APA Style

A presentation by the Writing Center

What is APA style?

The style of the American Psychological Association

APA style is used by: psychology classes social sciences classes

Why use APA style?

Avoid plagiarism must cite quotations and borrowed ideas information borrowed word for word must

be in quotation marks summaries and paraphrases must be in

your own words

In-text citations Establish source’s credibility by using his or

her name

No “dropped quotes” – quotes that are just dropped into a paragraph without identifying where information is coming from

Each needs to correspond to an entry on the Works Cited page

In-text examples (Smith, 1999, p. 33).

punctuation follows closing parenthesis

If no author: (“Many People,” 1999, p. 33).

If no page number: (Smith, 1999).

If no date: (Smith, n.d., p. 33).

If more than one author for one item: (Smith & Johnson, 1999, p. 33).

Works Cited entries

Books Last Name, First Name. (Year). Book Title. Place

of Publication: Publisher.

Example: Smith, John. (1999). Many People, Many Faiths. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Books with edition numbers: Smith, John. (1999). Many People, Many Faiths (2nd ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Books with editors: Smith, John (Ed.). (1999). Many People, Many Faiths. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Newspaper or magazine articles

Always consider credibility of source – for example, an article from The New York Times is usually more reliable than an article from Cosmo

Last Name, First Name. (Year, Month Date). Article Title. Newspaper or Magazine Title, pp. Section and Page Number.

Example: Smith, John. (2001, February 13). Many People, Many Faiths. The New York Times, pp. A1.

Scholarly journals Last Name, First Name. (Year).

Article Title. Journal Title, Volume Number(Issue Number), Page Numbers.

Example: Smith, John. (1999) Many People, Many Faiths. Language 11(3), 156-227.

Web sites Again, always consider reliability of source. For

example, a newspaper, journal, or university site is more trustworthy than “Joe’s Homepage.” Always check the author of your material.

Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. (Date of Publication). Section or Page on Web Site. In Overall Web Site. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from http://Web Address

Example: Smith, John. (May 19, 2004). Hinduism. Many People, Many Faiths. Retrieved March 25, 2005 from http://www.manypeople.com

References

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).

Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers (5th ed.). OR A Pocket Style Manual (4th ed.).

Web sites: NMU Library’s site: www.nmu.edu/olsonlibrary Writing Center’s site: www.nmu.edu/writingcenter

Formatting the paper

Page numbers

Upper right hand corner of page

Start on cover page; first page of text will be page 2

Should include a shortened version of your title

Insert > Page Numbers > Upper Right > Double click on page numbers in document to add shortened title

Example: Dolphins and Language 1

Headings Cover page:

(begin halfway down the page)

Dolphins and Language:

What Do They Understand?

(return halfway down the rest of the page)

Jane Doe

(return to bottom of the page)

EN 111, Section A

Professor Johnson

March 2, 2001

Works Cited page Page numbers should continue from main body of

paper

Double space, with no extra returns between entries

Hanging indent: Second line of entry (and any following lines) should be indented

Alphabetize entries

“References” should be centered on first line of page No italics, bold, underlining or font type or size change

Other formatting issues

White paper

1-inch margins

Double space

Basic font, like Times New Roman

12-point text

Key is readability

The Writing Center

Contact us: www.nmu.edu/writingcenter writing@nmu.edu x2683 LRC 111G

Hours: M-R 10-4 & 6-9, Sun. 1-5

Closed finals week

Remember that finals week = long waiting lines