AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Writing Guidelines
The American Psychological Association Publication Manual is the standard for Master's theses and Graduate Seminar papers at Concordia University Wisconsin. The following is a summary of the method of citation and reference listing used in American Psychological Association (APA) style. Students are encouraged to check the 2001 Publication Manual of the APA for specific questions not answered in these guidelines.
Title Page
The title page consists of five components: page header, the running head, the title, the author’s name, and the institution of instruction.
Page Header
“Identify each page (except art work for figures) with a running head, no more than three words from the actual title of the paper, placed in the upper right-hand corner of the title page with five spaces to the left of the page number” (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 288).
Running Head
The running head is placed one space down from the page header against the left margin. This is a shortened version of the title. It should not be more than fifty characters long. The shortened title will be typed in all capital letters. The running head will be typed exactly as seen below.
example: Running head: GENDER IN ART
The Title
The title is centered on the title page approximately two and one-half inches down from the running head or about nine spaces down.
Author’s Name
To be centered on the title page one space below the document’s title.
Institution of Instruction
The institution for which the student is writing the assigned document should be centered on the title page one space below the author’s name.
[Title page example] Gender in Art 1
Running head: GENDER IN ART
Gender in Art: Male Ignorance of Female Creativity
John Doe
Concordia University Wisconsin
The Abstract
An abstract is a short summary of a paper. Most papers submitted for publication in a journal include abstracts. Check with the instructor or supervisor to see whether an abstract is required for the paper. An APA-style abstract should not exceed 120 words. Readers should be able to understand what a paper is about just by reading the abstract. Devoted to summarizing the paper’s content, the abstract does not include an evaluation of the paper’s quality (The Writers Harbrace Handbook (2nd ed.)., 2004, p. 383).
An abstract is typed double-spaced, and the first sentence of the abstract is not indented. The abstract is a separate page of the document, therefore, it should include the header in the top right corner, and be labeled as page 2.
Reference Citations in Text
Citation of an author's work in the text documents your work, briefly identifies the source for readers, and enables readers to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the thesis, paper, or article.
One Work by a Single Author
APA uses the author-date method of citation; that is, the surname of the author and the year of publication are inserted in the text at the appropriate point:
Smith (1983) compared reaction times
In a recent study of reaction times (Smith, 1983)
"If the name of the author appears as part of the narrative, as in the first example, cite only the year of publication in parentheses. Otherwise, place both the name and the date, separated by a comma (as in the second example), in parentheses. In the rare case in which both the year and the author are given as part of the textual discussion, do not add parenthetical information" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p.207).
In 1994 Smith compared...
Within a paragraph, you need not include the year in subsequent references to a study as long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the article.
In a recent study of reaction times, Smith (1983) described the method. . . . Smith also found. . . .
One Work by Multiple Authors
When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the text. "When a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs; in subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by "et al." (not italicized and with a period after "al") and the year if it is the first citation of the reference within a paragraph" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 208).
Williams, Jones, Smith, Bradner, And Torrington (1983) found (first citation)
Williams at al. (1983) found. (subsequent first citation in a paragraph thereafter).
Williams at al. found. . . (omit year from subsequent citations after first citation within a paragraph)
''When a work has six or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by "et al." (not italicized and with a period after "al") and the year for the first and subsequent citations. In the reference list, however, provide the initials and surnames of each author" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 209).
''Join the names in a multiple-author citation in running text by the word and. In parenthetical material, in tables and captions, and in the reference list, join the names by an ampersand (&)" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 209).
as James and Ryerson (1995) demonstrated
as has been shown (James & Ryerson, 1995).
Citation of Sources
Direct quotations and paraphrases must both be documented by crediting the source of the information. For print sources give the author, year and page number in parentheses at the end of the cited information before the closing period. Include the complete publication information in the reference list. “When paraphrasing or referring to an idea contained in another work, authors are not required to provide a location reference (e. g., a page or paragraph number). Nevertheless, authors are encouraged to do so, especially when it would help an interested reader locate the relevant passage in a long or complex work.” (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 121).
Secondary source
Use the name of the actual author in your text and cite parenthetically the author of the work you actually read. Then put the source you consulted in the reference list.
Eric Crump in “Some thoughts on Michael Spooner’s Thoughts” asserted that many of the difficulties with online tutorials stem from “lack of familiarity with the technology and its culture” (as cited in Jackson, 2000).
Reference
Jackson, J. A. (2000). Interfacing the faceless: Maximizing the advantages of online tutoring. Writing Lab Newsletter 25 (2)
Citations in Text of Electronic Material
To cite a specific part of a source, indicate the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation at the appropriate point in text. Always give page numbers for quotations. Note that the words page and chapter are abbreviated in such text citations:
(Shimamura, 1989, chap. 3)
For electronic sources that do not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number, if available, preceded by the paragraph symbol or the abbreviation para. If neither paragraph nor page numbers are visible, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph following it to direct the reader to the location of the material (American Psychological Association, 2001, Electronic References, Citations in Text of Electronic Material, para. 3).
Permission to Quote
"Any direct quotation, regardless of length, must be accompanied by a reference citation that, if at all possible, includes a page number. If you quote at length from a copyrighted work in material you intend to publish, you usually also need written permission from the owner of the copyright" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, pp. 121-122).
The Reference List
Arrange entries in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author. You may single space your reference list (APA requires double-spaced reference lists). The titles of books and journals should be italicized rather than underlined. The 2001 Publication Manual of the APA made a significant change in reference listing. "APA publishes references in a hanging indent format, meaning that the first line of each reference is set flush left and subsequent lines are indented" (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 299).
Elements of a reference to a periodical
Spetch, M. L., & Palmer, D. M. (1983). Subjective shortening: A model of pigeons' memory for event duration. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 9, 14-30.
Journal article, one author
Paivio, A. (1975). Perceptual comparisons through the mind's eye. Memory & Cognition, 3, 633-647.
Journal article, two authors, journal paginated by issue
Becker, L. J., & Selligman, C. (1981). Welcome to the energy crisis. Journal of Social Issues, 37(2), 1-7.
Journal article, six or more authors
Kneip, R. C., Delamater, A. M., Ismond, T., Milford, C., Salvia, L., & Schwartz, D. (1993). Self-and spouse ratings of anger and hostility as predictors of coronary heart disease. Health Psychology, 12, 301-307.
Magazine article
Gardner, H. (1981, December). Do babies sing a universal song? Psychology Today, 70-76.
Daily newspaper article, no author
New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure. (1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.
*Alphabetize works with no author by the first significant word in the title.
Elements of a reference to an entire book
Bernstein, T. M. (1995). The careful writer: A modern guide to English usage. New York: Atheneum.
Elements of edited book
Gibbs, J. T. & Huang, L. N. (Eds.). (1991). Children of color: Psychological interventions with minority youth. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Book, no author or editor
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Selection in an edited book (English translation of selection)
Machiavelli, N. (2002) The qualities of the prince (P. Bondanella & M. Musa, Trans.). In L. A. Jacobus (Ed.), A world of ideas: Essential readings for college writers (6th ed., pp. 37-50). Boston: Bedford. (Original work published 1513)
Report Available from the Government Printing Office (GPO), government institute as group author
National Institute of Mental Health. (1990). Clinical training in serious mental illness (DHHS Publication No. ADM 901679). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Report available from the National Technical Information Service NTIS.
Osgood, D. W., & Wilson, J. X. (1990). Covariation of adolescent health problems. Lincoln: University of Nebraska. (NTIS No. PB 91-154 377/AS)
Report available from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)
Mead, J. V. (1992). Looking at old photographs: Investigating the teacher tales that novice teachers bring with them (Report No. NCRTL-RR-92-4). East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on Teacher Learning. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 346 082)
*Give the ERIC number in parentheses at the end of the entry.
Internet articles based on a print source
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.
Article in an Internet-only journal
Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html
Stand-alone document, no author identified, no date
GVU's 8th WWW user survey. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2000, from http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/usersurveys/survey1997-10
*If the author of a document is not identified, begin the reference with the title of the document
Headings
Theses, papers and articles use from one to five levels of headings. For most papers, three or four levels of heading are sufficient.
Three Levels
Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
Flush-left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading
Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
Four Levels
Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
Centered, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
Flush-Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading
Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
Five levels of heading may be required for some theses, papers or articles. Subordinate all four levels (previously described) by introducing a CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING as the first level of heading.
Quotations
Short Quotation
Quotations of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated into the text and enclosed by double quotation marks (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 117).
Long Quotations
Display quotations of 40 or more words in a freestanding block of typewritten lines, and omit the quotation marks. Start such a block quotation on a new line, and indent the block about ½ in. (1.3 cm, or five spaces) from the left margin. . . . The entire quotation should be double-spaced. (Publication Manual of the APA, 2001, p. 117)
Internet
Documenting material from Internet sources is constantly changing. Check these sites on the WWW for the latest accepted formats.
www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html#1
References
American Psychological Association. (2003). _Electronic references._
Retrieved November 4, 2005, from http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
American Psychological Association. (2001) Publication manual of the APA (5th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Sections reproduced with permission
