Guide to Formatting

Papers for this course in

APA style
Gordon Whitehead
 General Instructions for Your Paper
All written assignments must follow the APA format. The
following guidelines are clarifications and specifics I want
included for all assignments in this class. Papers not formatted
in this way are rejected.
• Cover page required
• No abstract required
• Headings need to be used throughout the paper
• Introduction should include a clear thesis statement
• The first line of new paragraphs are indented
• References are reverse indented. Page break before references so they are
on a separate page.
• Double space all writing
• Page numbers formatted in the automatic header within word (should be in
the upper right corner)
• Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
• All margins are 1 inch.
 The purpose of this presentation is to help make sure you
submit your papers in the proper format. This is very
important. Any paper not submitted in this format will be
rejected.
 I use this format because it helps students organize their
thoughts and material and it helps readers understand how
to find information in the paper. A single standard is
important – and for this course I have chosen APA, which
is the college’s standard also.
 The best source for answering specific questions about APA
is: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx

Why this presentation?

  Centered
vertically and
horizontally
 Include a title
 Your name as
the author
 The name of the
school
 The name of the
class
 My name as the
professor
 The date
Use Professor G. Whitehead here

The cover page

  Page number
(preferably the page
number has a brief
running head to it)

 Title heading

 First level heading

 Proper citation

 A better page
number example
 Example of
secondary heading

The Body
 A table is
labeled at the
top and the title
is in italics.
 When you use a
table you need
to discuss it in
the text – don’t
let it stand all by
itself without
explanation.

Labeling Tables
  A figure is labeled
at the bottom. The
words: Figure 3 is
in italics…the title of
the figure is in
normal case.

 When you use a

figure you need to
discuss it in the text
– don’t let it stand
all by itself without
explanation.

Labeling figures
  References heading
(not Works cited,
Bibliography…but
“References”

 Reverse indent

 See this web site if

you have questions
on how to format a
particular Here’s a great website if you
reference:
http://www.apastyl
have questions about how to
e.org/learn/faqs/in format a particular reference
dex.aspx
type:
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx

References
  Many students like to quote someone directly. Please use no more than
one direct quote per paper. Make sure you explain it and that it is relevant
to the topic and that it comes from a good source. Quotes.com is not a
good source – only quote an expert out of a solid journal article, text, or
book, or reputable magazine such as Fortune, The Economist, etc.
How to cite a direct quote: “Text here you are quoting” (Author lastname,
date of publication, page number).
Example 1: “Students who self-declared as leaders scored higher in authenticity composites” (Whitehead, 2009, p.
28).
Example 2: According to Whitehead (2009) “Students who self-declared as leaders scored higher in authenticity
composites” (p. 28).
 Rather than quoting directly, paraphrase and put into your own words
what the author is saying and then discuss why it pertains. You still
reference a paraphrased idea but no page # is needed.
Example 1: Leaders who self-declare as such tend to score higher in self-directed tests of authenticity (Whitehead,
2009).
Example 2: According to Whitehead (2009) Leaders who self-declare as such in psychological instruments tend to
also score higher in areas of authenticity.

Notice the quotation marks, then

the citation, then the period.
Direct Quoting vs. Paraphrasing
Citations and References
• Do not cite something in your references section UNLESS
they are cited in the text of your paper. Just because you
read an article does not mean that it belongs in your
reference section. Every study cited in the text of your
paper MUST be referenced on your reference page.
• ALWAYS provide a citation for anyone else’s work you
use in paraphrased or quoted form to write your paper.
• Only use one direct quote per paper. Paraphrase instead of
quoting.
• Your citations should come from multiple sources. The
text book is not considered research – I require you to
dive into the library for additional research.
• Citations in the text of your paper will always contain the
author and date of publication.
• When there is more than one author cite all authors the
first time you reference their material. Any other
citations in your paper can be written with the first
author’s last name followed by et al.
Example:
Brown, Robinson, and Rock (1996) found …(Use as the first citation in the
text.)

Brown et al. (1996) found… (Use as the citation for subsequent citations in
the paper.)
Reference Examples (for more details see:
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx )

•Book with 2 authors:

Hack, W.G. & Bowin, R.B. (1996). Human resource
management: An experimental approach. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
(note that the first line of the reference is on the margin, all other lines are set in 5 spaces -tab
on your keyboard).

•Journal article with 2 authors:

Anderson, K.M. & Durant, D. (1997). Classified staff
developers unite! Journal of Staff Development, 18(1),
18-21.
(Italicize the name of the journal and volume number. NOT (1).
• Web Page Citation:

Author, I. (date of publication). Title of article. Name of

Periodical, volume number (if provided). Retrieved date in
normal order from full Web address or the library database
used.

Example:
Brown, D. (2005). Get in position to bring accountants to
account. Personnel Today, p17, 1-3p, 1c. Retrieved April 1,
2005, from EBSCOhost database. [Journal article from
database]
Note: You do not put the enormous web site that appears at the top of the article that is
retrieved through EBSCO or any other database that is used to retrieve journal
articles.
•A titanic struggle between supply & demand (2005, April 4).
The Economist. Retrieved April 4, 2005, from
www.economist.com

The only web address that you cite is one that the reader can go
directly to and find the EXACT item that you are referencing.

Journal articles found on databases are cited by what database

you used. This lets the reader know that they must access the
database first before they can type in the article title and find the
article.
Citing Data Files Used in Your Paper
• Data files that are accessed through the Internet or other
sources must be listed on the reference page.

Example:
National Health Interview Survey – Current health topics:
1991- Longitudinal study of aging (Version 4) [Data
file]. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health
Statistics.
Department of Health and Human Services, Center for
Disease Control and Prevention. (2005) National Report on
Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2003 [Data
file]. Available from Center for Disease Control and
Prevention Web site http://www.cdc.gov

You will notice that I used the word “available” which

indicates to the reader that the URL leads to information on
how to obtain the cited material, rather than the data itself.
General Rules for References
All references are double spaced.
The first line is on the margin.
The second and subsequent lines are set
in 5 spaces (tab).
Double space all lines in the references.
Make sure to have a reference heading of
“References“ not “Bibliography” or
“Citations” or “Works Cited.”