APA Fifth Edition Guidelines

General Requirements

  • Double space the entire paper
  • Have the running head and page number on each page in the top right corner
  • Margins should be standard one inch all around
  • Font should be 12 point

Title Page

  • Running head and page number in right corner
  • Flush left, type the words: Running head: BRIEF TITLE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
  • The full title of your paper centered (note: running head is 1 or 2 word summary of this)
  • Your name centered
  • The course title centered
  • The semester and the year centered
  • You can see an example on page 306 and it is described on pages 10-12 in the APA manual
  • The words "running head" are the first line of that page (thus, do not move down the page)

First Page of Text

  • The title of your paper should be centered on the first line, with no extra spaces between the title and the first paragraph of text (use the normal double space)
  • Be sure the running head is in the top right corner of your paper

General Comments About Text

Abbreviations:

  • if you use a word throughout the text of your paper and it is lengthy you can use an abbreviation throughout the text (see APA manual page 103-104)
  • you need to write the word out the first time, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses
  • for example: conditioned stimulus (CS) - from now on can use CS

Numbers:

See APA manual pages 122-129 for specific guidelines, but a general rule is to spell out any number less than 10, and use figures for those 10 and above.

Series:

See APA manual page 115-117 for specifics, but as a general rule you use letters to denote a series in the text of a paragraph or sentence, separated by a comma. Note: If you use commas within the series, then separate each item with a semicolon

  • there are (a) dogs, (b) cats, and (c) rodents in the clinic
  • there are (a) dogs, brown and black; (b) cats, black and white; and (c) rodents, with short and long tails in the clinic

Running Head:

If you use Microsoft Word, you make a running head by:

  • go to view on your toolbar and open header and footer
  • tab over to the right margin and type your running head abbreviated title
  • leave five spaces after your words and then click on the # sign (do not type in 1) - this will put the page numbers on there for you; then close

Quotations Within the Body of the Paper

  • If it's the authors thoughts put into your own words, you only need to cite the last name of the author(s) and the year of the publication in parentheses at the end of the sentence. If an entire paragraph's ideas come from one source place the documentation at the end of the last sentence in that paragraph. You do not put the page number of the reference if there is no direct quote.
  • Remember that if you have more than one author you need to write out all the authors the first time you cite the reference, and if there are one or two authors, you will need to write out each of their names every time you cite them in the text.
  • If there are three to five authors you write out the names of each author the first time you cite them; for subsequent cites use the last name of the first author and then et al.
  • If there are more than six authors, you can use et al. every time you cite them
  • Examples (see APA manual page 208):
    • Smith and Jones (1998) - will write out all for each cite
    • Smith, Jones, Trout and Lewis (1999) - next cite will use Smith et al. (1999)
    • Smith et al. (1997) will be used for all cites if six or more authors
  • Always put the date with the authors name(s), immediately following the name
  • Note that you use "&" in parentheses, but write out the word "and" in the text

    Smith and Jones (1995) refer to this as the culture of fatherhood
    or
    The culture of fatherhood is the name of this phenomenon (Smith & Jones, 1995).

  • If there is more than one article cited per parentheses, alphabetize them by last name of the first author
  • If there is the same author with more than one date, put the earliest citation first, and separate the dates with a comma
  • Examples:
    • This is called the culture of fatherhood (LaRossa, 1988; Smith, 1999).
    • This is called the culture of fatherhood (LaRossa, 1988, 1999).
  • A direct quote from an author (APA manual pages 117-122) should be cited as:

    Smith (1995) refers to the culture of fatherhood as "the shared beliefs and perceptions of a society about the acceptable behaviors of fathers" (p.216).
    or
    The culture of fatherhood is "the shared beliefs and perceptions of a society about the acceptable behaviors of fathers" (Smith, 1995, p. 216).

  • Note that the punctuation comes outside of the parenthesis
  • Note that the quotation sign comes prior to the parenthesis
  • If your quotation is longer than 40 words it needs to be block quoted (APA page 119). In this case, use no quotation marks and indent the entire quote five spaces, still double-spaced. Put the punctuation at the end of the quote and then the citation as instructed above. Be sure to remember the page number.
  • Always include the page number with a direct quote. If you're using an electronic source, use the paragraph symbol or the abbreviation para. and then include the paragraph number.

    Each of these authors relies on the premise that men progress throughout the life span.

    At the center of my vision of manhood there is no lone man standing tall against the sunset, but a blended figure composed of a grandfather, a father, and a son. (Keen, 1991, p. 185)
    • Note: when using block quotes, if you were going to start a new paragraph, you would still indent that line. If not, you would go back to the regular margins and finish your paragraph.

  • If there are two or more authors, include only the last names of each, joined by an &

    (Smith & Jones, 1995) or (Smith, Jones, & Johnson, 1995)

    • If more than two names, you put a comma after each name prior to using the & sign
    • Always put a comma prior to the date

Secondary Sources

  • Always cite the source you obtained your information from; thus, if you didn't read the article mentioned in something you're reading, you cite what you are reading (see APA page 247)
  • Example: if you read Smith (1999) and s/he cites Jones, then in your paper you would write: Jones (1998, as cited in Smith, 1999)
References

Books with one or more authors (APA Manual page 248-251)

Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (Eds.). (1993). An essay on probabilities: Everything you need to know.

New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • If edited or an edition, note that after authors names, but before the date.
  • Note that there's a period after the date.
  • Italicize the title of the book (capitalize only first word of title, and the first word after colon).
  • City of publication, STATE ABBREVIATION: Name of Publication House.
  • First line of the citation is flush left, and indent subsequent lines five spaces.

Chapter from a book (APA manual page 252-54):

Davey, A. (2000). Aging and adaptation: How families cope. In P.C. McKenry, & S.J. Price (Eds), Families &

change: Coping with stressful events and transitions (2nd ed., pp. 94-119). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications.
  • If you only use one chapter of a book, you cite the author of the chapter you read in your citation, and cite the book as noted above.
  • Put the page numbers of the chapter you read after the title of the book.

Journal articles (APA manual pages 240-241):

Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (1993). An essay on probabilities. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and

Research, 45 (2), 10-36.
  • The title of the article comes after the date
  • Do not capitalize all words in the title of the article; only the first word, and the first word after a colon
  • There is a period after the title of the article, before the name of the journal
  • italicize and capitalize all words in the title of the journal
  • If there is a journal volume number, it is italicized.
  • If there is a journal issue number, it goes in parentheses after the volume number, no italics
  • Put the page numbers last, without putting a "p." prior to them

Daily newspaper article, no author (APA manual pages 242-243):

New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure. (1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.

  • Alphabetize works with no author by the first significant words in the title
  • Precede page numbers for newspaper articles with p.
  • If discontinuous pages, use pp. (for example: pp. B1, B3, B5-6).
  • If there is an author, cite s you would a journal article with author, then date, then title
  • When you cite this in the text of you paper, you use the first few words of the title as your reference; for example: ("New drug," 1993), if there is no author

Magazine Article (APA manual pages 241-242):

Posner, M. I. (1993, October 29). Seeing the mind. Science, 262, 673-674.

Electronic Media (APA manual pages 268-281)

On-line Journal Article

Author, I. (date). Title of article. Name of Periodical. Retrieved September 27, 2001 from http://specifypath

Organization Web Page

National Council on Family Relations (n.d.). Governance. Retrieved August 12, 2002 from

http://www.ncfr.org/about_us/g_governance.htm
  • Remember the point is for the reader to be able to find the information you used if they want to. This requires that you list the entire web site address in your reference list for the specific page you used
  • If page numbers are available, include them as well before the retrieved date
  • Cite a personal email you receive as a personal communication (APA manual page 214)
  • If an author, list that first, but if not list the name of the organization sponsoring the web page
  • If there is no date listed (such as a community web page) then use (n.d.)
  • Italicize the journal title or the web page name (not the organization name)

Personal Communications

S.R. Smith (personal communication, August 20, 2002) believes that...
or
(S.R. Smith, personal communication, August 20, 2002).

  • These would include letters, memos, emails, personal interviews, class lectures/notes, telephone conversations, etc.
  • Since these are not sources others can review, they do not belong on the reference page and are cited only in the text of your paper as noted above.
  • You must state as exact a date as possible for when the correspondence took place

General Comments:

  • On the reference page itself, center the word "References" at the top, as shown above
  • The reference page should be double-spaced, just like the rest of the paper
  • Your reference list should be alphabetized by author, last name of the first author
  • Always use an & on your reference page when more than two authors, before the last author, with a comma before it
  • There are no extra spaces between references
  • If you cite or refer to something in the text of your paper, it must be on the reference list; if something is listed on your reference list, it needs to be cited in your paper
  • Do not use first names or titles (PhD, M.D.) on your reference page or in the text
  • You do not need to give the name of the article, journal, or any other information in the text of your paper other than the author's last name(s) and the date (and, of course, the page number if a direct quote)

For additional information:

  • Refer to your APA manual
  • Refer to the APA web site apastyle.org
  • You can ask questions in the writing center about APA guidelines, but be sure to find someone who uses this referencing format

 

APA Guidelines Page #

Runninghead: APA GUIDELINES FOR CLASSES

 

 

 

 

APA 5th Edition Guidelines for Students to Use as They

Prepare Papers for Human Development Classes

Suzanne R. Smith, Ph.D.

HD 301 Families in Crisis

Fall, 2007