APA Style Refresher

Writing Skills Session

Academic Residency

Lansdowne, VA • March 2009

 APA Style Refresher

For a comparison of APA software, visit

http://www.eaa-knowledge.com/ojni/ni/dm/51/article4.htm

On Numbers (APA 3.42-3.45)

Remember: Normally, numbers 10 and higher are written as numerals. Nine and lower are written out.

But there are exceptions where numbers 9 and lower appear as numerals, too—mainly (a) elements of
time, (b) participants in a study, and (c) great big numbers, like 4 million.

For example:

All eight boys threw rocks at a carp. Meanwhile, 14 moose chased the governor. Crazy, but true!

I like saw you know like 150 people I like totally knew at the Hanna Montana show? There were like
2 million people there? She played like 20 songs and it lasted like 3 hours? It was so like totally
awesome?

Every 2 or 3 years my lovely bride and I spend a weekend in Crawford, TX, discussing the positive
effects of oil profits on luxury boat sales.

In general, use arabic--not roman—numerals..

In chapter 2, the author described the history of the world, with an emphasis on ground beef.
(Please refer to p. {space}976.)

Percentages

Percentages (APA 3.42d) are straightforward.

Use a numeral and percentage sign unless at the start of a sentence or if you’re quoting directly from a
source that used a different style manual.

Sixteen percent favor death by lethal injection.

Another 12% favor Cheez-Whiz, and 2% marked “Hemlock.”

Spelling

Check the tables in chapter 3 for rules on hyphenation. In general, words with prefixes such as
non, semi, pre, post, anti, multi, and inter are not hyphenated: pretest, posttest, antibiotic,
antisocial, nonprofit, semipro, multiphased, subsample. But self-esteem, self-concept.

Possessives of proper nouns ending in s get ’s added: Rogers’s, Wilks’s lambda, Jones’s

Walden University
3 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009
 APA Style Refresher

Italics (not underlines)

APA says use italics, not underlines.

Check the table in chapter 3 for rules on italics. Italicize book and journal titles and words used as key
terms on first reference:

I just re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. The term psychopharmocological always brings me back to my salad
days at Penn State.

Headings (APA 3.31)

Keep your reader from getting lost.

A series of road signs.
Some choices depending on how many levels you have.
All levels belong in the table of contents, which on most word processing programs is generated
automatically.

Here’s how to do three levels.

Highest Level [L1]

Next Level [L3]
Next level. [L4]

If you’re having a war with Word, or need help formatting your paper (margins, pagination, and so on),
contact the folks at support@waldenu.edu

Spacing

Normally, double space. Per page 326 in the APA manual, Walden encourages single-spaced reference
lists, block quotes, table titles and figure captions, and other places where readability is improved. Walden
prefers one space after a colon and period, but two spaces are accepted.

Miscellaneous

Data and media are plural.

Use respectful and inclusive language.
First person is now permitted at Walden when appropriate.
American not British English at Walden.
Avoid contractions.

Walden University
4 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009
 APA Style Refresher

Verb Tense: Short Course

Report the literature in past tense.

Freud (1917/1980) explained [not explains] that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Deming (1982) argued that blah blah.
Bennis (1980) believed [not believes]
Linus (2000) found that, wrote that, demonstrated/indicated/opined

Writing Courses

http://inside.waldenu.edu/c/Student_Faculty/StudentFaculty_1459.htm

The Hows of Citations

Follow the conventions of the style manual.

In-text citations on pp. 117-122 & 207-214
Reference lists chapter 5 (5th ed.)
www.apastyle.org
See the Walden Writing Center Web site for additional examples and updates.

In-Text Citations: The Hows

– You must supply page numbers for direct quotes from print sources or ¶ number for electronic ones.
– You must use quotation marks if quoting a source directly (unless block quote).
– Per APA 3.39, you are not required to provide page numbers for paraphrases, but “authors are
encouraged to do so.”
– Use secondary sources carefully.
– You need not cite the year again in the same paragraph as long as the reader is not confused. You
must cite the author/year on first reference in each subsequent paragraph.

The plural of the abbreviation for page is pp.

Blah blah blah blah and the Cowboys (pp. 211-212).

– Citing a source isn’t enough. If it’s a direct quote or close to it, you must paraphrase or use quotation
marks.

Per APA Style: Secondary Sources

– If you didn’t read it firsthand, then no date appears, and it doesn’t show up in the reference list.

icons” (p. 285), resulting in a “media-manufactured nationalism” (Burney, as cited in Steinbrink &
Cook, p. 285).

Walden University
5 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009
 APA Style Refresher

Block Quotes

Direct quotes 40 words or more.

Indent five spaces on the left; same margin on the right. Per Walden, single space preferred.
Usually no need for opening or closing ellipses.
Final punctuation comes before the parenthetical element.
. . . and unpatriotic. (p. 285)

To Avoid Plagiarism

If you didn’t read it, either ignore it or go back and read the original stuff.
Put it in your own words. Write it without looking at the original. Better than wordsmithing, consider
what the passage is really about. Think critically. How important is the specific paragraph?

By the way, “according to” = a citation.

Electronic Citations: The Rules Have Changed

– Start with APA’s basic forms.

– You no longer need to name the retrieval date and database for stuff from academic journals.
– Cite the DOI number instead if there is one.

In-text citation of Web page

Show retrieval date for nonpermanent Web sources. Electronic sources:

para. or ¶ or p. 2 of 6.

Best Method section, ¶ 3.

Reference List Format

Use hanging indents like this. Single spacing is preferred. Double space between each item.

Lay, K., & Skilling, J. (1996). The importance of ethical decision making. Texas Business Review, 23, 465-498.

Quayle, D., & Rockefeller, N. (1998). Great 20th century vice presidents. St. Paul, MN: Mondale Press.

Reference Review: Key Points on Citations

You must use quotation marks if quoting directly.

You must indicate the page number or paragraph number of a direct quote.
You can’t pretend to have read something firsthand you didn’t.
Paraphrase, or better yet, read and write critically.

Walden University
6 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009
 APA Style Refresher

Use of et al.; citing groups

It’s et al., followed by a comma. It’s et al. Not et.al, et. al, etal, et.al

On first reference use et al. if 6 or more authors.

After first reference use et al. if 3 or more authors.
Other rules appear in the APA manual.

If you’re listing groups of authors, they go in alphabetical order:

Yadda yadda yadda (Bonds, Van Slyke, Bonilla, & Bell, 1990; Mazeroski & Groat, 1960; Stargell, Alou, &
Clemente, 1970).

Seriation (Lists)

Vertical lists, go

1.
2.
3.
4.

In the paragraph, use (a), (b), (c). . . .

Walden University
7 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009
APA Style Refresher

Walden University
8 Lansdowne, VA
March 2009