APA Format

Downloadable version (Microsoft Word document)

This handout covers basic principles of APA format, based on Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 5th edition. For more help, refer to Publication Manual (reference sections are included in parentheses throughout this handout).

Note: The format of this handout does not represent APA format guidelines. Also, figures are not to scale: larger type (proportionally), smaller margins (proportionally), and different fonts are used for clarity in presentation.

Note: The figures contained in the handout are not available in the HTML version. Please refer to the downloadable version for the figures.

 

General Format

Use at least one-inch margins at the left, right, top, and bottom of each page (5.04). Use a 12-pt. serif font, preferably Times Roman or Courier (5.02). Double-space everything, including block quotations, references, titles, and headings (5.03). Insert a page header—the first 2-3 words of the title, followed by 5 spaces and the page number—within the top margin of each page, right-justified (5.06). Include a title page (page 1) and abstract (page 2). At the top of page 3, center the title and begin the main text on the next double-spaced line, indented (5.17). Begin the reference list on a new page (5.18).

Note: To insert a page header in Microsoft Word, select “View,” then “Header and Footer.” This brings up the header box and the Header and Footer toolbar. On the top line of the header box (on any page), right-justify and type the header followed by 5 spaces. Then, in the toolbar, click the first box to the left with a number sign (#). Then click “Close” on the toolbar.

 

Title Page

The title, byline, and affiliation information should be centered, double-spaced, and placed within the top half of the title page, as shown in Figure 1 (1.06, 5.15). The title may occupy one or two lines, depending on its length. Insert a running head—an abbreviated title of 50 characters or less—as shown in Figure 1: flush-left at the top of the page, in uppercase letters, after the label Running head: (5.15).

Note: Do not confuse the running head with the page header. The page header is the first 2-3 words of the title; the running head is an abbreviated title (1.06, 5.06).

 

Abstract

The abstract (1.07) is a brief (less than 120 words) yet comprehensive summary of the manuscript. Though dense with information, it should be readable and well-organized. Include only four or five important concepts, putting the most important information first. Do not evaluate the manuscript; rather, describe what it is about. When formatting (5.16), center the label Abstract on the top line. Type the abstract as a single block paragraph, double-spaced, as shown in Figure 2 (see also p. 306). Refer to Publication Manual (1.07) for guidelines on writing a clear, concise, and maximally informative abstract.

 

Headings

The proper heading format depends on the number of levels of headings needed (5.10). Most undergraduate papers require no more than three levels. Do not format headings (including the title) in bold type. Adhere to the following format, depending on the number of levels needed (3.31-32):

One level: If only one level is needed, center all headings in regular font-type (not italicized). Capitalize the first letter of all major words. “Major words” refers to the first word of the heading, the first word after a colon, and all other words except conjunctions, articles, and prepositions of three letters or less (3.13).

Two levels: Use the one-level heading as the first level. For the second level, do the same thing as the first level, except italicize the heading and place it flush left (not centered).

Three levels: Follow the two-level heading format for the first two levels. For the third level, italicize and indent the heading, insert a period, and begin text immediately (as if beginning a new sentence). Within the heading, capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon (if any), and proper nouns (if any). Figure 3 employs a three-level heading format.

Four or five levels: For four or five levels, heading format is more complex. Refer to Publication Manual (3.31-32) for details.

 

In-Text Citation

Each use of information from another source (whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized) must be accompanied with an in-text citation (3.39). Whenever possible, cite the source’s author(s), date, and page number(s). Generally, this is accomplished by inserting parenthetical citations in the following format: (Surname, year, p. #). For example, a citation for information on page 14 of a 1994 article written by Roger Allen would be: (Allen, 1994, p. 14). When referring to a source a subsequent time within a single paragraph, the year is not needed (3.94).

For sources with two or more authors, list surnames in the order they are listed in the source. Adhere to the following format, depending on the number of authors (3.95):

Two authors: Place both surnames in parentheses, separated by an ampersand (&):

(Drens & Gehler, 1994, pp. 5-7)

Three to five authors, first citation: For the first citation, place all surnames in parentheses, separating each with a comma. Separate the last two names with an ampersand (&):

(Jones, Smith, & Gerbert, 1974, p. 65)

Three to Five authors, subsequent citations: For every subsequent citation, list only the first surname, followed by et al.:

(Jones et al., 1974, p. 65)

Six or more authors: Use et al. format (see above) every time, including the first.

No author listed: List the first 2-3 words of the source’s title. If the source is an article or chapter, use double quotations; if it is a book or periodical, italicize (3.97):

(“Cancer Therapy,” 1996, p. A6) (Depression, 1984, pp. 24-68)

When citing an indirect source (i.e., you found the information in a secondary work, not the original source), name the original work, but cite the secondary source (4:16:22):

According to Kartchner’s study (as cited in Sainsbury, 2002)…

List only the secondary source (e.g., Sainsbury, 2002), not the original work, in the Reference list (see below).

Note: Details of in-text citation can be far more complicated. Refer to Publication Manual (3.34-3.41, 3.94-3.103) for more help.

Page Numbers

Page numbers are required for citations of quoted material (3.39, 3.101), and they are encouraged for summarized or paraphrased ideas from a specific place in a source (3.34). If paraphrasing a concept or referring to a study that encompasses much or all of a given source, page numbers are not needed (3.39). In some cases, it may be more appropriate to cite a chapter number, as in chap. 4 (3.101).

In many Internet sources, page numbers are not available, but paragraph numbers are listed. If this is the case, list paragraph numbers using either ¶ or para., as in ¶ 4 or para. 4 (3.101). If paragraph numbers are not available, list the section heading and paragraph number(s) within that heading that refers to the information cited, as in Discussion section, ¶ 3 (3.101).

Citation Placement

Citation placement varies according to the following rules (3.39):

End of sentence: When the source of material is not directly referred to within the text (see “Midsentence” below), insert the citation at the end of the sentence, before the period:

Many corporations extol the use of personality assessment (Pittenger, 1993, p. 467).

For direct quotes, insert the citation after end quotation marks:

The MBTI “should be routinely administered to young adults thinking about getting married” (Auerbach, 1992, p. 11).

For block quotations, citations are placed after the final punctuation mark.

Note: Block quotations are quotes of 40 or more words that are started on a new line, the entire quotation being indented one-half inch from the left, double-spaced, and without quotation marks (3.34, 3.36).

Midsentence: When the source of material is directly referred to within the text, insert the citation immediately, before punctuation. Insert the page number, however, at the end of the sentence:

According to a recent study (Kim, 2002), women report a higher level of happiness than men (p. 4).

Similarly, citations should be placed immediately after an author’s name in the text:

Kim (2002) claimed that women report a higher level of happiness than men (p. 4).

As shown above, names are not needed in parentheti¬cal citations if they are already mentioned in the text.

 

Reference List

Every cited source must be documented in the reference list (4.03). Label References at the top of the page, centered. List references in alphabetical order (4.04), double spaced, in hanging indent format, as shown in Figure 5 (5.18).

Note: Personal communications (3.102) and major classical works (3.100) should not be documented in the reference list.

 

Reference List Entries

For reference list entries, list the author’s name(s) first, according to the format shown in examples below (4.08). Next, list the publication date in parentheses, as shown below. Other needed information varies, depending on the source. Examples for common types of sources are shown below, along with basic guidelines. For more help, refer to Publication Manual (ch. 4).

Note: With the exception of magazine and newspaper sources (see examples below), list the year only (4.09). If no date is given, list n.d. (4.09); the same rule applies for in-text citations (3.100). If no author is listed, then the date follows the title (4.08), as in the “Newspaper article” example.

Book (4:16:23-33)

Italicize book titles (4.12), capitalizing like article titles. List publication place/publisher as shown. For well-known places (e.g., Chicago), omit the state/country (4.03, 4.14).

Example: Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Journal article (4.16:1-5)

Do not italicize or underline article titles, nor place them in quotes; capitalize only their first word and proper nouns (4.10). Italicize journal names and volume numbers, capitalizing all major words (4.11). List page numbers for the entire article, as shown.

Example: Carlson, J. G. (1985). Recent assessments of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 356-365.

Note: If the journal is paginated by issue (rather than volume), insert the issue number in parentheses immediately after the volume number, in regular type. For example, 38(9) means volume 38, issue 9, paginated by issue.

Magazine article (4.16:6)

Like a journal article entry, but with varying date formatting (4.09). For daily/weekly magazines, list the month and day, as shown. For monthlies, list the month, as in (1994, April). Either way, list only the year in in-text citations (3.94).

Example: Adams, M. T. (1998, January 17). Seeing the elderly mind deteriorate. Omni, 68, 62-74.

Newspaper article (4.16:9-11)

Like a magazine article entry, except no volume number is needed, and p. or pp. precedes the page number(s) (4.11). List discontinuous pages as shown: pp. A1, A8.

Example: Cancer therapy brings new hope. (1996, August 17). The Salt Lake Tribune, p. A6.

Note: This example illustrates how to cite a source when no author is listed. If an author is listed, follow the standard format.

Article or chapter in an edited book (4.16:34-40)

Notice that the names for the edited book are not inverted. Notice also how editors, edition numbers, and page numbers for the edited book are distinguished (4.13, 4:16:36).

Example: May, R., & Yalom, I. (1989). Existential psychotherapy. In R. J. Corsini & D. Wedding (Eds.), Current psychotherapies (4th ed., pp. 81-95). Urbana, IL: NCTE.

Internet article (4.16:71-87)

Include the date of retrieval and URL (without an end period), as shown (4.15).

Example: Allen, R. T. (1997). Going to school without debt. Retrieved May 15, 1998, from http://www.chicacolj.loan.html

Note: Documentation for Internet articles is generally more complicated than shown in this example, depending on the type of source. Refer to Publication Manual (4.16:71-87) for details.

Dennis Wendt, Jr., June 2004; updated August 2006