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A quick guide to APA formatting

This guide provides an easy-to-follow overview of APA formatting, including guidelines for paper structure, citations, and style. It covers everything from the title page to the reference list and offers tips on academic honesty, style, grammar, and spelling. Ideal for students seeking a concise resource on APA formatting.

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A quick guide to APA formatting

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  1. A quick guide to APA formatting William A. Sodeman, Ph.D. Hawaii Pacific University

  2. Use only one font and size! • Times Roman, Arial or Courier • Fonts affect page length! • 12 point size • No bold or underlines • Be careful with web addresses and URLs! • Italics are acceptable • Required in Level 3, 4 and 5 headers

  3. Margins and spacing5.03 and 5.04 • One inch margins on all sides • Double spacing

  4. APA paper structure

  5. Page 1: The title page5.15 • Page header with page number 1 (5.06) • Include 2-3 descriptive words from title • Running head with an abbreviated title • 50 characters maximum • Author's title and affiliation • Course and date may be included

  6. Page 2: The abstract page1.07 and 5.16 • The last page you should write! • Provides a summary of the paper's content • Not the paper's structure, headers or organization • One paragraph, 120 words maximum • The first page many readers look for • Used in bibliographic databases for indexing your paper

  7. Page 3 and beyond:The body of the paper • Contains the actual content of the paper • Indent each paragraph (5.08) • ½ inch or 5-7 spaces

  8. Headings 3.30-32 • Use at least 2 levels of headings • Provide structure for your content • Clearly organized and well chosen • See 3.32 and 5.10 for examples • 1, 3 • 1, 3, 4 • 1, 2, 3, 4 • 5, 1, 2, 3, 4

  9. Outline your headings • In a separate document, outline your APA headings • Print and use that document as a guide while you write the paper

  10. Avoid using block quotes!3.34 and 3.35 • Indirect quotes are better • Paraphrase carefully in your own words • Use direct quotes only when these words really help your paper • Size matters! Shorter quotes are better

  11. Citations3.94 – 3.103, 4.16 • Must appear with every outside source and quotation in the paper • Must be accurate and properly formatted

  12. Find reliable and reputable sources • Look for high quality news and journal articles • Find and cite books and other textbooks when relevant • Use the library databases (EBSCO) • Don't depend on the Internet and search engines!

  13. Find a variety of references • Avoid excessive bias in your research • Don’t rely on the same articles or authors for most of your citations • Directories and reference works are a good place to start, but avoid using them in your paper

  14. Avoid marketing material! • These sources are usually biased • “White papers” • Advertising sections and supplements • Press releases • Sales and catalog content • Corporate web sites

  15. Find reliable and reputable sources • Your course textbooks do not count as a primary source! • You may use but not cite general references • Dictionaries • Glossaries • Encyclopedias

  16. Secondary sources4.16: 17 and 22 • A source that is mentioned in another source of material • An author cites or quotes an article or book • If you need to cite this secondary source, it is always best to find and cite the original source • If you can't find the original source, then use the APA formats for secondary sources

  17. Reference list4.16, 5.18 • All sources and citations used in the body of the paper must appear in the reference list! • Hanging indent • Double-spaced • Alphabetical order by first author’s last name • If there is no author, use the article or book title

  18. Academic honesty • Students in this course can't help each other on individual papers! • All paper content must be your own work • Find your own sources and references • Does the instructor keep an updated databases of references? • Can he check references across several student papers?

  19. You can get some help, but you need to do the actual corrections • Style, grammar and spelling • Word processors and other programs • APA formatting

  20. Proofread your work! • Have someone else read your work! • The instructor should never be the first person to read your paper • Use but don't trust spell and grammar check • Look for synonyms and homonyms • Check people, place and company names • Be careful with technical terms

  21. RTFMRead the fine manuals! • The APA Publication Manual is the best source for formatting and style information • Learn to use your word processor! • Use the Help function or check the Web • Don't reinvent the wheel! • Find the function you need

  22. Plan and manage your time • Start early! • Plan ahead! • Don’t wait for the last minute! • Back up your files! • Allow 24-72 hours for TurnItIn.com to return a draft originality analysis • Ask plenty of questions!

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