APA (7th edition)

Formatting and Citation Guide

New APA guidelines permit a variety of fonts, including 11 -point Calibri, 11-point
Arial, 11-point Georgia, and 12-point Times New Roman. Whichever font you choose,
use the same font throughout your paper.
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Check your syllabus – your instructor may require a specific font (often 12-point
Times New Roman).
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Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
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Double-space all parts of the paper (including title page, main body, and references).

Running head titles are NOT

required for student papers (but
are required for publication Write the title 3-4
manuscripts). lines below the top of
---------------------------------- the page.
If you include a running head, it
should be an abridged version of
your paper title, 50 characters
or less, in ALL CAPS, and should
be the same on all pages of the Add one empty line
document. Previous editions between the title and
required "Running head:" be your name.
written on the first page, this is
no longer required.
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Include the page number on the
top right of ALL pages.
---------------------------------- Use title case (the first letter of
Make sure the page number and principal words capitalized).
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running head (if included) match
Use boldface for the title itself
the font and size of the rest of
the paper. and regular typeface for the
rest of the page.
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Title should be no longer than
12 words.
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Your title should reveal the
main argument of your paper.
-------------------------------
Do NOT use a generic title (e.g.
"Cognitive Development in
Children") or title the paper
after the assignment
Check your syllabus – your (e.g. “CHYS 2P10 Debate
instructor may ask you to Paper”).
include additional
information on the title
page (such as your
student number or your
TA's name).

This example paper does not include an Author's Note on the title page
or an Abstract on the following page, as these are often not required for
class paper assignments.
 Principles of in-text citations:

Include a citation anytime you write about information

or ideas that came from another source.
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If you use a direct quote (exact wording from a
source), always use quotation marks and include in the
in-text citation the page number in the source where
the quote can be found. Use direct quotes very
sparingly – it is usually better to paraphrase.
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Citations should always include the author(s) last
name(s) and the year of publication.
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Citations should NOT include the title of the article or
the author(s) first names/initials.
Citations for sources with multiple authors
If a source has two authors, include both author names every time you cite the source.
When you write the author names within the text, write out the word "and".
When you cite the authors inside brackets, use the "&" symbol.
Ex: Hughes and Wilkins (2002) or (Hughes & Wilkins, 2002)
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If a source has three or more authors, write only the first author's last name followed by "et al.", even the first
time you cite these authors
Always include the period after "al" --> et al. --> even when it is used mid-sentence or is followed by a comma
Ex: Martelli et al. (2009) or (Martelli et al., 2009)

Write the full title in boldface and

Do not add extra space above or
title case (exactly as it appears on
below paragraphs. Some word
the title page).
processors automatically add extra
-----------------------------------
space between paragraphs. If your
In previous editions of APA the
word processor does this, you will
title here was not in boldface –
need to remove the extra spaces.
this is a new change in the 7th
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edition.
Align main body text to the left
-----------------------------------
margin (leave the right margin
Do not write "Introduction" here –
uneven).
it is automatically assumed that
-----------------------------------
this section is your introduction.
Indent the first line of each
paragraph.

In this example, both the year and

In this example, the author and the author name are written
year are not mentioned in the text within the text of the sentence –
of the sentence – this makes it this makes it unnecessary to
necessary to include both name
include a citation in brackets at
and year in brackets at the end of the end of the sentence.
the sentence. -----------------------------------
----------------------------------- Notice that "and" between the
Put the end-of-sentence period two author names is spelled out
after the closed brackets.
when written in the text of the
----------------------------------- sentence.
Notice that the "&" symbol is
used between the two author
names when they are cited in
brackets.
In this example, only the
author name is written within the
text of the sentence – this makes
it necessary to include the year in
brackets (usually
If you are writing about a single immediately following the
source throughout several sentences author's name).
in a paragraph, it may not be
necessary to include a citation in
every sentence, as long as it is clear to
the reader that you are continuing to
talk about the same source and as
long as you do not switch to talking
about another source.

Example: "A study by Hughes and

Wilkins (2002) investigated reading
fluency and found... Furthermore, Below is the reference for the article being summarized in this paragraph. Because this article has two
their results indicated that... Given authors, the in-text citations always include the last names of both authors, plus the year of publication.
these findings, the authors proposed...
The study results also suggest..."

Notice how each sentence in the

example above indicates that it is
continuing to reference the source of
the previous sentence(s).

Note that if you continue discussing Notice that some information, such as the article title, author first and middle initials, the name of the
the source in a new paragraph, you journal, etc., is included in the reference, but NOT in the in-text citation.
must cite it again.

Students can sometimes find this

tricky, so if you have any doubt, err on
the safe side and include the citation!
 Notice how the last sentence of
the previous paragraph and the
first sentence of this paragraph
draw a connection between the
two articles being discussed. In
this case, one article leaves a
question unanswered, and the
second article answers that
question. Transition sentences like
these help create a cohesive paper
and helps writing flow more
naturally.
------------------------
Similarly, transition words within a
paragraph also help create
cohesion and flow when used well.
See the box at the bottom of this
page for examples.
Occasionally it is beneficial to use
an abbreviation or acronym for a
term that will be used frequently
in your paper. When you first use
the term, write it out in full
followed by the abbreviation or
acronym in parenthesis.
Generally, use words for numbers
below 10 (Ex: zero, nine) and
numerals for numbers 10 and
above (Ex: 16, 256)
There are many exceptions to this
rule – they are detailed on the APA
website and in the APA manual.
For quotations fewer than 40
words, use quotation marks to
indicate where the exact wording
begins and ends.
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Add the page number to the in-
text citation. For a single page use
"p.", for multiple pages use "pp."
(p. 23 or pp. 5–8)
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Put the citation in brackets after
the close quote. If the quote ends
the sentence, put the period after
the citation brackets, not inside
the quotation marks.
----------------------------------
There are different formatting
rules for quotations that are 40 or
more words, but in a typical
undergrad paper (such as the CHYS
2P10 debate paper), you should
NOT include a lengthy quotation.
Above is the reference for the article being summarized in this paragraph. Because this article
has more than two authors, the in-text citations only include the last name of the first listed
author, plus the phrase "et al." (which means "and others"), as well as the year of publication.
In this example, both the year and
the author name are written in
the text of the sentence – this
makes it unnecessary to include a
citation in brackets.
-----------------------------------
Notice there is a period (.) after
"et al" even though it is mid-
sentence and is followed by a
comma.
This example shows a citation in
brackets for a source with more
than two authors.
-----------------------------------
Notice the period (.) remains
after "et al", followed by a
comma and the year.
It is acceptable not to include the
year here because this sentence is
clearly continuing to discuss the
source cited in the previous
sentences.
APA has specific formatting
guidelines for headings and
subheadings which are described
in the manual and on the website.
This is an example of a Level 1
heading – it is centered, bold, and
in title case.
Transition Words/Phrases:
Transition words help draw connections between sentences. They have different purposes and uses. This website provides many
examples: (https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/sty le/tr ansitions/) below are some common ones:
These signal that you are adding to the previous sentence: additionally, similarly, furthermore, moreover, likewise, also
These signal you are contradicting the previous sentence: however, in contrast, on the other hand, although
These signal a logical connection or cause/effect relationship between the sentences: therefore, as a result, consequently, it follows, thus
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Some transition words work well at the start of a sentence, others work best later in the sentence. Some are versatile and can be moved
around in a sentence to add variety to your writing. Adding some variety makes your writing more pleasant to read.
Likewise, results indicated that children with dyslexia...
Results likewise indicated that children with dyslexia...
Similarly, researchers found that proficient readers were affected by...
Researchers found that proficient readers were similarly affected by...
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Note: transition words/phrases can be a very helpful tool, but make sure to use them wisely and correctly – incorrectly used transitions
will confuse the reader and too many transitions can distract or bother the reader.
 Word choice recommendations:

Common mistake: "This article talked about..."

Instead of referring to the article, refer to the authors/researchers or the study/experiment

Instead of talked about, use one of these terms: discussed, investigated, explored, argued, proposed, presented

Example: "In their study, Hughes and Wilkins (2002) explored..."

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Common mistake: "These results prove..."

The word prove is generally considered too strong for describing results from a single study, especially in areas where there is
scholarly disagreement (such as the topics of CHYS 2P10 debate papers). Instead of prove, consider using a less definitive term
such as: suggest, indicate, reveal, support , provide evidence for

Tips for summarizing an article

(without plagiarizing!):

1. Read the article once all the

way through without stopping
(this will help you understand the
big picture).
---------------------------------------
This is an example of a Level 2. Reread the article, focusing on
2 heading (a subheading under a understanding the details
Level 1 heading) – it is flush left, (highlight important terms,
bold, and in title case. underline key phrases/sentences,
inspect tables and figures).
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3. Reread a third time, this time
stop at the end of each section
and write down key ideas from
memory – do NOT write down
exact wording from the article.
You may want to reread some
important sections (such as
results and discussion) multiple
times to make sure you really
understand the key takeaways.
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4. Set the article aside and work
from your notes to describe the
main arguments and findings of
the article in your own words.
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5. Compare your summary to the
article and double check that
there are no places where your
wording is too close. Change your
wording if needed.
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6. Insert citations.
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Note: remember you
are summarizing the article for
the purpose of supporting your
paper's overall argument. In
addition to summarizing, describe
clearly how the findings in the
article support your overall
argument.

Helpful APA Resources:

The most thorough and accurate resource is the APA manual itself – copies of the 7th edition are available for reserve at the library
on campus.

The APA Style website is an official site run by the APA (the creators of the manual) and is a very helpful source that covers the
most common topics/questions https://apastyle.apa.org/

CHYS doctoral student and TA Sandra Kroeker created a website with an APA guide for first year students. It is an excellent
resource for anyone writing a paper in APA (no matter what year) and is updated for the new 7th edition guidelines. Her sampl e
paper provides great advice https://newowlpurdue.webs.co m/
 The heading "References" is centered and in boldface.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do not write "Works Cited" or "Bibliography".
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List references in alphabetical order.
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Every source cited in the paper should be listed in the references – and every
source listed in the references should be cited in the paper.

List authors in the order they

appear on the publication. For an article in a journal:
-----------------------------------
List author last name + comma Write the full name of article in
+ first initial + period + middle sentence case, followed by a
initial (if present) + period + period.
comma. -----------------------------------
----------------------------------- Write the name of the journal
Insert an "&" symbol before the italicized and in title case,
last name of the last author. followed by a comma.
Do not insert a comma after the -----------------------------------
initials of the last author. Write the journal volume
----------------------------------- number italicized, then the issue
Put the publication year in number non-italicized in brackets,
brackets, followed by a period. followed by a comma.
-----------------------------------
Write the page number range,
followed by a period.
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Write the DOI in URL form.
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See the boxes below for advice on
how and where to find the
necessary information for your
references page.

Above is a screenshot of the top part of the first page in the Hughes and Wilkins article.
Notice how most of the information needed for the reference can be found here. Newer
articles typically also have the DOI listed on the first page. For older articles, like this one, you
will need to look for the DOI elsewhere.

If the DOI is not listed on the first page of the article document, try navigating
to the online version of the article through the Brock library search tool.
Notice how the DOI (in URL form) is clearly listed here on the online version
Most information necessary for the reference can also be found in the search of the article. This is what you will include at the end of the reference.
results when you use the Brock library online search tool. See how the
information below matches the information listed in the reference.