Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
by
Use the templates below to format your papers in APA 7th style.
Note that some elements (like an appendix) are not necessary for certain papers. Omit pieces of the template when necessary and at the discretion of your instructor.
APA should be on regular-sized white paper with margins set to 1-inch and paragraphs set to double-spaced. Font type and size are not dictated, but should be legible and consistent throughout the paper.
Some recommended styles and sizes include but are not limited to: 11-point Calibri, 11-point Ariel, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, and 10-point Computer Modern.
In Google Docs: File → Page setup to check that all margins are set at 1". Format → Line & paragraph spacing to select Double Spaced for the document. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
In Microsoft Word: Layout → Margins → Normal to ensure all margins are set at 1". Paragraph → Spacing → Line spacing dropdown menu, choose Double. Font and font size can be changed in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
Important! Check with your instructor if they require a running head for your paper. A running head is a shortened version of your paper title printed at the top of every page in the paper.
If they do NOT, then you only need the page number added to the right side of the header starting with the Title Page as page 1. Your word-processing program will then number each subsequent page.
If they require a running head, it should contain a maximum of 50 characters counting letters, spaces, and punctuation. It should be in all caps, flush left in the header with the page numbers flush right.
A title page is required for APA Style papers. It should contain the following elements:
The Title of Your Paper Should Come First: And a Subtitle if You Have One
Author
Affiliation or Department/Institute
Course
Instructor
Date
Paragraphs should be aligned to the left, the right side left uneven (not justified), and the first line of each new paragraph indented by 0.5". Your word-processing program will automatically move words to the next line - do not manually break up or hyphenate a word at the end of a line.
Once you ensure that the paper is left aligned, you can use the tab key to indent at the start of each new paragraph. Or, you can set up your word processing program to automatically indent at the start of each new paragraph.
APA uses up to five levels of headings to help you organize your paper.
The beginning of your paper is understood to be an introduction, so do not include an "Introduction" heading. The Title of the paper serves as the section heading.
Level 1 Headings Are For the Main Sections of Your Paper
Level 2 Headings Are For Subsections of Level 1 Sections
Level 3 Headings Are For Any Level 2 Subsections
Level 4 Headings Are Used For Subsections in Level 3 Sections. * They should be indented, bold, in title case and end with a period.
The text that follows will begin on the same line and continue as a regular paragraph.
Level 5 Headings Are the Final Level of Subsection Headings. * They should be indented, bold, italicized, in title case, and end with a
period. The text that follows should start on the same line and continue the same as a regular paragraph.
See this link to APA Style for examples of how to Format Headings in your paper.
The reference list should start on a new page using a Level 1 Heading. List references alphabetically and doubled spaced. If the same author has more than one reference, put them in order of oldest to newest (i.e. Smith 2001 before Smith 2002). Do not use extra lines to separate individual citations. The hanging indent will indicate a separate citation.
Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves three purposes:
Whenever you paraphrase or directly quote something in your paper that comes from an information source found in print, online, or through a personal communication, you need to cite that source at its point of use in your paper. This is done by using the author, date and sometimes a page number. To keep your paper from becoming monotonous, you can change the way you present your citations by switching between Narrative or Parenthetical citations (see below).
It is important to add these in-text citations AS YOU WRITE YOUR PAPER so you do not accidentally plagiarize material by forgetting to do it later.
When paraphrasing, both the author's last name and the date either need to appear in the body of the sentence, or in the parenthesis at the end. The date always appears in parenthesis after the author/s' name. A page number is not required when paraphrasing unless it would significantly help a reader find the concept in a longer, complex source.
Examples:
Mougios (2007) found that CK levels were statistically higher in athletes that ... (narrative)
In 2007, Mougios' study revealed discrepancies in CK levels based on age. (narrative)
Males consistently had higher upper limits than females (Mougios, 2007). (parenthetical)
When quoting directly, be sure to follow this same format, but always add a page number at the end of the quote in the parentheses.
Examples:
Simmons (1997) found that "permanent damage could occur within months of first use" (p. 34). (narrative)
"Our study found middle school children at most risk of regression" (Anderson, 2022, p. 55). (parenthetical)
For large quotations that are 40 words or longer, do not use quotation marks. Instead, start a block quotation on the next line and indent the entire block by .5 inch from the left. You can choose whether to use a narrative or parenthetical quotation and adjust the citation elements as needed.
Examples:
(narrative)
The same rules apply to two authors as for one, except that for two authors, in the parenthetical citation, you separate the names with an ampersand (&), and in the narrative, you connect them with "and".
Examples:
As Randolf and Keefe (2021) demonstrated in their study... (narrative)
The inconclusive findings may be due to poor research design (Matthews & Burke, 2007). (parenthetical)
When quoting directly, be sure to follow this same format, but add a page number after the date or at the end of the quotation.
Examples:
Harding and Massey (1997) hypothesized that "particulate distribution would be uniform" (p. 34). (narrative)
"The introduction of a third control had unexpected results" (Jordan & McGuire, 1999, p. 56). (parenthetical)
For three or more authors you list the first author and then et al. both in the parenthetical and in the narrative. (See the chart below for more examples of formatting in-text citations with one or more authors from pg. 266 of the APA Publication ManualLinks to an external site..)
Examples:
Ferguson, et al. (2005) argued in favor of... (narrative)
"Higher doses did not influence efficacy" (Ferguson, et al., 2005, p. 124). (parenthetical)
More In-Text Style Examples
| Number of Authors | In-Text Citations Paraphrasing | In-Text Citations for Quoting |
| One Author | (Jones, 2022) | (Jones, 2022, p. 231) |
| Two Authors | (Jones & Smith, 2014) | (Jones & Smith, 2014, pp. 132-133) |
| Three or More Authors | (Walters et al., 2002) | (Walters et al., 2002, p. 54) |
| Group Author without Abbreviation | (Sunrise Medical Laboratories, 2008) | (Sunrise Medical Laboratories, 2008, p. 67) |
|
Group Author with Abbreviation First citation Subsequent citations |
(University of Vermont (UVM), 2020) (UVM, 2020) |
(University of Vermont (UVM), 2020, p. 16) (UVM, 2020, p. 16) |
When citing multiple works at the same time parenthetically, list them in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons. If there are multiple works by the same author, include the last name once followed by the publication dates in chronological order. Citations with no date should come first, and those still in publication should come last.
When citing multiple works at the same time in the narrative, you can place them in any order.
Examples:
None of the studies showed a correlation between speed and distance (Davis 2012; Kirkpatrick & Phillips 2013, 2014; Reynolds 2010, in press; Sharpton n.d., 2013, 2015). (parenthetical)
Sharpton (n.d., 2013, 2015), Davis (2012), and Reynolds (2010) noted changes in the velocity... (narrative)
As a general rule, try to limit the frequency with which you cite sources from another source. Instead, try to use the original source. For example, if in a text the author refers to a quote of another author that you want to use, first try to obtain the original source of that author to confirm the accuracy of the quote.
If you are unable to obtain the original source, use the quote and cite it using the phrase "as cited in."
Example
Allport's diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003). (narrative)
Personal communications such as personal letters and emails, are generally only cited in-text and not in the reference list and include the author's name and the date.
Examples
T.K. Lutes (personal communication, April 18, 2001)... (narrative)
...(V.-G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1998). (parenthetical)
Use the following table to create a reference when one or more information elements are missing.
References that correspond to your in-text citations allow others to find the works you used to write your paper. It is how they are able to check that your information is accurate. The four main reference elements in order are: Author, (Date), Title, and Source. Formatting, particularly of the source, will depend on the type of information material you are using.
Professional Hint - gather all the information you need for a reference when you first access the source, even if later on you don't use it. It is much harder to go back and find citation information when you are trying to wrap up your paper than it is to store the information now and format it later. Consider using a citation manager (i.e. EndNote, ZoteroLinks to an external site.) to help you keep all that information safely stored.
The sections below contain samples of sources you might use when researching and writing your papers. We've identified for you where to find, in each example, the information elements you need to create your reference list citations. They also include examples of references for these types of sources. Additionally, check out this handy Common Reference Examples Guide,Links to an external site. which contains a wide selection of reference source types and how to properly formulate their citations on your references page. As always, contact a librarianLinks to an external site. for more detailed help with formatting citations.
With all the different online sources out there, it can be a bit confusing sometimes on where to look to find the information elements for your citation reference. To help you out, we've assembled a few examples of articles, eBooks and websites with arrows drawn in to show you where you can find the main reference elements of Author, Date, Title, and Source.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher Name. https://doi.org/xxxx
Guidelines to keep in mind:
List author's last names in order of appearance on the book cover or title page. Only list the authors initials for first and middle names.
Use a comma to separate each author's name. Even if there are only two authors, include a comma before the "&".
Use only an "&", no comma, to separate two group authors.
For suffixes, use a comma to separate initials and the suffix (e.g. Author, A. A., Sr., & Author, B.).
All words in the book title are lowercase except for the first word of the sentence, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns
Include only the publisher name, not the location. Do not include business structure designations (e.g. Inc., LLC).
Always include the DOI if one is available. Double check using CrossRef.org (instructions below).
Book that is an edition
Peters, G., & Woolley, J. T. (2013). The presidency A to Z (5th ed.). CQ Press.
Edited Book
Henley, G., & McMullen, A. J. (Eds.). (2018). Gerald of Wales: New perspectives on a medieval writer and critic. University of Wales Press.
https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.14491513Links to an external site.
Chapter in an Edited Book
Kallock, S. (2018). Sex work. In J. Elias, & A. Roberts (Eds.). Handbook on the international political economy of gender (pp. 392-410).
Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783478842Links to an external site.
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Title of the article. Title of the Periodical, xx, pp-pp.https://doi.org/xxxx
Guidelines to keep in mind:
Use a comma to separate each author's name. Even if there are only two authors, include a comma before the "&".
All words in the title of the article are lowercase except for proper nouns and the first word of the sentence and the first word after a colon.
The title of the periodical and the volume should be in italics and written in title case. If an issue number is available, add it after the volume and in parenthesis. The issue number is not in italics.
The second and subsequent lines are indented, or "hanging" indentation. Present DOIs and URLs as hyperlinks - do not break them to make them fit neatly on the page with hanging indentation (as we did in some of these examples). Consider using an online tool (such as shortDOIs or tinyurl) to shorten lengthy hyperlinks.
With a DOI
Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health
Psychology, 24, 225-229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0287-6133.24.2.225Links to an external site.
Without a DOI (e.g. published in print or older articles published before DOIs were established)
Light, M. A., & Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications for local
law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8(1), 73-82.
Print magazine article
Chamberlin, J., Novotney, A., Packard, E., & Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists
convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology, 39(5), 26-29.
Online magazine article
Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology,
39(6). http://www.apa.org/monitor/Links to an external site.
Print newspaper article
Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post, A1, A4.
Author, A. A. (date, if one). Title of the work. Site Name. https://xxxxxxxLinks to an external site.
Guidelines to keep in mind:
If you are just mentioning a website in your text, use the name of the site and provide the (URL) in parentheses. Do not create a reference or use in-text citations for general mentions of a particular site.
If the author of a website or webpage is not immediately evident, check the "about us" or acknowledgement sections of the website. If you are still unable to locate an author, use the group/site name as the author.
Be as specific as possible with the date, including month, day and year. If you know the site/page is designed to have changing content, include "Retrieved month day, year," before the URL. If the page is archived and will not change, do not include a retrieval date.
Webpage on a website with individual author
Aiken, K. (2020, January 29). The best vegetarian Instant Pot recipes. HuffPost.
Webpage on a website with group author
American Psychological Association. (2020, August 24). Five ways to view coverage of the Coronavirus. Encomium Psychology.
Note: If the author and site name are the same, do not include the site name in the source element. Use only the URL.
The APA style of citing requires the use of DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) for all resources that have one regardless of whether the work was found and used online or in print.
Many databases will provide the DOI for you along with the rest of an article's citation information (title, author, etc.). This is most often located on the first page of the article or in the eBook description.
However, if you cannot find a DOI for your article or book, or if you have a DOI, but don't know what article or book it is for, use the following online DOI Resolver: www.crossref.org. Use the "Search Metadata" box to look up the title of the book/article, or the unidentified DOI. If you are unable to determine the DOI of a work online, you may provide the URL address of the website at the end of the citation. "Retrieved/Accessed from" is no longer used. If the work without a DOI is from an academic database, do not include the URL. Instead leave the reference as you would for the print version.
While DOIs were first introduced in about 2000, they did not become commonly used for another 8-10 years. Therefore, most articles published before 2010 will not have DOIs assigned to them. However, some publishers are starting to assign DOIs to older articles. You should check CrossRef.org to ensure you have the most accurate information.
Citation generators are found in all sorts of places these days. There are "stand alone" options that your instructor may recommend such as EasyBib, BibMe, Owl, or even ChatGPT. Some of these require a subscription to work.
You can also find citation generators in databases such as in EBSCO, Proquest, and JSTOR.
They are all AI powered programs that are meant to pull the reference elements out of an online source (or you have to enter the information) and then produce a reference that is formatted according to the citation style you select (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
However, these programs notoriously get it WRONG!
They cannot always manipulate formatting such as altering titles that are created with all caps, or changing between Title and Sentence format for article titles and Journal names.
Notice in the EBSCO example above that although the generator got rid of all caps from the article title, it left it in Title Format instead of Sentence Format which is required for APA citation style.
You may be able to use a citation generator to gather the reference elements for you, but you MUST go back and check that the formatting and order are correct. That's why we have created this tutorial and our Citing Sources GuideLinks to an external site. to help you ensure your citation formatting is correct.
A useful alternative to citation generators are Citation Managers. These are more robust programs that allow you to import or input the reference information elements for each of your sources. It can then be used in conjunction with your word-processing program to correctly insert in-text citations and create a reference page with correctly formatted references at the end of your paper. It is important to always check imported information to ensure it was correctly entered (i.e. not in all caps, or in title case) so that the program can correctly format the citations for you later. Citation Managers do not fix spelling errors and typos!
At Saint Anselm, we have access to both Zotero and EndNote. The staff at the IT Help Desk can load EndNote onto your computer. Zotero is open source software that you can download freely from Zotero.orgLinks to an external site.. Use our ZoteroLinks to an external site. and EndNoteLinks to an external site. guides for more information.