Strategies for Studying, Learning, and Researching
By David Alderoty © 2014
Chapter 12) Writing & Citing in APA Style
2,131 Words
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Information and Sources for the APA Style
Additional Web-Based Information From Other Authors, on The APA Style are Link to this Chapter
APA style is explained in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This book contains over 260 pages of detailed information, involving rules and guidelines for manuscript layout and citations. However, I am presenting a very brief discussion of some of the aspects of the APA style, in this chapter. To compensate for this short presentation, I am providing hyperlinks to web-based material from other authors to cover the subject in detail.
This chapter was written with the assumption that readers, that wanted to master the APA style, would use the hyperlinks to access the additional information, and purchased and study the book mentioned above.
The blue underlined words in this chapter are the hyperlinks, to access the websites from other authors, which contain videos, articles, tutorials, and other useful material. The hyperlinks that are directly in the body of the text are to access sources that were used for this chapter. The links at the end of sections, and subsections are for additional information, alternative points of view, or to support or supplement the material in this text.
If a link fails, use the blue underlined words as a search phrase, with www.Google.com or www.Bing.com
The APA Style, is a writing and citation style created by the American Psychological Association, and their primary site is www.APA.org. This organization has another website that is specifically focused on the APA style, which is www.APAstyle.org.
The APA style was created for the behavioral sciences, but it is also used for other types of writing, especially in colleges and universities.
What is the Best Source for the APA Style?
The APA style is explained in detail in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is in its sixth edition at this time. See www.apastyle.org/manual. The latest version of this book is the best source for the APA style, but I did not use this book as a source for the material presented in this chapter, because it cannot be linked directly to this website.
The Primary Sources I Use For This Chapter
The sources I used for the APA style can be accessed by clicking on hyperlinks, which are connected to relevant portions of this text. To access the source directly, left click on the blue underlined words.
“Basics of APA Style Tutorial” is one of the primary sources for this chapter. This tutorial is in a flash format, with an audio narration, and it contains 25 pages. The tutorial has a number of examples link to it, in the PDF format. I linked various subsections of this chapter to the corresponding PDF examples.
From the Purdue Online Writing Lab, I am using as a primary source “APA Formatting and Style Guide” This guide consists of 17 webpages. Some of these webpages have links to PDF documents, including a sample paper written in the APA style. Additional sources include the following videos:
“Purdue OWL: APA Formatting - The Basics”
“Purdue OWL: APA Formatting: Reference List Basics”
“APA Reference Lists: A More Detailed Explanation“
APA Style Page Layout and Related Concepts
Page Layout and Formatting for the APA Style
The formatting suggested by the APA style, is illustrated in a sample paper from the Purdue online Writing Lab, and from a sample paper from the APA Style Tutorial. I am using both of the above as sources for the following two subsections.
With the APA style, the entire paper should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on four sides. The text should be in an easy-to-read font, such as times new Roman, 12-point. Tables, and figure labels can be in Arial 12-point. The page number is placed on the upper right margin. The APA style uses five levels of headings, which are probably unnecessary for most of the papers that students write. For additional information, see the Purdue webpages on APA headings, and General Format
The APA style uses a title page, and there is a running head on each page, which is explained in detail in the following subsection.
What is a Running Head, in APA Style?
A running head in APA style is a CAPITALIZED TITLE that is no more than 50 characters. This is generally the most important portion of the title of the article or paper. If the title of the paper is short, it can be the entire title written in capital letters. See the following example from the Purdue sample paper.
“Running head: VARYING DEFINITIONS OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION”
With the Purdue sample paper, the running head is the first five words, of the title of the paper, which is “Varying Definitions of Online Communication and Their Effects on Relationship Research”
The Purdue online paper has the running head directly in the margin, on the left side, opposite the page number, so that it automatically appears on every page, with most word processor software. “VARYING DEFINITIONS OF ONLINE COMMUNICATION”
The examples from the Basics of APA Style Tutorial page 4 are similar to the above, except the title is short, and it is presented in the running head in its entirety, such as the following “Running head: EFFECTS OF AGE ON DETECTION OF EMOTION” The full title of the paper is “Effects of Age on Detection of Emotional Information”
To learn more about APA style running heads see the following: A video “Creating a running head in APA style”
This YouTube webpage http://goo.gl/DxZFwD has a list of videos on running heads in APA style.
A Note on the Utility of Running Heads, in APA Style
One of the primary purposes of a running head, in APA style, is to identify papers that are evaluated in the peer review process, with blind submission. Blind submission means the author’s name is removed to avoid favoritism or prejudice in the evaluation process. Without blind submissions, articles written by famous psychologist might be favored, over articles written by less well-known individuals, regardless of the merit of the material.
The utility described above, is not relevant in the classroom. Thus, when papers are written for course work, it might be more practical to substitute the running head, with the student’s name. The appropriateness of modifications of this nature, are ultimately determined by the instructor of the course.
Eight Sections of a APA Research Paper
The sections of a paper written in the APA style, is similar to the style used in scientific papers, and in academic writing. This involves eight basic sections, which are presented below.
If you want to see examples of each of the sections, left click on the blue underlined words, and a PDF document will open. These documents are from page 3 of the “Basics of APA Style Tutorial”
1) The TITLE PAGE contains a descriptive title, the author’s name, affiliations, contact information, and supporters or sponsor of the research. On the very top of the page, there is a running head.
2) The ABSTRACT is a summary of the entire paper, including the experimental results and related conclusion(s). The abstract should be approximately 150 to 250 words. Creating a concise summary of this nature can be challenging, and it will probably require several drafts to achieve the desired result.
3) The INTRODUCTION leads into the basic topic, thesis, hypothesis, or focus of a research project.
4) In the METHOD section the techniques and general procedures used for an experiment, or a survey are explained. This includes the equipment, and the materials that were used.
5) The RESULTS section is for explaining the outcome of an experiment, without interpreting the meaning or significance of the results.
Note, if you want to see the results section, from the tutorial, do the following: left click on the link: The RESULTS section and the methods section will open. Then scroll down towards the lower portion of page 11, and you will see the results section.
The direct link to the results section, from the tutorial was incomplete, which is apparently an error. This may have been corrected after this webpage was created. You can access the results section directly by clicking on the following link RESULTS.
6) The DISCUSSION section is for interpreting and explaining the meaning or implications of the results.
7) The REFERENCE section contains a list of publications that were cited in the paper.
8) The APPENDICES contains additional details, which are not essential for understanding the primary ideas presented in the paper. This can be tables, diagrams, additional examples, descriptions, or details about equipment or materials used in the experiment.
For additional information, see page 6 of the “Basics of APA Style Tutorial” an “APA sample paper” and Types of APA Papers.
APA Style Citations and Related Concepts
In-line Citation in the APA Style
The APA style uses a citation format call the author-date format. This involves the author’s last name, and the date of the work is placed in parentheses. On page 14, of the “Basics of APA Style Tutorial” there are three variations of the author-date citation style, which I am representing with the following formulas:
1) Author’s last name (year) statement from source
Example: Doe, (2005) “Honesty and integrity is a priceless quality”
2) Statement from source (Author’s last name, year)
Example: “Honesty and integrity is a priceless quality” (Doe, 2005)
3) In year, Author’s last name, statement from source
Example: In 2005, Doe, stated, “Honesty and integrity is a priceless quality”
For additional information, see the following webpages from the Purdue Online Writing Lab: APA “In-Text Citations: The Basics” and APA “In-Text Citations: Author/Authors”
The Reference List In APA Style
The in-line citations must be presented in more detail in the Reference List, in the following hanging paragraph configuration.
Author’s last name, authors first name,*1 (the year of publication). The name of the article or book. The name of the journal, if relevant. The digital object identifier if available, which is abbreviated and followed by a colon, such as doi:67.2643/C336490*2
See the examples, which followed the two explanatory notes presented below.
Note*1: When there are two or more authors, the first author’s name is presented as indicated above (last name first followed by the given name), and the remaining authors are presented with the given name first, followed by the last name.
Note*2: The digital object identifier is an alphanumeric system that was created to identify and locate online material. For details, see the following websites: Digital object identifier, and www.doi.org
Two examples of APA style citations for a reference list are presented below:
Example 1, a reference list citation for a book with one author
Doe, John, (2005). The Book of Truth, second edition, Doe Publishing Company doi:67.2643/C336490
Example 2, a reference list citation for an article
Doe, John, (2005). The Ultimate Truth. The International Journal of Truth and Reality
For additional information, see the following 7 webpages from the Purdue Online Writing Lab: 1) Reference List: Basic Rules, 2) Reference List: Author/Authors, 3) Reference List: Articles in Periodicals, 4) Reference List: Books, 5) Reference List: Other Print Sources, 6) Reference List: Electronic Sources (Web Publications), 7) Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources Additional Resources
There are three sources for this subsection. The first is an article on “Block Quotations in APA Style” by Timothy McAdoo. The second is a PDF document, which is link to the above article, which is titled “Block Quotation Examples” The third is a webpage titled In-Text Citations: The Basics, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Block quotes are used when a quotation is lengthy. My formula for an APA block quote is as follows:
One or more statements that leads into the quote, or indicates that a quote will follow, (a colon):
A quoted statement of 40 words or more, indented 1 inch from the left margin. Xxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx. Xxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxxxxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx. (Author’s last name, Page number or equivalent, if available.)
To illustrate block quotes in APA style, I am quoting over 40 words from the Purdue online writing lab, “In-Text Citations: The Basics.” This example starts with my own introductory words, and the quote itself is in a block formation.
The Purdue online writing lab has a webpage that clearly explains the APA style of block quotes, as follows:
Place direct quotations that are 40 words, or longer, in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
Very good “APA Citation Examples”
How do I format my paper so that the phrase Running head appears on only the first page?
“The Purdue OWL: Citation Chart”
Very good APA “...Style for Final Manuscripts by Dr Abel Scribe PhD”
Video “APA Research Paper: APA Format and APA Citations Made Easy”
Video “Using APA style for references and citations“
Video “Title Page, Running Head, and Section Headings”
Video “Purdue OWL: APA Formatting - The Basics”
Video “Purdue OWL: APA Formatting: Reference List Basics”
Video “Using APA style for references and citations, Ben Phillips”
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Chapter 12) Writing & Citing in APA Style
Information and Sources for the APA Style
Additional Web-Based Information From Other Authors, on The APA Style are Link to this Chapter
What is the Best Source for the APA Style?
The Primary Sources I Use For This Chapter
APA Style Page Layout and Related Concepts
Page Layout and Formatting for the APA Style
What is a Running Head, in APA Style?
A Note on the Utility of Running Heads, in APA Style
Eight Sections of a APA Research Paper
APA Style Citations and Related Concepts
In-line Citation in the APA Style
The Reference List In APA Style
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