Keys to Formatting your Paper in APA Style

Transcription

1 Keys to Formatting your Paper in APA Style A Helpful Guide to some of the APA Essentials Dr. Timothy Robinson Trinity International University

2 Keys to APA Format The following eighteen (18) slides will present some of the key components of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual s requirements for student papers required in our Psychology courses.

3 American Psychological Association (APA) Format When you write a paper for a Psychology class, you will be asked to use the American Psychological Association s Publication Manual as a guide.

4 APA Format Since you are probably not writing a paper for publication, and because you won t be using very much of the Manual, you most likely won t have to buy the book. Besides, the library will have a copy if you really need to use it.

5 APA has a new 6 th Edition Please note that as of July 1, 2009, the APA Manual changed to the 6 th edition (but the publication date is 2010 go figure). Therefore, no longer use the 5 th edition from 2001 as a guide to proper form.

6 Structure of your Papers Most of your student papers will include the structure shown here. This form may be modified depending on the particulars required by your professor.

7 Title Page Checkpoints for a Publication Level Paper If you were submitting your paper for publication, the manuscript page header (short title and page number) appears at the top left of the page (1/2 inch down). The page number is flush right. This header should contain the first few words of your title.

8 Title Page Checkpoints for a Publication Level Paper A title page for publication includes five elements: Running Head (with Page Number) Title (10-12 words) Author Byline Institutional Affiliation Author Note, which may include department, disclaimers, contact information, etc.

9 Title Page Checkpoints for a Student Paper But, since you probably aren t going to submit your term paper to a journal for publication, a modified title page is all that s required by most professors. Getting a title page with the some detailed information stapled to or uploaded with the body of the paper gets the job done. Running Head may be optional Full title of the paper Name(s) of the paper s author(s) Author Note with: Course number and title Professor s name with Date or Semester

10 Checkpoints for the Abstract Page The abstract page should follow the title page. It should start on a new page and be your page number two. Type the word Abstract centered on the first line of the page. An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the purpose and contents of your paper. It should be accurate, concise, specific, non-evaluative, coherent and readable.

11 Structure of your Papers Sometimes for short, non-research style assignments, the abstract and sometimes even a title page may not be necessary. (This is a cheap short cut, so check with your professor about what components he/she requires.) Your first option is to use a title page, but if you aren t required to do so, be sure that your name, paper title, and other essentials are placed at the top of the first page of your paper.

12 Main Body Checkpoints If you have a Title Page and an Abstract page, the first main body page will be number 3. Center the title of the paper at the top of the page. Double-space all sections without adding extra breaks or line spaces.

13 Style Concerns: Point of View and Active Voice Use the third person point of view e.g., The study showed that 20% of students... INSTEAD OF USING the first person point of view e.g., I found out that 20% of students... Use the active voice e.g., The participants responded with... INSTEAD OF USING the passive voice e.g., The participants were asked about...

14 Headings Headings indicate the organization of the paper and establish the importance of each topic. The level of headings numbers from a Level 1 heading to a Level 5 (used for long complex papers). Do not use numbers or letters to indicate the levels of headings, and do not underline anything in a heading. Level 1: Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading Level 2: Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading Level 3: Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Level 4: Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. Level 5: Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

15 Headings Most assignments aren t that lengthy and thus, a Level 1 heading can often be used exclusively throughout your paper. If you are going to include a Level 2 heading, follow the structure of your outline for deciding the major levels to your paper. For example, if you are writing a paper on The effects of clinical depression on dorm life, you might divide the paper into the following Level 1 sections: Overview of Depression Diagnostic Criteria Impact on Student Life Personal Commentary on Depression Intervention Options

16 Citing Sources in Text The hallmark of APA format is the citation of sources in the text of the paper. The general rule is to include the author and the date for all citations. When quoting material from a source, you also will include the page number (or paragraph number for non-paginated websites).

17 Citing Sources in Text Material on citing sources, along with information on References, is treated in detail on the link APA Publication Form: Citing Sources in Your Paper found on the Psychology Department Resources page on Moodle along with other APA links.

18 References The last significant characteristic of APA form is the Reference List. This is a type of bibliographical list of sources. Note that every citation in the text of your paper appears on the Reference List with few exceptions, (e.g., non-published personal communications or standard Biblical references). In addition, every source listed on the Reference List should appear as a cited source in the text of the paper.

19 References Again, material on References along with information on citing sources in your paper is treated in detail on the link APA Publication Form: Elements of a Reference found on the Psychology Department Resources page on Moodle along with other APA links such as the two from the Purdue Owl: APA Form and Citing Electronic Sources.

20 APA Publication Manual For more information on APA form, go to the Manual itself. American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Rolfing Library Call Number: Ref/BF 76.7/.P83/2010