General Format/Guidelines:

American Psychological
Association (APA)
Graduate School Research
Laboratory
 General Guidelines
 Type or print on one side only of heavy, white, unruled paper
 Paper size: 8½ X 11 inches
 Double-space the entire paper
 Justification on the left and right side of the paper
 Margins are to be
• 1" from top,
• 1" from bottom
• 1.5" from left
• 1" from right sides
 Number pages consecutively in the top right corner, except the title page
 Just before the page number, use a shortened form of the title as a header
 No extra space between paragraphs or sections (set ‘Before’ & ‘After’ to 0 in Paragraph Format)
 APA for Student Papers

• Rules for student papers are slightly different than a professional

paper. This presentation will focus on formatting student papers,
including title page, headings, documentation, in-text citations, and
other various guidelines.
Title Page Format
• Running head (All capitalized, left aligned)
• Title (Type centered, double spaced)
• Author byline
• Program with Major
• Affiliation
• Date (the month and the year of the final defense of
the thesis/dissertation).
Title Page(author information)
• Below the title, type the author byline: first name, middle initial (if
applicable), and last name
• If there is more than one author, then list the authors’ names in order
of their contribution (or alphabetical order), and separate names with a
comma. Use “and” before the last name.

Example: Whitney Post, Sam Ruitz, and Matt Henson

or
Matt Henson, Whitney Post, and Sam Ruitz
 Level Format
1 Centered, Bold, Title Case Heading  
Level Headings 2
         Text begins as a new paragraph.
Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading

         Text begins as a new paragraph.

3 Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading

         Text begins as a new paragraph.

4          Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a

Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a
regular paragraph.

5          Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading, Ending

With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as
a regular paragraph.
 Paraphrasing
• Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own
words.

• Attribute paraphrases to their original sources.

• Paraphrases are usually shorter than, but may be the same length as the
original passage.
• Paraphrases take a more focused segment of the source and condense it
slightly.

• Ex: Lortie’s (2018) research reveals that classroom experiences as well as

interactions among peers and colleagues contribute to teacher learning (p. 79).
 Quoting
• Quotations must be identical to the original.
• Use quotations marks.
• They must match the source document word for word and must
be attributed to the original author.
• Use quotes when the actual words are so integral to the
discussion that they cannot be replaced.
• Use quotes when the author’s words are so precisely and
accurately stated that they cannot be paraphrased.
Ex: Stenberg and Lee (2019) agree that teacher learning is an
“intellectual and ongoing process” (p. 327).
Short Quotations:
• When fewer than 40 words
• Put quote marks around quoted material
• Author’s last name, publication year, and page number(s) of quote must
appear in the text

• Ex. A traumatic response frequently entails a “delayed, uncontrolled

repetitive appearance of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena”
(Caruth, 2016, p. 11).
Long Quotations:

• When 40 words or more

• In block form
• Indent 5-7 spaces and omit the quotation marks. If the quotation has
internal paragraphs, indent the internal paragraphs a further 5-7
spaces
• Do not use quotation marks
• Double space the block quote
Example of Long Quotation:

Meile (2019) found the following:

The placebo effect, which had been verified in previous studies,
disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner. Furthermore,
the behaviors were never exhibited again, even when real drugs were
administered. Earlier studies were clearly premature in attributing the
results to a placebo effect. (p. 276)
 Signal Phrases and In-Text Citation

 Signal phrases introduce someone else’s work – they signal that the
words and ideas that are about to be offered belong to someone
other than the author of the paper. * According to Jones (2013),
research reveals….(p.4).
 In-text citations are the parenthetical pieces of information that
appear usually at the end of a quote, paraphrase, or summary
(though they sometimes appear before). * (Jones, 2013, p. 4)
Number of Authors (for a References page)
• Invert all individual authors’ names, providing the surname first, followed by a comma and the
author’s initials.
Example: Nicdao, R.C.
• Use a comma to separate an author’s initials from additional author names, even when there are
only two authors. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name.
Example: Nicdao, R.C., & Hernandez, R. B.
• Provide surnames and initials for up to and including 20 authors. When there are two to 20
authors, use an ampersand before the final author’s name.
Example: Nicdao, R.C., Gomez, H. B., & Torres, C. C.
• When there are 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, insert an ellipsis (but no
ampersand), and then add the final author’s name.
In-Text Citations Based on Number of Authors

• Single Author Example:

(Richards, 2020)

• Two Authors Example:

(Richards & Trentham, 2020)

• Three or More Authors

Example:
(Richards et al., 2020)
Unique Authors
• Write the author’s name exactly as it appears on the published work, including hyphenated
surnames and two-part surnames.

Example:
Santos-García, S., & Velasco Rodríguez, M. L.

• Retain the author’s preferred capitalization.

Example:
hooks, b.
van der Waal, P. N.
Organization As Author
• An abbreviation for the group author can be used in the text (e.g., NIMH for National Institute of Mental
Health); however, do not include an abbreviation for a group author in a reference list entry.
Example:

Parenthetical citation:
(National Institute of Nursing Research, 2015) or (NINR, 2015)
Narrative citation:
National Institute of Nursing Research (2015) or NINR (2015)
Print and Electronic Books
Electronic:
• Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice:
From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.).
American Psychological Association. https://
doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000 
Print:
• Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of
humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.

Parenthetical citations: (Jackson, 2019)

(Sapolsky, 2017) 
Narrative citations:
From the research of Jackson (2019) and Sapolsky (2017), a clear percentage of …………..
Edited Book
Print:
• Kesharwani, P. (Ed.). (2020). Nanotechnology based
approaches for tuberculosis treatment. Academic
Press. 
Electronic:
• Torino, G. C., Rivera, D. P., Capodilupo, C. M., Nadal,
K. L., & Sue, D. W. (Eds.). (2019). Microaggression
theory: Influence and implications. John Wiley &
Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119466642

Parenthetical citations: (Kesharwani, 2020)

(Torino et al., 2019)
Narrative citations:
According to Kesharwani (2020) and Torino et al. (2019), research reveals …………………….
Journal Article
• Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J.
(2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of
storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups
in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media
Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/
ppm0000185

Parenthetical citation: (Grady et al., 2019) 

Narrative citation: Grady et al. (2019)

Journal Article with Missing information
Missing volume number
• Stegmeir, M. (2016). Climate change: New discipline
practices promote college access. The Journal of
College Admission, (231), 44-47. https://www.
nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/NACAC/nacac_jca_
spring2016/#/46 

Missing issue number

• Sanchiz, M., Chevalier, A., & Amadieu, F. (2017). How do
older and young adults start searching for
information? Impact of age, domain knowledge
and problem complexity on the different steps of
information searching. Computers in Human
Behavior, 72, 67–78.
 Parenthetical citation: (Stegmeir, 2016, p. 44)
Narrative citation: Sanchiz et al. (2017)
Journal Article with Missing Page or Article
Number
• Butler, J. (2017). Where access meets multimodality: The
case of ASL music videos. Kairos: A Journal of
Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, 21(1). 
http://technorhetoric.net/21.1/topoi/butler/index
.html

Parenthetical citations: (Butler, 2017) 

Narrative citations: Butler (2017)
Information for Documenting Secondary
Sources
A secondary source refers to content first reported in another source.
If possible, find the primary source, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary
source.
In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source used.
In the text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source
used. 
If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the text
citation.
(Rabbitt, 1982, as cited in Lyon et al., 2014)
If the year of the primary source is unknown, omit it from the in-text citation.
Allport’s diary (as cited in Nicholson, 2003)
 Webpage on a Website
• Bologna, C. (2019, October 31). Why some people with
anxiety love watching horror movies. HuffPost.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love- watching-horror-movies_l5d277587  
• Woodyatt, A. (2019, September 10). Daytime naps once
or twice a week may be linked to a healthy heart,
researchers say. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/ 09/10/health/nap-heart-health-wellness-intl-scli/
index.html

Parenthetical citations: (Bologna, 2019; Woodyatt, 2019) 

Narrative citations: Bologna (2019) and Woodyatt (2019)
 Webpage on a Website with an
Organizational Group as Author

• World Health Organization. (2018, May 24). The top 10

causes of death. https://www.who.int/news-room/
fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

Parenthetical citations: (World Health Organization, 2018)

Narrative citations: World Health Organization (2018)
Webpage on a Website with an Individual
Author
• Giovanetti, F. (2019, November 16). Why we are so
obsessed with personality types. Medium.  
https://medium.com/the-business-ofwellness/why-
we-are-so-obsessed-with-personality-types-
577450f9aee9

Parenthetical citation: (Giovanetti, 2019) 

Narrative citation: Giovanetti (2019)
 Articles and Webpages with No Author

• When there is no author for a web page, the title moves to the first position of the
reference entry.
Example:
All 33 Chile miners freed in flawless rescue. (2010, October 13). Retrieved from
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39625 809/ns/world_news-americas/
• Cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (All 33 Chile Miners,
2010).
 Dissertations and Theses
• A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest
Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive. 
• If the database assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in
parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics. 
• Include the description “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis” followed by a comma and the name of
the institution that awarded the degree. Place this information in square brackets after the dissertation or
thesis title and any publication number. 
• In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the database, repository, or archive. 
• The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing
the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., “Undergraduate honors thesis”).
• Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda
and Zambrano-Vazquez examples). 
• If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning
the URL will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name (as in the Kabir example).
•
Dissertation or Thesis
Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer

satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The

relationship between customer satisfaction and customer

loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation,

Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global. 

• Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster

youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-

efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity

development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral

dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://

pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

• Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry

on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-

compulsive symptoms [Master’s Thesis, University of

Arizona].

Parenthetical citations: (Kabir, 2016; Miranda, 2019; Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016) 

Narrative citations: Kabir (2016), Miranda (2019), and Zambrano-Vazquez (2016)

 PowerPoint Slides Available Online
• Jones, J. (2016, March 23). Guided reading: Making
the most of it [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. 
https://www.slideshare.net/hellojenjones/
guided-reading-making-the-most-of-it

Parenthetical citation: (Jones, 2016) 

Narrative citation: Jones (2016)
 GRAMMAR USAGE
Pronouns
• The pronoun “they” or “their” is now acceptable to be used as a gender
neutral singular pronoun when referring to an unknown person.

Example:
When a student is ready to register for classes, they must first attain a
personal identification number (PIN) from their advisor.
 Verb Tense
Paper section Recommended tense Example

Literature review (or whenever discussing Past Williams (2020) addressed

other researchers’ work) Present perfect Researchers have studied
Past Participants took a survey
Method
Description of procedure Present perfect Others have used similar approaches

Results showed 
Reporting of your own or other
Past Scores decreased
researchers’ results
Hypotheses were not supported
Past I felt surprised
Personal reactions Present perfect I have experienced
Present I believe
Discussion of implications The results indicate 
Present
of results or of previous statements The findings mean that

We conclude 
Presentation of study conclusions,
Present Limitations of the study are
limitations, and future directions
Future research should explore
NUMBERS
Numbers Expressed As Words
• Use words to express numbers zero through nine, and
use numerals to express numbers 10 and above.
• there were five nurses on duty
• the study had three conditions
• students were in the third, sixth, eighth, 10th, and
12th grades
 Numbers Expressed As Numerals

• Use numerals to express numbers 10 and above, and use words to

express numbers zero through nine.
• there were 15 psychologists at the clinic
• the study had 40 participants
• students were in the third, sixth, eighth, 10th, and 12th grades
CAPITALIZATION
Capitalize Do not capitalize
Don Honorio Ventura State a university
University
Bachelor of Science in an education course
Education
Department of English an English department
Bacolor municipality
President Baking president, chief executive
officer
Dr. Nicdao professor
Professor Mendoza teacher
John Pineda student
 Reference

American Psychological Association. (2020). APA style.

https://apastyle.apa. org/