Running head: APA QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 1
STRAYER UNIVERSITY
APA Style Manual, 6th Edition
Quick Reference Guide
APA style has a series of rules about Format, Writing Style, Citations, and References
FORMAT
Format is a standardized method of writing a paper. Your paper should include four major sections: the title page, abstract, main body of text, and references.
Spacing
Lines double-spaced, including title page and references page.
Font
Times New Roman, 12 point
Margins
1″ for top, bottom, right and left margins on all pages, left justified. Indent first line of paragraphs a half inch (12 spaces). Do not use extra double spacing between paragraphs.
TITLE PAGE (PAGE 1) – Contains the following information, centered on the page, double spaced:
Running head and page number
Full Title
Writer
Strayer University
Instructor
Course
Date
Title
Upper and lower case letters and no more than 12 words.
Running Head
Top of first page only. To create a running head, insert page number flush right. Then type “Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” in the header flush left.
ABSTRACT (PAGE 2) – Center and bold the word “Abstract”. Begin writing the abstract on the next line. Do not indent. Abstract should include the research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis and conclusions, implications of research, and future work. Abstract should be a single paragraph and should be between 150 to 250 words.
Header
Top of every page. To create a page header, insert page numbers flush right. Then type “TITLE OF YOUR PAPER” in the header flush left. APA QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE 2
Strayer University – Prepared for its Students Revised 07/01/2013
WRITING STYLE
TEXT (PAGE 3 – ?) – The text of your paper should begin on page 3 unless your professor requires a table of contents. Typically an undergraduate paper at Strayer is 5 – 7 pages in length and a graduate paper is 10 – 15 pages.
Point of View and Voice
You should write using the third person point of view (“The study showed…). Papers should be written using the active voice (“Wakowski (2010) conducted research….
Clarity and Conciseness
Papers should be written in clear and concise language. Avoid wordy or unnecessarily complex sentences. Sentences should be specific with enough details to adequately help readers understand. Eliminate unnecessary words and condense information.
Use simple, descriptive adjectives and plain language that does not risk confusing the reader. Avoid slang and jargon.
Avoid using language suggesting something has been proven, such as “proves” or “proof”. Research papers do not prove theory or hypotheses. Use words like “suggests” or “indicates”.
Biased Language
Avoid biased forms of language concerning race, disability, and sexuality. Avoid using labels to identify individuals or groups of people. Instead call people what they prefer to be called. It is preferable to not use pronouns because they can confuse the reader. Replace pronouns with nouns (person, individual, etc) or use adjectives to serve as descriptors rather than labels (“elderly people” rather than just “the elderly”).
Headings
|
There are 5 heading levels in APA to separate and classify paper sections. The 6th edition of the APA manual revises and simplifies previous heading guidelines. Regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1. The format of each level is illustrated below: APA Headings |
|
|
Level |
Format |
|
1 |
Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings |
|
2 |
Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading |
|
3 |
Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with period. |
|
4 |
Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with period. |
|
5 |
Indented, italicized, lowercase heading with period. |
0 comments