Executive Summary

APA Form and Style Checklist

Margins and pagination

Margins for preliminary pages

Abstract. Title pages, dedication, acknow- ledgments, and Table of Contents (TOC), including Lists of Tables and Figures

· Top = 1 inch

· Bottom = 1.3 inch

· Left = 1.5 inch

· Right = 1 inch

Make sure the page number is 1 in. from the bottom of the page: Set the footer at 1 in.

Margins for main body of text

Page 1 to end of references and appendices

· Top = 1.3 inch

· Bottom = 1 inch

· Left = 1.5 inch

· Right = 1 inch

Make sure the page number is 1 in. from the top of the page: Set the header at 1 in.

Fit all text, tables, and figures within the margins.

Set all right margins in the narrative flush left rather than justified.

Font ( APA §2.19)

Font should be accessible to all users, including those who use assistive technology, so a variety of font styles are permitted. The Walden requirement is 12-point Times New Roman.

The entire document should be consistent in font

a. Font type should be consistent throughout the document (title pages, abstract, document, appendices).

b. 12-point throughout the document with the exceptions of tables, figures, and special formatting in the appendices that may require smaller or larger font size

Preliminary pages

Title (APA §2.4)

a. The title should be a concise statement of the main topic; it should identify the variables or theoretical issues under investigation and the relationship between them.

b. A title should be fully explanatory when standing alone.

c. The title is used as a statement of content for abstracting and referencing. Make sure to include terms that would help a fellow researcher locate your study in electronic databases. For ideas, you might check the keywords or tags appended to articles in your reference list.

d. Titles should be concise.

e. Titles should not include words or phrases such as method, results, study of, investigation of.

f. Avoid any words that could mislead the reader. Use only abbreviations that are in common use as abbrevitaitons (e.g., MRI, HIV, or IQ .

g. Avoid interrogative phrasing.

h. Do not use final punctuation.

i. Capitalize any word of four or more letters, and capitalize all parts of a verb (if it is part of the infinitive, has, or the like).

j. Avoid colons.

k. Title should be in plain text [Walden variance from APA 7].

Summary

a. The heading on the first page of the DNP Executive Summary is the summary: “Summary” is centered on the top line.

b. Fit the summary on one page, double-spaced, with the first sentence paragraph indent.

c. Numbers follow general APA number rules (APA §6.32-§6.39)..

d. Do not use first person. Use passive voice when referring to the actions of the author [Walden variance from APA 7].

e. Mask the identify of the partner organization or stakeholders

f. Do not use citations.

g. Include the following:

a. Type of project

b. Practice problem and why it is important to address within the context of nursing practice.

c. Summarize the project question

d. Describe the analytical strategies used

e. Summarize the major products, conclusions, limitations, and recommendations.

f. Describe potential implications for nursing practice, positive social change, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Pagination of the narrative chapters/sections, references, and appendices

Set page numbers 1 in. from the upper right corner of the page—not in the margin.

There are no page headers in a dissertation, doctoral capstone study, or project.

Page 1 is the first page of the summary. Page numbers appear in the upper right on all pages of the chapters, references, and appendices.

Spacing: Line and word

· Use double line spacing between lines of text, between text and a block quotation, between paragraphs, and between a heading and subsequent text. Do not add additional space above or below the lines of text. Do not triple-or quadruple-space between paragraphs. To achieve this spacing automatically (highly recommended), follow these steps:

· Under the line spacing options, select your entire document.

· Under Spacing, set Before and After to zero. (Best to leave the line spacing itself alone.)

· Type one space between sentences (APA §6.1).

Headings ( APA §2.27)

· Use Arabic numerals with the major chapter/section headings, e.g., Section 1; Chapter 1.

· No headings are prefixed with letters or numbers.

· For guidance on using a Level 1 “Introduction” heading, refer to the checklists for your program on the Center for Research Quality website.

APA style allows five different heading levels. In a Walden doctoral capstone study or project, there is an additional Walden heading level, Level 0. In a doctoral capstone study or project, there are typically three or four heading levels: L0, L1, L2, and, if needed, L3 and L4.

(L0) Centered, Title Case Chapter/Section Heading

Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.

(LI) Centered, Boldface, Title Case Heading

Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.

(L2) Flush Left, Boldface, Title Case Heading

Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.

(L3) Flush Left, Boldface, Italicized, Title Case Heading

Text begins on the next line as a new paragraph.

(L4) Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period . Paragraph text begins on the same line.

a. At the final proofreading stage, after all revisions have been made,

· make sure that the headings in the TOC and text are identical, and

· avoid stranding a heading at the bottom of a page.

b. Page numbers in the text must match those in the TOC.

c. Include only L0, L1, and L2 headings in the TOC.

APA writing style ( APA 4.1)

Continuity in presentation of ideas (APA §4.2)

a. Transitional words help maintain the flow of thought, especially when the material is complex or abstract.

b. Transitional devices include pronouns (which connect to nouns in previous sentences), time links ( then, next, after), cause–effect links ( therefore, consequently), addition links ( in addition, moreover), and contrast links ( but, conversely, however).

Smoothness of expression

a. Aim for clear and logical communication (APA §4.4).

b. Use verb tenses consistently to help ensure smooth, logical expression (APA §4.12).

· Past tense ( researchers presented) or present perfect ( researchers have presented) is appropriate for the literature review and the description of the procedure(s).

· Use the past tense to describe the results.

· Use the present tense to discuss implications and to present conclusions.

c. Avoid using several nouns, one after another, to modify a final noun (APA §4.3). Such noun strings are often confusing. To improve readability, consider rephrasing and having the noun precede the modifiers (e.g., change “Group 1 body image perceptions posttest results” to “posttest results for Group 1 for body image perceptions”).

Academic tone and scholarly voice (APA §4.4–4.9)

a. Avoid informal or casual language, idiomatic expressions, jargon, and clichés.

b. It is preferable to avoid adverbs. They may reflect a personal assessment or opinion. Sometimes, an adverb asks readers to simply accept a claim in an environment where evidence is the norm.

c. It is preferable to avoid hyperbole. Understatement is much easier to believe than overstatement.

Economy of expression (APA §4.4–4.5)

a. Avoid any unneeded words and unneeded repetition. Readers get confused and frustrated and can lose interest in the study.

b. Consider writing shorter sentences and shorter paragraphs. They are easier to write and easier to read.

Conciseness and Clarity

a. Parallel ideas need to be presented in  parallel form, that is, each part of a sentence uses the same grammatical structure.

b. Both Walden and APA prefer first person (“I,” “me,” “my”) pronouns (APA §4.16). Avoid using the third-person (e.g., referring to yourself by a pronoun such as a “she” or a noun such as “the researcher”).

(i) Also visit our Letter from the Editor on the First Person

c. Pronouns: To eliminate potential ambiguity, specify what the pronoun refers to.

d. Because capstones have sole authors, first-person, plural pronouns (“we,” “our”) should generally not be used (exception: studies in which a project team was used). The editorial “we” (e.g., “we as a society,” “our country’s values”) should be avoided (APA §4.17).

e. Avoid anthropomorphism (APA § 4.11): Do not attribute human characteristics to inanimate sources. Allowable exceptions include but are not limited to: “this section addresses,” “the study found,” “the results show,” and “the data provide.”

f. Passive voice (the object precedes the verb and subject) is acceptable but is often overused (APA §4.13). In the narrative, for reasons of clarity and to make sure that the subject is not hidden, use active voice more often. For example: “I conducted the survey” rather than “the survey was conducted.”

g. Word choice and clauses (APA §4.19–4.22):

· “Which” vs. “that” : Which refers to a specific instance of something: The clocks, which were precisely on time, were more useful than the sundials, which offered only approximations

· “Who” vs. “that”: Humans should be referred to as who or whom, while inanimate objects should be referred to as that. That takes a broad concept and makes it particular: The clocks that ran on time were more useful than the ones that were not on time.

· “While” vs. “although”: APA prefers the use of while for linking events that happen at the same time; temporal meaning (i.e., to link events occurring simultaneously). Otherwise, although, and, whereas, or but should be used instead. To help clarify, the following APA examples show while in its correct form:

· One woman abused by her father sobbed while describing why she had not pressed charges against him.

· The participant stared at the computer monitor while he listened to the recordings.

· The patient took deep breaths while the doctor listened with a stethoscope.

· “Since” vs. “because”: Both words can be used to mean “because.” Take care when using “since” as it also refers to time (e.g., “since the mid-1960s”). If the usage of “since” would convey this unintended meaning, use “because” instead. . APA offers four sentences by way of explanation:

· Since Smith’s (2000) research was conducted, many additional researchers have achieved similar results.

· The participants were excluded from the experiment because they did not meet the inclusion criteria.

· Because the data were not complete, the results were excluded from the study.

· No additional testing has been performed since the last experiment.

· See the Doctoral Capstone Form and Style page on other commonly confused words.

Citations and quotations (APA Chapter 6)

The basics of in-text web citations are the same as the author/date format described in the APA Publication Manual, APA §8.10, §8.11. Check APA §8.25, 8.28 for rules on page and paragraph numbers.

Place in-text citations carefully or you might convey unintended meaning. Distinguish between (a) the evidence you gleaned from a source and (b) your analysis and/or conclusions. For example, if the placement of a parenthetical citation might imply that Creswell were personally supporting your work, then just add the word “see” in front of the Creswell citation, like this: (see Creswell, 2016). See APA §8.12.

If a source is used in back-to-back paraphrases, it does not need to be cited within each sentence if the source and topic have not changed. Instead, cite the source in the first sentence's paraphrase only (APA §8.1).

For in-paragraph quotations, set the final punctuation mark(s) after the citation (APA §8.26): “as a result of overharvesting in the tuna industry” (Fishmore, 2016, p. 45).

Block quotations

a. Set quotations of 40 or more words in block form, double spaced.

b. In block quotations, set the final punctuation at the end of the quotation, before the citation (APA §8.27): …as a result of overharvesting in the tuna industry. (Fishmore, 2016, p. 45). Another option is to include the author and year in the narrative before the quotation. In this case, include only the page number in parentheses after the final punctuation for the quotation.

For multiple sources cited parenthetically in a group, list by first author’s surname in alphabetical order (the order in which the sources appear in the reference list): (Brown et al., 2012; Johnson & Ball, 2012; King, 2011) (APA§ 8.12).

Note. See APA §8.17, Table 8.1.

· Spell et al. as two words with a period after al. (There’s no period after et)

· If the citation is narrative, there is no comma before the year in parnetheses; if the citation is parenthetical, add a comma before the year and after al. (APA §6.12): King et al. (2014) noted the fish were blue, but others disagreed (Brown et al., 2015).

Ellipsis points (APA §8.31)

a. Use three ellipsis points, with spaces between them, to indicate where text was omitted from a sentence … as shown in this example. Use four ellipsis points to indicate that text was omitted between two sentences … . (A new sentence would start here.)

b. In APA publication style, ellipsis points are not used at the beginning or end of a quotation unless an ellipsis is in the original text (APA §8.25).

When citing two authors in a parenthetical citation, include “&” in between the author names. In the running text, use “and.”

When citing more than two authors, include the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in parenthetical and narrative citations

Other authors (Cook & Wold, 2012; Marshall et al., 2015) agreed, but Matthey and Chermack (2015) found otherwise. (APA §8.12, 8.17)

Primary sources are preferred (APA §8.6). Primary sources are ones you have read directly; secondary sources are sources with summarized, paraphrase, or quoted content from another source. Use secondary sources sparingly (e.g., when the original work is out of print, when it’s unavailable through usual sources, or not available in English). If citing a secondary source, list the secondary source (not the primary one) in the References section; in the text, name the original work and its publication year, if known, and cite the secondary source (Sands, 2002, as cited in King, 2011).

When to include the year of publication

· Include the year of publication with any parenthetical citation of a source. Include the year after the first narrative citation in a paragraph (i.e., when the author is part of the sentence, that is, not within parentheses): Ball (2013) claimed . . . .

· When using the same source in the same paragraph, repeat the year in a parenthetical citation: (Ball, 2013); do not repeat the year in subsequent narrative citations: Ball (2013) claimed . . . Ball found that…. (APA §8.16)

Reference list (APA Chapter 9)

Any in-text citation in the narrative must appear in the reference list; any source in the reference list must appear in the narrative as an in-text citation (APA §8.4).

Use a hanging indent for the reference list. Double-space the entire list (APA §9.43).

· Indentation style in which the first line begins at the left margin, but subsequent lines are indented by 0.5”. The reference list uses a hanging indent.

· Use the APA Reference style in the doctoral capstone templates to achieve the hanging indent.

· Use Control + T on a PC or Command +T on a MAC to format the hanging indent manually.

Authors’ names

· Use the first and middle (if any) initials—with a space between them—of all authors; do not write out the first name. With two or more authors, use “&” rather than "and" before the last author.

· Separate authors’ names with a comma even when there are only two authors: Schatzlein , E. R., & Shepard, M. P. (APA §9.8) Exception: When a work has two group authors, use just the ampersand (e.g. American Psychological Association & National Institutes of Health).

List up to 20 authors. If a work has 21 or more authors, list the first 19, [comma] three ellipsis points [. . .] [space], and the last author (APA §10.01, Example 4). Do not include an ampersand before the last author’s name.

Abe, A., Bal, B., Cal, C., Dal, D., El, E., Fal, F., . . . Zed, Z.

With studies by the same author(s), include the author name(s) in all listings, in chronological order (earliest to latest). (APA §9.46).

· List one-author entries before multiple-author works with the same first author, even if the multiple-author work was published earlier.

· In the case of multiple-author works having the same first author but different subsequent authors, arrange entries alphabetically based on the surname(s) of the subsequent author (i.e., place Sanchez, D. E., Bolton, W. I., & Miller, I. F. before Sanchez, D. E., Cramer, A. P., & Miller, I. F.).

Set the titles of works that stand alone (e.g., books, reports, webpages, and websites) in italics. Use sentence case; that is, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, any proper nouns, any word following a colon or em dash, the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., Self-Report), and words with four or more letters. Lowercase most words with three or fewer letters (e.g., short conjunctions, articles, and short prepositions). (APA §9.19 and 6.17):

Writing from A-to-Z: The easy-to-use handbook

Set the titles of works that are part of a greater whole (e.g., journal articles, edited book chapters) in plain type, no italics. Use sentence case; that is, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, any proper nouns, any word following a colon or em dash, the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., Self-Report), and words with four or more letters. Lowercase most words with three or fewer letters (e.g., short conjunctions, articles, and short prepositions). (APA §9.19 and 6.17):

In search of mediocrity: The downfall of American Motors

If a title ends in a question mark or exclamation point, that mark replaces the period that normally ends the element. (APA §9.19)

Italicize the titles of journals, use Title Case. Do not include The before a journal title (APA §9.25):

Strategic Management, Counseling Psychology

Journal titles should not be abbreviated unless the official title includes an abbreviation (e.g., PLOS One, JAMA Pediatrics).

When citing a journal, magazine, newspaper, or newsletter article or blog post, provide the periodical title, volume number, issue number, and page range or article number:

Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5(2), 101–118.

Do not use the abbreviations "Vol." and "No." Set the volume number in italics; set the issue number (if any*) in parentheses and immediately following the volume number (i.e., with no space in between), followed by a comma and the page numbers: American Political Science Review, 37(3), 117–132[.] End this part of the reference with a period. Use no punctuation after a URL or doi number. Page numbers of journal articles are not preceded by "p." or "pp." (APA §9.25).

* Provide the issue number for all periodicals that have issue numbers.

For an article with an article number, write the word "Article" followed by the article number in place of the page range. If the article ALSO has page numbers, they may be used for in-text citations but not in the reference (APA §9.27; see also APA §9.25 and 10.1).

Spell and capitalize the publisher name exactly as it appears on the cited work, even if it is presented differently in different works by the same publisher. Exception: Leave off designations of business structure (e.g., Inc., Ltd., LLC). Also, if publisher is an imprint or division of a larger publishing company, use t’he specific imprint/division. If two or more publishers are listed on copyright page, include them all, separated by semicolons. (APA §9.29).

URLs and DOIs should link directly to the source being cited, if possible, and be active (APA §9.35). Copy them directly from the source to prevent errors. Blue font, underlined (the default setting for hyperlinks in many word processing programs), or black, plain text (not underlined) may be used.

Provide a DOI number if there is one. Use CrossRef.org to retrieve DOI numbers. This rules applies regardless of how the source was accessed (e.g., online, paper, etc.; APA §9.34).

a. If a print work lacks a DOI, do not include a DOI or URL in the reference entry.

b. For online works, provide the DOI number if available. If not, provide the URL that links directly to the work being cited.

c. Here’s an example:

Swann, W. B., Jr., Sellers, J. G., & McClarty, K. L. (2006). Tempting today, troubling tomorrow: The roots of the precarious couple effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(1), 93-103. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205279584

d. A shortened DOI or URL is acceptable (but not required) for a long or complex DOI/URL. To do so, use the short DOI service at http://shortdoi.org, or, for URLs, use the website's branded short URL or one from a URL shortening service—just be sure it works (APA §9.36; see also APA §10.1).

e. Retrieval dates are generally not used. Provide a retrieval date when citing a work that is not archived and is intended or is likely to change over time (e.g., UpToDate articles or Google Maps output). For archived works that may be updated over time, a retrieval data is generally not necessary. Instead, provide the permalink (the link for the archived version that was accessed). See Chapter 10, Example 49.

f. Databases and library URLs should generally not be included in reference entries. If a work accessed from a database lacks a DOI number or URL that links directly to the source on the open web, the reference should be formatted as if the print version had been accessed. Provide the name of the database or online archive only when the source can be accessed exclusively from that database or archive (e.g., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews or UpToDate). Format reference entries the same way you would format a journal article entry; include the name of the database or archive in title case and italics in the source element like a periodical title. (APA §9.30) See Chapter 10, Example 14.

g. Provide the database name for works of limited circulation (e.g., dissertations and theses in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and research published in ERIC and JSTOR). Format reference entries the same way you would format a report entry; include the name of the database in title case, no italics, in the source element like a publisher name (APA §9.30 and Chapter 10, Examples 65, 73, 74).

For more information on electronic sources, check the examples in (a) Chapter 10 of the APA manual, (b) the APA website ( http://www.apastyle.org), or (c) the Doctoral Capstone Form and Style website ( Electronic Source References).

For tests, scales, and inventories, cite the supporting literature (e.g., its manual or the journal article in which it was published). If (and only if) such literature is not available, cite the test, scale, or inventory itself or a database record of it following APA §10.11, Examples 82-83.

Check the full reference list to ensure that the order is correct (see §APA 9.44).

As with any name in the author position, follow the name of an organization with a period (e.g., “U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). Title of document...”). Include the full name of a group author; an abbreviation may be used in the narrative after it is introduced, but it should not be included in reference entries. For authors that are government agencies, cite the specific agency where the report was authored rather than parent bodies. In the rare cases where including a parent body is necessary to prevent confusion, include the parent body before subdivisions (APA §9.11). Names of parent agencies appear later in the source element as the publisher.

Do not insert manual line breaks within DOIs and URLs in the reference list. (It is okay if Word automatically moves part of a DOI or URL to the next line.) Also, do not include periods at the end of DOIs or URLs (APA §9.05).

Lists (Seriation, APA § 6.49– 6.52)

a. Use lists to help readers understand a related set of key points within a sentence or paragraph. In a series, items should be syntactically and conceptually parallel. Within a sentence, use a serial comma before the final item in a list of three or more items. If any one item in the list contains internal commas, use a semicolon rather than a comma between items.

b. Lettered lists: Within a sentence or paragraph, lettering may be used to distinguish group categories or elements in a series: (a) use lowercase letters, not numbers, set within parentheses; (b) separate each item with a comma unless a comma is used within one of the items, then separate items in the series with a semicolon.

c. Numbered lists: When ordinal position is important, list items vertically and each list item with an Arabic numeral followed by a period (i.e., 1., 2., 3., etc.). Numbered list items should be complete sentences or paragraphs (e.g., itemized conclusions, steps in a procedure).

d. Bulleted lists: When listing items in a series where chronology or priority is not warranted, use a vertical list with bullets. Bulleted list items can be complete sentences or phrases. If complete sentences, begin each list item with a capital letter as you would a regular sentence and insert final punctuation (usually a period) at the end of each list item. If phrases, begin each list item with a lowercase letter. You have two options for punctuating bulleted phrases: to include no punctuation after each list item and after the last list item or to include commas or semicolons, as appropriate, after each list item and final punctuation at the end of the list.

e. Use MS Word’s automatic numbered (or bulleted) list format; set the number indent the same as for a paragraph (usually 0.5 in.); if sentences run over one line, they are also indented, as in this example:

· Begin the sentence here and keep typing; if the sentence goes over one line, as this one does, the text will look like this.

· The next item will begin here.

List items should be grammatically and conceptually parallel to one another.

Double-space list items.

Hyphenation and spelling (APA §6.11–6.12)

· Many prefixes do not require hyphens, including anti, non, inter, pre, re, semi, mini, pseudo, and under (See APA Tables 6.1-6.3, pp. 163–164).

· Do not hyphenate compound adjectives when they cannot be misread or when their meaning is established: health care reform, third grade students.

· Typically, hyphenate compound adjectives that end in "ed” only when modifying a noun and not hyphenated alone: her client-centered style but her style is client centered.

· When two or more compound modifiers have a common base, the base is sometimes omitted in all but the last modified, but the hyphens are retained: long- and short-term memory.

· Spelling for terms related to technology: email, internet, smartphone, webpage, Wi-Fi, home page (see p. 162 for other examples).

Capitalization (APA §6.13–6.21)

Do not capitalize job titles unless they immediately precede a person’s name:

The vice president of the United States but Vice President Joe Biden

Except for personal names, do not capitalize the names of theories, hypotheses, or statistical procedures, or diseases, disorders, therapies, or treatments (theory of learned behavior, multiple sclerosis, Maslow’s hierarchy, Asperger’s syndrome).

Capitalize nouns followed by letters or numbers that refer to a place in a series (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1, Grade 6, Appendix A, Participant A, Research Question 1, Chapter 1, Section 1 but page 1, paragraph 1, row 3 [common parts of books or tables use lower case]). See APA §6.19, 6.32.

Capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins a complete sentence (APA §6.05, §6.17).

a. Exceptions: Capitalize the first word after the colon in the Definition of Terms section of Chapter/Section 1.

b. Capitalize the first word after a colon, em dash, or final punctuation in a heading or title.

Abbreviations (APA §6.24)

· Abbreviate a term in the narrative chapters or sections only if the term is used more than three times in the narrative. Once the abbreviation has been identified, use the it exclusively thereafter, except for the Table of Contents and reference list.

· Typically, only the abbreviation or acronym uses capitals, not the phrase being abbreviated.

· Spelled out terms that are abbreviated follow usual rules of capitalization, even though the abbreviation is all capital letters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but cognitive-behavioral model (CBM).

.

Tables and figures (APA §7.1–7.36)

Formatting a table or figure

· Set the word Table or Figure and the number above the table or figure, flush left, in boldface (APA §7.10, §7.24). Number tables based on the order in which they are referenced in the text.

· Set the table’s title below the table number, flush left, double-spaced, in Title Case and italics. Format figures the same way.

For all cells, use sentence case (APA §7.14).

An informative table supplements—rather than duplicates—the text. In the text, refer to every table and tell the reader what to look for. Discuss only the table’s highlights; if you discuss every item of the table, the table becomes unnecessary.

According to APA, when a table involves only one or two statistical results or descriptive data, the data are easier to understand when presented as text (APA §7.3).

Explain copyright, probability, and the symbols or abbreviations used in a table in a “ Note.” section (note the italics and the period). In tables and figures, the note is given below the table (APA §7.14).

· General notes contain overall information, explanations of abbreviations, and copyright attributions and precede specific and probability notes.

· Specific table notes refer to a particular column, row, or cell and are indicated by superscript lowercase letters. Start specific table notes on a separate line.

· Probability notes appear last on a separate line.

Fit all tables and figures within the margins.

Use no vertical lines in tables (APA §7.17).

Bold type or italics may be used for emphasis of some table data (but not for headings or notes; see APA §7.17. Include an explanation in a general note under the table.

Make table titles and figure captions concise, clear, and expressive (APA §7.11 & §7.25).

Do not split a table unless it is too large to fit on one entire page.At the top of the new page, repeat only the column headings and not the table title(APA §7.18). See APA §7.21, Table 7.4 for an example.

Set no text on a page if a table or figure is 75% or more of the page.

a. If needed, use a different point size or font for the table or figure than used for the narrative text, but do not use smaller than 8-point or larger than 12-point type. If a different font is used (e.g., Segoe UI or Arial), then use it for all tables.

b. Double-space table/figure numbers, titles/captions, and notes. Table rows may have single spacing, one-and-a-half spacing, or double spacing.

c. When creating a figure, use a sans serif font (Arial, Calibri, Lucida Sans Unicode), 8 to 14 points, within a figure.

d. Because colors and greyscales photocopy poorly, use shading, cross-hatching, and broken lines in figures to ensure the data can be deciphered correctly (APA §7.17). Avoid the use of color except in rare instances where it enhances the presentation of ideas (APA §7.26).

e.

Provide copyright attribution and permission from the copyright holder(s) when reprinting (publishing as is) or adapting (modifying) tables and figures not in the public domain (APA §12.14, §12.15). The copyright attribution, or credit, follows the citation underneath the table or figure; the permission documentation is placed in the appendices. See APA §12.18, Tables 12.1 and Table 12.2, for guidance on how to format copyright attribution.

Landscape pages may be inserted to accommodate larger tables and figures (APA §7.18). See instructions for paginating landscape pages.

Appendices (APA § 2.14)

Delete any consent form(s) you may have included at the proposal or IRB review stages.

Paginate the appendices continuously in the upper-right corner of all pages.

Appendix labels should follow the ordering of appendices in the text (APA §2.14). Appendix A should be the first appendix referred to the text and the first appendix in the appendices. If there is only one appendix, it does not require a letter label.

Use the same margins as the narrative and preliminary pages. Any tables, figures, or scanned material must fit within the margins.

Permissions

· Include letters of permission in an appendix. Any published material not in the public domain requires permission from the copyright holder.

· Note that permission to use a published survey instrument or other test instrument is a separate permission and must be included in your manuscript. See the ProQuest information on copyright and permissions in graduate research.

Delete personal contact information or other sorts of identifying information from any materials in an appendix. This will protect your privacy and that of any other researchers, mentors, or participants.

Tables and figures in an appendix (APA §2.14)

· Add a prefix and a number to any tables or figures that appear in an appendix. Use the prefix of the appendix: e.g., Table A1, Table A2, Table A3; Figure B1, Figure B2, Figure B3. Add them to the TOC, in the List of Tables or List of Figures, following the last table or figure from the narrative chapters.

· Sometimes, a table or figure is the only item in an appendix. If so, title the page “Appendix” with the appropriate letter designator, then add a colon and the title or caption of the table or figure. Because the table or figure is fully identified, neither a table or figure label nor a listing in the List of Tables or List of Figures is needed; the appendix will appear in the Table of Contents.

Confidentiality

Be sure to delete any consent form(s). Consent forms are no longer published.

For information on writing tips for protecting participants, refer to the FAQ About IRB, Anonymity, and Confidentiality in Doctoral Capstone Studies.

Be sure to check your Dedication and Acknowledgments sections and appendices for any mention of names of people or places that could compromise the identity of participants or violate a signed confidentiality agreement, if there is one. When writing about a study site or community partner, follow any agreements you made with the study site or community partner.

Also, be sure to double check that the study site is not named anywhere in the document, including in the appendices, citations, or references.

a. Do not include citations or references that contain a pseudonym.

b. Instead of including a citation with a pseudonym, indicate the source of the information in the sentence itself.

c. Because citations or references cannot contain a pseudonym (e.g., “XYZ Company, 2016”), describe the source in the sentence: “According to a 2016 company report from the community partner…” and do not include a reference in the References.

Miscellaneous

Quotation marks

a. Use double quotation marks for quotations under 40 words (APA §8.26).

b. Use single quotation marks only for quotations within quotations (APA §8.33). Exception: Use double quotation marks when quoting within a block quotation.

Italicize a keyword or term the first time it is given in the text and when the keyword or term is defined or described as a term (APA §6.22).

Subject/verb agreement

a. The subject and verb must agree in number (i.e., singular or plural; APA §4.15, 6.11).

b. Data and media are plural nouns: The data are. . . . (APA §6.11).

c. Use singular "they" and related forms (them, their, etc.) when (a) referring to a person who uses "they" as their preferred pronoun and (b) when gender is unknown or irrelevant (APA §4.18). Use a plural verb when “they” is the subject of a sentence (e.g., “they are”).

Formatting statistical abbreviations

· Most statistical abbreviations and symbols are italicized: n, t, SD, p. See APA §6.44 and Table 6.5 for more information.

· N = total sample; n = subsample.

· When used as a noun, do not hyphenate “ t test,” just italicize the t. When used as an adjective, a hyphen is required, as in “ t-test results” (APA §4.33–4.45).

Do not use contractions (APA §4.8).

Apostrophes

a. Add an apostrophe + s to form the possessive of a name: Wilks’s lambda, Jones’s study (APA §6.11).

b. Do not use an apostrophe when forming the plural of a number: 1990s, 40s (APA §6.39).

In the study, use the term subjects or participants or else describe their characteristics (APA §5.6). Use “patient” (or “client,” if appropriate) to refer to a person receiving treatment from a health care provider.

When referring to the number of participants in a study, follow the rules for numbers in APA §6.32.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) number: The Walden IRB approval number must appear in the methodology section (APA §1.11). Give the number only once.

Use a comma to separate groups of three digits in most numbers 1,000+ (e.g., 2,398). This rule does not apply to page numbers, temperatures, degrees of freedom, binary digits, and serial numbers (APA §6.3, 6.38). Use numerals in numbers like 2 million (i.e., numbers of 10 or more, exact amounts of money; APA §6.32).

Formatting URLs

· Reference entries: URLs and DOIs should link directly to the source being cited, if possible, and be active (APA §9.35). Copy them directly from the source to prevent errors. Blue font, underlined (the default setting for hyperlinks in many word processing programs), or black, plain text (not underlined) may be used.

· General mentions of websites, common software (e.g., Qualtrics, NVivo), and mobile apps: Mention the name of the website or program in the sentence, and follow with the URL in parentheses (APA §8.22).

Spell out Latin abbreviations such as e.g., etc., i.e., cf. unless in parentheses. Follow these abbreviations in parentheses with a comma (APA §6.29).

Use a comma between items in a series of three or more nouns or noun phrases, including before and and or (APA §6.3).

Avoid bias and use gender-neutral language (APA §5.1–5.10).

In general, spell out numbers under 10 and use Arabic numerals for numbers 10 and above, with these exceptions: a series of numbers; numbers preceding elements of time or measurement; numbers representing statistical or mathematical functions, percentages and percentiles, ratios, and fractional or decimal values; a number beginning a sentence or heading (APA §6.32, 6.33).

Use the % symbol when preceded by a number unless at the start of a sentence (APA §6.44).

When referring to a specific chapter, section, table, or figure (a “callout”), use its number (e.g., Chapter 3, Table 5) rather than above or below (APA §7.5).