APA Formatting Template Instructions & Checklist

APA 6th Edition Template Tutorials The tutorial links below created by the DMACC Urban Library will demonstrate how to use the APA 6th Edition Template effectively.

In-Text Citations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OzmMYW8Myo

Reference List: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgqkMct5iFI

For the Title Page all you need to do with the Template is double-click on the placeholders and type your information. The Template will keep the integrity of APA formatting while using the information you provide for your paper.

Title Page ☐ Labeled as first page of manuscript

☐ Only page where term: ‘Running head’ is used.

☐ Running head all caps; 50 letters or less including spaces and punctuation

☐ Bylines: centered; located in upper half of page; double spaced; upper and lower case lettering; no credentials

Introduction Paragraph ☐ All scholarly manuscripts, no matter how short, open with an introduction

☐ No heading label for Introduction because it is clearly identified by its position in the manuscript

☐ Expresses intent and importance of manuscript to reader; informs reader of what to expect in the body of the paper

☐ Use definitions from professional literature (with appropriate citations). Dictionary definitions are not usually acceptable.

☐ Do not pose questions. Instead, make statements.

☐ Appropriate length of the introduction for a 4-6 page paper is approximately ½-¾ of a page (1 paragraph). One short paragraph of only a few sentences is insufficient for a scholarly paper

Body of Paper ☐ Header at top left margin of each page (do not include words: Running head) ☐ Utilizes level one headings to organize content for reader

☐ Level one heading centered, bold, upper and lower case lettering

☐ Short phrases that describe the main divisions of the manuscript

Conclusion ☐ Requires heading label: centered, bold, upper and lower case lettering

☐ Includes no new information; no citations

☐ Brief summary of content presented in manuscript

Citations ☐ Give proper credit to the author whose idea is being paraphrased or quoted in the body of the manuscript. Avoid the possibility of plagiarism.

☐ For every citation there must be a corresponding Reference listing

☐ Paraphrased: using the idea of the author and restating it in your own words. Changing a word or two per phrase is not enough. Read the paragraph, think about the authors’ meaning, and then restate it in your own words without adding ideas. Quotations marks are NOT required. Citations are formatted in Author, Year format. This can be as part of a sentence: James and Williams (2011) reported that…. This could also be done at the end of the sentence in parentheses: …these results (James & Williams, 2011). ☐ Direct quotes: Quotations are used only when the author’s words are so profound that to change them would significantly change the meaning or impact of the statement. There should be a few short quotations with proper citations in most short manuscripts. On the other hand there may be more paraphrased with proper citations. Typically no more than 10% of a paper should be direct quotes. ☐ Double quotation marks are used at the beginning and end of the exact words and punctuation copied from a source into a paper. Author(s), year, and page number (or paragraph number if page number is not available) are needed in citations for direct quotations. For example, James and Williams (2011, p. 21) reported “that in the final analysis…..” An alternative format is: “…according to prior documentation…” (James & Williams, 2011, p. 21).

Different formatting for quotes greater than 40 words and quotes less than 40 words

☐ Secondary source: Secondary sources are to be used sparingly. If you read an article by James and Williams who cited and idea of Phillips, you would format this as: Phillips (as cited by James & Williams, 2011), suggests that… You would then include the source by James and Williams in the Reference list.

Reference list ☐ Sources are alphabetized by the last name of the first author listed on each source. Do NOT alphabetize authors within the same source.

☐ Every reference entry must have at least one citation in the body of the paper.

☐ For books, the title of the book is italicized. For journal articles, the journal (periodical) name and volume number are italicized; but NOT the title of the article.

☐ Authors' names are inverted (last name first); give the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work for up to and including seven authors. If the work has more than seven authors, list the first six authors and then use ellipses after the sixth author's name. No credentials or titles

☐ Title of an article: Uppercase letters are used for the first letter of the first word of the title and subtitle (if any), plus the first letter of proper nouns and names

☐ Capitalize all major words in journal titles.

☐ Hanging indentation

☐ Double spaced throughout

Miscellaneous ☐ Use of abbreviations: use sparingly; a term to be abbreviated must, on its first appearance, be written out completely and followed immediately by its abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, use the abbreviation in text without further explanation.

☐ Use of third person: this author, the writer, that trial, the participants. I, me, we, us, and you are all first and second person and should be avoided in most manuscript content

☐ Use of et al. exception to abbreviation rule; used in reference list and in text; means and others; the al. is always followed by a period

☐ Use of ‘and’ and ‘&’: precede final name in a multiple-author citation in running text by the word and. In parenthetical material and in the Reference list, join the names by an ampersand (&).

☐ Use of numbers: use numbers to express numbers 10 and above; use words to express numbers below 10 ☐ Entire manuscript: double spaced Margins: 1” Font: Times New Roman Type size: 12 point

☐ Avoid use of contractions

☐ Pages numbered consecutively using only numerals, beginning with Title Page; upper right

☐ Grammar: check for *verbs of active voice not passive, *subject and verb agreement, *pronouns that agree with antecedent in number and gender, *misplaced and dangling modifiers, *parallel construction, * punctuation, *syntax, *spelling

☐ Avoid using sources from Wikipedia or standard dictionaries. Citations should come from professional peer-reviewed journals and most sources should be <5 years old.