311 Research Paper

APA Style Basics

Background

The editorial rules for formatting manuscripts and citing resources commonly known as “APA style” are found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
The first rules were developed in the 1920s by the American Psychological Association [APA] and were only seven pages long.
Today, the fifth edition of the APA publication manual, published in 2001, is 439 pages long, with editorial and citation style guidelines, plus sections on avoiding biased language, the ethics of scientific publication, oral presentations and more.
APA style is the accepted standard for most academic social sciences departments and publications and for many education journals and academic departments of education.

Citing References in APA Style

Guidelines for citing references within text on pages and for creating the References list at the end of a paper or article are the most frequently used sections of the APA publication manual (APA, pp. 207-281).
When instructors say to “use APA style” often they mean simply to follow these citation guidelines. If you’re not sure what your instructor means, ask!

Defining Characteristics of APA Citation Style

References List

APA style requires a detailed alphabetical list of citations, called “References,” placed at the end of the work, double spaced, with hanging indent1 for each entry.
The References list does not provide authors’ first names—only initials.
Titles of books, periodicals, microfilm publications, and periodical volumes are italicized.
Only the first word of a title is capitalized: all others are in lower case.
The References list contains only works “used in the research and preparation of the article” or paper as opposed to a bibliography, which lists “works for background or for further reading,” sometimes with brief descriptions, or annotations (APA, p. 215).

In-Text References

APA style uses in-text references rather than footnotes to cite works within the paper or article.
In-text references provide minimum detail required for the reader to locate a citation on the References list.
APA style encourages writers to incorporate as much identifying information in the actual prose of the work as possible.
For instance: Jones (2006) claims that many students find formulating citations according to APA style to be “one of the most tedious chores of their academic careers.”
Footnotes “supplement or amplify substantive information in the text [and] should be included only if they strengthen the discussion.” (APA, p. 202).

Practical Tips for Applying APA Citation Style

Citation Elements

Keep track of citation elements as you research.
Photocopy book title pages, front and back.
Make sure that copies, computer printouts, or micro-prints of articles include all required citation elements.
Jot down elements while the resource is at hand.
If taking notes by hand, record page or chapter numbers of quotes and ideas to be paraphrased.
On the computer, be especially careful when using cut and paste.

Citation Element Checklist: Record All That Apply

Author(s)
Date of publication: Day, Week, Month, Year
Title of periodical article
Name of periodical
Volume of periodical
Issue of periodical
Beginning and ending pages of article
Database from which full-text article was retrieved
Date on which it was accessed
Title of book
Title of chapter in anthology or edited book
Beginning and ending pages of chapter in anthology or edited book
Editor(s) of anthology or of book of individually authored chapters
Place of publication of book or other non-periodical item
Page number(s) from which you have taken direct quotes
Publisher
Title of Web page
Name of individual or organization posting Web page
URL (Web address) for page
Date on which you accessed Web page
Title of the Web page section from which you have taken direct quotes

 Avoid frustration. Don’t look up rules repeatedly: follow examples. Print examples from the “Citing Resources” Web page or mark your APA manual.

References

Simpson Library of the University of Mary Washington (2006). Guide to citing sources. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from http://www.umw.edu/library/research/guides_to_library_resource/citing_sources.php2

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington DC: Author.3

1 In Microsoft Word, to format hanging indents choose Format  Paragraph  Indentation  Special  Hanging

2 To navigate to this page: UMW Libraries website at http://www.library.umw.edu  How Do I  Cite Sources.

3 Simpson Library call number BF76.7 .P83 2001. Copies are on reserve at the Check In/Check Out desk and are available at the Information desk or at this call number in the Reference Collection.

Prepared by Charlotte Johnson Jones/Reference & Social Sciences Librarian

University of Mary Washington/updated September 15, 2006