APA FAQs
Why do I have to learn/use APA?
- The most essential purpose of using APA is to be absolutely clear
about where you retrieved the information you are writing about or using
to support your ideas. This allows you to avoid plagiarism and allows your readers to easily locate and use your sources.
What is APA?
- There are many different citation styles used by different groups
of writers. APA is the style that has been developed by the American
Psychological Association and that has been adopted by social sciences
departments at many universities across the United States.
Why is everything double spaced?
- In APA we double space the entire document to allow room for notations to be made, as well as to make it easier
to read/see your information.
What information do I include in my text when
I cite a reference in APA?
- If you are paraphrasing or summarizing you only need to include the
Author’s last name and the year of the publication (Author, year).
For example (Napoli, 1999)
- If you are using a direct quote you must include the Author’s
last name, the year of the publication AND the page or paragraph number
of where that particular quote can be found. For example (Naploi, 1999 p. 152)
or (Jones, 2004 para.8).
When do I use a page number and when do I use
a paragraph number?
- Page numbers should be used when the information is from a published
piece, that you have retrieved, that includes the original page numbers.
Examples include actual copies of books or articles, PDF files of published
works, or exact copies of printed documents with original page numbers.
- Paragraph numbers should be used when original page numbers do not
exist or are not available. For example, web sites do not number their
pages and published documents re-formatted into html form do not have
original page numbers. Quotes from these sources or others without page
numbers should include the para. #. Information from longer documents
should begin the paragraph count at a section header, which would be
included in the citation; for example (Jones, 2004 conclusion section,
para. 8).
When should I use a block quote?
- Block quotes should be used when you directly quote 40 words or more.
- Block quotes are created by indenting the left margin
of the quoted text by .5 (1/2 inch).
What information do I include on the reference
page?
- The reference page should include the complete retrieval information
for each source you have cited in the paper. The sources should be entered
alphabetically in order of the Author’s last name. See referencing
specifics for details on how to reference individual documents.
What if a source does not have an author listed?
- If a source does not have an author listed, use the following in place of the author:
- For online sources where an organization, group or company claims authorship use that organization, group or company as the author. For example, The British Broadcasting Corporation is clearly the author of articles published on the BBC News Site when no individual author or other news source is listed.
- For print sources or online sources that cannot be ascribed to an organization, use the title of the work in the author’s position. Then list the work alphabetically using the first significant word in the title. For example, The New Health Care Lexicon would be listed under “N” for new.
What information should I include on my title
page?
- Centered in the middle of your title page you should include
Title of the paper
Your Name
The Course Name
The Professor’s name
The date of submission
- In the top left corner of your title page you should include a Running
Head
- In the top right corner of the title page (and all subsequent pages)
you should include a shortened (2-3 word) version of your title and
the page number.
What is the Running Head?
- The running head is an abbreviated version of the title of the paper
placed in the top left corner of the title page to identify the paper.
The running head is included ONLY on the title page and should be a
MAX of 50 characters including punctuation and spacing.
What is an abstract?
- The abstract is a comprehensive summary of the contents of the paper
that allows readers to determine the basic ideas of your paper.
When should I include an abstract?
- In academic courses the inclusion of an abstract is at the discretion
of the professor. Students should check with individual instructors
to determine that particular professor’s requirements.
What should I include in my introduction?
- Different types of papers need different types of information in
the introduction, students should check with individual professors for
specific expectations.
- In general, all papers should have an introduction that:
- Generally describes the issue being discussed in the paper
- Generally describes the direction of the paper
- Specifically states the point of the paper – THESIS statement
These frequently asked questions have been answered by Learning Center
staff using the APA (2001) Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association.
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