Your Guide to

the Magic and Mystery of

APA Style
• Nichole Egbert, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Communication
Studies
• Kent State University
 Why do you have to do this?
• Because learning to write means mastering
an accepted and uniform writing style.
• Because APA style is the most common
writing style in Communication Studies
(and in the social sciences).
 What’s Included in APA Style?
• Basically everything in your paper:
- How your pages are set up
- How you cite sources
- Your references
- Even your language
 Where can I go to learn APA
style?
• Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th edition)
• Your textbook (Appendix A.. Although be
sure to note changes)
• Various internet sites, such as
http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/ap
a.html
(make sure they’re reputable!)
 We’ll start with the list of
references
• Required if you cite any sources in your
paper
• Every source cited in your paper must
appear on the reference list, and every entry
in your reference list must be cited in your
paper
• Double spaced!
 Single-authored book
Perloff, R. M. (1995). The dynamics of
persuasion. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

*Note: In the 5th edition of APA, there is NO

underlining (everything that was underlined
is now in italics).
 Reissued book
Newcomb, H. (Ed.). (1995). Television: The
critical view (5th ed.). New York: Oxford
University Press.

*Note: Capitals in the title of the book are restricted

to the first letter of the first word of the title, the
first letter of any proper names, and the first letter
of the first word after a semicolon, period, or
question mark.
 Dual-authored book
Baran, S. J., & Davis, D. K. (1995). Mass
communication theory: Foundations,
ferment and future. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.

*Note: when listing authors, use an

ampersand (&) in the reference list, not
“and.”
 Essay or chapter in an edited
book
Bryant, J. (1989). Message features and
entertainment effects. In J. J. Bradac (Ed.),
Message effects in communication sceince
(pp. 231-262). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

*Note: You must include the page numbers if

you’re just referencing one part of a book.
 Single-authored article
Garramone, G. M. (1985). Effects of negative
political advertising: The roles of sponsor
and rebuttal. Journal of Broadcasting &
Electronic Media, 29, 149-159.

*Note: The first letter of every important

word in the title of the journal is capitalized.
 Two or more authors (article)
Suzuki, S., & Rancer, A. S. (1994).
Argumentativeness and verbal
aggressiveness: Testing for conceptual and
measurement equivalence across cultures.
Communication Monographs, 61, 256-279.

*Note: Can you find the volume number and

page numbers in this citation?
 Unpublished convention paper
Thomas, S., & Gitlin, T. (1993, May). Who
says there’s a dominant ideology and what
happens if that concept is falsified? Paper
presented at the annual meeting of the
International Communication Association,
Washington, DC.

Note: Conference papers are less highly regarded

than published works
 Internet articles based on a print
source
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001).
Role of reference elements in the selection
of resources by psychology undergraduates.
[Electronic version]. Journal of
Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123.

*Note: Sometimes electronic versions are

different from the print versions.
Article in an internet-only journal
Frederickson, B. L. (2000, March 7).
Cultivating positive emotions to optimize
health and well-being. Prevention &
Treatment, 3. Retrieved November 20,
2000, from
http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/
pre0030001a.html
*Note: this would be the correct citation format for
the article you abstracted for class
 Hang on, you’re not done!!

Learning how to
do your
reference page
is only the
beginning to
APA style!!
When do you cite your sources in
your paper?
• When you’re referring to an idea or concept
you drew from something you read.
• When you quote from something you read
or heard.
• When you want to give the reader some
other places to look for additional
information.
Paraphrasing
Scott (1992) identified…

Several researchers
(Anthony, 1990; Gregory
& Jacobs, 1985; Polk et
al., 1980) reported…

Or at the end of a sentence

paraphrased from another
work (Scott, 1992).
 Citing while paraphrasing
• List the last names of all authors the first
time you cite them, unless there are more
than 5.
• If there are more than five, or you are citing
the paper of 3 or more authors for a second
or more time, list last name of first author,
followed by “et al.,” and the date.
 Examples
Scott, Williamson, and Scott and Williamson
Schaffer (1990) (1990) reported that…
reported that…
(FIRST TIME) (FIRST TIME and
EVERY TIME)

Scott et al. (1990)

6 or more authors, use
reported that “et al.,” first time and
(EVERY TIME AFTER) every time.
 Citing while quoting
• You need to put the author last name(s) and
date, like while paraphrasing, but also the
PAGE NUMBERS or PARAGRAPH
NUMBERS (for online sources).
• Example: “the research findings clearly
indicate support for the hypotheses”
(Douglass, 1986, p. 55).
 Warning
• Keep quotations to a minimum (less than 3
per paper)
• Don’t forget the quotation marks and page
numbers (or paragraph numbers), or you
will be guilty of plagiarism!
How to set up your paper in APA
• Use 8 ½ by 11” white paper, with margins
of 1” (or 1 ¼”)
• Double space EVERYTHING
• Font should be pica 10 pitch or Times
Roman 12 pitch
• Single spaces between sentences
• Page numbers in upper right hand corners
 Other rules
• Title page should contain the title of your
paper (not a topic, but a title that reflects the
content of the paper), your name, the course
name the paper is for, and the date you
wrote it
• You may use headers and footers (Ex:
Running head: CMC and loneliness)
 Headings
Using headings makes it easier to navigate your
paper. In a short paper like your lit review, you’d
probably only use the first-level heading, but this
is what they look like in order:
First-Level Heading
Second-Level Heading
Third-level heading. Begin text of paragraph…
If you have references, tables,
and appendices…
They go in this order…
1. Title page
2. Paper
3. References
4. Appendices
5. Notes
6. Tables, Figures, etc.
Don’t get tied up in knots…
Ask your instructor if you’re
unsure about anything..