APA Formatting and Style Guide

The American Psychological Association (APA) citation style is the most commonly
used format for manuscripts in the social sciences.

APA regulates:
●  Stylistics
●  In-text citations
●  References

First-person pronouns rather than third-person

● ✔: “We conducted an experiment…”
● 🗶: “The authors conducted an experiment….”

Active voice when stressing the actions of the research

● ✔: “We asked participants questions.”
● 🗶: “The participants have been asked questions by the researchers.”

Passive voice when stressing the recipient or object of the action

● ✔: “The tests were inconclusive.”
● 🗶: “We found the tests inconclusive.” 

Language in an APA paper should be:

●  Clear: be specific in descriptions and explanations
● Concise: condense information when you can
● Plain: use simple, descriptive adjectives and minimize figurative language

Quantitative Articles: 
●  Report quantitative research, which uses empirical and numerical information
often analyzed through statistical means.
●  Includes:
o  Title Page
o  Abstract 
o  Introduction 
o  Method
o  Results 
o  Discussion

Qualitative Articles: 
● Report qualitative research, which uses scientific practices to learn more
about human experiences that cannot be numerically quantified.
● Includes:
o  Title Page
o  Abstract 
o  Introduction 
 o  Method
o  Findings/Results 
o  Discussion

The Literature Review: 

● Summarizes scientific literature on a particular research topic
●  While the APA Publication Manual does not require a specific order for a
literature review, a good literature review typically contains the following
components:
o  Introduction 
o  Thesis statement
o  Summary and synthesis of sources
o  List of References

If your essay is not quantitative, qualitative, or a literature review:

●  Consult the instructor
●  Consult the APA Publication Manual

Your essay should:

● Be typed
● Double-spaced
● Have 1” margins
● Use 10-12pt. Standard font (ex. Times New Roman)
● Be printed on standard-sized paper (8.5”x 11”)

Every page of your essay should include:

●  The page number in the upper right
●  If it is a professional paper: A page header (shortened title, all caps) in the
upper left-hand corner.
o Student papers do not require running headers.
Your essay should include four major sections:
● title page
● abstract
● main body
● references

Note that APA 7 has slightly different formatting rules for professional and student
papers. Professional papers are those intended for academic/commercial publication,
while student papers are those written for credit in a course.

Most of these differences extend to the title page and the running header. 
 
MAIN BODY (text)
● Number the first text page as page number 3 
● Center and bold the (full) title of the paper at the top of the page
●  Type the text double-spaced with all sections following each other without a break
●  Identify the sources you use in the paper with either narrative citations or
parenthetical, in-text citations
●  Format tables and figures

REFERENCE PAGE
● Center the title (References) at the top of the page. Bold this title.
● Double-space reference entries
● Flush left the first line of the entry and indent subsequent lines
● Order entries alphabetically by the surname of the first author of each work
● Invert authors’ names (last name first followed by initials)
● EX:“Smith, J.Q.”

● Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word
after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first
letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word.
● EX: The perfectly formatted paper: How the Purdue OWL saved my essay.
 ● Capitalize all major words in journal titles
● Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals
● Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as
journal articles or essays in edited collections

MAKING THE REFERENCE LIST

APA is a complex system of citation. When compiling the reference list, the strategy
below might be useful: 

1. Identify the type of source: 

Is it a book? A journal article? A webpage? 

2. Find a sample citation for this type of source

Check a textbook or the OWL APA Guide:
[Link]
d_style_guide/general_format.html

3. “Mirror” the sample

4. Make sure that the entries are listed in alphabetical order and that the
subsequent lines are indented (Recall References: Basics)

IN-TEXT CITATION: BASICS

In-text citations help readers locate the cited source in the References section of the
paper. In-text citations follow either a parenthetical format or a narrative format.

● A parenthetical citation includes both the author’s last name and year of
publication, separated by a comma, in parentheses at the end of the sentence. 
EX: Research suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource for
students (Atkins, 2018). 

● A narrative citation includes the author’s name directly in the sentence, with the
year of publication directly following the author’s last name.
 EX: Atkins (2018) suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource for
students.  

IN-TEXT CITATION: PAGE NUMBERS

If the source you’re citing includes page numbers, add that information to your citation.

● For a parenthetical citation, the page number follows the year of publication,
separated by a comma, and with a lowercase p and a period before the number
(p.)
EX: Research suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource for
students (Atkins, 2018, p. 12). 

● For a narrative citation, the page number comes at the end of the sentence, once
again preceded by a lowercase p and a period (p.)
EX: Atkins (2018) suggests that the Purdue OWL is a good resource for
students (p. 12).

IN-TEXT CITATION: QUOTATION

When quoting:
Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase

● If using the parenthetical citation, include the author, date of publication, and
page number at the end of the quotation. 
EX: As scientific knowledge advances, “the application of CRISPR
technology to improve human health is being explored across public and
private sectors”(Hong, 2018, p. 503). 

● If using the narrative-style citation, include the author’s last name in the signal
phrase, with the page number at the end of the quote. 
EX: Hong (2018) stated that “the application of CRISPR technology to
improve human health is being explored across public and private sectors”
(p. 503).

IN-TEXT CITATION: SUMMARY OR PARAPHRASE

Follow the same guidelines for parenthetical and narrative citations when summarizing
or paraphrasing a longer chunk of text. 

● Parenthetical citation:
 EX: In one study that consisted of 467 young adults, it was found that
social media use may not directly affect mental health; rather, it depends
on how young adults use social media (Berryman, Ferguson, & Negy,
2018).

● Narrative citation: 
EX: Berryman, Ferguson, and Negy (2018) sampled 467 young adults
about their social media use and mental health and found that social
media use     may not directly affect mental health; rather, it depends on
how young adults use social media. 

IN-TEXT CITATION: SIGNAL WORDS

● Introduce quotations with signal phrases, e.g.:

        According to Reynolds (2019), “….” (p. 3).

        Reynolds (2019) argued that“……” (p. 3).

● Use signal verbs such as:

acknowledged, contended, maintained, responded, reported, argued,
concluded, etc.

● Use the past tense or the present perfect tense of verbs in signal phrases when
they discuss past events. 

IN-TEXT CITATION: TWO OR MORE WORKS

When the parenthetical citation includes two or more works:

● Order them in the same way they appear in the reference list—the author’s
name, the year of publication—separated by a semi-colon.
EX: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet (Adams, 2018; Collins, 2017).

IN-TEXT CITATION WITH TWO AUTHORS

When citing a work with two authors: 

● In the narrative citation, use “and” in between the authors’ names
EX: According to scientists Depietri and McPhearson (2018),
“Understanding the occurrence and impacts of historical climatic hazards
is critical to better interpret current hazard trends” (p. 96).
   
● In the parenthetical citation, use “&” between names
 EX: When examining potential climate threats, “Understanding the
occurrence and impacts of historical climatic hazards is critical to better
interpret current hazard trends” (Depietri & McPhearson, 2018, p. 96). 

IN-TEXT CITATION: WORKS WITH 3+ AUTHORS

When citing a work with three or more authors: 

● list the name of the first author plus “et al.” in every citation. 
EX: Lin et al. (2019) examined how weather conditions affect the
popularity of the bikesharing program in Beijing.  

EX: One study looked at how weather conditions affected the popularity of
bike-sharing programs, specifically the Beijing Public Bikesharing Program
(Lin et al., 2019). 

IN-TEXT CITATION: UNKNOWN AUTHOR

When citing a work with an unknown author:

● Use the source’s full title in the narrative citation.
● Cite the first word of the title followed by the year of publication in the
parenthetical citation.
EX: According to “Here’s How Gardening Benefits Your Health” (2018)
EX: (“Here’s,” 2018)

Titles:
    Articles and Chapters = “ ”
    Books and Reports = italicize

IN-TEXT CITATION: GROUP AUTHORS

When citing a group author:

● Mention the organization the first time you cite the source in either the narrative
citation or the parenthetical citation.
● If you first mention the group in a narrative citation, list the abbreviation before
the year of publication in parentheses, separated by a comma.
EX: “The data collected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, 2019)
confirmed…”
● If you first mention the group in a parenthetical citation, list the abbreviation in
square brackets, followed by a comma and the year of publication.
EX: (Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2019). 
IN-TEXT CITATION: SAME LAST NAME/AUTHOR

When citing authors with the same last names:

● Use first initials with the last names.
EX: (B. Davis, 2018; Y. Davis, 2020)

When citing two or more works by the same author and published in the same year:
● Use lower-case letters (a, b, c) after the year of publication to order the
references.       
EX: Chen’s (2018a) study of bird migration…

IN-TEXT CITATION: PERSONAL COMMUNICATION

When citing personal communication (interviews, letters, e-mails, etc.):

● Include the communicator’s name, the fact that it was personal communication,
and the date of the communication. 
● Narrative citation: 
EX: B. E. Anderson (personal communication, January 8, 2020) also
claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style.
● Parenthetical citation: 
EX: One teacher mentioned that many of her students had difficulties with
APA style (Anderson, personal communication, January 8, 2020).
● Do not include personal communication in the reference list.

IN-TEXT CITATION: NO PAGE NUMBERS

When citing a text with no page numbers: parenthetical citation

● Use any of the following four methods 

1. List the heading or section name

EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body
out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, Health benefits of kale
section). 

2. List an abbreviated heading or section name in quotation marks (if the

heading is too long)
EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body
out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, “Health benefits” section). 

3. List the paragraph number

EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body
out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, para. 2). 
 4. List the heading or section name and the paragraph number
EX: One scientist noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body
out in a number of ways” (London, 2019, Health benefits of kale
section, para. 2). 

When citing a text with no page numbers: narrative citation

● Use any of the following four methods 
1. List the heading or section name
EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, Health benefits of kale section)
noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body out in a number of
ways.”

2. List an abbreviated heading or section name in quotation marks (if the

heading is too long)
EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, “Health benefits” section) noted
that “A cup full of kale can help your body out in a number of ways.”

3. List the paragraph number

EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, para. 2) noted that “A cup full of
kale can help your body out in a number of ways.”

4. List the heading or section name and the paragraph number

EX: Scientist Jaclyn London (2019, Health benefits of kale section,
para. 2) noted that “A cup full of kale can help your body out in a
number of ways.”           

HEADINGS
APA uses a system of five heading levels (taken directly from the APA Publication
Manual, 7th edition):

 
APA Headings

Leve Format
l
1 Centered, Bold, Title Case Headings
Text begins a new paragraph
2 Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading
Text begins as a new paragraph

3 Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading

Text begins as a new paragraph

4  Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text begins on
the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

5  Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending with a Period. Text begins
on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph.

Here is an example of the five-level heading system:

FIGURES

Label figures with an Arabic numeral and provide a brief but clear title. The label and
title appear on separate lines above the figure, flush-left and single-spaced. 
You might provide an additional title centered above the figure. 

Cite the source in a note below the figure.

Figure 1. 

US Primary Energy Consumption by Energy Source, 2018