Trevecca Nazarene University

Modified APA Writing Style Guide 7th Edition

(revised August 15, 2020 for the APA 7th Edition Style Guide)

Introduction
The HCA, MOL, MBA, and some other programs at Trevecca follow the American
Psychological Association (APA) writing style requirements. APA is the standard for
academic writing in business and many other fields based on the social sciences such as
sociology, education, business, and nursing. The faculty for these programs have
modified and simplified these requirements as listed below. There are three sections.
First, we briefly discuss why we use APA guidelines. Second, we discuss why we have
modified the APA guideliness. Third, we provide a simple set of modified guidelines for
regular, written assignments turned in on paper, as a word.doc, or as a PDF. For some
assignments, particularly electronic postings, the professor may allow for the simple
posting of text for the content but still require the use of APA quotations, citations, and
references for cited material. This standard is referred to as “APA for quotations,
citations, and references only.”

Why Use APA?

There are three primary reasons that any writing style is used whether it is APA, MLA, or
others. First, many industries have compliance standards that guide the work of those
industries. In academics, style guides provide a consistent framework for written work.
Second, it is imperative that when writers use the work of others that they give credit for
that work. Third, readers and researchers may want to follow-up on the quotations of
others. The proper use of quotations, citations, and references allow readers to find the
"address" for the work of others. When done properly, the reader should be able to find
the exact location of the quotation down to the page and/or paragraph. These three
reasons help us to understand the need for using a writing style such as APA.

NOTE: When writers do not use proper quotations, citations, and references, they may be
giving the appearance that their written words are their own when in fact, they are not. In
reality, their work is the work of others. This is called Academic Plagarism,
Academic Dishonesty, and/or Cheating. This will typically lead to failure for the
assignment, course, or program.
Why a Modified APA Style Guide?
The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual is over 400 pages, single-spaced. NOTE:
There is a second style guide for Electronic References which is extensive in length as
well. The goal of this modified guide is to focus on smaller set of important elements:
• General Features: The basics of page layout using MS Word
• Quotations, Citations, and References (QCRs): The details on proper
citations and references for quoted material
• Headings: Proper formatting for various heading levels
• -pedia: A warning to never use Wikipedia, Investopedia, and other open
source resources for academic work

General Features
1. Regular 11 or 12pt fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, etc. Do not
use of decorative funds such as Mistral
2. 8.5 x 11” paper size with 1” margins to edge of text
3. Half-inch indent for paragraphs and half-inch hanging indent for references
4. Every line of text is double-spaced with no extra pt before or after
paragraphs. NOTE: It is common for MS Word to automatically put extra pt
(space) between paragraphs. Here you see 8 pt After. Make sure this doesn’t
happen. Before and After should both be 0 pt.

5. All pages should be numbered

6. Include title page with Course with section number, Professor Name, Student
Name, Date
7. NOTE: Do not use the APA running head, abstract, or table of contents for
student papers.
8. NOTE: Material in this guide is not double-spaced as this is not an APA-styled
document
Quotation, Citation, and Reference (QCR) Requirements
APA uses quotation, citation, and reference standards to make sure that writers give
proper credit for the work of others. This applies to both paraphrased material and quoted
material. Students should remember that these standards allow readers to “find” the
material. For quotations, your in-text citations must include author, year, page (printed
material) and/or paragraph number (web material other material without page numbers.).
When paraphrasing other people’s material, you are not required to include a page or
paragraph number, but it is a good practice. Remember, citations are used to give credit
for intellectual material used by others through paraphrase and/or direct quotations.
Academic plagiarism, which is a major offense, occurs when material is not
properly cited and referenced.

Quotations and Paraphrase

Paraphrased work is when the writer takes the work of others (ideas and/or words) and
puts it into their own words. Paraphrasing requires proper citations and references. Page
or paragraph numbers are recommended but not required for paraphrased material.

Quotations are the exact words of others. The general rule of "five" means that if you use
five words or more of others, the words should be quoted using quotation marks as well
as including a proper citation and reference.

Citations and References

APA uses simple, in-text citations and does not use footnotes or endnotes like other style
guides or systems. Here are some examples of in-text citations and accompanying
references that would be at the end of the paper or posting:

Book Quotation
Here is an example of a quotation, citation and reference (QCR) for a quotation from a
book:

In-text Citation
In this day and age, there are more and more discussions of the triple bottom line.
The author writes that “examining how companies can become more profitable by
doing the right thing” (Savitz, 2006, p. 109). Therefore, the triple bottom line
seeks to leverage the three pillars of people, planet, and profits.

Reference
Savitz, A. (2006). The triple bottom line. Jossey Bass.

Webpage Quotation
Here is an example of a quotation, citation, and reference (QCR) for a quotation from a
webpage:

In-text Citation
 The report discusses diversity, "I mention diversity because the list is
representative of this huge region geographically" (Wehbe, 2017, para. 2).

Reference
Wehbe, R. (2017, April 12). 30 under 30 Asia: Meet the class of 2017.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ranawehbe/2017/04/12/30-under-30-asia-meet-the-
class-of-2017/#6d2b25c36d2b

Book Paraphrase
Simple example for a paraphrase from a book:

In-text Citation
Kotter (2012) suggests that most operational teams do not have the capacity or
expertise to develop strong strategic processes (p. 73).

Reference
Kotter, J. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.

Quotations without an author or date

Here is an example of a quotation, citation, and reference (QCR) for a quotation from a
webpage without an author or date. Note that when there is no author, the title moves into
the author position. Where there is no date for the publication or website, you should use
"n.d." which means "no date."

In-text Citation
This APA reference site provides some direction when a source does not have an
author or date. In regards to a source without an author, the site reads, "the title
moves to the first position of the reference entry" ("How do you reference," n.d.,
para. 1).

Reference
How do you reference a web page that lists no author? (n.d.).
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/web-page-no-author.aspx

Other Reference Examples

Remember that like all APA pages, references are double-spaced. References also have a
half-inch hanging indent.

For books (title italicized, only first letter of title and subtitle is capitalized. This is call
sentence case as opposed to title case):

Savitz, A. (2006). The triple bottom line. Jossey Bass.

For articles (Only publication and volume number is italicized)

 Kotter, J. (2012). Accelerate! Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 43–58.

Chapter in a book:
Porter, M. (2011). What is strategy? In HBR 10 must reads on strategy (pp. 53-
65). Harvard Business School.

Articles retrieved online (notice the specific date and the hanging indent)

Linton, M. (2009, May 15). Why do chief marketing officers have a short shelf
life? http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/15/cmo-turnover- dilemma-cmo-
network-dilemma.html

Geisler, J. (2020). The 5 keys leaders need to transform their organization’s

culture. Healthcare Financial Management, 74(3), 52–53.

Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food

hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and
customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation,
Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

NOTE: No URL is used if the article comes from a library database.

Headings
1. Level One:
Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading
Begin text on next line

2. Level Two:
Flush left, Bold, Title Case Heading
Begin text on next line

3. Level Three:
Flush left,Bold Italic, Title Case Head
Begin text on next line

4. Level Four:
Indented, Bold Title Case Ending with a Period. On the same line, begin body
text after the period.

-ipedia
Just a reminder that Wikipedia and other -pedia sites (e.g. Investopedia) are not a reliable
source for academic work and should not be used in any paraphrases, quotations,
citations, and/or references.
Other APA and Writing Notes

• Avoid 1st person writing (I think we should do this) unless noted by the
professor. Use “the author” as needed.
• Avoid using slang in academic writing. For example, “that company is really
cool…”
• Write out numbers under 10 (e.g. 6 would be six).
• In every sitatuation, commas and periods always go before quotation marks
(e.g. “Classes next semester.”)
• It is acceptable to use “they” as a singular pronoun. For example, “each
student should bring their book to class.” However, don’t use “their” with
company as in “A company and their employees” should be “A company and
its employees.”

Other APA Resources

• Example student paper link

• Trevecca Waggoner Library APA 7th Edition Resources