APA Style Citation and Documentation
JJ Clark,Professional Writing Consultant
Agenda
• General Ideas• Basic Formatting• Principles of Citation• In-Text Citations• Reference List• Visual Elements and Appendices
General Ideas
• American Psychology Association• Developed to standardize scientific writing• Concerned with relevant and recent data• Focused on dates and titles instead of the
author• Emphasizes your own words and ideas
– Prefers paraphrase to quotation
Fields of Study
• Architecture and Design• Business• Communication• Computer Sciences• Economics• Linguistics
• Nursing• Philosophy• Psychology• Political Science• Public Administration• Sociology
Basic Formatting in APA
Basic Formatting in APA
• Use 1” margins all around• Double-space the entire paper• Use a 11 or 12 point serif font for text
– Times New Roman or Cambria• Use a sans-serif font for figure labels
– Arial or Calibri• Align all paragraphs to the left
– Indent the first line of each paragraph (except the abstract which is not indented.
Title Page• Running head: includes a shortened title or
assignment description – Use in the header of every page – The words RUNNING HEAD will only appear on
the title page
• Center full title of the paper, your name, and your institutional affiliation near top half of page
• If instructor requests, add class information, instructor’s name, and date centered at bottom
Abstract• If your paper requires an abstract, this will be the first page
after the title page• Center ABSTRACT at the top of the page• The words RUNNING HEAD do not appear, but the
shortened title does• Give a brief summation (between 250 and 500 words) of the
focus, major research, methods, and findings of your paper• The abstract is a single paragraph, double spaced, and
begins at the top of the page– Remember, the first line of the abstract is not indented, unlike
all other paragraphs
First Page• Center the full title at top of page, whether you
have an abstract or not• Do not write INTRODUCTION unless specifically
required by your instructor• Begin section headings on this page if
appropriate– Refer to the APA Style Guide, 6th Edition, for the
formatting of different heading levels
Principles of CitationUsing paraphrasing and quotations
Paraphrasing• Putting someone else’s ideas and words into your own
words– Demonstrates your knowledge of the material– Maintains clarity when synthesizing sources (using
quotations with numerous sources can get messy and hard to read)
– Promotes synthesis between many sources and your own work
• Most of the cited information in a paper should be paraphrased
• Page numbers are not required for paraphrasing – Encouraged only for long, complex, or highly specific works
Direct Quotations• Using the exact words of the author• Direct quote only if exact wording is needed as a means
of comparison or critique of the primary source– Nightingale (1860) defined nursing over 100 years ago as
"the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” (p. 17). Nightingale considered a clean, well-ventilated, and quiet environment essential for recovery. Often considered the first nurse theorist, Nightingale raised the status of nursing through education (Jones, 1956). Nurses were no longer untrained housekeepers but people educated in the care of the sick.
Block Quotes• Put quotations of 40 words or over in block
quotes• Indent all lines of block quote by one inch• Double space all lines in the block quote• Provide page number(s) at the end of the citation• Do not use quotation marks
In-Text Citations
Authors and types of sources
Paraphrase• Cite all works you reference in the paper• APA style uses the author-date citation system
– Place the name followed by the year at the beginning of the sentence
• Doe (2007) found that rats cannot vomit.
– Place the name and year in a parenthetical citation at the end of the sentence
• A recent study of rats found that they cannot vomit (Doe, 2007).
Direct Quotations• Page numbers are required for each direct quote
citation– Use “p.” for a single page
• Doe (2011) found that “rain water can contain radioactive toxins” (p. 7).
• Moreover, “rain water can contain radioactive toxins” (Doe, 2007, p. 7).
– Use “pp.” for multiple pages• (Doe, 2007, pp. 21–22)
Citing Two Authors• For two authors, cite the last names of both
authors each time the source is used– Doe and Koenig (2007) note that modern
Western political idealism has its basis in the writings of Immanuel Kant.
– Modern Western political idealism has its basis in the writings of Immanuel Kant (Doe & Koenig, 2007).
Citing Three to Five Authors• Cite the last names of all authors the first time it is used
– Doe, Koenig, and Porpora (1998) note that constructivism is becoming a more popular theory in political science.
– Constructivism is becoming a more popular theory in political science (Doe, Koenig, & Porpora, 1998)
• For all citations afterward, use “et al.”– Doe et al. (1998) found that most political scientists
prefer synthesizing political theories.– Most political scientists prefer synthesizing political
theories (Doe et al., 1998)
Citing Six or More Authors• Cite only the first author followed by “et al.” for
each citation– Mearsheimer et al. (2008) assert that neo-
realism as a theoretical paradigm is experiencing a backlash.
– Neo-realism as a theoretical paradigm is experiencing a backlash (Mearsheimer et al., 2008).
Authors with Multiple Works• For authors with multiple works published in the
same year you have to begin with your references page citation
• On the references page, alphabetize the sources based upon the title of the work and assign a lowercase letter for each source
• Doe (2008a) notes that Egyptian death rituals were highly complex. In the case of Tutankhamen, the boy pharaoh was adorned in a highly ritualized fashion with precious metals and jewelry (Doe, 2008b).
Electronic Sources• Electronic sources are cited in the same fashion
as print sources– Never put a website URL in an in-text citation
• When using an online source, you will need– Name of the author (person or organization)
• If an author is not identified, use the name of the article
– Year of publication– Section of internet document– Paragraph number
Electronic Sources• Using the section or paragraph number of an
electronic source– Dolce and Gabanna had to change their 2004–
2005 advertising campaign after the “profuse level of complaints from consumers” (Herneckli, 2006, Trends section, para. 3).
– Prada was “favored 7/10 over Oakley” (Herneckli, 2005, para. 5).
Reference List
Citing sources in the References pages
Reference List• References begin on a new page after the last
page of your paper– Include all the research you referenced
• Arrange alphabetically by author (person or organization)– Use a hanging indent for each entry
• Do not divide your sources based upon type or category
Reference List• Author(s) name(s)
– Last name first, then first/middle initial– For sources without named authors, use the first letter of
the title
• Publication date in parenthesis• Title of the work (do not use italics or quotation marks)
• Publication data – Journal titles in italics (but not volume or issue number)– Book titles in italics
• Include page numbers if did not reference entire book• Include publication location and publisher.
Basic Print Sources• Journal article
Doe, J. (2001). Realism: An examination of its efficacy. Journal of International Relations, 82(5), 19–27.
• Journal article from author with multiple publications Doe, J. (2008a). Egyptian death rituals. Journal of Egyptian
History, 9(2), 90–123.
• BookDoe, J. (2001). Egyptian death rituals and their historical
significance. Cairo: National Publishing.
Basic Electronic Sources• Whole website
National Kleptomaniacs Association [NKA]. (2008). Who has time to buy anything? Retrieved from from
http://kleptomaniacal.org/stealing
• Section of a websiteNational Kleptomaniacs Association [NKA]. (2008).Why
stealing isn’t stealing. In Who has time to buy anything?
Retrieved from http://kleptomaniacal.org/stealing
Visual Elements and Appendices
Using Visual Elements• APA typically requires figures, graphs, tables,
charts, and photographs to be placed in an Appendix after the References List– Check with your instructor if this info should
appear in the body of the paper
• You must distinguish between visuals you created and those borrowed from an outside source
Visuals from Outside Sources• You must include a source note below the
element that includes the title, author, date, publication, pub. info, page number, and copyright
Note. From “Title of Article,” by J. Doe and J. Horrocks, 2008, Journal of Ethology Studies , 50(6), p. 92. Copyright 2008 by Name of Copyright Holder.
Visuals You Created• Label (Graph 1, Graph 2, Table 1, etc.) and
refer to them in the paper– As shown in Table 8, most respondents
indicated a preference for Prada.
• Your own visuals will not include source notes
Other Resources
• APA Manual, 6th Edition• Our very own Writing Center APA style handouts
(available on our website and in the Center on campus)
http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/CLAS/
Centers/writing/resources/Pages/guides.aspx
Review
• General Ideas– Field specific citation style
• Basic Formatting– Title page, major sections, and formatting for subsections
• Principles of Citation– Author-year system that prefers paraphrasing
• Reference List– Use our handout or the APA manual for specific concerns
• Visual Elements and Appendices– Label correctly and use source notes for outside sources
The Writing Center
• For more information please visit us:– Denver Campus, North Classroom Building– Anschutz Medical Campus, Health Sciences
Library– Campus Village Apartments, North 3rd Floor
Common Room– Synchronous Online Consultations– http://writingcenter.ucdenver.edu