A Pa Format
A Pa Format
WARNING:
No online or computerized citation tool is perfect! It is up to you to check the accuracy of your citations
before submitting research papers or other class assignments.
If you need help, call the Learning Center at 610-861-5517.
Table of Contents
Handling Quotes In the Text .................................................................................................... 2
In-Text Citation ..................................................................................................................... 2-3
Reference List: Books ........................................................................................................... 4-5
Reference List: Articles ......................................................................................................... 5-6
Reference List: Electronic Sources ....................................................................................... 6-7
Web Sites ................................................................................................................................ 7
Online Journals ........................................................................................................................ 7
Online Magazine ..................................................................................................................... 7
Government Web Sites ............................................................................................................ 7
Online Video ........................................................................................................................... 8
Blog Post ................................................................................................................................. 8
Online Book ............................................................................................................................ 8
Reference List: Media ............................................................................................................... 8
Reference List: General Reference Databases ......................................................................... 9
Reference List: General Subject Databases ............................................................................. 9
Reference List: Current/Controversial Issues ....................................................................... 10
Reference List: Subject-Specific Databases ......................................................................11-12
Preparing Your Research Paper ............................................................................................ 13
Sample Title Page .................................................................................................................. 13
Sample Abstract Page ....................................................................................................... 13-14
Sample Body Page ................................................................................................................. 14
Citing Works on a Reference Page ......................................................................................... 14
Sample Reference Pages ................................................................................................... 15-16
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The APA format is the form of parenthetical or end note documentation most used in science and
social science classes, such as nursing, psychology, sociology, education, and business. For a
more complete treatment of this topic, please see the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, or speak to a librarian or Reading/Writing tutor in the
Learning Center.
In-Text Citation
Citations within the text of your paper refer the reader to an alphabetical reference list at the end
of the paper. APA format uses the author-date method of citation. The author‟s last name and
the publication date are inserted at the appropriate point in the text, following the material cited.
Suffixes such as PhD. or Jr. are not included.
Ex: Hacking (1998) covers material on public record about chronic fatigue syndrome.
If the author is not mentioned in the paper, at the end of the quote or paraphrase use the author‟s
last name and the year, separated by a comma:
Ex: The article covers material on public record about chronic fatigue syndrome
(Hacking, 1998).
If both the author and the date are mentioned in the text, a parenthetical reference is not needed.
For exact quotations, cite specific page numbers following the year.
Ex: Emily Bronte “expressed increasing hostility for the world of human relationships,
whether sexual or social” (Taylor, 1988, p. 11).
For paraphrased passages, page numbers are encouraged, but not required. The year is required.
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Ex: Writing becomes better as the child matures (Britton, Thomas, & Miller, 1996).
Ex: According to Britton et al. (1996), a child‟s writing improves over time.
Ex: As Villa points out, “Perhaps the conflict seems so strong because the stakes are so
low” (as cited in Affleck, Allen, & Della, 1996).
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Author‟s name. (publication date). Title. City and state of publication: Publisher.
Books by one author Ex: Alvarez, M. (1999). The trip within. New York, NY: Random House.
List the first six authors, then insert three ellipsis points, and add the last
author‟s name.
Books with 8 or more Ex: Engberg, M., Dugan, J. P., Haworth, J., Williams, T., Kelly, B.,
authors Johnson, W., … Stewart, S. (2009). Navigating the complexity of
higher education in preparation program administration. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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Ex: Haybron, D.M. (2008). Philosophy and the science of subjective well-
For a book with a chapter being. In M. Eid & R.J. Larsen (Eds.), The science of subjective
written by an author but well-being (pp. 17-43). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
edited by another person
In-text citation: (Haybron, 2008).
A book written by an Cite as you normally would, but add information about the editor in
author but overseen by an parentheses after the book title.
editor
Ex: Plath, Sylvia. (2000). The unabridged journals (K.V. Kukil, Ed.).
New York, NY: Anchor.
Article or entry in a Ex: Field, T. (2002). Child abuse and neglect. In A. Kazdin (Ed.),
reference book Encyclopedia of psychology. (Vol. 2, pp. 61-65). Washington,
(7.02) D.C.: Oxford.
Scholarly journals are often published by volume, and page numbers may
continue throughout the year instead of beginning each issue with page 1.
After the italicized title of the journal, give the volume number (also
Articles in scholarly italicized, but do not use Vol.) followed by the page numbers at the end of
journals and periodicals the citation (do not use pp.)
paginated by volume
(7.01) Author(s). (date). Title of article. Title of Periodical or Journal, volume #,
page #s.
Ex: Spitch, M.L., Verzy, H.N., & Wilkie, D.M. (1993). Subjective
shortening: A model of pigeon‟s memory for event duration.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes,
9, 14-66.
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When each issue of a journal begins with page 1, include the issue number
Articles in journals in parentheses after the volume number. Italicize the volume number but
paginated by issues not the issue number. (Do not use vol. or pp.)
(7.01)
Author. (date). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume # (issue #), page
#s.
Ex: Cortese, A. (1998, January 26). There‟s more than one way to play
monopoly. Business Week, 3562(1), 36.
Begin with the name of the author, if one is given, followed by the year,
Articles in newspapers month, and day of publication. Page numbers are introduced with “p.” (or
(7.01.10) “pp.” for multiple pages).
Ex: Haney, D.Q. (1998, February 20). Finding eats at mystery of appetite.
The Oregonian, pp. A1, A17.
Note: The updated guidelines for electronic sources state that the digital object identifier number
(DOI) must be included if one is assigned. “A DOI is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a
registration agency to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the
Internet” (American Psychological Association, 2010, 189).
Note: If a DOI is available, use it at the end of a citation. If it is not available, use the URL of the
web site from which the information was retrieved.
Note: Retrieval dates are only necessary if the information will prove difficult to find again due
to revision (ex. Wikis).
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Note: Titles of documents or articles are not in italics and only the first word is capitalized. Titles
of journals and other periodicals are in italics and all major words are capitalized. Titles of web
sites are capitalized but not in italics.
Author(s). (Date of Publication). Title of document. Retrieved from
electronic address
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An online video Ex: Norton, R. (2006, November 4). How to train a cat to operate a light
(7.11) switch [Video file]. Retreived from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vja83KLQXZs
Online Book (E-Book) Ex: Thompson, Art. (1997). The stompbox. Retrieved from
(7.02) http://www.netlibrary.com/
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(magazine—“Today’s Science”)
A reverse on reverse revolution? (2009, November). Today’s Science.
Retrieved from http://www.2facts.com
Facts on File
In-text citation: (“A reverse on reverse revolution?,” 2009)
Opposing Viewpoints ACLU urges Senate committee. (1999). In T. O‟Neill (Ed.), Opposing
Viewpoints Digests Series: Biomedical Ethics (n.p.). San
Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press. Retrieved from
http://find.galegroup.com
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Hoover’s Online Ex: Murray, B. (n.d.). Just Born Inc. Retrieved from
http://premium.hoovers.com
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Paper Format
Use Times New Roman font, 12-point font size. (8.03)
All terminal punctuation (e.g., period, question mark) is followed by 2 spaces. One space
is used in reference citations, initials, abbreviations, and with commas, colons and
semicolons.
Use one-inch margins on all sides of the page, including in the header (8.03).
Double-space throughout the paper.
Indent the first line of each paragraph by five spaces from the left margin.
All typing is done flush-left, with a “ragged right” edge.
Do not hyphenate words at the ends of lines.
Use a running head throughout the paper, including the title page. It should appear one
inch below the top of the page on the left margin, in all capital letters. The page number
should be at the top of the page on the right margin. If possible, use the “header” function
of your word processor to automatically repeat this information at the top of all
subsequent pages.
Begin your paper with a title page. The running head (the title that you would like your
paper to have, if it were to be published) is typed flush left at the top of the title page and
in all upper case letters (see sample below). The title itself is typed in upper and lower
case letters, centered on the page. If the title requires more than one line, double-space
between all the lines. Header should
be 1 inch from
SAMPLE TITLE PAGE top of paper
Double space
Individual Differences in Bimodal Processing and Text Recall
Bruce Dunn
Page Two is the Abstract for the paper. It is a brief (100-150 words) summary of your research
paper. The running head is typed in the upper left-hand corner of the page with the page number
on the right-hand margin. The word “Abstract” is centered as the first line of type on this page.
Type the abstract as a single paragraph in block format (without paragraph indentation).
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Abstract
1” 1”
The differences in semantic recall among students with either an analytic or a holistic
cognitive style were investigated. The cognitive style was determined by analyzing responses to
forty…
Page Three is the beginning of the body of your paper. The title is centered one double-space
below the short title. The first line of the body of the paper appears one double-space below the
title.
Citing Works on a Reference Page: The Reference Page is the alphabetical list of works cited.
Here are some general hints:
• Begin with author‟s last name and first initial, if the author is identified.
• Place date of publication in parentheses immediately after the last author‟s name.
• Italicize titles and subtitles of books and titles of periodicals.
• For titles of books, capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and
proper nouns.
• The first word in the title of a document (such as an article) should be capitalized.
• Titles of journals and other periodicals should have all major words capitalized.
• All words in the title of a web site should be capitalized.
• Do not place titles of articles in quotation marks.
• Use the abbreviations “p.” or “pp.” before page numbers of newspaper articles and works in
anthologies; do not use them before page numbers of articles appearing in magazines and
scholarly journals.
• Alphabetize your list by the last name of the author or editor; if there is no author or editor,
alphabetize by the first word of the title other than a, an, or the.
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References
Airport security. (2004, March 25). Issues and Controversies on File. Retrieved from
http://www.2facts.com
Indent ½” Altman, H. (2005, March 18). Celebrity culture. CQ Researcher, 15(11). Retrieved from
http://library.cqpress.com
http://www.accessscience.com
Beauchemin, B., Berglund, N., and Sullivan, D. (2004). A first look at SQL Server 2005 for
Brown, H., & Milstead, J. (1968). Patterns in poetry: An introductory anthology. Glenview, IL:
Scott, Foresman.
Downey, L., Tyree, P., & Lafferty, W. (2009). Preventive screening of women who use
1133-1143. doi:10.1089/jwh.2008.1230
1” Eleanor Roosevelt. (1998). In P.K. Byers (Ed.), Encyclopedia of world biography, Vol. 13 (2nd 1”
Feder, B. J. (2002, April 1). Coca-Cola said to be preparing vanilla version of its soft drink. New
Indent ½”
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1”
Gene. (2009, November 15). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 17, 2009 from http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genes
Kett, I. (1998). Asphalt materials and design mix manual. Retrieved from
http://www.knovel.com
Lavie, C., & Milani, R. (2009). Secondary coronary prevention in women: It starts with cardiac
doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1526
MOL: Alleged overprice, credit loans and trees. (2004, December 23). The Budapest Sun, p. 4.
Shiltz, T. (2002). Strategies for prevention and early intervention of male eating disorders.
286&Profile_ID=41172
Topics for our times: Welfare reforms and women‟s health. (1998). American Journal of Public
WARNING:
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