Using APA Style for Academic
Writing & Avoiding Plagiarism
Prepared By: Carla Levesque, Faculty Librarian
Miami Dade College
Medical Center Campus
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Introduction to APA Style
APA Style Manual
Format of an APA Paper
Major Sections of Paper
Title Page
In-Text Citation

Paraphrasing

Direct Quotations
 Print Sources
Electronic Sources
 Long Quotations
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Personal Communications
 References Page
 Avoiding Plagiarism
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What is Plagiarism
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Penalties for Plagiarism
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Turnitin.com
 Additional Help
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Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Introduction to
APA Style
 American Psychological Association (APA) Style
is an editorial method commonly used in the
social & behavioral science disciplines.
 The style consists of rules & guidelines for
writing a paper.
 References are cited in text with an author-date
citation system & are listed alphabetically on the
References page.
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
APA Style Manual
 APA’s style rules &
guidelines are set out in a
book called The Publication
Manual of the American
Psychological Association.
This manual is available in
the reference collection at
each of the Miami Dade
College Libraries or a copy
may be purchased from
one of the campus
bookstores.
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Format of an
APA Paper
 Double-space.
 Use 1” margins.
 Number pages in
upper right-hand
corner, beginning
with the title page.
 Before the page
number, use an
abbreviated form of
the title as a header.
 12-pt Times Roman
or Courier are
preferred typefaces.
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Major Sections of Paper
 Title Page
 Text of Paper
 References Page
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Title Page
 Include a “running
View Sample Title Page:
head,” an abbreviated
title, in ALL CAPS
flush left at the top of
the page.
 Center the paper’s
full title (lower &
upper case).
 Center the author’s
name & affiliation
below the title.
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In Text Citation
Provide parenthetical citations when:
 Paraphrasing or using ideas from a source
 Quoting directly from a source
 Referring to personal communications
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Paraphrasing
Provide the author(s)* & copyright date in
parentheses.
Example:
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As the sixty-five-and-older age group
continues to grow, there is a greater demand
for health care workers (Snook & D'Orazio,
1998).
*If a source has no known author, then
use an abbreviated version of the title.
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Direct Quotations:
Print Sources
Provide the author(s), copyright date & page
number in parentheses.
Examples:
 "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts
that jobs in health care should grow 47
percent overall by the year 2010" (Snook &
D'Orazio, 1998, p. 1).
OR
 According to Snook & D'Orazio (1998), "The
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that
jobs in health care should grow 47 percent
overall by the year 2010" (p. 1).
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Direct Quotations:
Electronic Sources
Many electronic sources do not include page
numbers. If paragraph numbers are given, use
them in place of page numbers, preceded by the
¶ symbol or the abbreviation para.
Example:
 According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
“the health care industry is predicted to grow
at a rate of 28 percent between 2002 and
2012, adding 3.5 million new jobs” (2004, ¶
5).
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Long Quotations
Quotations of 40 or more words are formatted
differently:
 Start on a new line
 Block Indent the full quote 5 spaces
from the left margin
 Omit quotation marks
 Double-space
See Example of Long Quotation
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Long Quotations
Example:
According to Solovy & Towne (2003):
Over five million new health care workers
will be needed by 2010. Roughly 60
percent of those positions, or 3.1 million
workers, will represent new jobs; the other
2.2 million workers are replacements for
retirees and others leaving health care. (¶
1)
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Personal Communications
Personal communications include:
 Letters
 Memos
 E-mails
 Personal Interviews
 Telephone Conversations
See Example of Personal Communication
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Personal Communications
 Cite only within the text.
 They are not included in
the reference list.
Example:
(J. D. Smith, personal communication, Feb. 3, 2005).
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References Page
 Start on a separate
 View Examples of
page.
References in APA
 Center the word
Style.
“References” in upper &
lowercase letters at the
top of the page.
 View Sample
References Page.
 Arrange references
alphabetically by
author’s last name.
 Use hanging indentation:
first line is set flush left
& subsequent lines are
indented.
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Avoiding Plagiarism
Proper citation of your
sources in APA style
can help you avoid
plagiarism.
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What Is Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else's words
or ideas without giving proper credit.
Examples of plagiarism include:
 Buying a paper.
 Turning in a paper that a friend or classmate
wrote.
 Copying/Paraphrasing from a source without
citing.
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Penalties for Plagiarism
Miami Dade College's Procedure for Dealing with
Academic Dishonesty (www.mdc.edu/procedures/Chapter4/
4074.pdf) outlines possible sanctions against a
student suspected of plagiarism.
Possible sanctions include:
 a grade of zero on the assignment in question
 a grade of F for the course
 removal from the course
 disciplinary probation
 suspension or dismissal from the college
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Turnitin.Com
Faculty at Miami Dade College
now have access to Turnitin.com,
a software program that analyzes
papers to determine whether or not
they are plagiarized.
Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
For Additional Help
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APA Style.org
Landmark Citation Machine
Microsoft Word Template
Ask-A-Librarian
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