CS 050 APA First Level Guide

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CS 050: An Introduction to APA
Written by Confederation College Communications Faculty.

Copyright © 2023
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Contents
APA Title Page................................................................................................................................... 4
How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Office 365............................................................ 5
How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Word ................................................................... 7
APA Title Page Exemplar............................................................................................................. 11
How to Insert Borrowed Information into an Academic Paper ..................................................... 12
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 12
Paraphrase.................................................................................................................................. 13
Direct Quotation......................................................................................................................... 14
In-Text Citations.............................................................................................................................. 16
Definition .................................................................................................................................... 16
Types of In-Text Citations ........................................................................................................... 16
Parenthetical in-text Citations .................................................................................................... 16
Narrative In-Text Citations .......................................................................................................... 16
In-Text Citation Basic Rules ........................................................................................................ 17
In-Text Citations: Format Requirements .................................................................................... 18
Author .................................................................................................................................... 18
Date ........................................................................................................................................ 20
Location .................................................................................................................................. 21
Reference Entries ........................................................................................................................... 24
Types of Reference Entries ......................................................................................................... 24
Reference Entries Basic Rules .................................................................................................... 24
Journal Article ............................................................................................................................ 25
Reference Entries Broken Down..................................................................................................... 26
Author ........................................................................................................................................ 26
Date ............................................................................................................................................ 27
Article Title ................................................................................................................................. 29
Publishing Information ............................................................................................................... 30
URL / DOI .................................................................................................................................... 32
Formatting the References Page .................................................................................................... 34
APA References Page .................................................................................................................. 34
How to Create a References Page in Microsoft Word 365 ......................................................... 35
How to Create a References Page in Microsoft Word ................................................................ 38
References Page Exemplar ......................................................................................................... 43
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Quick Referencing and In-Text Citation Guide ............................................................................... 44

Article from a Website: 1 Author ............................................................................................... 44
Article from a Website: 2 Authors .............................................................................................. 44
Article from a Website: 3 or more Authors ................................................................................ 45
Article from a Website: Corporate Author ................................................................................. 46
Article from a Website: Group Author ....................................................................................... 46
Article from a Website: No Known Date .................................................................................... 47
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 1 Author ....................................................................... 47
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 2 Authors...................................................................... 48
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 3 or More Authors ....................................................... 48
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APA Title Page

Every academic assignment must have an APA title page as the first page of the assignment.
Click here to watch a step-by-step instructional video on how to format an APA title page in
Office 365. Click here to watch a step-by-step instructional video on how to format an APA title
page in Microsoft Word. You can also follow the step-by-step writing instructions in Tables 1 &
2.
APA Title Page Formatting

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How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Office 365

Table 1
1. Click the “Home”
tab. 2
2. Click the “…” button.
3. Click “2” to double
space the page. 1
4. Click “Remove Space
After Paragraph”.
3
1. Click the “Insert” 3

tab. 2
2. Click the “Page
Numbers” button.
3. Click the image 1
where the #1 is in
the top right corner
of the page.
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1. Double click on the

grey portion of the
screen to get out of
the header area.
1. Press “Enter” twice.

2. Click the Home Tab. 3
3. Click the “B” button
to bold the font. 1
2
4. Write the title of the
assignment, in Title 4
case. 5
Press “Enter” twice.
5.
1. Write your name

and press “Enter”
once.
2. Write the Course
Code, followed by
a colon. Then,
write the name of
the class, in Title 1
Case and press 2
“Enter” once. 3
4
3. Write the
Professor’s Name
and press “Enter”
once.
4. Write the Date in
Month Date, Year
format and press
enter once.
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5. On the first line of

the second page,
1
click the “B” button
2
and write the title of
the assignment, in
title case.
6. Press “Enter”, left
align the font, press
“Tab”, and begin
writing your paper.
How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Word

Table 2
1. A) Click the “Insert” tab.
B) Click the “Page
Number” drop down B
menu. C
C) Hold your mouse
over the “Top of the
A
Page”.
D) Click the “Plain
Number 3” option.
D
2. A) Double click under

the “Header” area to
access the first line of
the title page.
A
3. A) Click the “Home” tab.

B) Click the “No Spacing”
button.
A
B
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4. A) Click the “Home” tab.

B) Click the “Spacing”
button. B
C) Select the 2.0 line
spacing option.
C
A
5. From the first line of the

document, press the A
“Enter” key on your
keyboard two times
A) Click the “Home”
tab.
B) Click the “Bold” B C
button. D
C) Click the “Centre”
button.
D) In title case (see
definitions page),
type in the title of
your assignment.
6. From the title line, press

the “Enter” key on your
keyboard two times .
A) Click the “Bold” button
to remove the bold font.
Type your first name and
last name, as it appears A
on your Confederation
College registration
documents. If this is a
group assignment, type
all group members’
names. Use a comma to
separate each name.
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7. Press the “Enter” key on

your keyboard once
from the author line.
A) Type in the course
information in the
following format:
Course Code Section
Number: Course A
Name

your keyboard one time
from the course line.
A) Type in your course
instructor’s
preferred name.

your keyboard one time
from the professor line.
A) Type in the due date
of the assignment in
the following
format: month date,
year.
A
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10. With your cursor placed

at the end of the date
line, do the following: A
A) Click the “Insert”
tab. B
B) Press the “Page
Break” button. This
will bring you to the
first line of the
second page of your
assignment file.
11. FOR ESSAYS ONLY: On A

the first line of the
second page, do the C
following:
A) Click the “Home”
tab.
B D
B) Click the “Bold” E
button
C) Click the “Centre”
button.
D) Type in the title of
the assignment.
E) Press the “Enter”
key on your
keyboard once, left
align the text, and
begin typing your
assignment.
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APA Title Page Exemplar

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How to Insert Borrowed Information into an Academic Paper

There are three ways to insert borrowed information into an academic paper: summary,
paraphrase, and direct quote.
Summary
Definition
A summary is a brief recap of general points of information that is made in a source, written in
your own words. A written summary can summarize an entire source, like an article, or merely
part of a source, like a few paragraphs of an article. To write an effective summary, students
should answer the question, “what is this source (or this part of the source) about?” and “what
point is the author trying to make?”.
Summary APA Requirements

When you summarize, you must include an in-text citation, which indicates that you have
borrowed the information in the summary from a separate source. While formatting in-text
citations is covered in the In-Text Citation chapter of this guide, it is important to note that an
in-text citation for a summary only includes the author of the source and the year of the source;
page numbers and paragraph numbers are not included in the in-text citation because a
summary can provide an overview an entire source, including all pages or paragraphs.
How to Summarize Effectively

When summarizing a source (or a part of the source), follow these best-practice steps:
1. Begin with the author(s)’s surname(s)
a. Jones
2. Input the year the source was published within round brackets, immediately after the
author’s surname
a. Jones (2023)
3. Insert a past-tense verb that indicates how the author relayed the information in the
source text (ex. claimed, stated, said, etc.)
a. Jones (2023) claimed
4. Immediately after the past-tense verb, write down your answer to the following
question: what is this source about?
a. Jones (2023) claimed + This source is about staffing shortages in rural area
Ontario hospitals are causing some Emergency departments in rural hospitals to
close. Despite programs aimed at recruitment, training, and retaining staff, many
rural hospitals have needed to close for days at a time due to a shortage of staff.
5. Remove “this source is about” from your answer and replace it with connective
grammatical functions, immediately after the past-tense verb.
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a. Jones (2023) claimed that there are This source is about staffing shortages in
rural area Ontario hospitals are causing some Emergency departments in rural
hospitals to close, and despite incentive programs aimed at recruitment, training,
and retaining staff, many rural hospitals have needed to close for days at a time
due to a staffing shortage.
If you need assistance with summarizing, please go to Confederation College’s Writing Centre
for extra assistance.
Paraphrase
Definition
A paraphrase is used to relay specific information presented in a source, with the intention to
keep the general sense of the original work. While specific, borrowed facts are used in a
paraphrase, you must write those facts in your words, and in your own sentence structure.
Merely replacing words in a sentence is not paraphrasing; that is patch writing, which is
considered plagiarism. Paraphrasing is the expected primary form of relaying borrowed
information from a source; a paraphrase highlights your ability to understand the original text,
and it keeps the tone of writing consistent with your voice.
Paraphrase APA Requirements

When you paraphrase, you must include an in-text citation after each paraphrased sentence.
While formatting in-text citations is covered in the In-Text Citation chapter of this guide, it is
important to note that an in-text citation for a paraphrase, whether in the narrative or
parenthetical form, must include the author(s)’s surname, the year the source was published,
and the page or paragraph number(s) that the paraphrased information came from. Without an
in-text citation after each sentence, you would be plagiarizing by not giving credit to the original
author for their research and ideas.
How to Paraphrase Effectively

When paraphrasing from a source, follow these best practice steps:
1. Read through the entire source to get the overall feeling of the source.
2. Go back through the source and highlight information that you would like to paraphrase
and insert into your academic paper.
3. Locate the page number or paragraph number that the information used in your
paraphrase was published on.
a. If the original source does not have page numbers, you must count the
paragraph numbers to ensure you accurately relay the location of the borrowed
information. So, the first paragraph of the source would be paragraph one, the
second paragraph of the source would be paragraph two, and so on.
4. Create a 2-3 word bulleted list that accurately conveys the information from the source.
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a. It is important to remember that you do not want to copy sentence structures

directly from the source! Only use one – to – three words in your bulleted list
5. Write the page or paragraph number where each bulleted item was borrowed from; this
will ensure you have accurate information in your in-text citation.
6. Close the original source! It is important when paraphrasing to write using your own
words and sentence structure. Having the original source open while paraphrasing can
lead to ineffective paraphrases due to looking back at the original source.
7. Using a narrative in-text citation / parenthetical in-text citation, write a complete
sentence, in your own words, to relay the information from each bullet point.
8. Once you have written your paraphrases, open the original source and compare your
sentences against those in the original source, and check to ensure that you have
accurately relayed the original source’s information while not directly copying the
original sentence structure and phrasing.
a. As a note, you do not need to change industry-specific terminology for the sake
of paraphrasing. Please see some examples of industry-specific terminology
below:
i. Health papers: aorta, cardiovascular system, neurology, subcutaneous,
etc.
ii. Law papers: statutes, legislation, policy, case law, etc. iii. Environmental
papers: species, flora, fauna, algae, deciduous, coniferous, etc. iv.
Engineering papers: lathe, actuator, additive manufacturing, assembly,
etc.
v. Social Services papers: names of disorders, child welfare, agents,
advocators, etc.
9. Check to ensure that the page or paragraph number(s) for the in-text citation are
accurate against the original source.
If you need assistance with paraphrasing, please go to the Confederation College Writing Centre
for extra assistance.
Direct Quotation
Definition
A direct quotation is used to copy the exact wording from a source and input in an academic
paper. You never change the author(s)’s words; you merely copy and paste it into your
academic paper. To identify that you’ve taken an author’s exact words, you must insert double
quotation at the beginning of the direct quotation, and at the end of the direct quotation.
Direct Quotation APA Requirements

When you use a direct quotation, you must include an in-text citation, in either the narrative or
parenthetical format, after each direct quotation sentence. While formatting in-text citations is
covered in the In-Text Citation chapter of this guide, it is important to note that an in-text
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citation for a direct quotation, whether in the narrative or parenthetical form, must include the
author(s)’s surname, the year the source was published, and the page or paragraph number(s)
of the source that the direct quotation came from. Without an in-text citation after each
sentence, you would be plagiarizing by not giving credit to the original author for their research
and ideas.
How to Insert a Direct Quotation, Effectively

When directly quoting from a source, follow these best practice steps:
1. Copy and paste the desired information from the secondary source into your academic
paper, and change the font to match your APA formatting
2. Put a double quotation mark ( “ ) in front of the pasted information, and put a double
quotation mark ( “ ) at the end of the pasted information
3. Put the page or paragraph number in brackets immediately after the double quotation
mark ( “ ) at the end of the pasted information
4. Put the end punctuation after the last bracket
5. There are two ways to introduce the direct quotation before the first double quotation
mark ( “ ) at the beginning of the pasted information:
a. State the author(s)’s surname before the pasted information
b. Input the year the source was published, in round brackets, immediately after
the author(s)’s surname.
c. Place a past tense verb that effectively relays how the information was presented
in the original source immediately after the last round bracket.
i. Claimed, stated, identified, outlined, etc.
d. Place a comma after the past tense verb and before the first set of double
quotation marks
How to Insert a Pre-Existing Quotation, Effectively

If you are copying a direct quotation that has been published within the original source, you
must follow the following rules:
1. State the speaker’s surname before the pasted information. The speaker is who said the
direct quotation in the original source, not the author of the original source.
2. Place a past tense verb immediately after the speaker’s surname to effectively relay how
the information was presented in the original source.
a. Claimed, stated, identified, outlined, etc.
3. Place a comma after the past tense verb and before the first set of double quotation
marks
4. Add one single quotation mark ( ‘ ) immediately after the first set of double quotation
marks
5. Add one single quotation mark ( ‘ ) immediately before the last set of double quotation
marks
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6. Input a parenthetical in-text citation immediately after the last set of double quotation
marks, and ensure you include the author of the source, the year the source was
published, and the page or paragraph number that you took the direct quotation from.
7. Place the end punctuation after the parenthetical in-text citation.
If you need assistance with directly quoting from a source, please go to the Confederation
College Writing Centre for extra assistance.
In-Text Citations
Definition
In-text citations show that you’ve borrowed information from a separate source. An in-text
citation, used in conjunction with a reference entry, provides a road map for your reader to
access the secondary source, and where, exactly, in the secondary source that you have
borrowed your information from.
After every borrowed piece of information, whether the borrowed information takes the form
of a summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation, you must have an in-text citation within your
paper, with a matching reference entry on the References page.
Types of In-Text Citations

There are two different types of in-text citations that you can use in your academic paper: a
narrative in-text citation or a parenthetical in-text citation.
Parenthetical in-text Citations

As shown in Figure 1, the parenthetical in-text citation must meet the following criteria:
Located at the end of the borrowed information, before the end punctuation.
Contains all mandatory information for the in-text citation:
a. Author(s)’s surname(s)
b. Year of publication
c. Page or paragraph number(s) that the borrowed information is
from Figure 1
Narrative In-Text Citations

Narrative in-text citations are the preferred form of in-text citations to use when indicating that
the author of the source stated the information you are borrowing or when you are
summarizing a source. The mandatory information from the in-text citation is split into two
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different areas: before the borrowed information is presented and after the borrowed
information is presented. As per the Figure 2, the specific information within the in-text citation
must be formatted in a specific way:
Before the Borrowed Information (used for a summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation)
1. Write the Surname(s) of the authors of the source
2. Immediately followed by two round brackets, containing the year the source was
published
3. Immediately after the last round date bracket, write a past tense verb to accurately
describe how the author(s) has relayed the information in the source
a. Stated, claimed, outlined, explained, said, etc.
After the Borrowed Information (only used for a paraphrase or direct quotation)
1. Insert round brackets
2. Write the page or paragraph number(s) where you borrowed in the information from
3. Input the end punctuation after the closing round bracket
4. *If you have paraphrased information into more than one sentence, input the page or
paragraph number(s), in brackets, after every sentence, before the final punctuation.
Figure 2
In-Text Citation Basic Rules

1. There are mandatory parts of an in-text citation: the author; the year of publication;
and, if using a direct quotation or paraphrase, the page or paragraph number where the
information was taken from.
2. The author(s)’s name in the in-text citation must match the author(s)’s name listed in the
matching reference entry.
a. Click here to watch an instructional video to see how to quickly check for
matching author(s) in a reference entry
b. Press “CTRL” and “F”
c. Copy the author(s)’s name from the in-text citation in the search bar
d. Ensure there is a reference entry with same the author(s)’s name(s) appear in the
search results window
e. If the author(s)’s name does not appear in a reference entry, you have made a
mistake and need to correct either the reference entry or the in-text citation.
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i. Check to ensure you have not made a spelling error, etc.

3. The year in the in-text citation must match the publication year listed in the matching
reference entry.
a. Click here to watch an instructional video to see how to quickly check for
matching publication years in a reference entry
b. When you are checking for the matching author (in steps above), simultaneously
ensure that the year in the reference entry matches what you have put in in the
in-text citation.
4. There must always be information in the author position of the in-text citation
a. Surname(s), group author, organization’s name, etc.
5. If there is not a publication date on the original source, input “n.d.” in the date position
of the in-text citation; n.d. stand for no date.
6. If you have paraphrased or directly quoted, there must be location information (page or
paragraph number) in the in-text citation.
7. If your paraphrase spans over multiple sentences, use a narrative in-text citation and
input the location information in round brackets after each sentence.
In-Text Citations: Format Requirements

Use Figure # 3 & 4 for common formatting examples students will come across in their first year
in academics, but please note, these are not complete lists of the many formats that APA
requires. If your specific author, date, or location requirements are not listed, please refer to
the APA Manual.
Author
The way the author portion of the in-text citation is formatted is completely dependent on how
many and what type of author wrote the original source.
If you need assistance locating the author of your source, click here to watch the instructional
video.
Figure 3
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Figure 4
Quick Learning Reference: Author

Please use Table 3 to see the multiple different ways to format the author portion of the in-text
citation.
Table 3
Note: The narrative structure may use Surnames or full names (First and Last name).
Type / # of In-Text Citation Parenthetical Requirement Narrative
Authors Requirement Requirement
Write the author’s (Surname, year, location within Surname (Year) p.t. verb
surname the source) borrowed information
1 Author
(location within the

source).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Meyers, 2023, p. 83).

Narrative Example: Meyers (2023) claimed borrowed information (para. 87).
List author # 1’s surname, (Surname # 1 & Surname # 2, Surname #1 and Surname
followed by “&”, and then year, location within the source) #2 (Year)
list author # 2’s surname p.t. verb borrowed
2 Authors
information (location within

the source).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Bodnarchuk & Shannon, 2023, p. 70)
Narrative Example: Bodnarchuk and Shannon (2023) outlined borrowed information (para.
75).
List author # 1’s surname, (Surname # 1 et al., year, location Surname # 1 et al.
3 or more
followed by “et al.”. within the source) (Year) p.t. verb borrowed
Authors
information (location
within the source).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Nicholl et al., 2023, p. 50).
Narrative Example: Nicholl et al. (2023) identified borrowed information (para. 45).
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Write the name of the (Group’s Name, year, location Group’s Name (Year) p.t.
group, organization, or within the source). verb borrowed information
Corporate
Group or
Author
corporation. (location within the
source).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Statistics Canada, 2023, p. 84).
Narrative Example: Statistics Canada (2023) listed borrowed information (para. 13).
*There must always be a name in the author position. When in doubt, contact the Writing
Centre for assistance in locating the author of your source.
Date
There are two different ways that the year location of the in-text citation is formatted,
depending on whether your source has a listed publication date or not. Refer to Figures 5 & 6
for formatting examples.
If you need assistance locating the publication date of your source, click here to watch an
instructional video.
Figure 5
Figure 6
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Quick Learning Reference: Date

Please use Table 4 to see both ways to format the date portion of the in-text citation.
Table 4
Type / # of In-Text Citation Parenthetical Requirement Narrative
Authors Requirement Requirement
Write the year the (Author, year, location within the Author (Year) p.t. verb
source was source) borrowed information
published or last (location within the
Year
updated source).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Freeman, 2023, p. 83).

Narrative Example: Freeman (2023) claimed borrowed information (para. 87).
If there is not a (Author, n.d., location within the Author (n.d.) p.t. verb
publication date source) borrowed
for the source, information (location
No Date
write “n.d.” in within the source).

place of the year.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Bodnarchuk, n.d., p. 70)
Narrative Example: Bodnarchuk (n.d.) outlined borrowed information (para. 75).
Location
The location portion of the in-text citation shows your reader exactly where in the original
source your borrowed information has come from. The location information, used in
conjunction with the reference entry, allows your reader to find the original source you have
used and to locate the exact location of the information that you have borrowed from the
source. The location information is required for any paraphrased or directly quoted borrowed
information. See Figures 7 & 8 for parenthetical and narrative in-text citation formatting
specifications.
If you need assistance locating the paragraph number, click here to watch the instructional
video.
Figure 7
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Figure 8
Quick Learning Reference: Location

Please use Table 5 to see the multiple different ways to format the author portion of the in-text
citation.
Table 5
Type / # of Location Requirement Parenthetical Narrative
Locations Requirement Requirement
within
Source
Use “p.” to indicate the single (Author, year, p. #) Author (Year) p.t.
page number you borrowed verb borrowed
Page
the information from information (p. #).
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Meyers, 2023, p. 83).

Narrative Example: Meyers (2023) claimed borrowed information (p. 87).
Use “para.” to indicate the (Author, year, para. #) Author (Year) p.t.
single paragraph number you verb borrowed
borrowed the information information (para. #).
Paragraph
from.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Bodnarchuk, 2023, para. 70)

Narrative Example: Bodnarchuk (2023) outlined borrowed information (para.
75).
Use “pp.” to indicate that the (Author, year, pp. #-#) Author (Year) p.t.
Sequential
information came from more verb borrowed

Pages
than one page, in a row, information (pp. #-#).

within the source.
Write the first page number
where you got the
information from, followed
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by a hyphen, and then the

last page the information was
found on.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Nicholl et al., 2023, pp. 50-52).

Narrative Example: Nicholl et al. (2023) identified borrowed information (pp.
45-47).
Use “paras.” to indicate that (Author, year, paras. #-Author (Year) p.t.
the information came from #). verb borrowed more than one
paragraph, in information (paras. #a row, within the source. #).
Write the first paragraph number where you got the
Sequential Paragraphs
information from, followed by a hyphen, and then the last page the
information was found on.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Statistics Canada, 2023, paras.

84-87).
Narrative Example: Statistics Canada (2023) listed borrowed information (paras.

13-15).
Use “pp.” to indicate that the (Author, year, pp. #, #, Author (Year) p.t.
information came from more #). verb borrowed
than one page within the information (pp. #, #,
Non-Sequential Pages
source. #).
Write each numeric page
number that the information
came from, separated by a
comma.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Shannon, 2023, pp. 70, 72, 74).
Narrative Example: Shannon (2023) outlined borrowed information (pp. 70, 72,
74).
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Use “paras.” to indicate that (Author, year, paras. #, Author (Year) p.t.
the information came from #, #). verb borrowed
Non-sequential Paragraphs information (paras. #,
more than one paragraph
within the source. Write #, #).
each numeric paragraph
number that the
information came from,
separate by a comma.
Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Meyers, 2023, paras. 30, 32, 34).
Narrative Example: Meyers (2023) outlined borrowed information (paras. 30,

32, 34).
If you are not sure how to use and/or format in-text citations, visit Confederation College’s
Writing Centre.
Reference Entries
A reference entry, used in conjunction with an in-text citation, provides the reader with the
source’s publication details needed to locate the source. Every source that you have borrowed
information from must have a reference entry listed on the references page; without it, you will
have committed plagiarism. Reference entries are listed on the References page, at the end of
your assignment: please see the Formatting Your Paper section for detailed instructions on how
to format your References page.
Types of Reference Entries

There are many formats for reference entries; each type of source will depend on how you
format the reference entry. In this beginner’s guide to APA, you will learn about two common
reference entry types: articles from a website and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Reference Entries Basic Rules

The author and date position of the reference entry must have a matching in-text citation within
your paper. Click here to watch an instructional video for a quick way to double check for a
matching in-text citation.
There must be an author written in the author location of the reference entry.
The date location must relay the complete date given on the source, not just the year.
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There must be a title of the webpage (article from a website) or journal article in the title
location of the reference entry.
Any URL or DOIs listed in the URL position must be a working, direct hyperlink to the source you
have borrowed the information from. Click here to watch the following video to learn how to
retrieve a direct hyperlink from Confederation College’s library databases.
Checklist: Mandatory Information Needed for a Website Reference Entry & Peer Reviewed
Journal Article
To create a correct reference entry, refer to Table 6 and Figure 9 for specific location and
information requirements.
Figure 9
Table 6
Reference Requirements / Exceptions Article from a Article from a
Website Peer Reviewed
Journal
Author
Publishing / Copyright Date
Title of the Article
Publisher’s Name / Title of the Journal
Volume Number
26
Issue Number
Page Range of the Article
Direct URL / DOI
If you are unsure where to find the mandatory reference entry information on a website or
journal article, please watch the following videos: website or journal article.
Reference Entries Broken Down

Each mandatory component of a reference entry must be formatted in a specific way. Please
refer to tables # - # for each component’s format requirements.
Author
You must provide information in the author position of the reference entry. The author position
in the reference entry must match the author position in the matching in-text citation. As noted
in Figure 10, there are different ways to format the authors’ of a source, depending on different
factors. If you are not sure where to find the author of your source, click here to watch an
Figure 10
27
Table 7
AUTHOR POSITION IN A REFERENCE ENTRY
Type / # of Authors Format Example
An author’s name, unless otherwise stated, is always written Nicholl, L.

in the following format within the reference entry: Surname,
1st initial of first name.
If you have two authors, separate the authors using “, &”. Cook, C., &
Bodnarchuk, S.
If you have three to twenty authors, separate the authors Cook, C.,
using a comma, and after the second last listed author, insert Bodnarchuk, S., &
a comma and a &. Meyers, L.
If the author is a group or organization, do not reverse the

wording. State the group author’s name as it appears on its Confederation
publication document. College
If there is no known author, and the author has not

represented him/her/themselves by using the name COVID-19 Update
“Anonymous,” input the title of the source in author’s
position in the reference entry.
An author’s name, unless otherwise stated, is always written Nicholl, L.

in the following format within the reference entry: Surname,
1st initial of first name.
Never include an author’s position or rank within the Dr. Deborah Shannon
reference entry. For example, you would remove “Dr.” = Shannon, D.
before inputting a doctor’s name into the reference entry.
Date
Always use the full date information that is provided on the source. If there is an updated date
on the source, use that as the date for the reference entry and in-text citation. One important
28
rule to remember is that the year input in the date position of the reference entry must match
the in-text citation. As noted in Figure 11 and Table 8, there are different ways to format the
date of a source, depending on the type of date given on the source. If you are not sure where
to find the date information on your source, click here to watch an instructional video.
Figure 11
Table 8
DATE POSITION IN A REFERENCE ENTRY
Typically
Found On A(n) Date Given on Source Format Example
…
If the full date is given, use the year, month (2023, April 30).
date format.
If only the year and month are given, use

the year, month date format. (2023, May).
If a combined month publication is given, (2023, May/June).
use the year, month / month format.
If the source is published by season or by
month, use the year, season or year, month (2023, Spring).
format. (2023, March).
If the source does not have a publication

date, input n.d. into the date component of (n.d.).
the reference entry.
29
Article Title
The title of a website’s article or peer reviewed journal article must follow immediately after the
date position within the reference entry. The title of the article, be it from a website or peer
reviewed journal, must be written in sentence case. Sentence case means that only the first
letter of the first word of the title, along with any proper pronouns and the first word after a
colon, are capitalized.
Figure 12
As noted in Table 9, titles of articles from a website are always italicized, but titles of articles
from a peer-reviewed article are never italicized. If you are unsure where the find the title of an
article, click here to watch an instructional video.
Table 9
TITLE POSITION IN A REFERENCE ENTRY
Formatting Requirements for Format Example

Title of Article
Sentence case
Always italicized Conditions predicted to worsen in Toronto as
Followed by a period poor quality, high levels of pollution
confirmed.
Sentence Case
Never italicized Evaluation of a spatially resolved forest fire
Followed by a period smoke model for population-based
epidemiologic exposure assessment.
30
Publishing Information
Figure 13
The publishing information must always follow immediately after the article information in the
reference entry. The publisher of the article, be it from a website or peer reviewed journal, is
always written in title case. Title case means you capitalize each word of the publisher’s
information, except for conjunctions and articles. As outlined in Table 10, the information
required for the publisher’s information portion of the reference entry will differ, depending on
whether the article is from a website or a peer reviewed journal.
If you are unsure where the find the publisher information for an article, click here to watch the
Table 10
PUBLISHER POSITION IN A REFERENCE ENTRY
Required Formatting Requirements for Format Example
Information for Each Piece of Publisher’s
Publisher’s Information, In Order
Information
Located Write the publisher’s name, CBC News.

immediately after in full.
the article name. Put a period after the
Write Publisher’s publisher’s name.
Full Name
Publisher’s name is
found at the top left
of the website
Tip: If you are unsure who published the information, the publisher is listed in the
URL, after http://www._______
31
Journal’s Full Name Written in italics

Followed by a comma Journal of Exposure
Science & Environmental
Epidemiology,
Volume Number Follows comma after

Journal’s Name Journal of Exposure
Numeric value of the Science & Environmental
volume: do not write v. Epidemiology, 26(
or vol.
Written in italics
Followed by a left, round
bracket for the issue
number, without a space
between
Issue Number Follows volume number,

without a space between Journal of Exposure
it and the first bracket Science & Environmental
Numeric value of the Epidemiology, 26(3),
issue number: do not
write i. or iss.
Written in non-italic,
regular font
Surrounded by round
brackets
Comma after closing
round bracket
Page Range of Follows comma after issue

Article number, with a space after Journal of Exposure
the comma Science & Environmental
Numeric value of the first Epidemiology, 26(3),
page, followed by a 233240.
hyphen, then the numeric
value of the last page
No spaces between the
numbers or the hyphen
Followed by a period
32
Tip: If the Journal does not have a volume or issue number, merely leave out
the information. Examples
1. Missing volume number: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental
Epidemiology, (3), 233-240.
2. Missing issue number: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental
Epidemiology, 26, 233-240.
3. Missing page numbers: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental
Epidemiology, 26(3).
URL / DOI
Figure 14
The URL or DOI must be included in any reference entry for an article from a website or an
article from a peer-reviewed journal. A DOI is a digital object identifier, which acts in the same
way as a URL; it is a link that will bring the reader directly to the article. The URL/DOI in a
reference entry must be an active link (your reader should be able to click on it), and it must be
in good working order. You must always click on the URL/DOI to ensure that it will bring your
reader straight to the source that you have taken the information from. The URL/DOI follows
directly after the period following the given publisher’s information. As outlined in Table 11, the
need for a URL or DOI will depend on whether the article is from a website or a peer reviewed
journal. If you are unsure where the find the URL or DOI information for an article, click here
watch an instructional video.
33
Table 11
URL / DOI POSITION IN A REFERENCE ENTRY
Type of Required Formatting Requirements for Format Example
Source Information for the URL or DOI
the URL or DOI
The entire URL, Follows the last period CBC News.
located in the after the publisher’s https://www.cbc.ca/news/c
URL bar at the information anada/toronto/air-
top of the Copy and pasted in qualitytoronto-fires-
internet browser standard font size smoke1.6868010
window Active status (blue) so
that reader can click on
the URL
The entire DOI Follows the last period Social Science Computer
#, located after the publisher’s Review, 35(5).
toward the information https://doi.org/10.1177/08
bottom of the Write https://doi.org/ 94439316660340
search overview Copy and paste in
page on the standard font size after
library’s search .org/
result webpage Active status (blue) so
that reader can click on
the DOI
Press the Follows the last period Journal of Exposure Science
“Permalink” after the publisher’s & Environmental
button on the information Epidemiology, 26(3),
article’s Copy and pasted in 233240.
overview page standard font size https://confederation.prim
on the library’s Active status (blue) so o.exlibrisgroup.com/permal
search result that reader can click on ink/01OCLS_CONFED/1bne
webpage, which the URL hun/cdi_pubmedcentral_pri
will provide a
mary_oai_pubmedcentral_
complete URL
nih_gov_4835685
for the article
34
Formatting the References Page

APA References Page
Every academic assignment that has borrowed information from a secondary source needs to
have a properly formatted references page at the end of it. You can follow the step-by-step
instructions below.
APA References Page Format

35
How to Create a References Page in Microsoft Word 365

Every academic paper that borrows information from another source must have an APA
References page. Click here to watch the formatting video, or you can read the step-by-step
instructions below.
1. Click the “Home”
tab.
2. Click the “…” button. 2
3. Hover over the “Line
3
Spacing” button.
4. Click the “1” button. 1
4
1. Click the text

“Alignment” button. 1
2. Click the “Align
Centre” button.
36

to bold font the title. 1
2. Type “References”
and click enter.
2
3
to remove the bold
font.
1. Paste / write out the

APA reference
entries that you
have borrowed
information from.
Ensure there are no
extra spaces 1
between the title
and the reference
entries.
1. Highlight the
reference entries 2
and title.
2. Click the “…” button. 3
3. Hover over the “Line
Spacing” button.
1
4. Click the “2” button. 4
37
1. With the text still

highlighted, click the 1
“…” button.
2. Hover of the
“Special Indent” 2
button.
3. Click the “Hanging”
button.
o Manually arrange
the reference
entries into
alphabetical order;
there isn’t a “sort”
button in Microsoft
365.
o Remove any extra
spaces between the
reference entries.
1. Your last step is to

double check to ensure
that all of your reference
entries have matching
in-text citations. The
easiest way to do this is
to search by the first
surname or keyword of
B
each reference entry.
A) Press “Ctrl” + “F” on
your keyboard
B) Under the pop-up
“Navigation” window,
38
type in the surname

of the author from
your first reference
entry.
2. Once you have typed

the first author’s
surname into the
“Navigation” search A
bar, you should see at
least two results:
A) the in-text citation B
you used within
your document.
B) the reference entry
from your
References page.
*Repeat this step for
every reference entry in
your list.*
How to Create a References Page in Microsoft Word

You can follow the step-by-step instructions below, or you can click here to watch the video.
Step What it Looks Like in Microsoft Word
1. Start your APA
References page on A
the first blank page B
C
after the last
paragraph of your
D
assignment. Place
your cursor on the
first line of the new
page.
A) Click the “Home” tab.
B) Click the “No Spacing”
button.
C) Click the “Line
Spacing” button.
D) Click the “2.0” button
from the drop-down
menu.
39
2. Place your cursor on the A

first line of the page.
B) Click the “Bold”.
button
C) Click the “Centre” C
B D
button.
D) Capitalize the word
“References” on the
first line of the
document.
3. From the title line, press A

the “Enter” key on your
keyboard one time.
B) Click the “Bold”.
button to remove the
bold font. B
C) Click the “Left Align”
button.
C
40
4. Using your APA guide,

type out your properly
formatted reference
entries.
*Press the “Enter” key on

your keyboard at the end of
each reference entry and
begin the next reference
entry on the next line. Do
not insert extra line spaces
between the reference
entries.*
41
5. Once you have typed out

all of your reference
entries, you now need to C
place your reference D D
entries in alphabetical B
order.
A) Highlight all of the
reference entries, excluding
the title line. B) Press the
“Home” tab.
C) Press the “Sort Text” A
button. E
D) In the “A-Z Sort Text” pop
up window, click Sort By
“Paragraph” in
“Ascending” order.
E) Press the “OK” button.
6. Now add a hanging indent

for each entry.
A) Highlight all of the D
reference entries, B
excluding the title line.
B) Press the
C
“Home” tab.
C) Press the button

within the
A
“Paragraph” toolbar.
D) In the “Paragraph” pop
up window, click the E
“Special” dropdown
menu and
select “Hanging” by
1.27 cm.
E) Click the “OK” button.
F) Check to ensure all
URL links work.
42
43
References Page Exemplar

44
Quick Referencing and In-Text Citation Guide
Article from a Website: 1 Author

Reference Entry Format:
Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial. (Year, Month Date). Title of the article. Title of the
Website. URL
Example:
Evans, P. (2020, May 6). Shopify surges to within $1B of Royal Bank for title of most valuable
company in Canada. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shopify-

earnings1.5557473
Parenthetical In-Text Citation Format: Parenthetical In-Text Citation Example:
(Surname, year, para. #). (Evans, 2020, para. 7).
Narrative In-Text Citation Format: Narrative In-Text Citation Example:
Surname (year) verbed … (para. #). Evans (2020) said … (para. 7).
Article from a Website: 2 Authors

1st Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial. & 2nd Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial. (Year,
Month Date). Title of the article. Title of the Website. URL
Example:
Galarneau, D. & Gibson, L. (2020, August 25). Trends in student debt of postsecondary
graduates in Canada: Results from the National Graduates Survey, 2018. Statistics
Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-
x/2020001/article/00005eng.htm
45
(Surname & Surname, year, para. #). (Galarneau & Gibson, 2020, para. 15).
Surname & Surname (year) verbed … (para. Galarneau & Gibson (2020) outlined … (para.
#). 7).
Article from a Website: 3 or more Authors

1st Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial., 2nd Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial., &Last
Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial. (Year, Month Date). Title of the article. Title of the
Website. URL
Example:
Charnock, S., Heisz, A., Kaddatz, J., Spinks, N., & Mann, R. (2021, April 15). Canadians’ well-
being in year one of the COVID-19 pandemic. Statistics Canada.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75f0002m/75f0002m2021003-eng.htm
(1st Surname et al., year, para. #). (Charnock et al., 2021, para. 19).
1st Surname et al. (year) verbed … (para. #). Charnock et al. (2021) found … (para. 7).
46
Article from a Website: Corporate Author

Corporate Author. (Year, Month Date). Title of the article. URL
Example:
CBC News. (2023, June 7). Conditions predicted to worsen in Toronto as poor air quality, high
levels of pollution confirmed. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/air-

qualitytoronto-fires-smoke-1.6868010
Parenthetical In-Text Citation Format: Parenthetical In-Text Citation Example: (CBC

News, 2023, para. 2).
(Corporate Author, year, para. #).
Corporate Author (year) verbed … (para. #). CBC News (2023) declared … (para. 2).
Article from a Website: Group Author

Group Author. (Year, Month Date). Title of the article. Publisher. URL
Example:
CBC Books. (2022, September 29). 48 Books by Indigenous writers to read to understand
residential schools. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/books/48-books-by-indigenous-

writersto-read-to-understand-residential-schools-1.6056204
Parenthetical In-Text Citation Format: Parenthetical In-Text Citation Example: (CBC

Books, 2022, para. 8).
(Group Author, year, para. #).

Group Author (year) verbed … (para. #). CBC Books (2022) created … (para. 8).
47
Article from a Website: No Known Date

Author. (n.d.). Title of the webpage article. Website Name. URL
Example:
Madeup, A. (n.d.). Smudging and the four sacred medicines. Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society
http://www.dancingtoeaglespiritsociety.org/medicines.php
(Author, n.d., para. #). (Madeup, n.d., para. 2).
Author (n.d.) verbed … (para. #). Madeup (n.d.) found … (para. 2).
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 1 Author

Author’s Surname, Author’s 1st Initial. (Year, Month/Issue format). Title of the article. Title of
the Periodical, Volume #(Issue Number), page range # - #. DOI or URL
Example:
Leydet, D. (2019, Summer). The power to consent: Indigenous peoples, states, and
development projects. University of Toronto Law Journal, 69(3), 371-403.
https://ra.ocls.ca/ra/login.aspx?inst=confederation&url=http://search.ebscohost.com
/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&AN=136789668&site=eds-live&scope=site
(Surname, year, p. #). (Leydet, 2019, p. 372).

48
Surname (year) verbed … (p. #). Leydet (2019) claimed … (p. 372)
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 2 Authors

First Author’s Surname, First Author’s 1st Initial., & Second Author’s Surname, Second
Author’s 1st Initial. (Year, Month/Issue format). Title of the article. Title of the Periodical,
Volume #(Issue Number), page range # - #. DOI or URL
Example:
Mayor, C., & Suarez, E. B. (2019, Spring). A scoping review of the demographic and
contextual factors in Canada’s educational opportunity gaps. Canadian Journal of
Education, 42(1), 42-87.
https://ra.ocls.ca/ra/login.aspx?inst=confederation&url=http://search.ebscohost.com
/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1210293&site=eds-live&scope=site
(Surname & Surname, year, p. #). (Mayor & Suarez, 2019, p. 43).
Surname & Surname (year) verbed … (p. #). Mayor & Suarez (2019) stated … (p. 43)
Article From a Peer Reviewed Journal: 3 or More Authors

First Author’s Surname, First Author’s 1st Initial., Second Author’s Surname, Second Author’s
1st Initial., & Last Author’s Surname, Last Author’s 1st Initial. (Year, Month/Issue format). Title
of the article. Title of the Periodical, Volume #(Issue Number), page range # - #. DOI or URL
49
Example:
Anthes, R. A., Maier, M. W., Ackerman, S., Atlas, R., Callahan, L. W., Dittberner, G., Edwing,
R., Emch, P. G., Ford, M., Gail, W. B., Goldberg, M., Goodman, S., Kummerow, C.,
Onsager, T., Schrab, K., Velden, C., Vonderhaar, T., & Yoe, J. G. (2019, September).
Developing priority observational requirements from space using multi-attribute
utility theory. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 100(9), 1753-1774.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0180.1
(Surname # 1 et al., year, p. #). (Anthes et al., 2019, p. 1754).
Surname # 1 et al. (year) verbed … (p. #) Anthes et al. (2019) outlined … (p. 1754)

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1

CS 050: An Introduction to APA

Written by Confederation College Communications Faculty.

Quick Referencing and In-Text Citation Guide ............................................................................... 44

APA Title Page

APA Title Page Formatting

How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Office 365

1. Click the “Insert” 3

1. Double click on the

1. Press “Enter” twice.

1. Write your name

5. On the first line of

How to Create an APA Title Page in Microsoft Word

2. A) Double click under

3. A) Click the “Home” tab.

4. A) Click the “Home” tab.

5. From the first line of the

6. From the title line, press

7. Press the “Enter” key on

8. Press the “Enter” key on

9. Press the “Enter” key on

10. With your cursor placed

11. FOR ESSAYS ONLY: On A

APA Title Page Exemplar

How to Insert Borrowed Information into an Academic Paper

Summary APA Requirements

How to Summarize Effectively

Paraphrase APA Requirements

How to Paraphrase Effectively

a. It is important to remember that you do not want to copy sentence structures

Direct Quotation APA Requirements

How to Insert a Direct Quotation, Effectively

How to Insert a Pre-Existing Quotation, Effectively

Types of In-Text Citations

Parenthetical in-text Citations

Narrative In-Text Citations

In-Text Citation Basic Rules

i. Check to ensure you have not made a spelling error, etc.

In-Text Citations: Format Requirements

Quick Learning Reference: Author

(location within the

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Meyers, 2023, p. 83).

information (location within

Quick Learning Reference: Date

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Freeman, 2023, p. 83).

write “n.d.” in within the source).

Quick Learning Reference: Location

the information from information (p. #).

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Meyers, 2023, p. 83).

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Bodnarchuk, 2023, para. 70)

information came from more verb borrowed

than one page, in a row, information (pp. #-#).

by a hyphen, and then the

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Nicholl et al., 2023, pp. 50-52).

Parenthetical Example: Borrowed information (Statistics Canada, 2023, paras.

Narrative Example: Statistics Canada (2023) listed borrowed information (paras.

Narrative Example: Meyers (2023) outlined borrowed information (paras. 30,

Types of Reference Entries