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This resource was written by David Neyhart and Erin Karper. Additional material by Kristen Seas. Last full revision by Jodi Wagner and Kristen Seas. Last edited by Dana Lynn Driscoll on June 6th 2007 at 2:25PM

Summary: APA (American Psychological Association) is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 5th edition of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.

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Jump to listing of all of this resource's sections General Format

General APA Guidelines

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5 X 11 inches) with margins of 1 inch on all sides. Your final essay should include, in the order indicated below, as many of the following sections as are applicable, each of which should begin on a separate page:

Title page: includes a running head for publication, title, and byline and affiliation. SEE BELOW Image Caption: Sample APA title page; running head and page number in upper right- hand corner, definition of running head IN ALL CAPS, and vertically and horizontally centers the title of the paper, its author and her affiliation to the page.

Page numbers and running head: in the upper right-hand corner of each page, include a 1-2 word version of your title. Follow with five spaces and then the page number.

Abstract: If your instructor requires an abstract, write a 75-100 word overview of your essay, which should include your main idea and your major points. You also may want to mention any implications of your research. Place the abstract on its own page immediately after the title page. Center the word Abstract and then follow with the paragraph.

Headings: Although not absolutely necessary, headings can be helpful. For undergraduate papers, only one level of heading is necessary. Major headings should be centered. Capitalize every word in the heading except articles (a, the), short prepositions (in, by, for), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or).

Visuals: Visuals such as tables and figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs. Try to keep the visuals as simple as possible and clearly label each visual with an Arabic numeral (ex: Table 1, Table 2, etc.) and include the title of the visual. The label and the title should appear on separate lines above the table, flush left. Below the table, provide the source. A sample Figure treatment is shown below.

Image Caption: A sample figure and caption in APA style.

List of References: Create your list of references on its own page after the last page of your text. Center the title References one inch from the top of the page. Double space. Alphabetize the list of references by the last name of the authors. If the work has no author or editor, alphabetize the work by the first word of the title (excluding A, An, or The). For more information about formatting an APA style paper, consult the publication manual, visit APA Style Essentials, or view a Sample APA Report or an APA Simulated Journal Article. Annotated bibliography writers might want to visit APA Format for Annotated Bibliographies. (Additional formatting resources, including Microsoft Word templates, are available in our Additional Resources section.)

All Sections in APA Formatting and Style Guide:

1. General Format 2. In-Text Citations: The Basics 3. In-Text Citations: Author/Authors 4. Footnotes and Endnotes 5. Reference List: Basic Rules 6. Reference List: Author/Authors 7. Reference List: Articles in Periodicals 8. Reference List: Books 9. Reference List: Other Print Sources 10. Reference List: Electronic Sources 11. Reference List: Other Non-Print Sources 12. Additional Resources 13. Types of APA Papers 14. APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias 15. APA Stylistics: Basics Legal Information

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Copyright ©1995-2007 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Please report any technical problems you encounter. APA Citation Style Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition Follow these color codes: Author(s) Date Title of Book Title of Article Title of Periodical Volume Pages Place of Publication Publisher Other Information

Journal or Magazine Article (use for journals that start each issue with page one)

Wilcox, R. V. (1991). Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star trek: The next generation. Studies in Popular Culture, 13(2), 53-65.

Journal or Magazine Article (use for journals where the page numbering continues from issue to issue)

Dubeck, L. (1990). Science fiction aids science teaching. Physics Teacher, 28, 316-318.

Newspaper Article

Di Rado, A. (1995, March 15). Trekking through college: Classes explore modern society using the world of Star trek. Los Angeles Times, p. A3.

Article from an Internet Database (for more details, see the American Psychological Association's official site)

Mershon, D. H. (1998, November-December). Star trek on the brain: Alien minds, human minds. American Scientist, 86, 585. Retrieved July 29, 1999, from Expanded Academic ASAP database. Book

Okuda, M., & Okuda, D. (1993). Star trek chronology: The history of the future. New York: Pocket Books.

Book Article or Chapter

James, N. E. (1988). Two sides of paradise: The Eden myth according to Kirk and Spock. In D. Palumbo (Ed.), Spectrum of the fantastic (pp. 219-223). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

Encyclopedia Article

Sturgeon, T. (1995). Science fiction. In The encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 24, pp. 390-392). Danbury, CT: Grolier.

ERIC Document

Fuss-Reineck, M. (1993). Sibling communication in Star trek: The next generation: Conflicts between brothers. Miami, FL: Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 364932)

Website (for more details, see the American Psychological Association's official site)

Lynch, T. (1996). DS9 trials and tribble-ations review. Retrieved October 8, 1997, from Psi Phi: Bradley's Science Fiction Club Web site: http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/ 503r.html

. If you are using the style for Copy Manuscripts, doublespace all lines. If you are using the style for Final Manuscripts, singlespace all lines and skip a line in between each reference. Ask your professor which style to follow. . Arrange the items on your reference list alphabetically by author, interfiling books, articles, etc. . Indent the second and following lines 5 to 7 spaces or one half inch. . Use only the initials of the authors' first (and middle) names. . If no author is given, start with the title and then the date. . Article titles and book titles: capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle. (Capitalize all significant words of periodical titles.) . If you are using a typewriter that cannot produce italics, then use underlining instead. . Magazine articles: include the month (and day) as shown under Newspapers. . Websites: if the date the page was created is not given, use (n.d.). . The rules concerning a title within a title are not displayed here for purposes of clarity. See the printed version of the manual for details. . Our website also has guide to APA citation style that's tailored for business sources. . For documents and situations not listed here, see the printed version of the manual. . Other Styles

Robert Delaney, 8/6/07 [email protected]