APA Guide

Updated December 2017

 Introduction
APA Guide
Version 1.1

Quality should be the hallmark of our school and professional work. To this end, many
colleges and universities use APA formatting because it encourages scholarly communication
while also changing the way we process information. This is not just about writing; it’s also
about clearly communicating vital information in a uniform manner for easy understanding.

With a few changes in your writing, you can avoid losing points for incorrect APA style by
incorporating the following common APA practices:

• Documents do not use a numbering system to address the questions. The flow of ideas
moves from one paragraph to the next, each addressing the response to the
prompts in the assignment description.
• Though “I” is permitted in APA 6th Edition, it often hinders scholarly tone. Documents
are objective, written in third person. Even when the question is asking you about
personal reflections, limited use of “I” is preferred.
• Avoid that and there is as these create weak sentence structures. Removing these
words from your writing will significantly impact the quality immediately.
• Include at least one citation per paragraph. Check the examples provided in this
document.
• References are expected on most assignments at the undergraduate level and all
assignments at the graduate level.
• Initial posts to the Discussion Board are expected to have citations and references.

With these few adjustments, many of the issues with APA can be resolved.

The following are a few common examples of frequently used APA styles. By using this
approach, your writing will improve in scholarly tone and clarity as you cite experts in
your field. Please understand these examples are not meant to be exhaustive, and all
students are highly encouraged to purchase the most recent edition of the APA manual
to ensure they are following all APA rules carefully.

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CITATION EXAMPLES

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CITATION

Paraphrasing or Referring
to an Idea or Information
In scholarly writing, you will refer to other author's research to provide credibility to
the statements you are making in your own assignments. When referring to others'
work, you typically want to paraphrase the ideas or put them in your own words. By
paraphrasing carefully, you will avoid a high Turnitin score on your course
submissions. All Turnitin scores should be below 20%. Direct quotes will be discussed
later in this document and should be used sparingly.

When paraphrasing or referring to an idea or information, you must still cite the work
to avoid plagiarism. The following variations of in-text citations are acceptable.

Smith (1999) discussed job performance....

In a recent study of job performance (Smith, 1999), research....

In 1999, Smith discussed job performance, stating....

A recent study on job performance discussed...(Smith, 1999).

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CITATION
Citing a Work with Two or More Authors
When citing a work with two authors, use both names every time you
refer to their work.

When citing a work with three-five authors, list all authors in text or in
parentheses the first time you cite the source. In subsequent citations,
only use the first author's last name followed by et al.

When citing a work with six or more authors, use the first author's last
name and et al. for all citations.

When using the authors within the structure of the sentence, spell out
"and." When referring to the authors in a parenthetical citation, use the
ampersand (&).

Smith and Jones (2000) identified four factors....

In a recent study (Smith & Jones, 2000) identified four factors....

In 2000, Smith and Jones identified four factors....

Smith, Jones, and Thompson (2000) discussed job performance, stating....

Smith et al. (2000) later stated...

The four factors identified were...(Smith et al., 2000).

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CITATION

Citing a Work with No Author

If you are citing a work with no author use an abbreviated version

of the title of the page or reference you are using in quotation
marks followed by the date.

A similar study of job performance found interesting correlations

between... (“Performance Management,” 2000)

At the graduate level it is rare for a student to cite a work without an author.

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CITATION

Citing a Work with No Author or Date

If you are citing a work with no author and no date, use an abbreviated
version of the title of the page or reference you are using in quotation
marks and n.d. (for no date).

NOTE: It is very rare in scholarly writing to come across a reference

within no author or date. If this occurs, critically assess the credibility
of the source.

In another study of job performance, it was discovered employees

are more successful... (“Change Management,” n.d.).

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CITATION

Referring to a Work Cited in Another Source

Oftentimes in scholarly articles, you will find authors citing another author's work. The
article you are reviewing first hand is considered the secondary source, while the work
being cited by the authors in the article you are reviewing is considered a primary source.
There is a proper way to cite the primary source if you wish to use it. However, it is
always best to view and cite the primary source first hand if you can retrieve it and use
secondary source formats sparingly, if at all.

As an example, if Brown and Smith’s work is cited in Tubbs and you did not read Brown
and Smith’s work, the in-text citation would appear as:

Brown and Smith (as cited in Tubbs, 2004) interviewed....

In your Reference list, you would only provide the

complete Tubbs source. Your Reference list should
only include the references you reviewed first hand
and have cited in your paper.
Tubbs, S. L. (2004). A systems approach to small group

interaction. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

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CITATION

Citing a work from an Organization or Group

If the author is an organization or a government agency, something that happens a lot
when citing the department of education, district testing manuals, medical facility
codes, etc., state the organization or group in the citation as the author followed by the
year of publication.

According to the Indiana Department of Education (2017)...

The standards set forth state...(Indiana Department of

Education, 2017).

If the organization or group uses an abbreviation, include it in

parentheses in the first citation of the source:
According to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE),
(2017)...
All subsequent citations can then simply use IDOE followed by
the year.

Your reference list should still spell out the full name of the
organization or group.

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CITATION

Citing a Personal Communication

Personal communications are private letters, emails, conversations, interviews, and
phone calls between you and another person. Cite personal communications in the text
only; there is no need to include it in the reference page.

In an interview with Dr. Smith, ...(J. Smith, personal communication, August 1, 2017).

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CITATION

Citing Yourself and Self-Plagiarism

Each assignment in your courses should be treated as a fresh start. At ACE, you are not
permitted to reuse work verbatim after you have received credit for it in a completed
course. When you reuse your work, that is considered self-plagiarism. Turnitin will flag
work you have previously submitted in your courses.

Even if an assignment in one class seems similar to an assignment you had in a

previous class, you should be expanding and growing your ideas and knowledge base.
If you would like to quote an idea you presented in a previous paper, treat yourself as
the author and your paper as an unpublished paper. Use this sparingly.

If Janice Smith wanted to cite a paper she wrote in a previous class at ACE or at any
other institution, her in-text citation would look like this:

An unpublished paper previously discussed the "importance of citing your

sources" (Smith, 2015, p. 1).

You must include a reference for your unpublished paper in the reference
section of your paper.

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CITATION

Incorporating Direct Quotes into Your Papers

Direct quotes should be used only when it adds obvious value to your discussion. In the vast
majority of cases, you will want to paraphrase ideas rather than directly quote.
When you must directly quote, enclose short quotations (fewer than 40 words) within
double quotation marks. Page number(s) must be included for all direct quotes. If you are
using a source with no page numbers (like a web page or brochure), state the section
heading (if available) and paragraph number. Paragraph number only is permissible if the
document has no section headings.

Long quotes consisting of 40 or more words should rarely be used in scholarly writing. Please
refer to the APA Manual for how to format long quotes.

Karnze (1988) states, “We know that when the body is badly
injured the heart stops and cerebral anoxia occurs. At first
there may be a sense of well-being, probably the result of the
brain’s endorphin response to the extreme trauma” (p. 15).

“We know that when the body is badly injured the heart stops
and cerebral anoxia occurs. At first there may be a sense of well-
being, probably the result of the brain’s endorphin response to
extreme trauma” (Karnze, 1988, p. 15).

Kamze (1988) states, "We know that when the

body..." (Introduction section, para. 2).

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CITATION

Citing the Same Source Multiple Times in the

Same Paragraph
Sometimes, you need to cite the same work several times in one paragraph. It can get very
redundant to have every sentence end in the same parenthetical citation. APA provides some
guidance to help this redundancy:
1 -- The first time you use the source as a subject of a sentence, you include the author's
name and year of publication.
2 -- All subsequent uses of the source as a sentence subject does not need to include the year
within the same paragraph.
3 -- All parenthetical citations must always include the author and year.

When you start a new paragraph, these guidelines start over.

Karnze (1988) states, “We know that when the body is badly
injured the heart stops and cerebral anoxia occurs" (p. 15).
Kamze says endorphins may give people a sense of well-being in
times of stress. Endorphins are an important hormonal response
to stress and injury (Kamze, 1988).

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 REFERENCE EXAMPLES

Your reference page is the last page of your paper (unless you include appendices. Your
references should begin on their own page. When you have written your last sentence of
your paper, insert a page break to take you to the top of a new page.

The word "References" should be at the top of the page and centered.

Only sources you have used and cited in your paper should be included in your reference
list. If a reference does not have a corresponding citation, either add a citation or do not
reference it. Do not leave your reader guessing what information came from which source.

All references should be in alphabetical order.

All references should have hanging indents, meaning the first line of the reference is flush
left, while the second line of the reference is indented by one tab. To format this in Word,
you can go to the "Home" menu > Paragraph > Special (under indention) > Hanging. You
can also Google "How to create hanging indents in Word" for how-tos and videos.

REFERENCES
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 Referencing a Journal Article
When referencing a journal article use article authors, date of
publication, article title, journal title, volume number, and page
number(s). If the article was retrieved in an online format, the Digital
Object Identifier (DOI) or URL of the journal homepage also needs to be
included.

NOTE: For the name of the article, only the first word of the article,
proper nouns, and any words following a hyphen or colon should be
capitalized. The name of the journal should have every word capitalized,
with exception of non-essential words like the, of, a, etc.

Hirsch, H., & Spinelli, D. (1970). Visual experience modifies

distribution of horizontally and vertically
oriented receptive fields of cats. Science, 168,
869-871. Retrieved from http://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5444065

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Journal Article
with Issue Number
When referencing a journal article with issue number use the author(s), date of
publication, article title, journal title, volume number, issue number, and page
number(s). If the article was retrieved in an online format, the DOI or URL of the journal
homepage also needs to be included.

Hraba, J., & Grant, G. (1990). Black is beautiful: A reexamination

of racial preferences and identification. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 16(5),
398-402. doi: 10.1037/h0030043

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Magazine Article

When referencing a magazine article, use the author(s), date shown on the
publication, name of article, name of magazine, volume, and page number(s). If the
article was retrieved in an online format, the URL of the magazine homepage also
needs to be included. If the magazine is solely online, it may not have volume or page
numbers available. In this case, omit these items from the reference format

Adler, J. (1994, January 10). Kids growing up scared. Newsweek,

73,43-49. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com/kids-growing-scared-187320

Adler, J. (1994, January 10). Kids growing up scared. Newsweek.

Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/kids-
growing-scared-187320

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Daily Newspaper
Article with No Author
When referencing a daily newspaper article with no author use the title of the
article, date shown on the publication, name of newspaper, and page number(s) (if
available). If the article was retrieved online, the URL needs to be included as well.

New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure.
(1993, July 15). The Washington Post, p. A12.
Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/
archive/politics/1993/07/15/new-drug-appears-to-sharply-
cut-risk-of-death-from-heart-failure/
a2bdd25e-0963-4c22-8062-a95d4db1e0e3/?
utm_term=.ee4664e8de85

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Book
When referencing a book use author(s), year of
publication, title of book, city and abbreviated state of
publisher, and publisher.

Take note of the capitalization of the book title.

Huba, M., & Freed, J. (2000). Learner-centered assessment

on college campuses: Shifting the focus from
teaching to learning. Boston, MA: Allyn and
Bacon.

REFERENCES

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 Referencing Book with Multiple Editions
When referencing a book with multiple editions use author(s), year of
publication, title of book, edition number, city and abbreviated state of publisher,
and publisher.

Ruggiero, V. (2001). The art of thinking: A guide to critical and creative

thought (6th ed.). New York, NY: Longman.

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Brochure,
Handout, Assessment

When referencing a brochure, handout, assessment, etc. with no individual listed as

an author, use name of the organization publishing the material, year, title of
material, type of publication in brackets [Brochure, Syllabus, Assessment, etc.], city
and abbreviated state of publication, and publisher. Use Author if author and
publisher are identical. If the work was retrieved online, include the URL in lieu of
publisher information.

MJ International. (1989). Wilderness survival [Assessment].

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pheiffer.

Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (1993).

Guidelines for reporting and writing about people with
disabilities (4th ed.) [Brochure]. Lawrence, KS: Author

School of Adult and Graduate Studies. (2010, Spring). Ways to

effectively succeed in graduate school
[Handout]. Indiana, IN: American
College of Education.

National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research. (2001).

Guidelines for reporting and writing about people with disabilities
[Handout]. Retrieved from http://www.ndrn.org/images/Documents/
Advocacy/Amicus_Activity/
Guidelines_for_Reporting_and_Writing_about_People_with_Disabilities.pdf

REFERENCES

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 Referencing Internet Articles with URL Only

As stated before, when referencing journal articles with no DOI, be sure to include the
URL of the journal's homepage.

Vandecamp, G., Knapper, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference

elements in the selection of resources. Journal of
Bibliographic Research, 5, 117- 123. Retrieved from
http://jbr.org/articles.html

REFERENCES

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 Referencing Internet Articles with
DOI – Digital Object Identifiers

As stated before and when possible, include the doi of the journal article. The doi will
usually be located on the source information page in the database where you located
the article.

Vandecamp, G., Knapper, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference

elements in the selection of resources. Journal of
Bibliographic Research, 5, 117- 123. doi:
10.1108/03090560710821161

REFERENCES

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 Referencing a Non-Periodical with
No Author or Date from the Internet

When referencing a non-periodical source with no author or date, start the

reference with the title of the article, n.d. (for no date), and retrieval information.
NOTE: When using an article with no author or no date, critically assess the
credibility and value of the article. Is it still steeped in research or is it biased and
opinionated? Few scholarly sources will have no author (not even an
organization) and date. Wikipedia should be completely avoided in academic
writing.

Homeless man who gave away his last $20 buys a home thanks to fundraiser. (2017,
December 5). CBS News. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/johnny-
bobbitt-buys-home-fundraiser/

Note: The in text citation for this reference would be ("Homeless man,"2017).

REFERENCES

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 Referencing ACE Resources
When referencing ACE resources, such as videos, lecture notes, use the following formatting. It
should be noted, course materials are not viewable by the public.

Smith, L. (Course Lecturer). (2013). Introduction to classroom

management: Module 2 [Video]. American College of
Education. Retrieved from http://ace.edu

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