|
I.
General Document Guidelines
A.
Margins: One
inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right)
B.
Font Size and Type: 12-pt.
font (Times Roman or Courier are acceptable typefaces)
C.
Spacing: Double-space
throughout the paper, including the title page, abstract, body of the document,
references, appendixes, footnotes, tables, and figure captions.
D.
Alignment: Flush
left (creating uneven right margin)
E.
Paragraph Indentation: 5-7
spaces
F.
Pagination: The
page number appears one inch from the right edge of the paper on the first line
of every page (except Figures),
beginning with the title page.
G.
Manuscript Page Header: The
first two or three words of the paper title appear five spaces to the left of
the page number on every page (except
Figures), beginning with the
title page. Manuscript page headers are used to identify manuscript pages during
the editorial process. Using most word processors, the manuscript page header
and page number can be inserted into a header, which then automatically appears
on all pages.
H.
Active voice:
As a general rule, use the active voice rather than the passive voice. For
example, use "We predicted that ..." rather than "It was predicted that ..."
I.
Order of Pages:
Title Page,
Abstract,
Body,
References,
Appendixes,
Footnotes,
Tables,
Figure Captions,
Figures
II.
Title Page
A.
Pagination: The
Title Page is page 1.
B.
Key Elements: Paper
title, author(s), author affiliation(s), and running head.
C.
Paper Title: Uppercase
and lowercase letters, centered on the page.
D.
Author(s): Uppercase
and lowercase letters, centered on the line following the title.
E.
Institutional affiliation: Uppercase
and lowercase letters, centered on the line following the author(s).
F.
Running head: The
running head is typed flush left (all uppercase) following the words "Running
head:" on the line below the manuscript page header. It should not exceed 50
characters, including punctuation and spacing. The running head is a short title
that appears at the top of pages of published articles.
G.
Example of APA-formatted Title Page:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/titlepage.pdf
III.
Abstract: The abstract is a one-paragraph, self-contained summary of
the most important elements of the paper.
A.
Pagination: The
abstract begins on a new page (page 2).
B.
Heading: Abstract
(centered on the first line below the manuscript page header)
C.
Format: The
abstract (in block format) begins on the line following the Abstract heading.
The abstract should not exceed 120 words. All numbers in the abstract (except
those beginning a sentence) should be typed as digits rather than words.
D.
Example of APA-formatted Abstract:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/abstract.pdf
IV.
Body
A.
Pagination: The
body of the paper begins on a new page (page 3). Subsections of the body of the
paper do
not begin
on new pages.
B.
Title: The
title of the paper (in uppercase and lowercase letters) is centered on the first
line below the manuscript page header.
C.
Introduction: The
introduction (which is not labeled) begins on the line following the paper
title.
D.
Headings: Headings
are used to organize the document and reflect the relative importance of
sections. For example, many empirical research articles utilize Method, Results,
Discussion, and References headings. In turn, the Method section often has
subheadings of
Participants,
Apparatus,
and
Procedure.
For an example of APA-formatted headings, go to
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/headings.pdf
1.
Main headings (when the paper has either one or two levels of
headings) use centered uppercase and lowercase letters (e.g., Method, Results,
Discussion, and References).
2.
Subheadings (when the paper has two levels of headings) are
italicized and use flush left, uppercase and lowercase letters (e.g.,
Participants,
Apparatus,
and
Procedure
as subsections of the Method section).
V.
Text citations: Source material must be documented in the body
of the paper by citing the author(s) and date(s) of the sources. The underlying
principle is that ideas and words of others must be formally acknowledged. The
reader can obtain the full source citation from the list of references that
follows the body of the paper.
A.
When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal
structure of the sentence, the year of publication appears in parentheses
following the identification of the authors. Consider the following example:
Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that although there was a reduction in insulin
dosage over a period of two weeks in the treatment condition compared to the
control condition, the difference was not statistically significant. [Note: and
is used when multiple authors are identified as part of the formal structure of
the sentence. Compare this to the example in the following section.]
B.
When the authors of a source are not
part of the formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and year of
publication appear in parentheses. Consider the following example:
Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some
types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental
health (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vanderpool, 1991;
Maton & Pargament, 1987; Paloma & Pendleton, 1991; Payne, Bergin, Bielema, &
Jenkins, 1991). [Note: &
is used when multiple authors are identified in parenthetical material. Note
also that when several sources are cited parenthetically, they are ordered
alphabetically by first authors' surnames and separated by semicolons.]
C.
When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are
included every time the source is cited.
D.
When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all
authors are included the first time the source is cited. When that source is
cited again, the first author's surname and "et al." are used. Consider the
following example:
Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some
types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental
health (Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991).
Payne et al. (1991) showed that ...
E.
When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first
author's surname and "et al." are used every time the source is cited (including
the first time).
F.
Every effort should be made to cite only sources that you have
actually read. When it is necessary to cite a source that you have not read
("Grayson" in the following example) that is cited in a source that you have
read ("Murzynski & Degelman" in the following example), use the following format
for the text citation and list only the source you have read in the References
list:
Grayson (as cited in Murzynski & Degelman, 1996) identified four components of
body language that were related to judgments of vulnerability.
G.
To cite a personal communication (including letters, emails, and
telephone interviews), include initials, surname, and as exact a date as
possible. Because a personal communication is not "recoverable" information, it
is not included in the References section. For the text citation, use the
following format:
B. F. Skinner (personal communication, February 12, 1978) claimed ...
H.
To cite a Web document, use the author-date format. If no author is
identified, use the first few words of the title in place of the author. If no
date is provided, use "n.d." in place of the date. Consider the following
examples:
Degelman and Harris (2000) provide guidelines for the use of APA writing style.
Changes in Americans' views of gender status differences have been documented (Gender
and Society, n.d.).
I.
To cite the Bible, provide the book, chapter, and verse. The first
time the Bible is cited in the text, identify the version used. Consider the
following example:
"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you"
(Psalm 86:5, New International Version). [Note:
No entry in the References list is needed for the Bible.]
VI.
Quotations: When a direct quotation is used, always include
the author, year, and page number as part of the citation.
A.
A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double
quotation marks and should be incorporated into the formal structure of the
sentence. Example:
Patients receiving prayer had "less congestive heart failure, required less
diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer
cardiac arrests, and were less frequently intubated and ventilated" (Byrd, 1988,
p. 829).
B.
A lengthier quotation of 40 or more words should appear (without
quotation marks) apart from the surrounding text, in block format, with each
line indented five spaces from the left margin.
VII.
References: All
sources included in the References section must be cited in the body of the
paper (and all sources cited in the paper must be included in the References
section).
A.
Pagination: The
References section begins on a new page.
B.
Heading: References
(centered on the first line below the manuscript page header)
C.
Format: The
references (with hanging indent) begin on the line following the References
heading. Entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors. Most
reference entries have three components:
1.
Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the
source, using surnames and initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are
seven or more authors, list the first six and then use "et al." for remaining
authors. If no author is identified, the title of the document begins the
reference.
2.
Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors, with a
period following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date is identified,
use "n.d." in parentheses following the authors.
3.
Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for
journal article) or title, city of publication, publisher (for book). Italicize
titles of books, titles of periodicals, and periodical volume numbers.
D.
Example of APA-formatted References: Go
to
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/references.pdf
E.
Official APA "Electronic Reference
Formats" document: Go to
http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
F.
Examples of sources
1.
Journal article
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body
language of women and judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal
of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.
2.
Book
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation
to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
3.
Web document on university program or
department Web site
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA
style essentials. Retrieved May 18, 2000, from Vanguard University, Department of
Psychology Web
site: http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
4.
Stand-alone Web document (no date)
Nielsen, M. E. (n.d.). Notable
people in psychology of religion. Retrieved August 3, 2001, from
http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm
5.
Stand-alone Web document (no author, no
date)
Gender and society.
(n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2001, from
http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html
6.
Journal article from database
Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at
the drug abuse-maternal aggression link. Journal
of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-522. Retrieved May 20, 2000, from ProQuest
database.
7.
Abstract from secondary database
Garrity, K., & Degelman, D. (1990). Effect of
server introduction on restaurant tipping.
Journal of
Applied Social Psychology, 20, 168-172. Abstract retrieved July 23, 2001, from
PsycINFO database.
8.
Journal article, Internet-only journal
Bergen, D. (2002, Spring). The role of pretend
play in children's cognitive development.
Early Childhood
Research & Practice, 4(1). Retrieved February 1, 2004, from
http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/bergen.html
9.
Article or chapter in an edited book
Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual
adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker (Ed.), Religion and
mental health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford University Press.
10.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders
American Psychiatric Association. (2000).
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC:
Author.
VIII.
Appendixes:
A common use of appendixes is to present unpublished tests or to
describe complex equipment or stimulus materials.
A.
Pagination: Each
Appendix begins on a separate page.
B.
Heading:If
there is only one appendix, Appendix is centered on the first line below the
manuscript page header. If there is more than one appendix, use Appendix A (or B
or C, etc.). Double-space and type the appendix title (centered in uppercase and
lowercase letters).
C.
Format: Indent
the first line 5-7 spaces.
D.
Example of APA-formatted Appendix:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/appendix.pdf
IX.
Footnotes:
Content footnotes are occasionally used to support substantive information in
the text..
A.
Pagination: Footnotes
begin on a separate page.
B.
Heading: Footnotes
is centered on the first line below the manuscript page header.
C.
Format: Indent
the first line of each footnote 5-7 spaces and number the foonotes (slightly
above the line) as they are identified in the text.
D.
Example of APA-formatted Footnotes:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/footnote.pdf
X.
Tables:
A common use of tables is to present quantitative data or the results of
statistical analyses (such as ANOVA). See the
Publication Manual (2001,
pp. 147-176) for detailed examples. Tables must be referred to in the text.
A.
Pagination: Each
Table begins on a separate page.
B.
Heading:Table
1 (or 2 or 3, etc.) is typed flush left on the first line below the manuscript
page header. Double-space and type the table title flush left (italicized in
uppercase and lowercase letters).
C.
Example of APA-formatted Tables:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/psychology/table2.pdf
XI.
Figure Captions and
Figures:
A common use of Figures is to present graphs, photographs, or other
illustrations (other than tables). See the
Publication Manual (2001,
pp. 176-201) for detailed examples. Figure Captions provide, on a single page,
captions for the figures that follow.
A.
Pagination: The
Figure Captions page is the final numbered page of the paper. The Figures that
follow the Figure Captions page do NOT have page numbers or manuscript page
headers.
B.
Heading for Figure Captions: Figure
Caption(s) is centered on the first line below the manuscript page header.
Double-space and type
Figure 1. (or 2 or 3, etc.) italicized and flush left,
followed by the caption for the figure (not italicized), capitalizing only the
first letter of the first word and any proper nouns.
C.
Example of APA-formatted Figure Caption
and Figure:
http://www.vanguard.edu/uploadedFiles/Faculty/DDegelman/psychfigure.pdf
Copyright © 2000-2006 Douglas Degelman
and Martin Harris(Back to
Top)
|
