APA Basic Formatting Changes to 6Th Edition

APA Basic Formatting Changes to 6th edition 1

Areas of Change, in 6th edition Typeface  Preferred typeface is 12-pt Times New Roman Order of the Manuscript Pages  Title page includes five elements: title, running head, author byline, institutional affiliation and author note (identify title page with the page number 1).  Abstract (separate page, numbered page 2)  Text (start on a separate page, numbered page 3)  References (start on a separate page)  Tables (start each on a separate page)  Figures (start each on a separate page; include caption on page with figure)  Appendixes (start each on a separate page) Running head  Abbreviated title printed at the top of the pages of a manuscript.  Maximum of 50 characters, counting letters, punctuation and spaces between words.  Should appear flush left in all uppercase letters at the top of the title page and all subsequent pages.  DOES NOT include the words “Running head” themselves (the sample paper in the 6th edition is erroneous). Author Note  Place the author note on the title page, below the title, byline, and affiliation.  Center the label Author Note.  Start each paragraph of the note with an indent (the sample paper in the 6th edition appears erroneous), and type separate paragraphs for the authors’ names and current affiliations, changes in affiliations, acknowledgments and special circumstances, if any, regarding the study, and the author’s address for correspondence. Abstract  Word limits vary from journal to journal and typically range from 150 to 250 words.  Begin the abstract on a new page and identify it with the running head or abbreviated title and the page number 2.  The label Abstract should appear in uppercase and lower case letters, centered, at the top of the page.  Type the abstract itself as a single paragraph without paragraph indentation. Footnotes  Place each content or copyright permission footnote at the bottom of the page on which it is discussed.  Footnotes may alternatively be placed in consecutive order on a separate page after the references. Page Numbers and Manuscript Page Headers  After the manuscript pages are arranged in the correct order, number them consecutively beginning with the title page.  Identify each manuscript page with the running head along with the page number. Headings  Articles in APA journals use from one to five levels of headings.  Table 3.1 in manual provides the following guidelines: Level of Format Heading 1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading 2 Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading 3 Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. 4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. 5 Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. APA Basic Formatting Changes to 6th edition 2

Spacing and Punctuation  Insert one space after: ◦ commas, colons, and semicolons; ◦ periods that separate parts of a reference citation; and ◦ After the periods of the initials in personal names (e.g., J. R. Zhang).  DO NOT space after internal periods in abbreviations (e.g., a.m., i.e., U.S.) or around colons in ratios.  SPACE TWICE after punctuation marks at the end of a sentence. Numbers Expressed in Figures  All numbers 10 and above.  All numbers in the abstract of a paper or in a graphical display within a paper.  Numbers that immediately precede a unit of measurement.  Numbers that represent statistical or mathematical functions, fractional or decimal quantities, percentages, ratios, and percentiles and quartiles.  Numbers that represent time; dates; ages; scores and points on a scale; exact sums of money; and numerals as numerals.  Numbers that denote a specific place in a numbered series, parts of books and tables, and each number in list of four or more numbers.  **Note: 5th edition used to allow numbers below 10 to be expressed as figures if they were grouped for comparison with numbers 10 and above. This is no longer the case (e.g., “there were five males and 24 females” would be the correct way according to 6th edition).

Numbers Expressed in Words  Numbers below 10.  Any number that begins a sentence, title, or text heading. (Whenever possible, reword the sentence to avoid beginning with a number.)  Common fractions  Universally accepted usage (e.g., the Twelve Apostles). Title Page  Title page includes five elements: title, running head, author byline, institutional affiliation and author note.  Running head for publication (see section on running head)  Title ◦ A title should be fully explanatory when standing alone. ◦ Type in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered between the left and right margins and positioned in the upper half of the page. ◦ The recommended length for a title is no more than 12 words.  Byline and institutional affiliation ◦ Type the names of the authors in order of their contributions using uppercase and lowercase letters, centered between the side margins, one double-spaced line below the title. ◦ Type the institutional affiliation centered under the author’s name, on the next double-spaced line. ◦ Examples of variations in Table 2.1  Author Note (see additional information in section on author note) ◦ First paragraph – complete departmental affiliation ◦ Second paragraph – changes of affiliation (if any) ◦ Third paragraph – Acknowledgments, special circumstances ◦ Fourth paragraph – Person to contact

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.