APA the Easy Way: Formatting
August 9, 2012
Presented by Robley M. Hood
To view the recording of this workshop, please click the link:
http://khe2.adobeconnect.com/p5ae9bfo1ke/
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Here’s what we’ll be discussing.
Manuscript guidelines
Title page and running head
Headings and subheadings
In-text citations
References page
KU Writing Center resources and services
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The acronym APA stands for the American Psychological Association. As of today,
August 9, 2012, the most current edition of the APA manual is the 6th edition
published in 2009. Many of the schools here at Kaplan use APA as their citation
style. There are many other citation styles that require different types of citations
and formats. APA style is a publication style, but it is a useful way to track and cite
sources in your writing. Usually, a citation style is tailored for the field it represent.
What other citation styles have you used?
More information and tutorials can be found on the main APA website:
http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspx. In addition, APA continually updates the style
on the APA blog at this address: http://www.apastyle.org/.
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The title page identifies name of paper, writer, and university. It also contains a
header, which we’ll talk about in a moment, that includes the title and page number
The discussion is the body of the paper.
After the discussion, a references list appears on a separate page and lists all
resources used.
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The margins are set in Microsoft Word under Page Layout on the ribbon.
The title page is the first page of document. Use Insert > Header to create the
correct header at the top. There are actually two slightly different headers – one for
the title page and one for the discussion as we’ll see.
Standard font usually means Times New Roman or Arial. Word automatically opens
in Calibri 11 so you’ll need to change it.
If you have ever wondered why formatting matters, it’s really quite simple: writers
want to make reading easy for their readers!
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Here’s what the title page looks like. The Writing Center has a video tutorial that will
guide you through the steps of making the title page.
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Notice that the body header is slightly different in that it leaves out the words
“Running head.” The Writing Center has a video tutorial to help you format the title
page, headers, and first page of discussion. You will find it at this link:
http://goo.gl/JAgHp . You may need to log into KU Campus first.
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Some long papers (like theses and dissertations) may require section headings and
subheadings. No short paper uses headings and sub-headings; thus, you will
probably never need to format headings on one of your papers. Use them only if
your professor requires them.
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This chart explains the correct way to format headings so that the levels are clear
and consistent throughout the paper.
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Sample page with headings.
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There are two different kinds of citations: those found in the discussion or body of
the paper (called in-text citations) and those on the references page. The in-text
citation is a short version that corresponds to the long or complete citation on the
references page.
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The use of a URL as a citation drives some professors crazy. If you remember that
the purpose of a citation is to name the author or title of the referenced work, you
will see that a URL cannot serve that purpose.
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Sometimes, but only rarely, a writer may wish to quote a long passage (40 words or
more) from a resource. Such a passage is created with a block quote described in
this slide. Please remember that long quotations of this kind can actually detract
from your writing and puzzle the reader, who will wonder what is important in the
quotation. It’s advisable to avoid block quotes in general.
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Here is an example of a block quote. Please note the lack of quotation marks and
the period before the in-text citation.
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The references page is formatted so that each citation can be clearly distinguished
from its neighbors. A hanging indent is used to make each citation stand out. The
first line is aligned left while the second and following lines of one citation are
indented one-half inch. Do not try to do this with the Enter and Spacebar keys. Let
Microsoft Word create the hanging indent through the Paragraph menu. Under
Indentation and Special, choose Hanging.
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Capitalization of titles on the references is quite unusual. For articles and books,
capitalize only the first, proper nouns and adjectives, and the first word after a
colon. For newspaper and journal titles, capitalize the first, last, and all important
words.
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Because the Writing Center offers numerous tutorials on APA style and format, there
is no need to memorize aspects of the style. You will, however, need to learn how
to select and consult reliable sources. What are reliable sources? How do you
know a source is reliable? First you should not depend on wikis because anyone
can write, edit, or delete material. Second, always check the “About Us” link usually
found at the bottom of the Web page. If the author is an individual, be careful. If
the page has been published through a reputable site like a university or
newspaper, you can probably trust it.
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The Writing Center has a number of different print, audio, and video tutorials
designed to help you use correct APA formatting and style. You will find
these in the Writing Reference Library section titled “Research, Citation, and
Plagiarism.”
Research
Conducting Research
Web Research Guidelines
Online Research Sources
Using On-Ground Libraries
Top 10 Mistakes in Academic Research
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You might wish to download and save some of these tutorials, especially the first
two.
Citation and Plagiarism
Basic Citation Guidelines – Covers information on why and when to
cite and includes general guidelines on how to cite quotations and
paraphrases in various styles. Discusses plagiarism and how to avoid
plagiarizing.
Common citations in APA format, 6th ed. [PDF 630KB]
Citing Graphics and Visuals (APA format)
APA manuscript style
Sample APA Research Paper [PDF 365KB]
Using Headings and Subheadings in APA Style
Plagiarism
Kaplan University's Plagiarism Policy
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The Writing Center also offers workshops on APA and other matters. There are two
ways you can take advantage of the workshops. First, you can attend one live as
some of you are doing now. Second, you may view the recorded workshop by
accessing the archived recording.
Research
Using Academic and College-Level Sources in Your Research
Evaluating Research Sources for Credibility
How to Use the Kaplan University Library for Research
Picking Plums or Integrating Sources into Your Own Writing
Citation
Citation Guidelines
Citing Web Sources with Ease
In Your Own Words: The Art of Paraphrasing
Avoiding Plagiarism: From Pre-Writing to Proofreading
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I’d be happy to answer any of your questions!
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The best time to do a paper review in the Kaplan University Writing Center is after
you have written your first draft. When you come to us early, we can help you the
most by helping you with the structure of your paper. Many students send papers at
the last minute because they want us to simply proofread their paper. However,
KUWC writing tutors do not simply proofread the paper for you; we want to help you
learn to write and proofread your own papers. Since you can come to the Writing
Center 6 times a term, you can submit a first draft, then submit a later draft if you
need further help on an assignment.
https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/Index.aspx
If you need help before you write the first draft, you can use live tutoring. During live
tutoring, you can ask questions and brainstorm with a tutor. Live tutors can help
you with other stages in the paper writing process as well. Come visit us. We can
be found under the My Studies tab, then under Academic Support Center.
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On the main Academic Support Center page, you will see the Writing Center links.
These include Live Tutoring, Paper Review Service, the Writing Reference Library,
Citation Guidelines, Workshops, English Language Learner, and Fundamental
writing help. Notice, you can access the Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing on the
right hand side in both print and audio form. Come visit us:
https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/Index.aspx
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Workshops are recorded and recording links, with an accompanying PowerPoint or
a handout, are posted on the Writing Center Workshops page 1-2 business days
after a workshop has taken place.
For information about the Writing Center workshop series, please contact Melody
Pickle mpickle@kaplan.edu
For information about this particular workshop, please contact Robley Hood at
rhood@kaplan.edu
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