APA STYLE GUIDE

The American Psychological Association provides guidance to those writing and publishing

in the behavioral and social sciences . They outline how to report original research, write

clearly and format papers. They also explain how to give credit to the researchers and writers who

have contributed to one’s papers. This guide focuses on how to format papers and how to credit sources.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

FONT, SPACING, MARGINS, ALIGNMENT, INDENTATION, PAGE NUMBERS

TITLE PAGE

RUNNING HEAD

HOW TO INSERT AN APA STYLE RUNNING HEAD

HEADINGS

ABSTRACT

QUOTATIONS [SHORT AND LONG]

TABLES & FIGURES

REFERENCE PAGE

HANGING INDENT GUIDE

CREDITING SOURCES

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

OVERVIEW

AUTHORS WITH THE SAME LAST NAME

TWO AUTHORS

THREE TO FIVE AUTHORS

SIX OR MORE AUTHORS

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

AUTHOR UNKNOWN  NO DATE

TWO OR MORE WORKS CITED TOGETHER

SOURCE QUOTED IN ANOTHER SOURCE

WORK WITHOUT PAGE NUMBERS

AN ENTIRE WORK

AN ENTIRE WEBSITE

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

IN-TEXT CITATION QUICK CHART

TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED

REFERENCE PAGE ENTRIES

OVERVIEW

AUTHOR TYPES

ONE AUTHOR

TWO AUTHORS

THREE TO SEVEN AUTHORS

MORE THAN SEVEN AUTHORS

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR IN THE SAME YEAR

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

AUTHOR AND EDITOR

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

SOURCE TYPES

PERIODICALS – ONLINE & PRINT

JOURNAL ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

MAGAZINE ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

BOOK REVIEWS – ONLINE & PRINT

BOOKS – ELECTRONIC & PRINT

ARTICLE OR CHAPTER IN AN EDITED COLLECTION – PRINT

ENTRY IN A REFERENCE WORK – ONLINE & PRINT

AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA

STREAMING VIDEO

FILM/DVD/VIDEO RECORDING

SINGLE EPISODE FROM A TELEVISION SERIES

PODCAST

WEBPAGES & SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBPAGE WITH AN AUTHOR

WEBPAGE – ORGANIZATION AS AUTHOR AND NO AUTHOR

ONLINE GOVERNMENT REPORT

BLOGPOST, TWITTER, FACEBOOK

CLASS RESOURCES

PRESENTATION SLIDES

BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION POSTS

PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS

APA SAMPLE PAPER

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

FONT

 12 point Times New Roman is the preferred font size and typeface for APA style writing.

SPACING

 Double space all text including title page, headings, footnotes, and reference material.

MARGINS

 Leave a 1-inch margin on all sides of the text .

ALIGNMENT

 With the exception of some headings and the title, the body of the text should be aligned flush left.

INDENTATION

 Indent the first line of every paragraph a half inch. For consistency, use the TAB key.

PAGE NUMBERS

 Page numbers are inserted in the upper right corner of the page. Numbering begins with 1 on the title

page and proceeds through any reference pages .

TITLE PAGE

The APA advises that title pages include five elements:

1. A header that includes a running head and page number - See page 5 for a how -to guide.

The following information is given in the order noted, centered vertically, and positioned on the

upper half of the page.

2. The full title of the paper in Title Case:

1. Capitalize the first word of the title or heading and of any subtitle or subheading;

2. Capitalize all “major” words, including the second part of hyphenated major words;

3. Capitalize all words of four letters or more.

4. Do not capitalize conjunctions (and, or, but), prepositions (in, on, by) or articles (a, an, the)

unless they begin the title or are more than four letters long .

3. The author’s full name

4. The college, university , or institution where the research or writing was completed, i.e. the

author’s institutional affiliation (Mohawk Valley Community College)

5. An author’s note stating affiliations, acknowledgments, special circumstances , and contact

information. This is generally omitted in student writing. Ask your instructor to be certain.

NOTE: While most formal research papers require a title page, not all assignments that make use of APA

guidelines do. When in doubt, ask your instru ctor.

SEE SAMPLE ON NEXT PAGE

WHAT IS AN APA STYLE RUNNING HEAD?

A running head is a heading printed at the top of each page of a document or book. An APA running head

consists of a shortened version of a paper’s title- typed in all capital letters . This title is typed in the header

area of the document and aligned flush left.

If your title is not more than 50 characters (including spaces and punctuation) the full title can be used in

the running head. APA 6

edition also requires that the phrase “Running head:” appear without quotation

marks prior to the first use of the running head. This is most frequently seen on the title page.

HOW TO INSERT AN APA STYLE RUNNING HEAD USING MICROSOFT WORD OR GOOGLE DOCS

1. Use the INSERT function in Microsoft Word or Google Docs to insert a page number in the top right

corner of the document.

2. Select “Different First Page” in the Word toolbar or “Different first page” just below the Google Docs

header.

o If using Google Docs, it may be necessary to

select Headers & Footers on the FORMAT

dropdown menu. Specify 0.5 inches from top in

the dialogue box.

3. In the upper left corner of the header, type “Running head:” without quotation marks.

4. Add a space after the colon. Press the CAPS key to turn on caps lock. Type the title or shortened

version of the title in all capital letters.

Note: The shortened

version of the title should

not necessarily be the first

words of the title. It

should reflect the subject

of the work. Do not use

partial words.

5. Copy the TITLE but NOT

the “Running head:”

6. Use the tab key or space

bar to move the cursor to

the right side of the page.

On the same line as your title, i n the upper right corner, add the numeral 1.

7. Ensure the typeface and font size are consistent with those used in the text (Times New Roman,

12pt.)

8. Go to the second page of your document.

9. Double-click in the header and place your cursor to the left of the page number.

10. PASTE the copied title and ensure the font size and typeface are correct.

11. Use the tab key or

space bar to align the

title to the left margin.

The page number stays

on the right.

12. Close the header by double-clicking into the body of the document.

HEADINGS

The APA recommends the use of headings and subheadings to organize writing and enhance the readability

of texts. While they may not be appropriate for all writing that makes use of APA style guidelines, they are

expected in m any research papers . When uncertain about the use of headings , ask your instructor.

The APA provides guidelines for formatting up to five levels of headings. The heading structure always

starts with the highest level (level 1) and progresses from the general to the particular.

Each level of heading has its own formatting specification. See page 7.

LEVEL

FORMATTING HEADINGS & SUBHEADINGS

Centered, Boldface, and Title Case Heading

Flush Left, Boldface, Title Case Heading

Indented, boldface, sentence case paragraph heading ending with a period.

Indented, boldface, italicized, sentence case paragraph heading ending with a period.

Indented, italicized, sentence case paragraph heading ending with a period.

See page 3 for APA guidelines on Title Case . Sentence case follows the capitalization rules of sentences.

Below is an example of how headings might be used to help a reader navigate a paper. Let clarity and your

instructor’s directions guide your use of headings.

Causes of Child Abuse (level 1)

Effects of Child Abuse (1)

Short Term Effects of Child Abuse (2)

Long Term Effects of Child Abuse (l2)

Psychological effects of child abuse. (3)

Behavioral effects of child abuse. (3)

Aggression, violence and criminal behavior. (4)

High-risk sexual behavior. (4)

Prostitution. (5)

Sexually transmitted inf ections . (5)

ABSTRACT

An abstract is a brief summary of a journal article or paper. Abstracts allow readers to assess or get an

overview of a text without reading it in its entirety . Like all summaries, abstracts follow the structure of

the original material and outline its main points. Not all papers that make use of APA guidelines require

abstracts. If you are unsure, c onsult your instructor .

FORMATTING THE ABSTRACT:

According to the APA, an abstract is generally a single un -indented paragraph between 150 and 250 words.

It appears at the top of the page after the title page (page 2) under the centered heading: Abstract.

An abstract is sometimes followed by a list of italicized Keywords. This list of words is used for database

indexing and is rarely seen in student p apers.

QUOTATIONS

The APA requires quotation of all word-for-word material including oral instructions, test items, and any

published matter. All quoted material must be accompanied by an in-text citation.

In-text citations are short references that appear in the body of a paper whenever quotes, paraphrases , or

summaries are used . These short references are made up of specific source information, most commonly

author(s), year of publication , and page number(s). This information keys or points to a full reference entry

on an end-of-text reference page. Guidelines on in-text citations are covered in depth on pages 12-17,

reference page entries are covered on pages 18-29.

THIS SECTION MAKES USE OF IN-TEXT REFERENCES BUT FOCUSES ON HOW TO FORMAT SHORT AND LONG

QUOTATIONS.

SHORT QUOTATIONS

If a quote is less than forty words, incorporate it into a sentence. See the SIGNAL PHRASE GUIDELINES

handout and pages 12-17 for in-text citation guidelines. Enclose the quoted material in double quotation

marks - “”. If the quoted material comes at the end of the sentence, place citation information before the

closing punctuation mark.

Mid-sentence

Khantzian’s and Duncan’s theory, which presents addiction as “a self-regulation disorder wherein

individuals self-medicate to manage their self-regulation issues” (Fletcher et al., 2011, p. 112) links

drug use to a childhood history of neglect and abuse .

End of sentence

Kim and Koh’s (20 18) investigation into the relationship between smartphone obsession and self -

esteem suggested that “individuals with low self -esteem may feel more anxious, and being anxious

can increase one's obsession with smartphone use” (p. 269).

LONG QUOTATIONS

Quotes of forty or more words are called block quotations and are formatted differently than their shorter

counterparts. When using block quotations follow the guidelines below:

 Retain double spacing.

 Block quotations appear on a new line and are indented half an inch.

 When block quotations include multiple paragraphs, new paragraphs are further indented.

 Block quotations do NOT make use of quotation marks .

 Citation information is included after the final punctuation mark.

 Colons are frequently used when introducing a block quotation. They are not required.

 Use block quotations sparingly.

Example of a block quotation

The distinction between spirituality and religiosity is further clarified by Miller and Thoresen:

Spirituality is more concerned with how an individual has a personal relationship to larger

transcendent realities, such as the universe or God, whereas religiosity is more concerned

with how an individual experiences a transcendent being and how this is expressed in a

community or social organization. (1999, p. 6)

TABLES & FIGURES

Tables and figures can be used to support or illustrate information given in the main text. Tables are made

up of numbers and/or text arranged in rows and columns. Figures include photographs, maps, charts,

graphs, diagrams, etc.

Tables and figures are labelled as such and are numbered separately and sequentially (Figure 1, Figure 2;

Table 1, Table 2). The label precedes a table and follows a figure.

TABLES

The title for a table is given in italics and title case under the label (see Table 1).

Tables are frequently followed by a note. Notes

are labelled Note and placed under the table.

They provide a brief explanation of the table

and any abbreviations or symbols that might be

unclear to readers.

If the table is not original to the work, the

note must indicate that it is reproduced from

another source.

FIGURES

Figures are given a brief explanatory caption that serves

as a title. This caption is followed by any necessary

explanatory information (see Figure X ).

If the figure is not original to the work, the caption must

indicate that it is reproduced from another source.

REFERENCE PAGE

The APA requires a list of sources at the end of papers. This list includes all retrievable sources used in the

composition of the paper. The information on this list allows writers to credit sources and readers to find,

evaluate, and make further use of those sources. Reference list entries are covered on pages 18-29.

This section focuses on what to include and how to order the entries and format the reference page.

What to include

 Every source you paraphrased, summarized, or quoted in the text .

 Do not include sources that you consulted but did not cite.

 Do not include personal communications or standard religious texts such as the Quran or Bible.

How to order the entries

 Reference entries are alphabetized by the first letter in the entry, generally an author’s last name.

 Reference entries that have no author or editor are alphabetized by title.

 When alphabetizing by title, ignore articles that begin the title (A, An, and The).

 When an entry starts with a number, alphabetize the entry based on how the number would appear

if written.

 When an entry starts with a year, alphabetize the entry based on how the year would be spoken.

How to format the page

 The reference list comes after the final page of text.

 The list begins at the top of a consecutively numbered new page.

 The reference list is given the centered heading: References

 Reference entries are double-spaced with NO SPACE between entries.

 Reference entries make use of a hanging indent that allows readers to easily identify entries based

on in-text citation information

HANGING INDENT GUIDE

HOW TO CREATE A HANGING INDENT IN MICROSOFT WORD

1. Select the text that you would like to indent.

2. On the Home tab, click the arrow in the bottom right of

the Paragraph group.

3. In the Paragraph dialog box, u nder Indentation, in the

Special list, select Hanging.

4. Set the measurement to 0.5 under By.

5. Under Spacing, ensure there are no spaces between

paragraphs

6. Click OK.

QUICK TIP

YOU CAN ADD A HANGING INDENT TO

YOUR ENTRIES IN WORD BY

HIGHLIGHTING THEM AND

PRESSING CTRL+T.

HOW TO CREATE A HANGING INDENT IN GOOGLE DOCS:

1. Click and drag to select all of your reference entries.

2. Click the FORMAT tab and select ALIGN & INDENT.

3. Choose INDENTATION OPTIONS to open the indication dialogue box.

4. In the indentation dialogue box, click the SPECIAL dropdown menu.

5. Select HANGING and specify a half inch indent (0.5).

6. Click the APPLY button.

CREDITING SOURCES

TO CREDIT CONTRIBUTO RS, APA REQUIRES A TWO PART SYSTEM. THAT SYSTEM USES (1) BRIEF IN-TEXT OR

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS THAT KEY TO OR POINT TO (2) A FULL LIST OF SOURCES IN THE FORM OF AN END-

OF-TEXT REFERENCE PA GE.

WHY

Citation is often discussed in the context of avoiding plagiarism. It is true that using the words or ideas of

others without crediting them is a serious academic offense. When one plagiarizes , one intentionally or

unintentionally passes off the work of another as their own. Citations, however, also have a very collegial

purpose.

Academic writing is a conversation between the writer and thinkers that have examined similar questions and

topics. In-text citations act as a record of that conversation . They tell the reader who said what and when

they said it. In doing this, they give credit to those who have helped the writer develop their understanding.

They also allow readers to engage more deeply in the subject by pointing to reference page entries. These

entries give readers the information they need to find the sources the writer used.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

OVERVIEW

WHAT REQUIRES IN-TEXT CITATION

In APA style writing, paraphrases, summaries and quotations all require the use of in -text citations.

 A paraphrase restates the source material in new language. A paraphrase uses approximately the

same number of words as the original.

 A summary condenses the source material to reflect its main idea(s) . A summary uses significantly

less words than the original.

 A quotation restates the source material using the exact language of that material.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN AN APA IN-TEXT CITATION

APA in-text citations aim to answer three questions about the source material:

1. WHO: Most frequently reported as the author(s) last name(s)

2. WHEN: Most frequently reported as the year of publication

3. WHERE: Most frequently reported as a page (or paragraph) number

NOTE: Quotations require the use of page numbers when those numbers are available. Paraphrases and

summaries do not require them, but the APA recommends their use.

HOW DOES CITATION INFORMATION APPEAR IN THE TEXT

To integrate this information, APA style writing makes use of both signal phrases and parenthetical

citations. These are frequently used in combination.

Signal phrases (also known as attributive tags or narrative citation) signal to the reader that the idea or

language being used is from an outside source. Signal phrases generally use the author(s) name(s) and a

verb to do this. They appear in the same sentence as the source material, either directly before or after

that material. See the SIGNAL PHRASE GUIDELINES handout for guidelines and a list of signal phrase verbs .

Parenthetical citations make use of parentheses () to provide source information. They are placed as close

to the cited material as possible. Note that the author’s last name, year, and page number are sometimes

placed in a single set of parentheses and sometimes placed in separate parentheses.

 In an effort to explain the cultural variations in same -family reincarnation claims, Masayuki (2017)

theorized that “culturally prescribed ideas about reincarnation would be carried into death and

would influence decisions made in the postmortem state ” (p. 552).

 Researchers exploring same -family reincarnation claims have noted that the manner of death seems

to influence this pattern, in particular that violent death seems to make sa me-family reincarnation

claims less likely (Masayuki, 2017, p. 553).

FORMATTING THE PARENTHETICAL CITATION:

The APA requires the use of a comma between the major elements of a parenthetical citation. Use a p. to

indicate a single page number, pp. for a page range, and para. for a paragraph number . If no page number is

given, use headings and/or count paragraphs to direct your reader to the information.

 (Author(s) Last Name, Year of publication, p. #).

 (Schroerlucke, 2013, p. 237). (Happle & Hoe, 2001, pp. 7-19). (Johnston et al., 2003, para. 4).

 (Giovanni, 2019, Discussion sec., para 1). (Harlin, 1999, “ Cerebral Atrophy in Canines,” para. 11).

GENERAL RULES:

1. AUTHOR NAMED IN A SIGNAL PHRASE

QUOTATION

 Include the date of publication in parentheses directly after the author’s name.

 Include the paragraph or page number in parentheses as close to the closing quotation mark as

possible. See page 16 if no page number is given.

 It is acceptable to place the parentheses midsentence.

Tucker (2016) noted two-year-old James Leininger’s habit of “slamming his toy plane nose first into

the family coffee table” (p. 201).

SUMMARY OR PARAPHRASE

 As with a quotation, include the date of publication in parentheses directly after the author’s name.

 Page numbers are recommended but not required for paraphrases and summaries.

 If you use a page number, place it in the parentheses directly after the author’s name along with the

date.

Tucker (2016, p. 201) described two-year-old James Leininger’s actions as post-traumatic play.

2. AUTHOR NAMED IN PARENTHESES

If the author’s name is not included in the sentence, put the name in parentheses – along with the year of

publication and any page or paragraph number. The parentheses should be placed as close to the source

information as possible. Be sure to separate each element of the parenthetical citation with a comma.

QUOTATION

 Parenthetical information can be broken up into multiple sets of parentheses or placed in a single

set.

Despite his youth and 1998 birth year, James was said to have “knowledge about World War II

planes in general and about life on Natoma Bay” in particular (Tucker, 2016, p. 203).

The current Director of the Division for Perceptual Studies (Tucker, 2016) pointed out that “no

television programs focusing on Natoma Bay or James Huston appear to have been made” (p. 206).

SUMMARY OR PARAPHRASE

 Provide all in-text citation information in one parentheses . This parenthesis may be placed either

before or after the summary or paraphrase.

James Leininger’s father was reportedly viewing a book on Iwo Jima when the toddler pointed to a

photograph and told his father that he had died there (Tucker, 2016, p. 201).

SPECIAL CASES

3. AUTHORS WITH THE SAME LAST NAME

When two or more authors have the same last name, use initials to distinguish between the authors in all

pertinent in-text citations.

As an historical examination of the development and deployment of the atomic bomb reveals, no

single person made the “decision to drop” (K. T. Erikson, 1985, p. 65).

4. TWO AUTHORS

When a work is authored by two individuals, mention both each time the work is cited. Use and when the

authors are mentioned in a signal phrase, and an ampersand ( &) when the authors are named in a

parenthetical citation.

Greenberger and O' Neil’s (1992, p. 445) data supports the view that , over time, less educated

mothers who work outside the home experience a depletion of resources that may negatively impact

their children.

The authors also noted that maternal employment often increases paternal participation in childcare

and that increased participation may be lead fathers’ to experience “a broader sampling of their

child's behavior, including behavior that is problematic” (Greenberger & O’ Neil, 1985, p. 447).

5. THREE TO FIVE AUTHORS

1. The first time a work with three to five authors is referenced , name each contributor. Include and

before the final author in a signal phrase. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author in a

parenthetical citation.

2. After the first reference, use the first author’s last name followed by et al., an abbreviation for the

Latin phrase et alia meaning “and others”.

FIRST REFERENCE:

Horon, Singal, Fowler, and Sharfstein , (2018, p. 777) pointed out that if death certificates include a

thorough documentation of the substances involved in a death , accurate heroin overdose rates will

be easier to obtain.

If death certificates include a thorough documentation of the substances involved in a death,

accurate heroin overdose rates will be easier to obtain ( Horon, Singal, Fowler & Sharfstein , 2018,

p.777).

SUBSEQUENT REFERENCES:

Horon et al. (2018, p. 779) note the need for increased clarity in the language used on death

certificates.

Overdoses are now the nati on’s leading cause of preventable deaths ( Horon et al., 2018, p. 780).

6. SIX OR MORE AUTHORS

If a source has six or more authors, any signal phrase or parenthetical citation will include only the first

author’s last name followed by the abbreviation et al. from the Latin phrase et alia meaning “and others”.

Ottisova et al. (2018, p. 2) pointed out the high rates of PTSD, depression, anxiety , and self-harm

among trafficked children.

7. ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

Some sources do not list an individual author or authors . These sources may have an organization,

corporation, association, or government agency as their author. In these cases, the group’s name can be

used in place of an author’s name in signal phrases and parenthetical citations.

If the group’s name is long and its abbreviation is well -known, give the full name and the abbreviation in

brackets in the first in-text citation. Additional citations can use the ab breviation on its own. If the

abbreviation is not well-known, use the group’s full name in all citations.

FIRST CITATION

(National Institute of Mental Health [NIHM] , 2011, p. 115)

SUBSEQUENT CITATIONS

(NIMH, 2011, p. 121)

8. AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Reference works, legal materials , and newspaper editorials frequently appear without an author. If no

author is given and the source has not been authored by an agency or organization (see above) use the

source’s title in in -text citations. Note that in parenthetical references long titles can be shortened to the

first few words of the reference list entry.

Although in the reference list, sentence case capitalization is used for standalone sources like books (A tree

grows in Brooklyn) and part-of-a-whole sources like articles (A call to make schools safe zones, not war

zones), in in-text citations, title case capitalization is used for both types of sources (A Tree Grows in

Brooklyn; “A Call to Make Schools Safe Zones, Not War Zones”) . See page 3 for title case rules .

According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1952) abracadabra is “a cabalistic charm said

to be made up from the initials of the Hebrew words Ab (Father), Ben (Son), and Ruach ACadsch

(Holy Spirit)” (p. 3).

A powerful editorial asserted that the opioid crisis can be curtailed by providing safe spaces and

medical supervision for users (“Safe Injection,” 2018). *The full title of the article is “Safe Injection

Facilities Save Lives .”

9. NO DATE

If no publication date is available for the source, use the abbreviation for no date, n.d.

 (“United Arab Emirates Architecture,” n.d.)

10. TWO OR MORE WORKS CITED TOGETHER

If a sentence makes use of more than one source, list the sources in parentheses i n alphabetical order.

Separate sources with a semicolon.

Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of educating incarcerated men ( Lochner & Moretti,

2004; Esperian, 2010; Hughes, 2012; Utheim 2017 ).

11. SOURCE QUOTED IN ANOTHER SOURCE

If you cite a source that was quoted in another source, add the phrase as cited in before the secondary

source information in your parenthetical reference.

To explain his unorthodox approach to studying criminal genius, the author points to a desire to

convey what Katz refers to as “the moral and sensual attractions of doing evil” (as cited in Oleson,

2004, p. 194).

12. WORK WITHOUT PAGE NUMBERS

Many electronic documents do not have page numbers. Some of these (legal documents, in particular) have

paragraph numbers. If paragraphs are numbered, use these in the parenthetical citation with the

abbreviation para. in place of p.

… (Duvernoy, 1977, para. 11).

If no page or paragraph numbers are given, use heading title (e.g. Discussion sec .) and count paragraphs to

direct the reader to the relevant source information.

… (Jones, 2011, Methods sec., para. 3).

It is permissible to shorten long heading titles . When using a shortened heading title, place the shortened

version in quotation marks.

… (Eckernkamp, 2013, “The Relationship ,” para. 5).

The full heading of this section is The Relationship between High IQ and Social Isolation

13. AN ENTIRE WORK

If you would like to point the reader to an entire work, simply name the author and year in a signal phrase

or in a parenthetical reference. Do not give page numbers.

Bronfenbrenner’s (1981) seminal work offered an original way of understanding human

development.

14. AN ENTIRE WEBSITE

Most websites consist of many w eb pages. Most references to online works reference these pages . Still,

there are occasions when you may want to call the reader’s attention to an entire website . To do this,

provide the site’s URL in the text. It is not necessary to include the site again on the reference page.

Although it offers sleek infographics and disturbing statistics, the government website provides

startlingly little information on the government’s response to the opioid crisis

(https://www.opioids.gov).

15. PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

If your writing references an email, text message, telephone conversation, letter , non-archived discussion

groups or message board, it is unlikely that your reader will be able to access your source. For this reason,

personal communications are not inclu ded on the reference page. These sources do, however, receive in -

text citation. In -text citations for personal communications include the author’s initial(s), the author’s last

name, the phrase personal communication , and the full date of the communication in month day, year

format.

The author noted that the book was conceived during an undergraduate history course on the

history of madness in America (E. Scully, personal communication, October 11, 2003) .

H. A. Murray (personal communication, July 22, 1985) acknowledged that Morgan had not received

proper credit for her contribution to the Thematic Apperception Test.

IN TEXT CITATION QUICK CHART

Type of citation

First narrative

citation

Subsequent

narrative

citations

Parenthetical format, first citation

in text

Parenthetical format, subsequent

citations

Work by one

author

Clay (2008) made the point that…

The article argued that “Turner is not the only psychologist whose

research has been co-opted” (Clay, 2008, p. 8).

Work by two

authors

McKelvie and Waterhouse (2005)

argued that…

Authors noted “women rated people with gender-ambiguous names less

Ethically Caring than people with gender-specific names” (McKelvie &

Waterhouse, 2005, p. 47).

Work by three

to five authors

Chamberlin,

Novotney,

Packard, and

Price (2008)

conceded that…

Chamberlin et

al. (2008)

mentioned that

…

Workplace bullying, it is implied,

is worse than sexual harassment

(Chamberlin, Novotney, Packard,

& Price, 2008).

Researchers emphasized that “those

who reported good relationships

with co-workers had a high tendency

to come to work under the weather”

(Chamberlin et al., 2008, p. 17).

Work by six or

more authors

According to

Wurman et al.

(2012)…

Wurman et al.

(2012)

reasoned…

Supercell thunderstorms caused

the most damage and fatalities

(Wurman et al., 2012).

The authors noted that “forecasting

was led by the field coordination

team” (Wurman et al., 2012, p. 112).

Work with no

author - Use the

title - Books &

Reports,

“Articles and

Chapters”

According to

“Healthcare

Contractors Point

Finger at Obama

Administration”

(2013)…

“Healthcare

Contractors”

(2013) argued…

It is suggested that “the Obama administration is in damage-control mode

over the troubled rollout (“Healthcare Contractors,” 2013, p. 113).

Organization as

the author

Business

Continuity

Planners

Association

[BCPA] (2010)

stated that…

BCPA (2010)

made the point

that…

The website pointed out that

“members will be assessed annual

dues, payable upon receipt of

invoice from BCPA” (Business

Continuity Planners Association

[BCPA], 2010, p. 13).

Membership is open to any and all

professionals (BCPA, 2010).

REFERENCE PAGE ENTRIES

The American Psychological Association (APA) style requires (1) a list of complete source information at the

end of the text in the form of a reference page and (2) brief in -text documentation of sources. This section

provides guidelines for constructing reference page entries for the most frequently used reference types. It

is based on the 6

ed. of the APA style guide (2010). For sources types not covered , visit www.apastyle.org .

OVERVIEW

BASIC STUCTURE & ENTRY FORMATTING |

The information required for a reference page entry aims to answer: who, when, what, where, and, with

online sources, how. Most entries can be arranged by asking those questions in that order.

Tierney, W. G. (1999). Models of minority college-going and retention: Cultural integrity versus cultural

Who When What

suicide. The Journal of Negro Education , 68(1), 80. doi:10.2307/2668211

What Where How

The answers generally take the following forms:

WHO: Creator(s) of the work, usually in the form of an author or authors’ name(s)

 Authors’ names are inverted throughout the reference list.

 First names are omitted in favor of first and, when given, middle initials. E.G. Doe, J. J.

WHEN: Date of publication

 The date of publication is given in parentheses after the final author.

 Some sources require that you list only the year, others require the month or day and month.

WHAT: Title of the work

 Article and chapter titles use sentence case capitalization.

 Periodical titles use title case capitalization and are italicized . See pg. 3 for title case capitalization.

 Books and reports use sentence case capitalization.

 Report numbers are given in parenthesis after report titles.

WHERE: Publication information

Periodicals such as journals, newsletters and magazines:

 Give the volume number in italics after the periodicals title.

 If the periodical is paginated by issue, give the issue number in parenthesis after the volume.

 After any volume or issue number, list the page or page range on which the source material appears.

Books and reports

 List the publisher’s location. If this is in the U.S., give the city and state, if not, the city and country.

 Abbreviate state names.

 Follow the location with a colon (:)

 Give the brief form of the publisher’s name. Do not include words like Publishers, Co., and Inc..

HOW: Online source identifiers

 Tell the reader how to access online sources by providing a DOI (digital object identifie r) or URL.

 Do not end this section with a period.

For rules on

formatting the

reference list,

see page 9. For

hanging indent

directions, see

page 10-11.

AUTHOR TYPES

ONE AUTHOR

 Give the author’s surname followed by their first and, if present, second initial.

 Do not include degrees (PhD , M.D., etcetera)

 TEMPLATE: Author, A. A. SAMPLE: Smith, J. L.

TWO AUTHORS

 List both authors with the surname before initials. Separate the names with a comma and an

ampersand (&).

 TEMPLATE: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. SAMPLE: Smith, J. L., & Jones, S. A.

THREE TO SEVEN AUTHORS

List up to seven authors by last name and initials. Separate names with commas, and place an ampersand

(&) before the final name.

 TEMPLATE: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., & Author, F. F.

 SAMPLE: Smith, J. L., Jones, S. A., & Evans, Y. E.

MORE THAN SEVEN AUTHORS

List the first six authors by last name and initials. Separate author s’ names with a comma. After the sixth

author's name, use an ellipsis (…) in place of the remaining author(s) names. Give the final authors name.

There should be no more than seven names.

 TEMPLATE: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., Author, C. C., Author, D. D., Author, E. E., Author, F. F., …

Author J. J.

 SAMPLE: Smith, J. L., Jones, S., Evans, Y. E., Manby, J. K., Irelan d, J. E., Ivers, J. L., … Mitchel, E. J.

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR

Use the author's name for all entries and list the entries by the year (earliest comes first).

 SAMPLE: Williamson, R. J. (1997).

Williamson, R. J. (1999).

TWO OR MORE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR IN THE SAME YEAR

If you are using more than one reference by the same author published in the same year, organize them in

the reference list alphabetically by the title of the source. Assign letter suffixes to each year based on this

alphabetization. Refer to these sources in the text as they appear in your reference list, for example,

Berdnt (1981a) makes similar claims...

 SAMPLE:

Berndt, T. J. (1981a). Age changes and changes over time in prosocial intentions and behavior between

friends. Developmental Psychology, 17 , 408-416.

Berndt, T. J. (1981b). Effects of friendship on prosocial intentions and behavior. Child Development, 52 ,

636-643.

ORGANIZATION OR GOVERNMENT AS AUTHOR

Sometimes credit for a source is given to an entire organization rather than an individual or individuals.

When this occurs, list the organization or government in the space designated for the author.

 SAMPLE template :

Organization’s Name or Government Agency. (Year of Publication). Title of work. Publication City, State or

Country: Publisher.

AUTHOR AS PUBLISHER

Books and reports require a source’s author and publisher. When the author of a source is a government or

organization, there is a good chance that th e organization or government is also the publisher. When this

occurs, list the organization or government as the author and type the word Author in the space designated

for the publisher.

 SAMPLE with author as publisher

Children’s Defense Fund. (1992). Guides for the national observance of children's Sabbaths: Christian,

Catholic, and Jewish guides. Washington, DC: Author.

AUTHOR AND EDITOR

Some works – typically books – have both an author and an editor. In a work with both an author and an

editor, the editor’s name is given in parentheses after the title of the work. Unlike the author, the initials

precede the surname. The editor’s name is followed by a comma and the abbreviation Ed. In the case of

multiple editors, Eds. is used. The section is finished with a period.

 SAMPLE:

Kơbler-Ross, E. (1995). Death is of vital importance : On life, death and life after death. (G. Grip, Ed.) .

Barrytown, NY: Station Hill Press.

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

When the author is unknown, begin the entry with the title of the work.

BOOK WITH UNKNOWN AUTHOR

Diary o f an ox yge n th ief . (2016). New York, NY: Gallery Books

NEWS ARTICLE WITH AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR

I am part of the resistance inside the Trump administration. (2018, September 5). The N e w Yo rk T ime s .

Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/

PERIODICALS – ONLINE & PRINT

JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS

JOURNAL ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

JOURNAL ARTICLE FORMATTING NOTES |

 No retrieval date is necessary for electronic resources unless requested by an instructor.

 For journals, give the year of publication only.

 Use sentence case capitalization for article titles .

 The journal title and volume number are italicized .

 Use title case capitalization for journal titles . Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the) , prepositions less

than four letters long (of, on, in, by, etc.), or coordinating conjunctions (and, or) unless one of

these is the first word of the journal title.

 Digital object identifiers can be given as URL https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000014 or in the follow ing

form: doi:10.1037/arc0000014

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH A DOI [DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER]

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A., & Author B. B. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal , volume #(issue # if

paginated by issue), page range. DOI or https://doi.org/alphanumericcode

SAMPLE

Kossinets, G., & Watts, D.J. (2009). Origins of homophily in an evolving social network. American Journal of

Sociology, 115 (2), 405–450. doi:10.1086/599247

ONLINE JOURNAL ARTICLE WITH NO DOI

 If no DOI is assigned, provide the URL of the journal’s home page . This is usually visible on the first

page of permanent digital files (PDFs) and is listed on many database search results.

 Some instructors will accept the URL provided by database citation generators.

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume #(issue # if paginated by issue),

page range. Retrieved from http://www.journalhomepage. org/

SAMPLE

Re, T., & Ventura, C. (2015). Transcultural perspective on consciousness: A bridge between anthropology,

medicine and physics. Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy , (2), 228.

Retrieved from http://www.cosmosandhistory.org/index.php/journal

PRINT JOURNAL ARTICLE

Print journal article reference entries look like their online counterparts but end after the page range.

MAGAZINE ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

MAGAZINE ARTICLE FORMATTING NOTES |

 If a magazine is published weekly , include the day and month of publication.

 If a magazine is published monthly or once every two months, include the month (s) of publication

 If a volume or volume and issu e number are available, add these after the title.

 If no author is given for the magazine article, begin with the article’s title .

ONLINE MAGAZINE ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A., Author, B.B., & Author, C.C. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Magazine, volume

#(issue # if available), page range. DOI or Retrieved from the URL of the magazine’s home page

SAMPLE

Gibbs, N., & Duffy, M. (2017). Life at 1600. Time, 189(4), 26-29. Retrieved from http://www.time.com

PRINT MAGAZINE ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Title of Mag azine, volume #(issue # if available), page range.

SAMPLE

Fallows, J. (2017, January/February) Despair and hope in the age of Trump. The A tlantic , 319(1), 13-15.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES – ONLINE & PRINT

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FORMATTING NOTES |

 If no author is given for the newspaper article, begin the entry with the article’s title followed by

the date of publication.

 Use p. (for one page) or pp. (for more than one page) to designate the pages of a newspaper article.

ONLINE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper , page number(s) if available. Retrieved

from http://www.newspaperhomepage.com

SAMPLE

Downes, L. (2017, January 16). The sun sets on sugar cane in Hawaii. The N ew Yo rk Tim es . Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/

PRINT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper , p(p). page# or range .

SAMPLE

Jargon, J. (2012, October 11). Fast food aspires to move up the food chain. The Wall Street

Journal, p. B11.

BOOK REVIEW FROM A MAGAZINE, JOURNAL, OR NEWSPAPER

BOOK REVIEW FORMATTING NOTES |

 If the review is untitled, place the bracketed information after the date.

 For print book reviews, end the reference entry with the page or page range of the review.

TEMPLATE

Review Author, A. A. (Publication date). Title of review. [Review of the book Title of Book, by A.A. Author].

Title of Periodical, volume #(issue #), page range. DOI or journal home page URL

SAMPLE

Buckley, G. L. (2016, December 14). The eerie tragedy of Emmett Till’s father, told by John Edgar Wideman.

[Review of the book Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File , by J.E. Wideman]. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

BOOKS – PRINT OR ONLINE

*For textbook references, see the edition note below*

BOOK FORMATTING NOTES |

1. Use sentence case capitalization for titles and subtitles .

2. If the book has been reprinted, list only the most recent year.

3. Give the publisher in as brief form as possible . Write out the names of corporations, associations,

and university presses, but omit terms like Publishers, Co. and Inc. Retain words Books and Press.

4. If two or more publishing locations are given, give the location listed first or, if specified, the

location of the publisher’s home office.

5. For an edition other than the first , add the edition name of number in parenthese s after the title,

end the section with a period.

6. If your source is a multivolume work , place the abbreviation Vol. or Vols. and the volume number(s)

in parentheses after the title of the work. End the section with a period. For example: (Vol. 3).

PRINT BOOK

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter for subtitle also. (# ed. if edition other than

first). City, Abbreviated State or Country of publication: Publisher.

SAMPLES

Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S.A., & Greene, B. (2014). Abnormal psychology in a changing world (9

ed.). Boston,

MA: Pearson.

Pollan, M. (2006). The omnivore’s dilemma: A natural history of four meals . New York, NY: Penguin.

ELECTRONIC BOOK

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Book title . DOI or Retrieved from URL

SAMPLES

Reichow, B. (2011). Evidenc e -based practices and treatments for children with autism . Retrieved from

http://www.springlink.com/content/xt2514

Yano, T., Gardiner, P.A., Egawa, Y., & Watanabe, K. (2016). Velocity control of diaphragmless vertical gas

gun for low pr essure ranges. doi:10.4028 /www.scientific.net/KEM.715.13

ARTICLE OR CHAPTER IN AN EDITED COLLECTION OR ANTHOLOGY - PRINT

TEMPLATE

Author of chapter. (Year of publication). Chapter or article title. In Editor(s) Name (s) (Ed(s).), Book title ,

(pp. article/chapter page numbers). City, State or Country: Publisher.

SAMPLE

Kelly, J. D. (2010). Seeing red: Mao fetishism, Pax Americana, and the moral economy of war. In J.D. Kelly,

B. Jauregui, S.T. Mitchell, & J. Walton (Eds.), Anthropology and global counterinsurgency (pp. 67–

83). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

ENTRY IN A REFERENCE BOOK—DICTIONARY/ENCYCLOPEDIA

 If a reference entry is unsigned, start the reference with the title of the entry followed by the year

of publication.

PRINT REFERENCE BOOK

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (name or number of edition if

other than first ed., Vol. number, pp. pages if applicable). City, State or Country: Publisher.

SAMPLE

Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyc lopedia Britannica. (Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago, IL:

Encyclopedia Britannica.

ONLINE REFERENCE WORK

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of entry. In Editor name(s) (Ed.), Title of reference work (name or

number of ed., Vol. number, if applicable). DOI or Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Graham, G. (2010). Behaviorism. In E.N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Fall 2007 ed.).

Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism

AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA

STREAMING VIDEO

 If no author is given, start with the author’s screen name.

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day posted). Video title [Video file]. Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]. (2011, September 9). Real ghost girl caught on Video Tape 14 [Video file].

Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nyGCbxD848

FILM/DVD/VIDEO RECORDING

TEMPLATE

Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director , D. D., (Director). (Year ). Movie title [Media type]. Country: Studio.

SAMPLES

Smith, M. (Producer), & Coombs, T. (Director). (2012). Cold War: The complete series [DVD]. United States:

Warner Home Video.

Zemeckis, R. Parkes, W.F., MacDonald, L. Starkey, S., & Rapke, J. (Producers), & Zemeckis, R. (Director).

(2012). Flight [Motion Picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

SINGLE EPISODE FROM A TELEVISION SERIES

TEMPLATE

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Date). Title of episode. [Media type]. In E. Producer

(Executive Producer), S eries name. City, State or Country: Network.

SAMPLE

Lorre, C. (Writer), & Cendrowski, M. (Director). (2012). The Higgs Boson observation [Television series

episode]. In C. Lorre (Executive Producer), The big bang theory, Hollywood, CA: CBS Corporation.

PODCAST

TEMPLATE

Writer, W. W. (Writer), & Producer, P . P. (Producer). (Year, Month Day). Title of podcast. Title of Site or

Program [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Demby, G. (Writer), & Jackson, C. (Producer). (2016, November 16). Another black president says goodbye

to Washington. Code Switch. [Audio podcast] Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/podcasts /510312

/codeswitch

WEBPAGES & SOCIAL MEDIA

WEBPAGE FORMATTING NOTES |

 Date: If no publication or revision date is available, use n.d. to indicate “no date”.

 If no publication date is available and the content is likely to change, include the month, day and

year the document was retrieved.

WEBPAGE WITH AN AUTHOR

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Webpage title. Title of Website or owner of ENTIRE websit e. DOI or

Retrieved Month Day, Year (if required), from URL

SAMPLE

Chedekel, L. (2016, December 14). SPH study: Alcohol policies contribute to suicide prevention. BU Today.

Retrieved from https://www.bu.edu/today /2016/alcohol-policies-contribute-to-suicide-prevention

WEBPAGE – ORGANIZATION AS AUTHOR AND NO AUTHOR

 Often, webpages that appear to have no author, are authored by corporate entity or organization.

List the organization or entity in pla ce of the author. If the organization is also the name of the

website, do not repeat that information.

 If there is no author, no organization and no website owner listed, the APA recommends starting the

entry with the title of the webpage followed by the date and retrieval information.

TEMPLATE

Organization or owner of the ENTIRE website. (Year, Month Day). Webpage title. Title of Website or

publisher of the ENTIRE website (if different than organization) . Retrieved from URL

SAMPLES

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention . (2017). Suicide statistics. Retrieved from

https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics

All 33 Chile miners freed in flawless rescue. (2010, October 13). Retrieved

from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39625809/ns/world_news -americas/

ONLINE GOVERNMENT REPORT

TEMPLATE

Government agency author. (Copyright date). Report title (Report type and NO. number). Retrieved from

URL

SAMPLE

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2013, May 22). Analysis of antibiotics in distillers grains using liquid

chromatography and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (FDA Laboratory Information Bulletin NO.

4438). Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/ScienceResearch/

ToolsResources/UCM182280.pdf

BLOG POST

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Year, M onth Day). Title of blog post [Blog post]. Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Hardenbrook, J. (2016, October 31). Oh Greta! The library’s real role on campus [Blog post]. Retrieved from

https://mrlibrarydude.wordpress.com/

TWITTER

TEMPLATE

Author, A.A. [Screenname]. (Year, Month Day). Title of tweet [Tweet]. Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Gate, B. [BillGates]. (2013, February 26). #Polio is 99% eradicated. Join me @FCBarcelona as we work to

finish the job and #EndPolio. VIDEO: http://b -gat.es/X75Lvy [Tweet]. Retrieved from

https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/30619534845665792

FACEBOOK

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of post. [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from URL

SAMPLE

Gaiman, N. [Neil]. (2012, February 29). Please celebrate Leap Year Day in the traditional manner by taking a

writer out for dinner. [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from

https://www.facebook.com/neilgaiman/posts/10150574185041016

CLASS RESOURCES

PRESENTATION SLIDES

If you are citing PowerPoint slides provided by an instructor and not retrieved online, use the same format,

but instead of using Retrieved from URL, use the Class Name and location of class , e.g. (Academic Building

226).

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of presentation [Type of slides]. Retrieved from URL (if retrieved online)

SAMPLE

Roberts, K. F. (1998). Federal regulations of chemicals in the environment [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved

from http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/40hrenv/index.html

BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION POST

TEMPLATE

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of post. Document posted in Mohawk Valley Community College Blackboard

Discussion Board Course #, archived at: URL

SAMPLE

Smith, J. (2014). Discussion #3: Edgar Allan Poe’s the raven . Document posted in Mohawk Valley Community

College Blackboard Discussion Board, EN102, archived at https://mvcc.blackboard.com/

PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Unpublished interviews or personal communication like emails do not need to be included in the reference

list. They should be cited using in -text citations. See page 16.

LEGAL MATERIAL

The APA uses the guidelines given in The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for legal citations. Because

other citation styles also make use of these guidelines, they are covered in a separate handout. Look for

the Citing Legal Material handout in the Learning Commons or on the Commons’ website in the spring of

2019.

SOURCE NOTES:

This guide is based on the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Assoc iation

(2010). It also makes use of materials accessed through MVCC library’s database subscriptions, the APA

Style Blog , Norton’s A Guide to APA Style , a sample paper from Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister’s Research

and Documentation in the Electronic Age available on Bedford St. Martin’s website, and the APA reference

guide created by Instructional Design Librarian , Jocelyn Ireland and MVCC English Instructor Kristen Raab .

Please report suggestions and corrections to Danielle Del Giudice at ddel-giudice.mvcc.edu.

This sample paper is provided as

an illustration of the formatting

and citation rules given in this

guide. It was obtained from the

Bedford/St. Martin’s website

and is the publisher’s property.

The paper was written by Luisa

Mirano, published in 2006 in a

guide written by Diana Hacker,

and later prepared according to

the 6

edition of the APA

publication manual (2010).

Note that the abstract

follows the structure of the

text and includes only the

main point of each section of

the paper. When an abstract

is required, it is commonly

written after the paper is

complete.

If you would like to read the

full paper, you can find it on

the Learning Commons’

website or on the Bedford/St

Martin’s website.

This paper is a literature review. In

this case, literature means writing

published on a particular subject.

A literature review uses summary

and synthesis to examine research

on a certain topic and can show

patterns, trends, and phenomena

that might not be apparent when

looking at individual papers or

studies.

In this case, the topic is

medications used to treat

childhood obesity and the student

is interested in recently published

material. The paper was written in

2006 and all the source material

was published in or after 2002.

The introduction to this paper

explains why the subject is

significant and worth examining.

While not appropriate for all

papers prepared according to APA

style, explaining the relevance of

the subject and value of the

examination is a common approach

to research paper introductions.

Note that this paper uses questions

as an organizational tool and states

its central finding in a thesis

statement at the end of the first

paragraph.

The first level headings used

throughout the text have helped

the writer organize her writing

and help the reader follow her

thinking.

TIP:

If you are struggling to organize

your own paper, consider whether

it might be useful to break your

research question into smaller

questions.

Note that not every sentence

includes an in-text citation. There

are two reasons for this.

1. Some sentences synthesize

information from more than one

source or comment on the studies

or subject being examined. These

sentences are the writer’s ideas

and do not require citation.

2. In some cases, the source of the

information is clear without an in-

text citation. For example,

although the authors are not

renamed, it is clear that the study

introduced on page 5 is the source

being discussed on the top of 6.

The closing of the paper, seen on

page 8, “zooms out” from the

close examination done in the

body of the essay and answers

two questions: What is the take-

away from this examination;

what do I hope my readers have

learned?

While not appropriate for all

research based writing, many

research driven essays use this

approach to conclusions.

Many studies prepared according to

APA standards follow a predictable

structure in which each section has

a specific function.

1. Introduction: Introduce s the

problem and its context. States the

expected result or hypothe sis

2. Methods: Explains how the

problem was examined or studied

3. Results: Share s what was found

during the examination

4. Discussion: Discusses strengths,

limitations, the relevance, and

practical and/or theoretical

implications of the findings

Mirano’s paper is not a study, but

she uses some elements of the

standard structure. In the last

section of her paper, she considers

the implications of what she

learned about medication used to

treat obesity in children.