Understanding APA
Or the Basics of APA Style
Karen E. Frenn MSN., RN.
Division of Nursing
What is APA?

APA stands for American
Psychological Association. It is a
documentation style used for
organizing research papers,
manuscripts, essays, and other
writing assignments in scientific,
academic or professional settings.

The Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association 5th Edition is
the resource for information on this
writing style. This text also includes a
review of grammar, punctuation,
spelling, capitalization, citations, tables
and references including online
sources.
Basic Guide

Pagination: All pages are numbered
beginning with the title page. Numbers are
put in the upper right hand corner. The
manuscript page header (first 2 or 3 words of
the title) appears 5 spaces to the left of the
page number on every page.

Margins: One inch on all sides.

Font: 12 pt- Times Roman or Courier are
acceptable typefaces.

Spacing
Double space throughout the paper without
exception. Paragraphs are indented 5-7 spaces.

Alignment
Flush left, uneven right margin.

Order of Pages
Title page, Abstract, Body, References,
Appendixes, Footnotes, Tables, Figure Captions,
Figures
Title Page

Numbered as page 1.

Contains the title, author’s name, and
affiliation. It may also include the faculty
member’s name and the date. Check with
faculty for specifics.

Running Head – A short title, no more than 50
characters, typed flush left, all uppercase
following the words “Running head: ____”
Sample Title Page
Individual Differences
Running head: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN BIMODAL
Individual Differences in Bimodal Processes
Al Done
University of Michigan
1
Abstract
An abstract is a short summary of the
main points contained in the paper or
study.
 Consult with your faculty member as to
whether an abstract is required for your
paper. It may be optional.
 Generally an abstract is only required
for major research papers or
manuscripts.

Body

The title of the paper (in upper and
lower case letters) is centered on the
first line below the page header on the
first page of the body of the paper.
Example
My Life 2
My Life Story
I was born in a small town in the
upper peninsula of Michigan on a cold,
November morning. My parents had
settled in Michigan after my father had
come home from fighting in World War I.
Headings

Headings are used to organize the
paper and follow a complex set of rules.
Most papers require only 3 levels of
headings. See APA Manual for more
information on headings.
Three Level Headings
Level A: Centered And Set In Caps
Level B: Left Margin, Italicized, Caps
Level C: indented, italicized, sentence caps with a period
at end.
Text Citations

Source material must be documented in the body
of the paper by citing author and date of the
source. Ideas and words of others must be
acknowledged. Failure to give credit for words is
known as plagiarism.

Citations within a sentence:
Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that….

When the authors are not part of the sentence,
authors and dates appear in parentheses,
separated by a semicolon as below.
Reviews of research on religion and health have
concluded that at least some behavior is related to a
higher level of physical health (Gartner, Larson, &
Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Levin, 1991).

When a source has 2 authors both are
always cited.
 When a source has 3 or more authors, all
authors are included the first time and
thereafter the first author’s name is given
followed by “et al.”
 When a source has 6 or more authors, the
first author’s name and “et al.” is used each
time (including the first time).
Payne et al. (1991) showed that …
Personal Communication

To cite a personal communication (as in
letters, emails, telephone interviews)
include initials, name and date. It is not
included in the reference section.
A.K. Smith (personal communication,
March 5, 2003) claimed that……
Quotations

When a quotation is used always
include the author, year, and page
number with the quotation.

A quotation of fewer than 40 words is
incorporated into the paper.
Example

Patients receiving prayer had “less
congestive heart failure, required less
diuretic and antibiotic therapy, fewer
episodes of pneumonia, and were less
frequently intubated and ventilated” (Byrd,
1998, p. 829).

A quotation that is more than 40 words
should appear in a block format with
each line indented 5 spaces from the
left margin (in the same position as a
new paragraph).
Example of a Block Quotation
Jones’s 1993 study found the following:
Students often had difficulty using
APA style, especially citing sources.
This difficulty could be attributed to
the fact that many students failed to
purchase the text (p. 234).
References

The word References is centered on the first
line below the page header.

The reference list appears at the end of your
paper.

Each source you cite in the paper MUST
appear in your reference list; and likewise each
entry on your reference list MUST be cited in
the text of your paper.
References Continued

References are alphabetized using the surname
of the first author.

If you have more than one article by the same
author (s) list them in order by the year of the
publication starting with the earliest.

A hanging indent is used. This means the first line
is flush left and the second line is indented (seven
spaces or ½ inch).
References Continued

References are double spaced.

When referencing material obtained by
searching a database follow the format
appropriate to the work retrieved and add a
statement that gives the date of retrieval and
the proper name of the database. See APA
Manual p. 268 for further information
regarding electronic sources.
Reference Samples
Journal
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body
language of women and judgments of
vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal
of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 16171628.
Book
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the
psychology of religion. (2nd ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

For further examples see APA Manual.
Important Tips
Avoid abbreviations. If you do use one
explain it the first time it occurs.
American Psychological Association
(APA).
 Use commas before “and” in lists, and
for seriation within a sentence as in,
“three choices are (a) yes, (b) no, and
(c) maybe.”


Spell out numbers which are below 10
and use numerals for numbers 10 and
above or numerals grouped with 10 or
above (for example, from 5 to 12 hours
of sleep).

If a heading ends up at the bottom of a
page go to the next page.

Avoid biased language

Do not use and/or. Write it out. For
example, “Monday, Tuesday or both.”

Remember that APA is an exact format
and should be followed closely.
Additional Resources

APA Style Essentials
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796

There is also computer software available
(Reference Point Software and others) which
can format papers using APA style.

Always make sure if you use a text or a
website for assistance with APA format, that it
is updated and is using the 5th edition.
http:owl.english.purdue.edu/handout
s/research/r_apa.html
 www.rivier.edu (go to support services,
writing center, online resources, APA
format
