Performance Measures / Week 2 Project

APA-Style Formatting Guidelines for a Written Essay

When you format a paper in APA style, there are some basic formatting rules. Each page should have 1-inch margins all around and double-spaced lines. APA allows for a number of different fonts, but we recommend you use 12-point, Times New Roman font.

Title Page

Your APA-style title page will include: • A page number • The title of your paper • Your Name • Your institution (university) • The course title • The instructor's name • The assignment date

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Title of Paper

John Q. Student

University Name

Course

Instructor

Assignment Date Top, bottom, and side

margins throughout the paper should be 1 inch

You should also include the course title, assignment date, and instructor's name

APA guidelines include the title of the paper, the author’s name, and institutional affiliation.

• Center the text in the upper half of the page.

• Use 12-point Times New Roman font

• •

Double space Do not use bold, underline, or italics

• Include your middle initial

Page numbers for the paper begin in the header on the title page and appear in the upper- right corner

Indented

The Body of Your Paper

There are several things to remember when you are formatting the main body of your paper:

• 1-inch margins all around • 12-point Times New Roman font in double-spaced lines • The page number • Your full title centered on the first line in title case • Indent the first line of each paragraph • Include in-text citations for quoted, paraphrased, or

summarized material from others

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Full Title of Essay

Start your first paragraph here. This is the introduction paragraph. Here you want

to introduce your topic and grab the reader’s attention. Your introduction paragraph

should be 4–6 sentences long and will include your thesis statement. Remember, the

thesis statement states the main focus or main idea of the entire essay and is normally the

last sentence in the introduction; however, more importantly, it should be obvious what

your thesis statement is.

Begin the second paragraph here. This is your first body paragraph. Paragraphs

should be between 5–12 sentences. Your body paragraphs should begin with the

paragraph’s topic, which is the topic sentence. This topic sentence explains the main

focus of this paragraph, and should clearly relate to your thesis statement. Next, you will

include supporting details. If you are using outside sources (research) to lend credibility

to your details, this is where you should include them; most importantly, this is also

where you use in-text citations to cite other people’s ideas from your sources (Author,

date). Finally, the last sentence of a body paragraph concludes the paragraph and refers

back to the paragraph’s main focus.

Page numbering that began on your title page

Full title centered and in title case First line indented

The References Page

Like the other pages in your paper, the References page will include basic APA-style page formatting. Guidelines specific to the References page include:

• The word “References” should be centered on the first line • Alphabetize the entire list using the authors' last names • If you are using multiple works by the same author, list the entries in chronological order, beginning with the

earliest work • Each source you cite in a paper must correspond to a related reference on your References page • Each reference on your References page must be cited somewhere in your paper • References that stretch to two lines require a hanging indent

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References

Berrett, D. (2014). Dissecting the classroom. The Chronicle of Higher

Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Dissecting-the-

Classroom/144647/

Doe, J. (2014). Citing sources: Finding a way to cut through the confusion. The

Journal of Exceptional Instruction, 8(4), 78.

Heath, J. (2007). An adversarial ethic for business: Or when Sun-Tzu met the

stakeholder. Journal of Business Ethics, 72(4), 359–374. https://

doi.org/10.1007/ s10551-006-9175-5

Top, bottom, and side margins throughout the paper should be 1 inch

Page numbering that began on your title page

“References” should be centered on the first line

Sources appear in alphabetical order based on the author’s last name

Hanging indent for references exceeding one line

Updated 8/13/20 by J.G.G

APA 7 Citations Quick Sheet

• Beginning on a new page, the heading References is centered, capitalized, and in bold • List all references in alphabetical order by surname of the first author • Double space all references and use ½” hanging indent

In-Text citations

1 author (Anderson, 2018)

2 authors (Walker & Bennett, 2019)

3 or more authors (Ahmann et al., 2018)

Group Author First time with abbreviation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2017) All subsequent citations: (APA, 2017)

Direct quote Include page number (Williams, 2020, p. 35) Missing Information No author Use the title of the work cited

No date Use n.d. (Gagnon, n.d.) References Journal article with a DOI Halm, M. (2017). The role of mindfulness in enhancing self-care for nurses. American Journal of

Critical Care, 26(4), 344-348. https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.4037/ajcc2017589

Journal article without a DOI, from academic databases or print version

Dintoe, S. S. (2018). Information and communication technology use in higher education:

Perspectives from faculty. International Journal of Education and Development Using

Information and Communication Technology, 14(2), 121–166.

Updated 8/13/20 by J.G.G

Webpage Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, May 13). Symptoms of coronavirus.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Webpage with an individual author Charland, A. M. (2016, November 30). Focus on progress, not perfection. Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/focus-on-progress-

not-perfection/art-20267203

Newspaper article Pennington, B. (2020, February). The exacting education of a young star. New York Times, B8. Book Almarode, J., & Vandas, K. (2019). Clarity for learning: Five essential practices that empower

students and teachers. Corwin.

South University power point slides Stigler, C. (2016). Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base imbalances [PowerPoint slides]. Brightspace.

https://southu.brightspace.com

Image McCurry, S. (1995). Afghan girl [Photograph]. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/national-greographic-magazine-50-years-

of-covers/#/ngm-1985-jun-714.jpg

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Title of Paper

John Q. Student

South University

Course ID: Course Name

Instructor Name

Due Date

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Full Title of Essay

Start your first paragraph here. The best way to use this template is to read through the

entire document first. Then, delete each section as you fill it in with your essay content. This

template is formatted to meet APA’s requirements, so when you delete the sections one at a time,

you will see that your work is formatted properly. This is the introduction paragraph. Here you

want to introduce your topic and grab the reader’s attention. Your introduction paragraph should

be 5-12 sentences long and will include your thesis statement. Remember, the thesis statement

states the main focus or main idea of the entire essay and is normally the last sentence in the

introduction; however, more importantly, it should be obvious what your thesis statement is.

Begin the second paragraph here. This is your first body paragraph. Paragraphs should be

between 5–12 sentences. Your body paragraphs should begin with the paragraph’s topic, which

is the topic sentence. This topic sentence explains the main focus of this paragraph, and should

clearly relate to your thesis statement. Next, you will include supporting details. If you are using

outside sources (research) to lend credibility to your details, this is where you should include

them; most importantly, this is also where you use in-text citations to cite other people’s ideas

from your sources (Author’s last name, year of publication, page numbers). Finally, the last

sentence of a body paragraph concludes the paragraph and refers back to the paragraph’s main

focus.

Begin the third paragraph here. This is your second body paragraph. Paragraphs should

be between 5–12 sentences. Your body paragraphs should begin with the paragraph’s topic,

which is the topic sentence. This topic sentence explains the main focus of this paragraph, and

should clearly relate to your thesis statement. Next, you will include supporting details. If you

are using outside sources (research) to lend credibility to your details, this is where you should

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include them; most importantly, this is also where you use in-text citations to cite other people’s

ideas from your sources (Author’s last name, year of publication, page numbers). Finally, the last

sentence of a body paragraph concludes the paragraph and refers back to the paragraph’s main

focus.

Begin the fourth paragraph here. This is your third body paragraph. Paragraphs should be

between 5–12 sentences. Your body paragraphs should begin with the paragraph’s topic, which

is the topic sentence. This topic sentence explains the main focus of this paragraph, and should

clearly relate to your thesis statement. Next, you will include supporting details. If you are using

outside sources (research) to lend credibility to your details, this is where you should include

them; most importantly, this is also where you use in-text citations to cite other people’s ideas

from your sources (Author’s last name, year of publication, page numbers). Finally, the last

sentence of a body paragraph concludes the paragraph and refers back to the paragraph’s main

focus.

You may have more than three body paragraphs depending on the requirements of the

essay. This template is formatted for only five paragraphs, so if you add more just begin a new

paragraph and tap the TAB key to indent. The font and margins are already pre-set for you. The

final paragraph is the conclusion paragraph. This paragraph can be shorter than the others.

Remember to wrap-up the essay for the reader. The conclusion should not introduce any new

material. Finally, you will want to refer back to your thesis statement. (On the following

References page there are templates for several types of references: (1) article from an online

periodical with DOI assigned, (2) online newspaper article,(3) e-book without DOI assigned, and

(4) article or chapter in an e-book without DOI assigned. When you create your References page,

be sure to put the entries in alphabetical order based on the author’s last name.)

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References

Lastname, A. A., & Lastname, B. B. (Year of Publication ). Title of article. Title of Periodical,

Volume(Issue), page numbers. DOI

Lastname, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Title of article. Title of Publication. URL

Lastname, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher

Name.

Lastname, A. A., & Lastname, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor, & F. F.

Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter).

Publisher.

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APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

Purpose When you use the words or ideas of others, or state facts that are not common knowledge, you must give credit to the source of the information in order to give your reader the means to examine the information's context. You do this by citing your sources and providing references so the reader can find them. The purpose of this document is to provide you with basic guidelines and examples for citing a wide variety of sources using APA style. This resource will help clarify the relationship between APA style in-text citations and references while providing an assortment of examples from the types of resources you are likely to encounter during your academic career. This by no means covers every situation and nuance of preparing a manuscript but should provide essential basic information. The final authority for APA style remains the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. Additional resources can be found at their website, http://www.apastyle.org/.

Understanding Citations and References When using APA style, you attribute words or ideas to their original author in two steps.

1) The in-text citation appears in the body of your writing and provides a signal to the reader that you are influenced by the words, ideas, or facts presented by another author.

2) The in-text citation points to a more detailed reference included on the References page located at the end of your paper or document. This reference provides the necessary information for the reader to locate the resource.

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My Paper about Surviving College

World-renowned author and professor Ludwig von Eghead once confessed: “The most traumatic element of my college education was trying to figure out how to correctly cite my sources” (Doe, 2014, p. 78). If an eminent academic like von Eghead can be intimidated by citing sources, imagine

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References

Doe, J. (2014). Citing sources: Finding a way to cut through the confusion.

The Journal of Exceptional Instruction, 8(4), 78.

The in-text citation points to its associated reference on the References page.

Throughout your paper, you may have several in-text citations that refer to the same resource. You do not need to include multiple references for the same source on the References page.

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APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

Creating APA-Style In-Text Citations There are several ways to create in-text citations depending on how you write the words and ideas of another author in your paper. Whatever form your citation takes, you will want to include author, date, and sometimes place. This means, the author’s last name, the year the work was published, and in many instances the page, paragraph, or chapter where it can be found.

Direct Quotations While direct quotations should generally be avoided, there are times when they are necessary as when analyzing literature. When a quotation is fewer than 40 words, it can appear within a normal paragraph.

Quotation with a Signal Phrase

Often the best approach is to alert the reader with a signal phrase to introduce a quotation.

Quotation without a Signal Phrase

The in-text citation without the signal phrase for the same quotation might look like this:

It is good to heed the advice of Tolkien (1937) when he said, “Never laugh at live dragons” (p. 243).

Page in book quotation is found

Date of publication Signal phrase including author’s last name

When confronted with a superior force, the wise course is to “never laugh at live dragons” (Tolkien, 1937, p. 243).

Place Date, Author,

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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Block Quotations

When a quotation is longer than 40 words, it is set off from a normal paragraph using an indented block quotation.

Block Quotation • 40 words or more • Indent ½ inch • No quotation marks

(Here they are used to show Jefferson’s quotation of First Amendment text)

• Citation included in block.

Paraphrasing It is almost always better in academic writing to put the ideas of another author in your own words in order to improve the flow of your paper and to show that you have synthesized the material in your own mind. Because you are still borrowing ideas from another, you must use an in-text citation in conjunction with a reference.

In an 1802 letter to a committee of constituents in Connecticut, President Jefferson demonstrated that the wording of the First Amendment clearly prohibits the Federal government from either officially institutionalizing a particular religion or interfering with the practice of any religion (Jefferson, 1944).

No page number needed for paraphrased or summarized material.

Summarizing

When you summarize a substantial section of a text, you write one or two paragraphs to convey the author’s main points. Remember, you are creating a condensed version of what the author has said. Therefore, a summary, unlike a paraphrase, should be much shorter than the original. Use an in-text citation in a summarization as you would in a paraphrase.

President Jefferson expressed his understanding of the First Amendment to the US Constitution regarding the role of government toward religion in an 1802 letter to a committee of the Danbury Baptist Association:

I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. (Jefferson, 1944, p. 332)

That wall of separation has been subject to various interpretations in modern

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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Formatting References The format for creating an APA style reference on your References page follows a general pattern that includes punctuation and the use of italics. There are nuances to creating references depending on where you find the information, be it a book, a journal, a website, etc. On the following page, you will see examples of references for the types of resources you are likely to encounter in the academic setting. You can see some of the features of an APA reference in the example below of a book with one author.

Reference Formatting Tips

• Like the rest of your APA-style paper, references should be double spaced. • APA allows for a number of different fonts, but we recommend you use 12-point,

Times New Roman font. • Start the reference list on a new page after the last page of your essay. • Label the reference list “References,” capitalized, in bold, and centered. • Use a hanging indent for all references, meaning the first line of each reference is

flush left and subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches. • Organize all sources alphabetically by author’s last name.

MacGillicuddy, J. (2014). Writing extraordinary research papers.

Author’s last name, First initial. (Year)

published.

Title of book in italics and sentence case (meaning only capitalize the first word and proper nouns, as well as the first word after colons, em dashes, and terminal punctuation ).

Hanging Indent

Double Space Universal Press.

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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APA-Style Reference Examples

Here you can see an assortment of examples to help you create correct references for your own writing. You can find more comprehensive guidance in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. Additional resources can be found at their website, http://www.apastyle.org/. Textbooks for some courses may also contain helpful information about writing according to APA style.

Electronic Books (e-Books) with a DOI

What is meant by “sentence case”? Sentence case means that the only words capitalized are the first word of a title and the first word following a colon, as well as any proper nouns. You may be accustomed to capitalizing all of the key words in a title (title case), but when formatting references in APA style, book titles and the titles of journal articles are written in sentence case. Notice that the names of journals and magazines remain in title case.

Kleinig, J. (2008). Ethics and criminal justice: An introduction.

Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CB09780511806155

When available, a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is used.

(Year of publication).

Title of book in italics with sentence casing. Author’s last name, First initial.

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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Books (without a DOI, from most academic research databases or print version)

Book with a single author

Geoghan, D. (2012). Introductory: Visualizing technology. Pearson.

Book with two authors

Grassian, E. S., & Kaplowitz, J. R. (2001). Information literacy instruction: Theory and practice.

Neal-Schuman.

Book with edition number

Fordney, M. T. (2008). Insurance handbook for the medical office (10th ed.). Saunders

Elsevier.

Book with three or more authors and edition number The in-text citation would be (Maimon et al., 2009).

Maimon, E. P., Peritz, J. H., & Yancey, K. B. (2009). The McGraw-Hill handbook (2nd ed.).

McGraw-Hill.

Geoghan, D. (2012). Introductory: Visualizing technology.

Pearson.

(Year of publication).

Title of book in italics with sentence casing. Author’s last name, First initial.

Publisher

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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Articles in Journals, Magazines, and Books

Article with DOI (Digital Object Identifier)

Heath, J. (2007). An adversarial ethic for business: Or when Sun-Tzu met the stakeholder.

Journal of Business Ethics, 72(4), 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9175-5

Article without a DOI, with a non-database URL

Carlson, S. (2002). Wired to the hilt: Saint Joseph’s University stakes its future on a $30-

million bet. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 48(29). http://chronicle.com

Article without a DOI, from most academic research databases or print version

Vlad, I., Sallot, L. M., & Reber, B. H. (2006). Rectification without assuming responsibility:

Testing the transgression flowchart with Vioxx recall. Journal of Public

Relations Research, 18(4), 357–379.

Author’s last name, First initial.

Heath, J. (2007). An adversarial ethic for business: Or when Sun-Tzu met the stakeholder. Journal

of Business Ethics, 72(4), 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9175-5

DOI: (Issue #),

Title of article with sentence casing.

Page range of printed article.

Volume # In italics

Name of Journal in italics,

(Year of publication).

Article or chapter in an edited book without a DOI, from most academic databases or print version

Appiah, K. A. (2019). How the future will judge us. In D. U. Seyler & A. Brizee (Eds.) Read, Reason, Write: An Argument Text and Reader (pp. 511-513). McGraw Hill.

APA Citation Helper (v1.3)

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by “sentence case”?

Sentence case means that the only words capitalized are the first word of a title and the first word

following a colon, as well as any proper nouns. You may be accustomed to capitalizing all of the key

words in a title (title case), but when formatting references in APA style, book titles and the titles of

journal articles are written in sentence case. Notice that the names of journals and magazines remain in

title case.

What is a DOI? DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier and is used for electronically published content. It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a publisher to identify a resource and provide a persistent Internet link. If you use a DOI in a reference, you do not need to include the publisher and location, or “Retrieved from url”. To find a DOI that is not listed for your digital resource, you can search for one using http://www.crossref.org/.

When should I use [brackets] in a reference? If it is not clear what type of resource is being referenced, you can clarify it using brackets. For example: [Online course], or [Press release], or [Pamphlet]. Always capitalize the first word.

What if there is no date associated with a resource? Use (n.d.) where you would normally put a date in parentheses for the in-text citation as well as the reference.

How should book titles be written in the body of my paper? When you are referring to book titles in your writing, they should generally appear in italics as in The Divine Comedy. Sacred texts, such as the Bible and the Qur’an, are not put in italics.