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Since 1976, the Writing Lab has supported writers on the West Lafayette campus through a variety of services and community engagement initiatives using student-centered best practices. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) has been an extension of the Writing Lab since 1993, and offers global support through online reference materials and services. The Writing Lab and OWL, both part of the Department of English, are informed by and engage in research within the discipline of Composition and Rhetoric, including the subfields of writing center studies, writing program administration, second language studies, and professional writing.

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APA (American Psychological Association) Style is commonly used in the social sciences. 

APA Resources with Examples

• Books/ebooks
• What's New in the 7th Edition
• APA Style Guide The official companion to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.
• APA Style on Facebook

• APA Style Tips from the American Psychological Association
• Purdue University OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab APA Formatting and Style Guide
• New in the 7th ed. from APA
• New in the 7th ed. from Purdue OWL
• New in the 7th ed. from Scribbr
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APA Style (7th Edition)

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

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APA Tutorials

• The Basics of APA Style tutorial A self-paced tutorial for the beginner.
• Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) tutorials Short YouTube videos on the APA style.

APA Guidelines & Expectations

Download the Guidelines for APA Writing Style and Format file. 

Using APA to Cite Sources

• Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing
• Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style® From APA Style®, these FAQs will help clarify frequent areas of confusion.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab APA resources
• Sample Paper from APA website Links to a PDF on the APA Style site that exemplifies of the use of bias-free language in scientific writing. Journal Article (January 2007)
• The Writer's Handbook: APA Documentation Guide Excellent guide to APA style from the Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

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Many of the Libraries databases enable you to create alerts or feeds, so that you can be notified when new research is published. You can set up an alert based on your search criteria (keywords, author name, etc.), or based on when a new issue of a specific journal is published. Alerts can generally be set to arrive as RSS feeds or emails. 

You can also set up Google Alerts to monitor information on the web, including Google Scholar.

Citation Management

Citation management software can help you manage your citations and easily organize and format your citations in a wide variety of citation styles. Check out the links below for more information about these useful programs. 

• Citation Management Basics This guide provides an overview of citation management software options, including basic functions and the differences between the various options available, including EndNote, EndNote Web, and Zotero. Also provided is contact information for Purdue librarians available to provide citation management support for Purdue faculty, students, and staff.
• EndNote Basic This guide highlights the unique features of EndNote Basic (previously EndNote Web). EndNote Basic is free and can be used with or without EndNote Desktop software.
• Zotero Zotero is a free and open, web-based citation management program. This guide provides info on getting started and carrying out key functions, for students and instructors. It also includes video tutorials.
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Purdue Owl: APA Formatting & Style Guide

Developed by Purdue's Online Writing Lab. Contains resources on in-text citation and the references page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

Author/Editor (By:)

Contributor, corporate author, related organizations, citation type.

APA Publication and Style Manual: Introduction

Introduction, links to useful resources, tips & templates, apa publication & style manual introduction.

The APA Publication Manual is the official manual of style of the American Psychological Association. Developed to provide guidance and information  for those writing and publishing, it is currently in its sixth edition.

The APA Publication Manual is used extensively by students, faculty, researchers, and professionals who write and publish in the fields of Psychology,  Education, Business, Law and Justice, Journalism, Linguistics, Nursing, Medicine, although other styles are also used.  

Which style guide should you use?  The one your professor requires, so be sure to ask.  If you plan to submit a paper for publication, be sure to confirm the correct style. Nearly all publications will identify and give some direction about how manuscripts should be submitted for publication. If not in the publication, guidance will be offered on publishers' websites, or the websites of the organization for whom the journal title is published, if relevant. 

Consult a librarian

Make an appointment for a consultation with a librarian who specializes in your subject area using our Request a Consultation form or visit the  Subject Librarians  page for a list of librarians and their email and phone contact information. 

Items in the Library and Available Online

A copy of the APA Publication manual is also kept on Reserve. Ask at the Circulation Desk. 

Links to Helpful Resources

Apa academic writerl       new & recommended.

The Legacy version will soon disappear so we recommend you use the new Refworks. RefWorks is a Citation and Bibliographic Management tools, which the library provides to students and faculty at no cost. Complete the short easy registration once and access. To take full advantage of the range of tools available, we recommend you open YouTube, search for RefWorks and watch the tutorials. You'll be an expert in no time. A few minute to set up and learn to use RefWorks will save you hours of frustration and make you look brilliant.

Purdue OWL - Online Writing Lab

"The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction." (source: website)

EasyBib Blog

Bibme.org/apa.

Government Sources

Government Sources come in a vast array of types, so citing them can be confusing.

• Naval Postgraduate School guide to citing government sources Provides examples for about 30 types of documents.

Two versions of a citation builder from Chegg Study

Citation machine for apa, purdue online writing lab.

The Purdue OWL site is nearly everyone's favorite Go-To website for help with writing and examples of the APA style are very clear.

American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide from OWL

The Purdue Online Writing Lab website offers two tutorials on APA style.

• OWL: APA Overview and Workshop
• OWL: Formatting and Style

Sample Paper in APA Style from OWL

Apa style sample paper.

Citing Dictionary entries

Citing Encyclopedia entries

Citing Online Databases

Citing Interviews

Citing Photographs

Citing Sheet Music

Citing Websites

Citing Blogs

Citing Magazines

Citing Newspapers

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Writing & citing.

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APA (American Psychological Association)

Changes in the 7th ed., running head, academic writer.

• Annotated Bibliographies

APA style is widely used in the social sciences and health sciences.

• APA 7th ed. Quick Guide Cal State LA Library's overview of the in-text citations and references for some of the most common source types.
• Excelsior College OWL- APA Guide General formatting rules and examples from the 7th and 6th eds.
• Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is the go-to trusted resource for quick and easy to understand information on writing style and citation.

• Legal References from USC How to cite Federal and State court cases, laws, statutes, and other legal materials.

The 7th ed. of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association was released in 2020. The resources in this section explain the changes from the 6th to 7th eds. of the APA Manual.

Ask your instructor what edition you should use on your papers. After the new release, many instructors may continue to use the 6th ed.

• Purdue Owl: Changes in the 7th ed. This resource presents a list of important differences between the 6th and 7th eds.
• Introduction to the 7th ed. of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
• More information on the 7th ed. from APA

This video (4:31) demonstrates how to create a running head in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. APA 7 does not require a running header for student papers, however many instructors ask that students include them. Ask your instructor about their requirements for style guidelines.

• APA Guide 6th edition guide to APA

• APA Sample Paper
• APA Style for Electronic Resources

Academic Writer, a.k.a., APA Style CENTRAL, provides instruction on and tools for how to think and write like scholars. It provides the resources necessary to learn, research, write, and publish in APA Style.

Academic Writer: Starting a Paper

This video tutorial (4 minutes) shows how to start writing a paper using Academic Writer. Content includes how to automatically format paper headings in APA Style, accessing sections of the APA Publication Manual while writing, and exporting your paper.

APA Publishing Training. (2019, Feb 19). Academic Writer: Starting a paper . YouTube.

Inserting References and In-text Citations

This video (4 minutes) will show you how to add references and in-text citations to your paper in Academic Writer. Tools in the Writing Center can help you format your in-text citations correctly, as well as match the citations in the body of your paper to the Paper Reference List.

APA Publishing Training. (2019, February 15). Inserting references and in-text citations . YouTube.

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APA 7th Ed. Help: References Page

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Resources for faculty & staff, help & tutorials, apa 7th ed. tutorials.

• APA 7th ed. - Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style Use this link to access the in-depth tutorial Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style that covers all of the elements of APA style including formatting, in-text citations, and reference citations. Recorded webinars from the APA on in-text citations and references citations are also available through this link.

APA also provides Handouts and Guides. 

APA & The Nurse Practice Act

• APA 7th ed. & the Wisconsin "Nurse Practice Act" Details on finding and citing the "Nurse Practice Act."

APA for Davis's Drug Guide

• APA 7th Ed. Davis's Drug Guide Details on finding and citing "Davis's Drug Guide" in ProQuest Health and Medicine.

APA for Micromedex

• APA 7th ed. for Micromedex Details on searching and citing components of Micromedex

Reference Page Citations

Apa 7th ed. reference citation essentials from the american psychological association. , apa 7th ed. reference citation information from the purdue university online writing lab (owl) often referred to as purdue owl. .

Specific author details and source types: 

Reference Page Citations: Summary Of Notable APA 7th ed. Changes

The number in parentheses indicates the corresponding chapter or section(s) in the APA Publication Manual. 

References 

• Label the reference list " References " in  bold  font. (2.12)
• For government agencies, list the most specific agency as the author in the reference. (9.11)
• Publisher location (city, state) is no longer included in book citations. (9.29)
• Always include a DOI when available for journal articles and books (electronic and print). (9.3)
• If a DOI is not available for a journal article from a library database (research database) treat the article as if it were a print version. A URL for the journal website is no longer needed, and you do not need to provide a database name (EBSCOhost, CINAHL, Films on Demand). (9.3 & 9.34)
• Present both DOIs and URLs as hyperlinks (active website links). Include "http://" or "https://" and for DOIs use the preferred format of: https://doi.org/xxxx (9.35)
• For the majority of online sources, such as websites: Include URL (web address) at the end of reference; do NOT include "Retrieved from". However, if the content is likely to change over time, include a retrieval date to indicate to readers that the version they link to may be different (e.g. Retrieved March 11, from https://xxx.xxx). (9.16, 10.1 & 10.16)
• For ebooks, the format, platform, or device (e.g. Kindle) is not included in the reference citation. (10.2)

Adapted from content created by Julie Chapman, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; and Rae Jeffers & Laura Haygood, University of Texas, Arlington

E-Book Resource for APA

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APA Style: Purdue OWL

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The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.

• APA Style General Formatting and Style Guide 7th ed
• Purdue OWL Purdue OWL is an online writing reference that provides detailed information on APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 17th styles of citation as well as general citation and research assistance.
• Purdue Owl | APA Guide | Examples

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

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The American Psychological Association has released a new edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Graduate students currently enrolled in programs using the 6th edition will continue to use the 6th edition through the completion of the program. Undergraduate students will transition to the 7th edition in the spring 2020 semester. This guide will be updated to reflect the changes seen in the new edition. Here is a summary of some of the changes between the 6th and 7th editions.

Reference Examples (6th ed.)

• Print Book/eBook
• Article from a Reference Work
• Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Article
• UptoDate database
• Dissertation/Thesis
• YouTube/TedTalk Video
• ERIC Document

For additional source formats (not listed in the tabs above) and formatting refer to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue , and/or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). You may also consult with a librarian or Writing Center tutor regarding source citation formatting. Make sure to double space and insert the hanging indent for all sources .

Print Books and Ebooks

• Author, A. A. (date).  Title of work . Location (City, State): Publisher.
• Author, A. A. (date).  Title of work . Retrieved from https://www.xxxxxxxxxx 

Example:  Cunningham, H. (1995).  God and Caesar at the Rio Grande: Sanctuary and the politics of religion.  Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=56538&site=ehost-live&scope=site

NOTE: If you get the eBook through one of the library's vendors (EBSCO, eBook Central) make sure to remove the proxy prefix from the URL (everything from https:// to the = (equal) symbol). Contact a librarian if you have questions!

• Author, A. A. (date).  Title of work . doi: xxxxxxx

Example:  Bush, S., & Heck, A. L. (Eds.). (2018).  Forensic geropsychology: Practice essentials. https://dx.doi.org/10.137/0000082-000

• Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (date).  Title of work . Location (city, state): Publisher.

Chapter from a Book

• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Location(city, state): Publisher.
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-  xxx). Retrieved from https://www.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (or, Available from Ebook Central)
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). doi:xxxxxxxxxxx

If there is no author of the entry, use the following format:

• Title of entry. (date).  In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Location(city, state) : Publisher.

NOTE: For more information about source formatting for eBooks, refer to the  APA-style Blog

[Taken from page 202, section 7.02, in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed.]

Always verify formatting of electronically generated citations with either the  Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue , and/or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). You may also consult with a librarian or Writing Center tutor regarding source citation formatting.  Make sure to double space and insert the hanging indent for all sources .

Chapter or entry from a book.

Example : Portes, P. R. (1996). Ethnicity and culture in educational psychology. In D. C. Berliner & R. C. Calfee (eds.),  Handbook of educational psychology  (pp. 331-357). New York, NY: Macmillan Library Reference.

• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-  xxx). Retrieved from https://www.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Example:   Adamopoulos, J. (2004). Interpersonal behavior and culture. In C. D. Spielberger (Ed.),  Encyclopedia of applied psychology .  Retrieved from https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estappliedpsyc/interpersonal_behavior_and_culture/0?institutionId=4721

NOTE : Remove the proxy prefix from the beginning of the URL (everything between https:// and the = (equal) symbol). 

Several volumes in a multivolume work, use the following format:

• Editor. (date). T itle of work (Vols. 1-25). Location (city, state): Publisher.

Example: English, F. W. (Ed.). (2006).  Encyclopedia of educational leadership and administration  (Vols. 1-2). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Always verify formatting of electronically generated citations with either the  Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue , and/or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). You may also consult with a librarian or Writing Center tutor regarding source citation formatting.  Make sure to double space and insert the hanging indent for all sources .

Journal Article with DOI

• Author, A., & Author, B. (Date). Title of article.  Title of journal ,  volume (issue), page number(s). doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxx

Example:   Berger, I. (2015). Educational leadership with an ethics of plurality and natality.  Studies in Philosophy & Education ,  34 (5),  475-487. doi:10.1007/s11217-014-9448-x

Journal Article with DOI and More than Seven Authors

• Author, 1, Author, 2, Author, 3, Author, 4, Author, 5, Author, 6, . . . last author. (Date). Title of article. Title of journal, volume(issue), page numbers. doi:xx.xxxxxxxxxxxx

Example:   Tengbeh, A. F., Enria, L., Smout, E., Mooney, T., Callaghan, M., Ishola, D., . . . Lees, S. (2018). “We are the heroes because we are ready to die for this country”: Participants' decision-making and grounded ethics in an Ebola vaccine clinical trial.  Social Science & Medicine , 203 , 35-42.  doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.03.008

Journal Article without DOI (when DOI is not available)

• Author, A. (Date). Title of article. Title of journal , volume (issue), page numbers. Retrieved from [insert website URL of journal publisher).
• Author, A. (Date). Title of article .  Title of journal ,  volume (issue), page numbers.

Magazine Article

• Author, A. (Year, Month). Title of article. Title of magazine, volume(issue), page numbers.

Example: Turner, P. (2017, September/October). Catholics and the Protestant Reformation.  Holiness Today ​,  19 (5), 25-27.

Online Magazine Article

• Author., A. (Year, Month). Title of article.  Title of magazine . Retrieved from [insert URL of magazine].

Example: Wapner, J. (2018, June). Could fasting cure diabetes?: Evidence on not eating for long stretches is compelling-and controversial.  Newsweek . Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com

Newspaper Article

• Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of newspaper , page numbers.

Example: Wright, S. (2018, June 6). Non-native shrimp dumped in the Boise River are thriving.  Idaho Statesman , pp.4A.

Online Newspaper Article

• Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article.  Title of newspaper.  Retrieved from (insert URL of newspaper website)

Example: Myers, S. L., & Perlez, J. (2018, June 6). A medical mystery grows as U.S. consulate workers in China fall ill.  The New York Times . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com

[Taken from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., pp. 1 98-200 , section 7.01]

The UptoDate resource is unique in the sense that entries are peer-reviewed (like many journal articles), but it may also be considered an online reference work. The following outlines how you should cite an entry obtained through the UptoDate resource.

Author 1, & Author 2. (date). Title of entry. In first and middle initial last name (Ed.),  UpToDate.  Retrieved month day, year, from url of entry.

Twaddle, M. L., & McCormick, E. (2016). Palliative care delivery in the home. In D. M. F. Savarese (Ed.)  UpToDate . Retrieved October 29, 2018, https://www-uptodate-com.nnu.idm.oclc.org/contents/palliative-care-delivery-in-the-home?search=patient%20safety%20and%20bedside%20report&source=search_result&selectedTitle=24~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=24

The corresponding intext reference would be: (Twaddle & McCormick, 2016)

• APA Blog Entry for UpToDate

Always verify formatting of electronically generated citations with either the  Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue , and/or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). You may also consult with a librarian or Writing Center tutor regarding source citation formatting.  Make sure to double space and insert the hanging indent for all sources .

Doctoral Dissertation and Master's Thesis

• Author, A. (Year). Title of doctoral dissertation or master's thesis (Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis). Retrieved from Name of database (Accession or Order No.)

Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

• Author, A. (Year).  Title of doctoral dissertation or master's thesis  (Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master's thesis). Name of institution. Location.

Doctoral dissertation , from an institutional database

Author, A. (Year).  Title of doctoral dissertation or master's thesis  (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from (insert source link)

From a Commercial Database

Hunt, J. J. (2009).  Characteristics of latinos with no usual source of care . Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global  (Order No. 3481360).

From an Institutional Database

Sullivan, W. D. (2017). A case study exploring international student engagement at small, private colleges. Retrieved from https://nnu.whdl.org

[Taken from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., pp. 207-208 , section 7.05]

Always verify formatting of electronically generated citations with either the  Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue , and/or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). You may also  consult with a librarian  or  Writing Center  tutor regarding source citation formatting.  Make sure to double space and insert the hanging indent for all sources .

YouTube Videos

Author, A. (person or organization who posted the video) (Year, Month Day video posted). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from (insert URL for the video)

Example: Mind, the mental health charity.  (2014, October 8). Mental health: In our own words [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ y97VF5UJcc

Author, A. (speaker) (Year, Month). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from (insert URL of video).

Example:  Blum, N. (2017, January 19). The mental health system: A call for change [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI9Ddz0yW7o

For more information on citing a TedTalk, refer to the APA Blog

[Taken from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., p.215 , section 7.11 #77; and the APA Blog ]

ERIC Documents (ED)

• Author, A. (Year).  Document title . Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED######)

Example:  Cochrane, T., Antonczak, L., Guinibert, M., & Mulrennan, D. (2014). Developing a mobile social media framework for creative pedagogies. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED557171)

NOTE: If the item in the ERIC database has an EJ before the number it is a journal article. Cite it as a journal article, not as an ERIC document.

[Taken from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed., p. 212 , section 7.09, #62]

There are a few ways for citing sources pulled from the Web. Listed below are a few examples:

Webpage or Portion of Online Content

Author, A. A. & Author B. B. (Date of publication). Title of page [Format description when necessary].

         Retrieved from  https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Elwell, N. (n.d.). Gender. Retrieved from https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/gender

Chapter/Section of a Web Document or Online Book Chapter

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of article. In  Title of book or larger document  (chapter

         or section number). Retrieved from https://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

1.  Engelshcall, R. S. (1997). Module mod_rewrite: URL Rewriting Engine. In  Apache HTTP Server version 1.3

        documentation  (Apache modules). Retrieved from https://httpd.apache.org/docs/1.3/mod/mod_rewrite.html

2.  Peckinpaugh, J. (2003). Change in the Nineties. In J. S. Bough and G. B. DuBois (Eds.),  A century of growth in

         America .  Retrieved from GoldStar database.

Note: Include an identifier for the chapter or section and a URL that points directly to the referenced item rather than to the main website.

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2008).  Indiana income limits  [Data file]. Retrieved from

      https://www.huduser.org/Datasets/IL/IL08/in_fy2008.pdf

Blog (Weblog) or Video Blog Posts

J Dean. (2008, May 7). When the self emerges: Is that me in the mirror? [web log comment]. Retrieved from

      https://www.spring.org.uk/ the1sttransport

Psychology Video Blog #3 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqM90eQi5-M

Note: If the author's name is not available, use the screen name.

Information taken from: Purdue Online Writing Lab (APA)  and the APA Publication Manual, page 205 (entry #29), page 211 (entry #54), and page 215 (entries #76 and #77).

APA Formatting for Papers, Dissertations, and Theses (6th ed.)

• Intext Citations
• Submitting Your Dissertation to ETD

Basic format rules for APA papers

• APA preferred typeface and font: Times New Roman, 12-point font.
• One-inch margins . Indent first word of each paragraph 5 spaces (one-half inch) from left margin.
• Double-space throughout.
• Running heads
• Figures and Tables
• Insert a hanging indent in Google Docs
• Insert a hanging indent in Word
• Sample APA-style Paper (courtesy of OWL Purdue) 

This 4 minute, 56 second video demonstrates how to create a template for APA-style margins, title page, and running heads.

Citing sources intext using APA-style can be confusing. The following text provides some examples. Additionally, the web links below provide some additional information on intext citations

Intext, or parenthetical references :

Use one of the following formats when citing a source in the context of a discussion board post, blog, or paper. The first two examples are if the idea of from the source is being paraphrased; the last two examples are if the source is directly quoted:

• Smith (2011) indicated that .......
• .............. (Smith, 2011).
• According to Smith (2011), ".............." (p.#).
• "...................." (Smith, 2011, p.#).

If you are including more than one citation in the parens ( ), the citations should be alphabetized and separated by a semicolon:

• (Abbot & Sims, 2011; Frank, 2014; Hapy & Gunter, 2014)
• CiteFast, APA-style Intext Citations
• APA Quick Citation Guide, Library Guides at Penn State University
• APA-style Intext Citing of a Web Source
• The Proper Use of Et Al. in APA-style

This exercise will take you step-by-step through the mechanics of formatting your manuscript so that it conforms to the APA 6th edition and also the NNU Guidelines required for submitting a dissertation or master's thesis for publication to your program and to the NNU Library for publication. 

1. Download the sample  doc  and open in Word.

2. Open up the  APA Formatting  exercise in another window and/or watch the video tutorials.  Follow these instructions carefully and apply each step to the "sample Doc" that you have opened in Word.  Each heading in the exercise is also a link to the animated tutorial demonstrating exactly how to do each step.  Follow these instructions in the order given and you will be on your way! 

All of these video tutorials are based on Microsoft Office Word 2010 for PC

• Modifying the document layout  (changing margins, font, alignment of title page)
• Inserting manual page breaks and section breaks  (title,abstract, table of contents, and body)
• Inserting page numbers in the footer  (switching from Roman to Arabic, or no page numbers)
• Creating reusable styles to conform to APA Heading types
• Formatting entire document for APA style
• Inserting citations and creating reference /bibliography page  
• Creating table of contents  (so that page numbers align)
• Saving as a template for future use

NNU uses the ProQuest/UMI online tool for submitting your dissertations to your advisory and chair.  This tool manages the review, clearing, and publishing of your manuscript in the most efficient fashion .  Check with your department or program coordinator for deadlines and submission guidelines specific to your program. 

Video Tutorials - How to Submit your manuscript online  (temporarily disabled)

Written instructions for submitting the manuscript online

Support and Resources for online submission

Ready?   Submit and Upload your dissertation/thesis to your NNU Program Administrator  here

Need More Help?

The following resources are available to you if you need further assistance with formatting source citations:.

Librarians -- Make an appointment using the "Schedule an Appointment" link on the librarian profile , or chat with us!

• The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a wealth of information for the student writer. Use the Research and Citation link for further information on APA, Chicago, and MLA citation styles.

Reference Examples (7th ed.)

• Author, A. A. (date).  Title of work . Publisher.
• Author, A. A. (date).  Title of work . https://www.xxxxxxxxxx 

Example:  Cunningham, H. (1995).  God and Caesar at the Rio Grande: Sanctuary and the politics of religion.  University of Minnesota Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=56538&site=ehost-live&scope=site

• Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (date).  Title of work . Publisher.
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-  xxx). https://www.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). (doi ID)xxxxxxxxxxx
• Title of entry. (date).  In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.

[Taken from page 202, section 7.02, in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.]

• Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (date). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),  Title of book  (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.

Example : Portes, P. R. (1996). Ethnicity and culture in educational psychology. In D. C. Berliner & R. C. Calfee (eds.),  Handbook of educational psychology  (pp. 331-357). Macmillan Library Reference.

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• Last Updated: Apr 3, 2024 10:31 AM
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