What is APA? Almost all sciences use APA (American Psychological Association) style because it was created to make research papers clear and concise, reduce bias, and create a standard format. It can seem like a daunting task, especially if you ve only used MLA before. Don t worry, though, this guide will give you the basics for APA, as well as some other resources to help! Formatting your Paper using Microsoft Word Before you type any paper in APA, make sure you have your Font set to Times New Roman, size 12, and your paragraph settings to 0pt spacing before and after, as well as double spaced. You can set these as your default for all papers by clicking this icon located in each section of the top bar:
Title Page 1. Click on the Center Justify button in the Paragraph ribbon. 2. Hit Enter button 4 TIMES to move the cursor to the appropriate line of the page. 3. Type the full title, your name, and the name of your university Inserting the Header and Page number (Body of Paper) 1. On the Insert tab, click Page Break. This will move you to the second page. 2. Click on Header and select Blank 3. Type the title in all caps, no longer than 12 words or 50 characters. Then tab or space over to the edge of the page 4. Check the Different First Page box 5. Click on Page Number, choose Current Position, then Plain Number. 1 2 2 3 4 5
Title Page Header 1. Go back to the Title Page and click on the Header. 2. Type Running Head: followed by the full title of the paper in all caps 3. Add the page number as you did before. Reference Page 1. Must start on a brand new page, with the title References centered 2. References are listed alphabetically 3. Must be double spaced 4. Must use hanging indent 5. Include all works cited DO NOT TRY AND MANUALLY PLACE YOUR HANGING INDENTS! It will not work. Set your paper to Hanging in the paragraph defaults.
In Text Citations All citations must include the author s last name and the year and be formatted one of two ways. Smith (2009) states In a recent article (Jones, 2015). 2 authors Smith and Jones (2009) The data suggests (Kirk & O Malley, 2017). 3-5 authors First mention Spock, Solo, and Everdeen (2018) In a study...(johnson, Mays, & Peters, 2015). All other times Spock et al. (2018) In a study (Johnson et al., 2015). 6 or more Crane et al. (2015) In an article (Crane et al., 2015) Same last name and year No author C. Smith (2010) R. Smith (2010)... Use abbreviation of the title According to Live the Revolution (2017) A trend ( Live the Revolution, 2017). No date Smith (n.d.) A study (Smith, n.d.). Quotations ALWAYS INCLUDE THE PAGE NUMBER! Less than 40 words: The period goes AFTER the page number: (C. Smith, 2010, p.98). 40 or more words: You use a block quote that starts on a new line. Do not use quotation marks. The period goes BEFORE the page number.
All references in APA begin the same way: Author s last name, First Initial. (year). Title of work. Here are some tips to keep in mind: No Author Start with the title of the work Should Abortion be legal? (2017)... More than 1 author 2-7: list all authors, use an & instead of the word and More than 7: list the first 6, then use followed by the last author Putnam, R., & Campbell, D. (2010)......Cancian, M., Meyer, D,...Wu, C. (2005). No date Use (n.d.) in its place Jones, J (n.d.)... Reprint Include both dates in the year spot Malamud, B. (1968/1992)... E-resource include the Digital Online Identifier (DOI) at the end. DOIs recently changed format, but you can use either one. If you can t find the DOI, then use the journal/publisher homepage url instead. doi: 10.1478.34.3.432 (old format) https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/29.4.199 (new format) Retrieved from: http://ufp.com Journal Articles Print Author, A. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, volume (issue), pagepage. Jones, R. (2009). Irritable lifestyles: a longitudinal study. American Journal of Gastrointestinal Studies, 108(4), 133-136. Electronic Author, A. (Year). Article title. Journal Title, volume, page-page. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/29.4.199 or URL Cancian, M., Meyer, D, & Wu, C. (2005). After the revolution: welfare patterns since TANF implementation. Social Work Research, 29(4), 199-214. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/29.4.199 Online Video Producer. (Producer). (Year). Title of Video [format]. Available from http:// Films Media Group (producer). (2010). Practical Use of Materials: Metal [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://fod.infobase.com Website Author, A. (Date of publication). Document title. Retrieved from http://www Should Abortion be legal? (May 17, 2017). Retrieved from https:// abortion.procon.org/ Books Print Author, A. (Year). Title of book. Location: Publisher. Putnam, R., & Campbell, D. (2010). American Grace: how religions divides and unites us. New York: Simon & Schuster. Ebook Author, A. (Year). Title of book. DOI:xxx. Axtmann, A. (2014) Indians and wannabes: Native American powwow dancing in the Northeast and beyond. Retrieved from http:// upf.com Book Chapter/Entry Author, A. (Year). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx) Malamud, B. (1968/1992). My Son the Murderer. In J.C. Oates (Ed.), The Oxford Book of American Short Stories, (pp.504-510). New York: Oxford University Press.
APA Style Website apastyle.org Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) owl.english.purdue.edu OneVU citation generator ALWAYS CHECK YOUR REFRENCES! Database generators aren t always correct as they can be out of date or just completely wrong! Microsoft Word References will not properly format your citations Most online citation generators are completely wrong Still Need Help? Database citation generators Shake Library Location: Shake LRC Call: 812-888-5810 Hours: Sun: 2pm-Midnight M-Th: 7:30am-Midnight Fri: 7:30am-6pm Sat: 11am-6pm Writing Center Location: Shircliff Humanities Room E229 Hours: Mon-Thu: 9:00-11:00 am 1:00-5:00 pm Fri: 9:00-11:00 am 1:00-4:00 pm The writing Center closes each day from 11:00-12:00