Paper Guidelines
8-10 pp. (lower division students)
10-12 pp. (upper division students)
12 pts. Times Roman
1 inch margin
Separate Cover Page
Page count does not include bibliography
APA citation basics
When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author’s last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, for example, (Jones, 1998), and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
If you are referring to an idea from another work but NOT directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference. All sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining
- Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.
- If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source: Permanence and Change. Exceptions apply to short words that are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs: Writing New Media, There Is Nothing Left to Lose.
- (Note: in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized: Writing new media.)
- When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word: Natural-Born Cyborgs.
- Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: “Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.”
- Italicize or underline the titles of longer works such as books, edited collections, movies, television series, documentaries, or albums: The Closing of the American Mind; The Wizard of Oz; Friends.
- Put quotation marks around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles, articles from edited collections, television series episodes, and song titles: “Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds”; “The One Where Chandler Can’t Cry.”
Short quotations
If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and the page number for the reference (preceded by “p.”). Introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author’s last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.
According to Jones (1998), “Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time” (p. 199).
Jones (1998) found “students often had difficulty using APA style” (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?
If the author is not named in a signal phrase, place the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.
She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style” (Jones, 1998, p. 199), but she did not offer an explanation as to why.
Long quotations
Place direct quotations that are 40 words, or longer, in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.
Jones’s (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 students failed to purchase a style manual or to ask their teacher for help. (p. 199)
Summary or paraphrase
If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required.)
According to Jones (1998), APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners.
APA style is a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
How to Cite a Book in Print in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year Published) Book. City, State: Publisher.
Examples:
James, H. (1937). The ambassadors. New York, NY: Scribner.
Rowling, J.K. (2001). Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone. London: Bloomsburg Children’s.
How to Cite a Book Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published) Book. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
James, H. (2009). The ambassadors. Retrieved from http://books.google.com
Porter, R. (1994). London, a social history. Retrieved from http://books.google.com
How to Cite a Book From a Database in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Book. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Morem, S. (2005). 101 tips for graduates. Retrieved from http://www.infobasepublishing.com
Bloom, H. (1986). American women poets. Retrieved from http://www.infobasepublishing.com
Make sure to:
- Add doi (Digital Object Identifier) if it is available after at the end of the citation instead of URL.
- If you used an e-reader, you should still include the URL that you retrieved the book from, for example, http://www.amazon.com.
How to Cite a Chapter in Print in APA Format
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Title of chapter In F. M. Last Editor (Ed.), Title of book/anthology (pp. Pages). Publisher City, State: Publisher.
Examples:
Serviss, G. P. (1911). A trip of terror. In A Columbus of space (pp. 17-32). New York, NY: Appleton.
Hemingway, E. (1999). The killers. In J. Updike & K. Kenison (Eds.), The best American short stories of the century (pp.78-80). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
How to Cite a Chapter Online in APA Format
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Section title. In F. M. Last (Ed.), Book/anthology [E-reader version, if used] (pp. Pages). doi:# or Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Serviss, G. P. (1911). A trip of terror. A Columbus of space. Retrieved from http://books.google.com
Bellow, S. (1999). A silver dish. In J. Updike & K. Kenison (Eds.), The best american short stories of the century. Retrieved from http://books.google.com
How to Cite an Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword in APA Format
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Section title [Section Type]. In F. M. Last & F. M. Last (Eds.),Book/anthology (pp. Pages). City, State: Publisher.
Examples:
Sanders, S. R. (2007). [Introduction]. In L. Williford & M. Martone (Eds.), Touchstone anthology of contemporary creative nonfiction: Work from 1970 to present (pp. 148-151). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Masur, L. P. (2011). Preface. In The Civil War: A concise history (pp. Iv-Xii). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
How to Cite a Journal in Print in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M., & Last, F. M. (Year Published). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Pages.
Examples:
Jacoby, W. G. (1994). Public attitudes toward government spending. American Journal of Political Science, 38(2), 336-361.
Fearon, J. D., & Laitin, D. D. (2003). Ethnicity, Insurgency, and Civil War. American Political Science Review, 97(01), 75. doi: 10.1017/S0003055403000534
How to Cite a Journal Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page(s). doi:# or Retrieved from URL
Example:
Poiger, U. G. (1996). Rock ‘n’ roll, female sexuality, and the Cold War Battle over German Identities. The Journal of Modern History, 68(3), 577. doi:10.1086/245343
How to Cite a Journal on a Database in APA
APA style does not require Database information in its citations. You would cite the source found within the Database, such as a journal article or a photograph.
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year Published). Article title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page(s). Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Jacoby, W. G. (1994). Public attitudes toward government spending. American Journal of Political Science, 38(2), 336-361. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.
Davis, E. (1932). New chapters in American history. The Science News-Letter, 22(605), 306-307. doi: 10.2307/3907973
How to Cite a Magazine in Print in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Published). Article title. Magazine Title, volume(issue), pp. Page(s).
Examples:
Rothbart, D. (2008, October). How I caught up with dad. Men’s Health, 108-113.
Jaeger, J. (2010, August). Social media use in the financial industry. Compliance Week, 54.
How to Cite a Magazine Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Magazine Title, Page(s). Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Rothbart, D. (2008, October). How I caught up with dad. Men’s Health, 108-113. Retrieved from http://books.google.com
Folger, T. Higgs: What causes the weight of the world.” Discover Magazine,. Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com
How to Cite a Magazine on a Database in APA
APA style does not require Database information in its citations. You would cite the source found within the Database, such as a magazine article or a photograph.
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Published). Article title. Magazine Title. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
China’s export prospects: Fear of the dragon. (2010, January). The Economist. Retrieved from http://academic.lexisnexis.com
Miley, M. (2008, December). Magazine’s we’ll miss. Advertising Age, 79(46), 19. Retrieved from http://connection.ebscohost.com/
How to Cite a Magazine Published Directly Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M., & Last, F. M. (Year, Month Published). Article title. Magazine Title. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Nasar, S., & Gruber, D. (2006, August). Manifold destiny. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://newyorker.com
Bradley, K. (2012, December). The trick to tomatoes. Green Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.gmagazinecom.au/features/3530/trick-tomatoes
How to Cite a Newspaper in Print in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. Page(s).
Examples:
Bowman, L. (1990, March 7). Bills target Lake Erie mussels. The Pittsburgh Press, p. A4.
Meier, B. (2013, January 1). Energy Drinks Promise Edge, but Experts Say Proof Is Scant. New York Times, p. 1.
How to Cite a Newspaper Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. Page(s). Retrieved from URL.
Examples:
Bowman, L. (1990, March 7). Bills target Lake Erie mussels. The Pittsburgh Press, p. A4. Retrieved from http://www.pittsburghpress.com
Meier, B. (2013, January 1). Energy drinks promise edge, but experts say proof is scant. New York Times, p. 1. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
How to Cite a Newspaper on a Database in APA
Format:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Newspaper Title, pp. Page(s). Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Anand, G. (2010, April 2). Fire and fumes can’t drive Indians from hellish village. Wall Street Journal, p. A1. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com
Carey, P. (2012, December 21). An apps-eye view of global warming and climate change. Contra Costa Times. Retrieved from http://www.lexisnexis.com
How to Cite a Newspaper Article Published Directly Online in APA
Format:
Last, F. M., & Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Newspaper Title. Retrieved from URL
Examples:
Sutter, J. D. (2010, March 31). Why internet connections are fastest in South Korea. CNN Tech. Retrieved from http://cnn.com
Zeitlin, M. (2012, December 29). The milk cliff explained: Why a gallon may soon hit $7. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com
How to Cite a Website in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year, Month Date Published). Article title. Retrieved from URL
Example:
Satalkar, B. (2010, July 15). Water aerobics. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com
Cain, K. (2012, June 29). The Negative effects of Facebook on communication. Social Media Today RSS. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com
How to Cite a Blog Post in APA
Structure:
Last, F. M. (Year Month Date Published). Article title [Type of blog post]. Retrieved from URL.
Example:
Schonfeld, E. (2010, May 3). Google throws $38.8 million to the wind [Web log post]. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://techcrunch.com
China, The American Press, and the State Department [Web log post]. (2013, January 3). Retrieved from Schonfeld, E. (2010, May 3). Google throws $38.8 million to the wind [Web log post]. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://techcrunch.com
The Black Arts Movement 