PREPARING A RESEARCH PAPER
IN APA STYLE

• How to prepare a printed manuscript.
• How to cite the work of others:
  1. In Text of Paper (Important Reference Material)
  2. In Reference Section (Important Reference Material)
• Suggestions

If you download Dr. Steve's Microsoft Word APA template (23 Kb), you can skip this section. All of these specifications are already formatted for you in the Word document.

• In general, set up your paper according to the following specifications:
  • Type font: Times New Roman
    
  • Type size: 12 point
    
  • Spacing: Double space, Left justified
    
  • Margins: One inch on all sides.
    
  • Numbering: Start numbering on the cover page, upper right-hand corner of the page.

• Create a cover page.
  
  • In the header section, type "Running Head:" followed by an abbreviated version (as needed) of the title of your paper in all capital letters, up to 50 characters in length.
  • In the header section, right-justify the page number. The title page should be page number 1.
  • Center your title on the top third of the page. Use upper and lower case letters.
  • List your name, affiliation, and date centered under the title.

• Create the body of the paper.
  
  • In the header of all of the pages of the paper following the title page, type the same abbreviated version of your title in all capital letters, up to 50 characters in length. (The phrase running head: should only appear in the header of the title page.
  • On the first page of the body, center the title using upper and lower case letters. (This is officially an APA level 1 heading.) This will be the heading for the introduction. As of APA version 6, we no longer type the word introduction as a specified heading.
  • Use APA level 1 headings throughout the body of the paper.
    • double-spaced
    • left-justified
    • each word capitalized
  • Set standard paragraphs as follows:
    • double-spaced
    • left-justified
    • first line indented by 0.5"

• Create the reference section of the paper.
  • Center the word "References" on the top of a new page.
  • Place references in proper APA format, and alphabetize by author's last name.
  • Use a hanging indent for each paragraph (for each of the references):
    • double-spaced
    • first line flush left
    • subsequent lines indented by 0.5"

Citing Works in the Text of the Paper

• Citing a source in text:

  Regardless of whether the source is from a book, a newspaper, a journal, or an online source, it is cited in the same way. The authors' names and year of publication are listed together. In referring to the work of the same authors a second time nearby in text (e.g., in the same paragraph), just list the authors' names without the year.

  METHOD 1: One way that educational technology can enhance learning is by capturing and holding the attention of the learners (Broskoske & McCann, 2014). METHOD 2: According to Broskoske and McCann (2014), one way that educational technology can enhance learning is by capturing and holding the attention of the learners. METHOD 3: In 2014, a study by Broskoske and McCann indicates that educational technology can enhance learning is by capturing and holding the attention of the learners.

  If the source has three or more authors, list all of the authors the first time you cite the source. All other times, just list the first author's name followed by et al., followed by the year of publication. Example:

  1st citation: (Brown, Smith, Jones, Barney, & Pinkham, 2007) future citations: (Brown et al., 2007)

• Citing multiple articles for one idea:

  If citing multiple articles for one idea, list the authors and the year of the publication in alphabetical order, separated by a semicolon. Example:

  (Brown et al., 2007; Campione & Brown, 2001; Perkins & Salomon 2009)

• Citing direct quotations:

  If using a direct quote that is less than 40 words, the author's name should be followed by the year of publication in parenthesis, followed by the page on which the quote can be found.

  As noted by Gusky (1994), "Advances in cognitive science have compelled educators to acknowledge how complex learning is and how diverse are the means needed to assess learning fully and fairly" (p. 51).

  If using a direct quote that is 40 words or more in length, the author's name should be followed by the year of publication in parentheses. The page citation is provided in parentheses at the end of the quote, after the period of the last sentence of the quote. The entire quote is indented one inch on the left side. Quotation marks should not be used. The entire quote is double-spaced. Example:

  Means and Olson (1994) further elaborated on educational reform as follows:
  	The efforts seek to move classrooms away from conventional didactic instructional approaches, in which teachers do most of the talking and students listen and complete short exercises on well-defined, subject-area-specific material. Instead, students are challenged with complex, authentic tasks, and reformers are pushing for lengthy multidisciplinary projects, cooperative learning groups, flexible scheduling, and authentic assessments. (p. 15)

Listing Works in the Reference Section

• Article from Ebsco Host or other electronic database (electronic version of a print journal):

  Author (year of publication). Title. Journal name, volume, (issue), page numbers. doi:[document object identifier]

  Holley, D. & Oliver, M. (2010). Student engagement and blended learning: Portraits of risk. Computers & Education, 54 (3), 693-700. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.035

  a) What if no DOI is listed for an article?
  If no DOI [document object identifier] is listed, add the following instead: Retrieved from [URL]
  (The URL should be a permanent direct link to the article.)

  b) What if no author is listed for an article?
  If no author is listed, move the title of the article to the traditional spot where the author is usually listed.

  Student engagement and blended learning: Portraits of risk. (2010). Computers & Education, 54 (3), 693-700. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.035

• Web page:

  Author (year of publication). Title. Retrieved [date] from [source].

  Note: If no date of publication is available on the Web page, list n.d. (for "no date").

  Broskoske, S. L. (n.d.). Searching the Internet. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://users.misericordia.edu//ted121/2search.html

• Wikipedia entry (or other online reference material):

  Title of entry. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from [URL]

  Generally accepted accounting principles. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generally_accepted_accounting_practice

• Article from a printed journal:

  Author (year of publication). Title. Journal name, volume, (issue), page numbers.

  Cumming, J., & Maxwell, G. (1999). Contextualising authentic assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 6 (2).

• Referencing an entire book:

  Author (year of publication). Title of book. City, State: Publisher name.

  Creswell, J. (1994). Research design: Qualitative & quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Referencing a chapter of an edited book:

  Author of section of book cited (year of publication). Title of section of book cited. In Editor's name (Ed) Title of edited book (page numbers of chapter). City, State: Publishers name.

  Means, B. (1994).Using technology to advance educational goals. In B. Means (Ed.) Technology and education reform: The reality behind the promise (pp. 1-22). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

• Newspaper article:

  Author (year, month day of publication). Title. Newspaper name, section and page numbers.

  Levinson, A. (2000, March 12). Older applicants playing big role in growth of recent college classes. The Times Leader, p. A15.

SUGGESTIONS

• Do not use graphics to add visual appeal.
  Do not enhance the manuscript by inserting graphics, Word Art, or font colors to make the work look visually exciting. Keep it simple. Stick to black font. Do not use images unless they illustrate the material you are presenting.

• Paraphrase what another author says rather than directly quote.
  A research paper assumes that you have researched the work of other authors. In general, paraphrase (state the same thing in your own words) what the author said rather than citing a direct quote. Talk about what the author said, rather than just quoting him/her. Exceptions: If the author states something in such a powerful way, that rephrasing it would lose meaning. If you are quoting a leading authority and want to directly quote this individual in order to add validity to your paper.

• Do not be cute with your writing style.
  You will be preparing a research paper, not a pop culture magazine article. Refrain from using jokes, witty sayings, or cute ways of expressing your ideas. To gain the respect of the audience who will read this type of publication (i.e., the research community), you must maintain a serious posture throughout the paper.

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