Guide to the Publication Manual

of the American Psychological

Association

Special Education Program at SUNY New

Paltz
 APA Tutorial

This Powerpoint presentation is

designed to provide you with the basics
of APA format and other general writing
guidelines. It is not to be considered a
comprehensive source. For complete
APA requirements, refer to the APA
publication manual (6th Edition). You
also may want to consult the resources
provided at the end of this tutorial, such
as the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Finding Sources
 Peer-reviewed Articles

Peer-reviewed or refereed journals are

publications that have their submitted
articles evaluated by outside experts
(peers) in the subject area (Bachand
& Sawallis, 2003, p. 40).
 Sample Databases

Management
Emerald

JSTOR

Multi-subject

Academic Search Complete

Sage Premier

Google Scholar
 Database Generated
Citations

Caution: Database generated

APA citations are NOT correct

You must consult APA

guidelines

See example on next slide

 Database Generated Citations
Example
Database generated:
Gresham, F. M. (1984). Social Skills and Self-Efficacy
for
Exceptional Children. Exceptional Children, 51(3),

se
253-261.

ca
er
w
Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Lo
Cite D ableCorrect citation:
OI

Italic
avail
when Gresham, F. M. (1984). Social skills and self-efficacy for
exceptional children. Exceptional Children, 51(3), 253-
261.
doi:10.1108
Learning the
Basics of APA
Style
 Basics
Double space entire paper including
headings
Two spaces after end punctuation in
sentences (recommended)
Use 10 pt to 12 pt Times New Roman
or similar font
1 inch margins all around
Indent paragraphs inch
Number pages consecutively
beginning with the title page
(Angeli et al., 2010)
 Voice and Point of View
Use an active voice not a passive
Example voice
The participant statednotThe
participants were asked

Use third person point of view

Example instead of first person point of view.
The study supported ... not.I found out

However, this depends on the journal

and/or the instructor.
(American Psychological Association [APA], 2010, pg. 77)
 Language

Use clear and concise language: avoid

interpretive language

Studies do not prove, they support

Do not say, This study proved that ...
Instead say, The study showed ...

Use simple, descriptive adjectives and

plain language

(APA, 2010, pg 65-67)

 Avoiding Bias in Language

1. Describe at the appropriate level of

specificity.
Not specific: over 15 years of age
Specific: 15- to 20-year-olds
2. Be sensitive to labels.
Refer to people in a culturally sensitive
manner that reflects their cultural
preferences.
3. Acknowledge participation.
State The children completed the
survey instead of The survey was
administered to the children
 Avoiding Bias: Disabilities
Do not focus on disability unless it is crucial to a
story.

Put people first, not their disability.

Example a child with a learning disability

not
a learning disabled child

Emphasize abilities, not limitations. Do not use

negative language.

Example Do not write: Suffers from ______

Instead write: A child with _______
 Subject/Pronoun Agreement

The student (singular).his/her (singular)

Students (plural)their (plural)

To avoid gender bias use the plural form

(students)

The teacher who. NOTThe teacher

that
(A teacher is a person, not an object. )
(Onwuegbuzie, Combs, Slate, & Frels, 2009)
 Subject/Verb Agreement

Your
subject and verb must agree in
number (singular and plural).
The words data and phenomena are
plural.
Example
Correct: The data indicate that..
Incorrect: The data indicates that.
Example
Correct: The phenomena occur.
Incorrect: The phenomena occurs.
(APA, 2010, p. 79)
 Grammar: Since vs. Because

Use since to refer only to time

Three years have passed since the beginning of the
Example
study.
Use because right before an explanation of
something
The student had difficulty with reading
Example
comprehension because of his/her limited English
proficiency.

(APA, 2010, p. 84)

 Grammar: While vs. Although

Use while for simultaneous events

only!
Example

The participants completed the survey while at

school.

Example Use although to show contrast of ideas

Although these findings support _____, the

results are not typical.

(APA, 2010, p. 84)

Numbers Expressed in Numerals

Use numerals to express:

All numbers 10 and above
Example 25 years old
Numbers preceding a unit of measurement
Example a 5-mg dose
Fractions,decimals, percentages, ratios,
percentiles & quartiles
Examples a ratio of 16:1
the 5th percentile
Time, dates, ages, scores and points on a scale
Examples 1 hour 15 minutes
scored 5 on a 8-point scale
 Numbers Expressed in Words

Use words to express numbers below 10

Use words anytime a number begins a

sentence, title, or heading

Common fractions
one
Example fifth of the class

(APA, 2010, pg.112)

Formatting
 Four Sections

Ask instructor about assignment

requirements.
An APA paper may include four major
sections:
Title Page
Abstract
Main Body
References
 Title Page Header
The title page header includes:
Running Head in a mixture of capital and lowercase
letters followed by the title of the paper in all capital letters
Exa
aligned to the left. At the far right of the page header is the
mp
le page number (numbered consecutively).

Running Head: APA FORMAT

Page #
Colon
Running Head

Title

1
 Page Header
Page header is noted on the top of every page

Every page after the title page has a page header

that includes the title of the paper in all capital
letters aligned to the left and the page number
(numbered consecutively) aligned to the right
Exa
mp
le

APA FORMAT 2

Page #
Title

(Angeli et al., 2010)

 Title Page
Running head Running head: APA FORMAT 1 Page number

(capital letters)
Title of paper
Title of paper
APA Format

Authors name Kathleen Golly

Institutional Affiliation State University of New York at New Paltz

(APA, 2010, p. 41)

 Abstract
Page header:
TITLE OF PAPER
2

Abstract (centered, at the top of the

page)

Brief
(between 150 and 250 words)
summary of your paper

Accurate, concise, and specific

language.

* Ask course instructor if abstract is

required *
 Headings
Different
levels of headings
Use consecutively

Level Format

1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings

2 Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings

3 Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with period.

4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with period.

5 indented, italicized, lowercase heading with period.

(APA, 2010, p. 62)

 Sample Headings
Methods (Level 1)

Site of Study (Level 2)

Participant Population (Level 2)

Teachers. (Level 3)

Students. (Level 3)

Results (Level 1)

Spatial Ability (Level 2)

Test one. (Level 3)

Teachers with training (Level 4)

(Angeli et al., 2010)

Citing Sources
 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the representation,

intentional or unintentional, of someone
else's words or ideas as one's own
(State University of New York at New
Paltz, n.d., para 4).
 Penalties for Plagiarism

Plagiarizing is a form of larceny

punishable by a fine and may result in
academic disciplinary action.

The academic penalty may range, for

instance, from a reprimand accompanied
by guidance about how to avoid
plagiarism in the future to failure for the
course (State University of New York at
New Paltz, n.d., para 5).
 How to Avoid Plagiarism
You must correctly cite the use of another
persons words or ideas in your paper.
You must cite all direct quotes,
paraphrases, and the use of other
peoples ideas in your paper.
If you use only an authors ideas and
change the words, you must clearly
identify the source of the ideas.

(State University of New York at New Paltz, n.d.)

 In-text Citations: Paraphrases

You must cite anything that is not your

original idea or words

Cite all paraphrases in the body of your

paper
(Authors last name, year).
Example
The study supported the finding that children
learn best
through multisensory approaches (Smith,
2002).

Punctuation mark outside

 In-text Citations: Direct Quotes

You must cite anything that is not your

original idea or words.
Cite all direct quotes in the body of your
paper.
Write a lead-in phrase for direct quotes.
Lead in phrase __________ (Last name, year, p. #).
OR
Lead in phrase Last name (year)
_________________ (p. #).
Example
Do not start a sentence with a direct
quote. According to Smith (2000)
___________(p. 15).
 Direct Quote Formatting
Examples
Include page number

Smith (2002) stated ___________(p. 11).

OR
Children learn best by ______________
(Smith, 2002, p.11).
Include page number

OR Citation right after quote

Children learn best through ______ (Smith,

2002, p. 11) and hands-on learning
experiences.
 Direct Quotes: Forty Words or
Less
Use quotation marks
Keep the quote within the paragraph

According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty

Example
using APA style, especially when it was their first time
citing

sources" (p.199).

(Angeli et al., 2010)

 Direct Quotes: Forty Words or
More
No quotation marks
Indent entire quote inch from the left margin
Do not indent the first line more than the rest of
the quote
Maintain double spacing
Parenthetical citation comes after punctuation
mark

Example Jones' (1998) study found the following:

Students often had difficulty using APA style,

especially when it was
their first time citing sources. This difficulty could be
attributed to
the fact that many
(Angeli students
et al., 2010)failed to purchase a style
 In-text Citations
Parenthetical
Subsequent Parenthetical format,
citations in format, first subsequent
Type of citation First citation in text text citation in text citations in text

One work by one author Walker (2007) Walker (2007) (Walker, 2007) (Walker, 2007)
One work by two Walker and (Walker & Allen, (Walker & Allen,
authors Walker and Allen (2004) Allen (2004) 2004) 2004)
One work by three Gilsenan, Ramirez, and Gilsenan et al. (Gilsenan, Ramirez, (Gilsenan et al.,
authors Smith (1999) (1999) & Smith, 1999) 1999)

One work by four Gilsenan, Ramirez, Soo, Gilsenan et al. (Gilsenan, Ramirez, (Gilsenan et al.,
authors and Smith (2008) (2008) Soo, & Smith, 2008) 2008)
Gilsenan, Ramirez, (Gilsenan, Ramirez,
One work by five Hicks, Soo, and Smith Gilsenan et al. Hicks, Soo, & (Gilsenan et al.,
authors (2003) (2003) Smith, 2003) 2003)
One work by six or more Smith et al. (Smith et al.,
authors Smith et al. (2005) (2005) (Smith et al., 2005) 2005)
Groups (readily National Institute of (National Institute of
identified through Mental Health (NIMH, Mental Health
abbreviation) as authors 2003) NIMN (2003) [NIMH], 2003) (NIMH, 2003)
University of
Groups (no University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh (University of (University of
abbreviation) as authors (2005) (2005) Pittsburgh, 2005) Pittsburgh, 2005)
(Angeli et al., 2010)
 In-text Citations

Remember to include page numbers for

all
direct quotes
For 1-2 authors: List both last names
every time!
For 3-5 authors: List all last names the
first time, then use the first authors
last name followed by et al. for
subsequent entries
For 6+ authors: List the first authors
last name and et al. (List all authors on
the reference page)
 In-text Citations: No Authors
Unknown author: Cite by the title.
-Titles of books and reports are italicized or
underlined -Titles of articles, chapters, and
web pages are in quotation marks.
Example (Behavior
Management, 2005).

Organization as author:
Write out the organizations full name the
Example first time with any abbreviation in brackets
(National Education Association [NEA],
Example 2011).
Subsequent citations: use abbreviation
 Reference General Guidelines
Capitalize only the first letter of the first
word of an article or book title and
subtitle, the first word after a colon or a
dash in the title, and proper nouns.
Example Social skills and self-efficacy for exceptional
children

Note: Do not capitalize the first letter of

the second word in a hyphenated
compound word.
 Reference General Guidelines

If multiple sources by the exact same

author(s) list them by date (earliest
first) on the reference page

Capitalize all major words in journal

titles.
Example

Journal of Learning Disabilities

 References
1. First: Decide what type of source it is

2. Next: Refer to Purdue Online Writing Lab or the

APA manual (6th Edition)

3. Locate sample citation and copy format exactly

OR

1. Decide what type of source it is

2. Use the automatic citation feature of the

database
AND
3. Adjust the citation based on the
Purdue Online Writing Lab or the APA manual (6th
 Common Reference Examples

Basic Format for Books:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital

letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.

Article from Database:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of article. Journal

Title,
8(3), 120-125. doi: 000000001123

(Angeli et al., 2010)

 Common Reference Examples
Newspaper Article
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of
Newspaper.

Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Nonperiodical Web Page

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of

document. Retrieved from http://Web address

(See APA manual or Purdue OWL for more detailed

explanations and additional reference types)

(Angeli et al., 2010)

 How to Cite DOIs
DOI: Digital Object Identifier
APA now requires that you cite DOIs when
available.
You do not need to cite the database from
which the article was retrieved
Some journal articles have DOIs and
some do not Example

Mosteller, F., Nave, B., & Miech, E. J. (2004). Why we need a structured abstract

in education research. Educational Researcher, 33(1), 29-34.

doi:10.1037/1054-5844.23.4
(APA, 2010, pg.188-192)
 How to locate DOIs

DOIs are usually located on the first page

of an article often in the upper right
hand corner near the copyright
information.

Sage Premier consistently lists DOIs on

the title page of the journal article.

Ifyou cannot find the DOI, check the

article title in the SAGE premier database
and try to locate the DOI that way.
 Now You Try
Go to Sage Premier.
Browse journals by discipline.
Click on education under social
sciences.
Select The Journal of Special Education.
Search for CBM.
Locate the article
The predictive validity of CBM writing in
dices for eighth-grade students.
The DOI is located on the first page.
(see next slide)
 The Journal of Special Education
http://sed.sagepub.com/
______________________________________________________

The Predictive Validity of CBM Writing Indices for Eighth-Grade Students

Janelle M. Amato and Marley W. Watkins
J Spec Educ 2011 44: 195 originally published online 27 March 2009
DOI: 10.1177/0022466909333516

The online version of this article can be found at:

http://sed.sagepub.com/content/44/4/195
_____________________________________________________________

Published by:
Hammill Institute on Disabilities

and
http://www.sagepublications.com
 No DOIs
Some articles do not have DOIs
If you accessed the article from an online
periodical or online journal that is only available
online and not in print, you should provide the
website for the homepage of the journal.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Online
Example
Periodical, volume number(issue number if available). Retrieved from

http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

If you accessed the article from a database, you

do not need to provide the website for the
database.
Example
Mosteller, F., Nave, B., & Miech, E. J. (2004). Why we need a structured abstract
(Angeli et al., 2010)
 Reference Page

The reference list must be double-

spaced, and entries should have a
hanging indent (see example on next
page)

Entries must be listed in alphabetical

order

The word References should be

centered at the top of the page
 Reference Page Sample
APA FORMAT 23
References

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the

Hanging
American Psychological Association 6th ed. Washington, DC:
indent
American Psychological Association.

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L.,

& Brizee, A. (2010). APA format and styling guide. Retrieved from

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01

(Angeli et al., 2010)

Advanced APA
 Tables vs. Figures

A table shows numerical values or

textual information arranged in an
orderly display of columns and rows
(APA, 2010, p. 125).

A figure can be a chart, a photograph, a

graph, a scatter plot, a drawing or any
other illustration.

(APA, 2010, p. 125).

 Use only horizontal
Tables
lines when needed
for clarity
Example: Do not use vertical
Double space lines
Title of table in italics
Number tables
Table 1
consecutively
May include a note
Word list: Summary of performance
under table if
information
(APA, 2010, p. is
129)
needed to
Grade Sight Analysis Total understand table.
Level
1 19 0 19 Independent
2 16 1 17 Instructional
3 12 4 16 Instructional

Note: Sight indicates the number of words read correctly on the first try. Analysis indicates
the number of missed words that were corrected when reread a second time. Total
indicates the total number of words read correctly.
 Title of figure in italics
Figures
Example: Number figures consecutively
Double space
Include a note at the bottom if
Figure 1 information is needed for clarity
Graphic Similarity of Substitution Miscues (Angeli et al., 2010)

Note. This figure shows the graphic similarity in the beginning,

middle, and end of substitution miscues .
 Additional Resources

1. APA Formatting and Style Guide. Provides

detailed explanation and examples of all
components of APA.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/56
0/01/

2. Free tutorial on APA. Includes specific

examples.
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx

3. Specific examples of references. Explains

DOIs.
 References
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological

Association 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L., & Brizee, A.

(2010). APA format and styling guide. Retrieved from

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01

Bachand, R. G., & Sawallis, P. P. (2003). Accuracy in the identification of scholarly and peer-

reviewed journals and the peer-review process across disciplines. Serials Librarian, 45(2),

39-59. Retrieved from http://serialslibrarian.us/

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Combs, J. P., Slate, J. R., & Frels, R. K. (2009). Editorial: Evidence-based

guidelines for avoiding the most common APA errors in journal article submissions.

Research in the Schools, 16(2), 1. Retrieved from http://www.msstate.edu/

State University of New York at New Paltz (n.d.). Academic integrity. In Academic policies and

procedures. Retrieved from http://www.newpaltz.edu/advising/policies_integrity.html