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APA Format

General Formatting Rules:

1” margins.

12 point Times Roman Font Style.

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Left justification and no hyphenation.

Page Header and page number in upper right corner of all pages.

 

Page Header and Page Number

Page Header and page number in upper right corner of all pages.

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Page header is first 2-3 words of title.

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5 spaces between page header and page number.

 

Title Page: Running Head

Running head: abbreviated title not exceeding 50 characters.

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Formatting for Title Page

Running head is flush left at the top of the page.

Title, author’s name & affiliation centered in the upper half of page.

 

Title Page: Title

The title should summarize the main idea of the paper in 10-12 words.

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Title Page: Author’s Name

 

Omit all titles (e.g., Dr.) and degrees (e.g., Ph.D.).

Affiliation

 

Abstract

Begins on page 2.

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The abstract is a blocked summary (left justification, no indent) of the paper.

 

Should be written so reader has general idea of the purpose, participants, procedure, results & major findings.

 

Introduction

The introduction begins on page 3.

The title of the article is centered on the first line (use more lines if necessary).

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Introduction

The first paragraph should introduce the topic or question(s) that will be addressed in the paper.

The body of the introduction consists of a semi-comprehensive literature review of the topic/research question.

You should review research and theoretical interpretations of the topic/research question.

Introduction

The literature review should lead up to the rational for the current study.

Briefly describe the research design & then state the hypotheses.

Do not discuss the findings or implications of the study in the introduction.

 

Methods

The method section describes in detail how the study was conducted. 

 

other investigators should be able to replicate the study

 

Methods

The methods section consists of the following labeled sub-sections:

     

     apparatus and/or materials

     design and measures

     

Methods

Participants:

The participants sub-section states who the participants were, how many were used, and appropriate demographic information such as gender, ethnicity.           

Also state if any participants were not included in the data analysis (dropped out or incomplete data).

 

Methods

Apparatus and Materials:

You should list and describe all the apparatus and materials used (stopwatches, computers, word lists, Skinner box).

You should put copies of special stimuli used in an appendix page.

Provide references for materials used from another researcher or publisher .

 

Methods

Measures:

Operationally define variables.

Describe measures used to obtain data (e.g., questionnaires or scales). 

Describe how variables were coded.

 

 

Methods

Procedure:

Specify the specific steps necessary for the execution of the study.

You need to tell the reader what you did & how you did it.

 

Methods

Procedure:

Be sure to state that the subjects were provided with a consent form and were debriefed after the study was completed.

 

Results

The results should summarize the collected data and your statistical treatment of them.

You should include tables and figures which summarize your data.

Be sure to refer the reader to all tables and figures.

DO NOT  

 

Discussion

You should start your discussion by restating your hypotheses and indicating whether they were supported by the data.

Next, discuss the theoretical implications of your results and how they compare to previous research discussed in the introduction section.

Do theories need to be modified due to your findings?

Make suggestions for improvement of your study and future studies.

 

References: Journal Articles

Author(s):

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Use commas to separate authors, to separate surnames and initials, and use an ampersand (&) before the last author.

 

 

 

References: Journal Articles

Publication Date:

Place year of publication in parentheses followed by a period.

If an article has been accepted for publication, but has not been published yet, type (in press).

 

References: Journal Articles

Title of Article:

Capitalize only the first word of the title and of the subtitle, if any, and any proper nouns.

 

 

References: Journal Articles

Publication Information:

Give the full periodic title, in uppercase and lowercase letters.

Give the volume number.  If each issue of a journal begins on page 1, give the issue number in parentheses immediately after the volume number.

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References: Journal Articles

Publication Information:

Give inclusive page numbers.

 

         

References: Journal Articles

Pagination by issue - Each issue starts with page #1.  You must include the issue number:

           

 

Continuous pagination - Each issue starts with the next page number. You do not include the issue number:

         

 

References: Books

Author(s):

List all authors, surname first followed by first and middle initial.

Use commas to separate authors, to separate surnames and initials, and use an ampersand (&) before the last author.

References: Books

Publication Date:

Place year of publication in parentheses followed by a period.

 

       

 

 

References: Books

Title:

Capitalize only the first word of the title & of the subtitle, if any, & any proper nouns.

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State the edition number.

               

References: Books

Publication Information:

Give the city

Use a colon after location.

Give the name of the publisher in as brief a form as is intelligible.

       

 

References: Books

 

       

Format for the Reference Page

The reference page is a separate page in the text.

Type the word ‘References’ centered on the first line.

 

 

 

Reference Page

Order of references:

Arrange references in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author, using the following rules:

1.      Alphabetize letter by letter:

       

 

 

Reference Page

2.     If an author has several citations, arrange by the following rules:

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Single Author:

When the author’s name is part of the narrative:

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Single Author:

When the author’s name is NOT part of the narrative:

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Two Authors:

When the authors’ names are part of the narrative:

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Two Authors:

When the authors names are NOT part of the narrative:

 

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Three to Five Authors:

All author’s are cited the first time the reference occurs.

 

 

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Three to Five Authors:

Only the first authors is cited in subsequent citations.

 

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Six or More Authors:

Use the abbreviation et al. after the first author’s last name in every citation.

 

Citing Sources in the Text

Secondary Sources:

To cite work discussed in a secondary source, give the secondary source in the list of references and cite in the test as follows:

 

 

APA Format for Tables

General Format:

Each table or figure must be labeled with an Arabic number.

Ø        Call the first table "Table 1"; call the second table "Table 2", and so forth.

Ø        Call the first figure "Figure 1"; call the second figure “Figure 2”, and so forth.

APA Format for Tables

How to draw a table:

1.  Place each table on its own separate page.

2. Type an informative title atop the table & underline it.

3.  Write the title on a separate line.  Each word in the title is capitalized and the entire title is underlined.                            

 

 

APA Format for Tables

How to draw a table:

4. Be sure to name each IV as well as each level of a particular IV. 

5. It is conventional to report both means & standard deviations.

 

 

APA Format for Tables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APA Format for Figures

How to draw a figure:

1.      Each figure is drawn on its own separate page.

2.     The title for the figure goes on a separate page (figure caption page).

3.     Figure 1 is underlined and the title begins on the same line and ends with a period.

4.Only the first letter of the title is capitalized, except for proper nouns.

APA Format for Figures

How to draw a figure:

5.     The figure caption should name the DV and mention all relevant IV’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APA Format for Figures

No 3d graphs allowed

No color graphs allowed

 

 

APA Format for Figures

 

 

 

 

 

APA Format for Tables

How to refer to tables and figures in the text.

1.      Refer and introduce to the reader each table or figure in the text.

       

 

 

APA Format for Tables

How to refer to tables and figures in the text.

2.     Tell the reader what to look for and where to find it.

       

 

                       

Order of Manuscript Pages

Title page (separate page, numbered page 1).

Abstract (separate page, numbered page 2).

Text (separate page, numbered page 3).

References (start on a separate page).

Appendixes (start each on a separate page)

Author Note (start on a separate page).

Footnotes (list together, starting on a separate page)

Tables (start each on a separate page).

Figure captions (list together, starting on a separate page).

Figures (place each on a separate page).

 

Order of Manuscript Pages

Writing Style information can be found on pages 31-76 in the APA manual.

Spacing & Punctuation information can be found on page 290 of the APA manual.

Quotation information can be found on pages 292-293 in the APA manual.

Statistical and Mathematical Copy information can be found on pages 293-295 in the APA manual.