STYLE TUTORIAL
APA
MENTAL CONDITION OF THE STUDENT
WHAT DISCIPLINES USE THIS STYLE?

Primarily:
Education
 Nursing


Secondary:
Business
 Social Sciences
 Such as:






Psychology
Linguistics
Sociology
Economics
Criminology
GENERAL CONCERNS
Formatting Issues
 Internal Citations
 References
 Credible Sources (see professor)

STEP ONE: ASCERTAIN TYPE OF APA

Ask the student if they are using true APA or an
abridged version.
If true APA, carry on to step two.
 If an abridged version, the student needs to provide
the tutor with the specifics.


This may require the student to approach his/her professor
for clarification and further instructions before a tutor can
fully assess the APA.
STEP TWO: STUDENT QUESTIONS

The first thing to do in any tutorial is to discover
what the student needs and answer his/her
questions.

Typical questions:
Is my APA correct?
 How do I ____________?
 Create a running head
 Change page numbers between sections
 Etc.
 Are my citations correct?
 Is my reference page set up correctly?

CONTENT
We cannot help with subject content, but we can
help with the structure of the student’s
argument.
 Make sure that the student understands that if
they prioritize formatting or style concerns, there
will not be much time left in the tutorial to
address content concerns or argument/structure
issues.

STEP THREE: ANSWERING CONCERNS

Basic formatting:
 Margins: 1 inch
 Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
 Paragraphs: Double space
 Header: Running head
 Sections:
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Main Body
 References
EXAMPLES
INTERNAL CITATIONS

Paraphrasing:



…(Robbins, 2008).
Indent: 0.5”
 No quotation marks
 . (Roueche & Roueche,
1993, p.121)
 Block quotes in APA
are like MLA but
with a year attached.
Quote less than 40
words:

“…” (Smith, 2005, p.6).
 (Smith, 2005, pp. 8-9).


Incorporating a source
into a paragraph:
According to Stemmer
(2008)…
 Stemmer (2008)
indicates…

Quote more than 40
words (block quote):

Secondary Source:
Ex: Stemmer’s work (as
cited in Pratt, 2008).
 Pratt on Reference page

REFERENCE PAGE

Title: References (centered)

Book:


Magazine:


Clemetson, L. (2001, January 8). Oprah on Oprah.
Newsweek, 137, 38-44.
Newspaper:


Branham, C. (1998). Profiles of great African Americans.
Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International.
Dedman, B. (1999, October 10). Professor Oprah, preaching
what she practices. New York Times, p. C1.
Website:

Sandsworth, L. R. (n.d.). Oprah’s dynasty. Retrieved from
http://www.femalebusinessnews.com/oprah/apap/ttl
FOR FURTHER EXAMPLES…
APA: The Easy Way
A Writer’s Resource