed from one of the above sources. This is called “fair
use” for educational purposes.