The APA Forest

THANK YOU!

Works Cited:

APA Sample Paper

• Motlow State Community College: Meagan McManus, "APA Citation Style Quick Guide." Created: Summer, 2015.

• Purdue Owl, "APA Sample Paper."

• Prezi designed and developed by: Calleb Capshaw, Writing Tutor.

• Created: Fall 2016

*Purdue Owl, 2016

It looks like there is a clearing up ahead. We finally made it out of the APA Forest!

... It looks like

someone left there

APA paper behind for

everyone to see.

Let's take a look!

Reference Page Citation Examples:

Let us take a break from the APA Forest and look at some of the most common Reference Page Citations:

Do you have a less common source that you need to cite?

You can find a worksheet on APA Citation on Motlow State Community College's Writing Center's homepage in the "Student Resources, Handouts and Workshops" section.

You can also find more resources you can use throughout your college career at - and beyond - Motlow!

*McManus, 2015

APA Reference Page

The basic format for all APA references entries, no matter what the source, includes as much of the following as available:

Formatting Reminder

Remember that your APA paper's References page(s) must be double-spaced.

• the author's name (last name, first name)
• the year of publication
• the title of the work (italics if a book, in quotation marks if an article)
• the city of publication
• the publisher or n.p. (for no publisher given)
• unless citing an entire work, the page number, or page range

For electronic or internet sources, you should also include:

• the assigned DOI number or, if no DOI is given, the URL preceded by "Retrieved from"

*McManus, 2015

In-Text Citation Examples:

Here are some examples of in-text citation:

Citing Sources in Your Text

*McManus, 2015

When you make reference to someone else's idea through paraphrasing, summarizing, or quoting, you should always:

• Give the author's last name, provide the year the source was published, and then list the page number of the work in a parenthetical citation

• Provide the full citation information for the source on your Reference page.

Citations have two parts. There is a parenthetical citation (also known as in-text citation) and a corresponding entry on your References page.

Abstracts

Don't Plagiarize!!!

*McManus, 2015

Abstracts are typically the 2nd page of your paper, and though they may vary in length, 120 words is a typical length for this component of your paper.

Your abstract should contain the following components:

Formatting Reminder

• The purpose of your study/paper
• The methods used throughout your paper
• Your findings
• Your conclusions or implications

Beginning with the second page of your APA paper (typically the Abstract page), you should include your Running Head in the header, as well as the page number.

Cover or Title Page

The Running Head for the second page should be the same as it is in the title page but without the words "Running Head."

*McManus, 2015

The word "Abstract" should be centered at the top of the page (not bolded). You do not need to indent on the first line of the abstract the way you would a normal paragraph. Use present tense whenever possible.

The title page of your paper will be the first thing you see when your entire paper is complete. If you recall from our time in the formatting section of

the APA Forest, the first

page of your APA paper

should be formatted

differently than the rest

of your paper.

To add the running head to your header (which will be different on the title page than the rest of your paper) double click on the header section of your paper and double click on the left-hand margin of your paper.

Notice that the first page in your paper (The Title Page) doesn't have a page number.

*McManus, 2015

This section of your running head is simply the title of your paper. All capitalized please!

Basic APA Formatting

*McManus, 2015

This section of the APA Forest has everything you need to know about formatting your APA paper. Let's dive in!

Paragraphs

Numbers and Abbreviations/Acronyms

You should indent (Tab) the beginning of a new paragraph by 0.5 inches throughout your APA paper.

• Numbers less than 10 are written out as words. Numbers 10 and greater use numerals.

APA recognizes only seven acronyms as words that do not require definition:

HIV, AIDS, IQ, ESP, REM, NADP, ACTH

Define all other abbreviations by writing out the name in full on first use and putting

abbreviations in

parentheses.

Pagination

Page numbers begin with the title page (i.e. page 1), but the number is not shown on the title page.

Font Type and Font Size

Beginning with page 2, numbers are placed in the upper right-hand corner.

You should use Times New Roman (12 pt.) for the text in your APA paper.

Your first page should now look like this (with a number 1 in the top right-hand corner).

To remove the first page's number check the "Different First Page" box under the "Header & Footer Tools | Design" tab. This will remove the number on the top right-hand corner of the first page while keeping page numbers on the rest of your paper!

Spacing

Your APA paper should be double-spaced throughout, including your reference section.

Margins

Your APA paper should have 1 inch margins on all sides.

*McManus, 2015

What Does an APA Paper Look Like?

APA papers consist of four basic components*:

• Cover or title page
• Abstract
• Body of the paper
• Reference section

*APA papers can also include elements like tables, figures, and appendices.

As we make our way through the APA Forest, we will look at each of the four components that make up an APA Paper. However, we need to discuss proper formatting first!

*McManus, 2015

Welcome to the APA Forest!

APA - written by the American Psychological Association - is one of the two commonly practiced citation styles that a typical student will use throughout his/her college career.

APA style - unlike its cousin, MLA, in the literature department - is more focused on the social sciences (Sociology, Psychology, etc.)

An Important Disclaimer

Please remember that the majority of the information used in this presentation is based on a general guideline for APA formatting.

These guidelines may or may not be following the specific writing guidelines provided by your instructor.

You should prioritize your instructor's guidelines over the guidelines provided in this presentation.

I will be your guide as we navigate through this thick, dangerous forest.

Let's begin!!!

The APA Forest

Your Comprehensive Guide for APA Formatting