AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL

ASSOCIATION (APA) STYLE

ALICE T. VALERIO, Ph.D.

DLSU-D
 APA Style
rules or guidelines observed to ensure clear,
consistent presentation of the printed word

concerns uniform use of punctuations and

abbreviations, construction of tables, selection of
headings and citation of references and other
elements that are part of a manuscript.
Types of Manuscripts

Final manuscript produced by the

author of a thesis, dissertation or
student paper

Copy manuscript produced by the

author of a journal article
General Instructions in
Manuscript Preparation
1. Paper
8 X 11, heavy white bond paper
2. Typeface
12-pt Times New Roman
12-pt Courier New
12-pt Sans Serif
3. Spacing
double space
single space for table titles and headings, figure
captions, references, footnotes, and long
quotations.
Triple- or quadruple-spacing after chapter titles,
before major subheadings, before footnotes, and
before and after tables in the text.
General Instructions in
Manuscript Preparation
4. Margins
1 left margin, 1 top, bottom, and right margins
5. Pagination
number all pages, except the artwork for figure and
major chapters
preliminary pages usually carry lowercase roman
numerals
Introduction (Chapter I) Arabic numerals
page numbers continue throughout the appendix
6. Figures, Tables, and Footnotes
short tables may appear on a page with some text
long tables and each figure are placed on a
separate page immediately after the page on which the
table or figure is first mentioned
 General Instructions in
Manuscript Preparation
Figures and figure captions
Figure number is italics; text of the caption is not
italicized; capitalize only the first word and any proper
nouns; figure captions are typed below; Minimum size
8 pt, maximum size 14 pt

Paragraphs and Indentations

First line of every paragraph and the first line of
every footnote
Bibliography has a hanging indent format (first line
is set flush left and the subsequent lines are indented)
General Instructions in
Manuscript Preparation
7. Uppercase and Lowercase letters
8. Headings

CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING

Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and

Lowercase Side Heading

Indented, italicized, uppercase only the first word

and proper noun, paragraph heading ending with a
period.
 Editing Style
1) Period

used in initials of names (R. T. Romero);

abbreviation for United States when used as an
adjective (U.S. Navy); latin abbreviations (a.m., cf.,
i.e., vs.), and reference abbreviations (Vol. 1, 3rd
ed., p. 10)
No periods for abbreviations of state names (NY,
NH, NC), acronyms (APA, WB, IQ), and metric and
nonmetric measurement abbreviations (cm, ft, hr,
kg, min, ml) except in.
 Editing Style
2) Comma
used between elements in a series of three or more
items; before and and or
Ex: Cavite, Laguna, or Batangas
In a study conducted by Sandoval, Campos,
and Reyes (2008) . . .
to set off a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause,
that is, if removed would leave the grammatical
structure and meaning of the sentence intact.
Ex. Viral marketing, adapted from the idea of how
virus plague, is a simple, yet logical marketing
strategy introduced by Rayport (1996).
 Editing Style
3) Semicolon

to separate two independent clauses that are not

joined by a conjunction
Ex. Indonesia has higher competitive advantage in
rice production; the Philippines has lower
competitiveness level.

to separate elements in a series that already

contain commas
Ex. The Philippine markets are Japan, US, and
Canada; China markets are Philippines, US, and
Thailand; while Japan markets are US and
Germany.
Editing Style
4) Colon

used between a grammatically complete

introductory clause (one that could stand
as a sentence) and a final phrase or clause
that illustrates, extends, or amplifies the
preceding thought.

Ex. There are two sources of pollution: the

point source and nonpoint sources.
Editing Style
Do not use comma
before an essential or restrictive clause , that is, a
clause that limits or defines the material it modifies.
Removal of such a clause from the sentence would
alter the intended meaning.
Ex. The switch that stops the recording device also controls
the light.
between the two parts of a compound predicate
Ex. The results contradicted Valerios findings and indicated
that the effect was not significant.
to separate parts of a measurement
Ex. 5 years 2 months, 5 min 20 s
Editing Style

If the clause following the colon is a complete sentence, it

begins with a capital letter.

Ex. The result was worth noting: An increase in income is

likely to increase the ability of households to acquire
surplus funds.

Do not use a colon after an introduction that is not a

complete sentence.

Ex. The formula is Y = a + bX

Editing Style
5) Dash
to indicate only a sudden interruption in the
continuity of a sentence.
Ex.. There is only one major strategy to fight inflation
decrease money supply.

6) em dash (two hyphens)

to set off an element added to amplify from the
main clause; no space before and after .
Ex. Students--undergraduate and graduate- -are
exempted.
 Colons, Semicolons and Dashes
in Real Life

Use punctuation marks sparingly.

Writing that is filled with colons tends to look
overly formal, too many semicolons comes off
as pretentious, and an excess of dashes
makes a story feel choppy. Try to vary the
types of punctuation marks you use; it will
make your writing clearer and more lively.
 Editing Style
7) Quotation Marks
to introduce a word or phrase used as an ironic
comment, as slang, or as an invented or coined
expression (no quotation marks after the initial
usage)
Ex. The Philippines is the texting capital of the
world.
to enclose quotations in text
Ex. Dizon (2008) found that Petron controls 35
percent of the domestic oil industry.
Editing Style
to set off the title of an article or chapter in a
periodical when it is mentioned in the text.

Ex. Tans (2009) study on the Impact of the

Exchange Rate on Export Volumes pointed out . . .
.
to reproduce material from a test item or verbatim
instructions to participants.

Ex. The performance was categorized as high,

average, and low.
Editing Style
Note: Use single quotation marks within
double quotation marks to set off
material that in the original source was
enclosed in double quotation marks

Ex.. Dizon (2003) stated, The ill-gotten

wealth of Ex-President Marcos
amounted to US$50 billion.
Editing Style
8) Parenthesis

to set off reference citations and page number in text

Ex. Reyes (2007) and Santos (2008) reported
that. . . . (p. 245).
to introduce an abbreviation,
Ex. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
to enclose statistical values,
Ex. (p < .05)
Do not use parenthesis to enclose material within
other parenthesis
Ex. (National Statistics Office [NSO], 2005)
 Editing Style
9) Slash

to separate numerator from the denominator ( e.g.

X/Y)
to cite a republished work in text .
Ex. Reyes (2000/2008)
10) Brackets
used to enclose material inserted in a quotation by
some person other than the original author.

Ex. Boserup (2007) stressed that mans influence on the

quality of the environment depends on the damage
he does [alteration in a cultural system] and the effort
devoted to undoing that damage.
Editing Style
11) Seriation

To show seriation within a paragraph or sentence

use lowercase letters in parentheses.

Ex. The three principal thrusts are (a) institute a new

program, (b) strengthen support services, and
(c) increase saving rates.

The three principal thrusts are (a) institute a new

program; (b) strengthen support services; and
(c) increase income, saving rates, and investment.
Editing Style

To indicate seriation of separate paragraphs (e.g.,

itemized recommendations or procedures) number
each paragraph with an Arabic numeral followed by a
period.

Ex. The following immediate recommendations are:

1. Launch a massive rural infrastructure programs in the

poorest regions; and

2. Immediate land reform program in poorest areas.

Editing Style
12) Quotations

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words) should be

incorporated into the text and enclosed by double
quotation marks.

Ex. Cruz (2003) stated, The Philippine agriculture is

characterized by a relative scarcity of land in
relation to people (p. 300).
 Editing Style
Long quotations (40 or more words) no quotation
marks to enclose block quotations

Ex. Cruz (2009) found the following:

Many developing countries have depended

on export promotion as a road to economic
development for many reasons . . . (p.300).

13) Ellipsis points

used to indicate omitted material
Type three periods with a space before and after each
period to indicate an omission within a sentence.
Editing Style
Type four periods to indicate an omission between
two sentences.
14) Spelling
Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary standard
spelling reference for APA
Ex. aging, canceled, appendix- appendixes,
matrix-matrices
15) Hyphenation
Compound words may take forms as (a) two
separate words, (b) a hyphenated word, or (c) one
unbroken, solid word. Ex. follow up, follow-up,
followup
Editing Style
Permanent compound compound words found in the
dictionary (e.g. caregiver, lifestyle, high school, self-
esteem, database)
Do not hyphenate
a compound including an adverb ending in ly (e.g.
widely used, randomly assigned), environmentally
sound
a compound including a comparative or superlative
adjective
Ex. less informed, better written, higher order learning
foreign phrases used as adjectives or adverbs
Ex. a priori, ad hoc, fed ad lib but ad-lib feeding
common fractions used as nouns
Ex. one third of the participants
Editing Style
Prefixes that do not require hyphens after, anti, bi, co,
counter, equi, extra, infra, inter, intra, macro, mid,
mini, multi, non, over, post, pre, pro, re, semi, socio,
sub, un, under

Prefixed words that require hyphens

an abbreviation (e.g. pre-WW II), a number
(e.g. post-2000), capitalized (e.g. pro-Arroyo)
all self- compounds, whether adjectives or
nouns
Ex. self-liquidating accounts, the students are
self-supporting
 Editing Style
words that could be misunderstood

Ex. re-pair (pair again), re-form (form again), un-ionized

words in which the prefix ends and the base word
begins with the same vowel.
Ex. co-occur, pre-existing, meta-analysis, anti-
intellectual
when two or more compound modifiers have a
common base, this base is sometimes omitted in all
except the last modifier, but the hyphens are
retained.
Ex. long- and short-term periods, 1-, 2-, and 3-hr
examination
 Editing Style
Other cases:
. student-centered approach , but
The approach was student centered.
t-test results but results from t tests

16) Capitalization
In titles and headings, capitalize:
major words within the body of the paper
(excluding conjunctions, articles and short
prepositions); however, capitalize all words of four
letters or more.
Ex. In her study, Hedonic Price Indexes With Unobserved
Product Characteristics and Application to Personal
Computers . . .
 Editing Style
Do not capitalize
names of laws, theories, models, or hypotheses
Ex. law of supply and demand, Maslows hierarchy of
needs, life cycle hypothesis
nouns that precede a variable (e.g. item y, experiment b)

17) Italicizing Words

Use italics for titles of books, periodicals, and microfilm publications
Ex. In the book , Introduction to Research Methods
genera, species, and varieties
introduction of a new, technical, or key term or label (do not italicize
for the next usage)
Ex. A stock of natural resource in situ is an asset to its owner.
 Editing Style
words that could be misread (e.g. the small and big groups
designations not group size)

letters used as statistical symbols or algebraic variables ( F, t, Z, R2, r)

periodical volume numbers in reference lists (e.g. 15, 56-67)
anchors of a scale
Ex. Self-reliance ratings ranged from 1 (low) to 3 (high)

Do not use italics for

foreign phrases and abbreviations common in English (main entries in
Websters Collegiate Dictionary)
Ex. a priori, et al., ad lib, vis-a-vis, per se

chemical terms (e.g. Hg, W, Pb, Be, Cd, NaCl)

trigonometric terms (e.g. sin, tan, cos)
Editing Style
18) Abbreviations

A term to be abbreviated, on its first appearance,

must be spelled out and followed immediately by its
abbreviation in parentheses.
APA permits the use of the following abbreviations
that do not need explanation in text (e.g. IQ, AIDS,
HIV)
Latin Abbreviations used only in parenthetical
material; otherwise, use the English translation
cf. compare i.e., - that is
e.g., - for example viz., - namely
etc. -, and so forth vs. versus, against
Editing Style
Scientific Abbreviations
Use abbreviations and symbols for metric and nonmetric
units of measurement that are accompanied by numeric
values (e.g., 5 in., 3 cm, 12 min, 20 hr, 5 lb) but not for the
units of time (e.g., month, year, day, week)
Plurals of Abbreviations
add s alone, but not italicized, without an apostrophe (e.g.,
IQs, Eds, vols, but pp.)

19) Statistical and Mathematical Copy

Ex., F(2,_10)_=_8.32,_ p_<_.01;
2(4,_n=100)_=_12.60,_p_<_.05
Editing Style
20) Numbers Expressed in Figures

Use figures to express

all numbers 10 and above (e.g., 10 members, 12 years
old)
all numbers below 10 that are grouped for comparison
with numbers 10 and above (e.g., 3 out of 10, of 10
groups, the 5th group, 6 of the 20 respondents)
numbers that immediately precede a unit of
measurement
(e.g., 5-ft wood, 3-mg dose)
Editing Style
numbers that represent time; dates; ages; sample,
subsample, or population size; scores and points on
a scale; exact sums of money
Ex: 2 hr 30 min Php2 each
3 weeks ago 2:30 a.m.
5 rats October 6, 1955
scored 3 on a 5-point scale
numbers that denote a specific place in a numbered
series, parts of books and tables, and each number in
a list of four or more numbers.
Ex: Grade 5 (but fifth grade);Table 2; page 25;
chapter 4; row 2; 3, 4, 6, and 10 students,
respectively)
 Editing Style
21) Numbers Expressed in Words

numbers below 10 that do not represent precise

measurements and that are grouped for comparison
with numbers below 10 (e.g. nine experiments, five
trials, three-way table, zero-based budgeting, one-line
statement)

any number that begins a sentence (e.g. Forty-five

percent of the respondents . . ., Ten patients improved,
and 5 patients did not improve.)

common fractions (e.g., one fifth of the class, two-thirds

majority, increased by three fourths)
 Editing Style
22) Combining Figures and Words to Express
Numbers

rounded large numbers (starting with millions)

Ex: almost 5 million Filipinos
A budget of PhP5.2 billion

back to back modifiers

Ex. first 5 items, ten 5-year-olds, 2 two-way tables
eleven 7-year-old students, first 10 items (but
first two items)
 Editing Style
23) Decimal Fractions
Use a zero before the decimal point when numbers are less than 1.
(e.g., 0.56 cm, 0.23 in., 0,56 s, 0.9 ft)
Do not use zero before a decimal fraction when the number cannot
be greater than 1. (e.g., p < .05, r = -.65)
24) Commas in Numbers
- Use commas between groups of three digits in most figures of 1,000
or more (except serial numbers, degrees of temperature, page
numbers)

25) Plurals of Numbers

- Add s or es alone to form the plurals of numbers whether
expressed as figures or as words (e.g. Threes and sixes, 1990s,
2000s, 10s and 20s)
Editing Style
26)Style for Metric Units

- Use the metric symbol to express a metric unit

when it appears with a numeric value (e.g 2 m),
otherwise, spell out the unit in text (e.g. measured in
meters)

- use the metric symbol in column and sub headings

of tables

- use lowercase letters when writing out full names

of units, unless used at the beginning of the sentence
(e.g. meters, kilograms, giga, mega, deci)
Editing Style -Tables
Table 1

Volume and Value of Philippine Gold Exports, 1980-2009

_______________________________________________________________
Year Volume Growth rate Value Growth rate
(MT) (%) (US $) (%)
_______________________________________________________________

1980 1,140,352 544,974,421

1981 1,138,628 (0.15) 429,376,458 (21.21)

1982 1,060,405 (6.87) 312,447,026 (27.23)

________________________________________________________________
Average 266,322 (11.79) 90,261,726 (8.24)
_________________________________________________________________
Note. From Title of Article, by Author and Author, 2004, Title of Journal, 50,p. 30
Copyright 2005 by the Name of copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.
 Editing Style
28) Reference List

References cited in text must appear in the reference list;

each entry in the reference list must be cited in text

The text citation and reference list entry are identical in

spelling and year

Entry contains the following: author, year of publication, title,

volume numbers (if journals or periodicals), page numbers
and publishing data
Editing Style
Acceptable Abbreviations

chap. Chapter p. (pp.) page (pages)

ed. Edition Vol. Volume (Vol. 3)
Rev. ed. revised edition vols. Volumes 4 vols.)
2nd ed. second edition No. Number
Ed. (Eds.) Editor (Editors) Pt. Part
Trans. Translators Tech. Rep. Technical
Report
n. d. no date Suppl. Supplement
Editing Style
29) Reference Citation in Text
One Work by One Author author-date method of citation (do not
include Jr.)
Ex. a) As Tan (2009) pointed out . . . .
b) Both tenants and landless workers in nonrice and
corn lands number about . . . (Ledesma, 2008).
c) In 2008, Ledesma found that . . . .
d) In a study on . . ., Ledesma (2008) emphasized
that . . . Ledesma also found . . . .

One Work by Multiple Authors

Two Authors always cite both names every time the
reference occurs in text
Editing Style
Three, four or five authors cite all authors the first
time the reference occurs; in subsequent citations,
include only the surname of the first author followed
by et al. and the year if it is the first citation of the
reference within a paragraph

Ex. Sy, Tan, Co, and Dy (2008) found that . . . .

[Use as first citation in text]
Sy et al. (2008) found. . . . [Use as subsequent
first citation per paragraph thereafter].
Sy et al. (Omit year from subsequent citations
after first citation within a paragraph)
Editing Style
If two references with the same year shorten to the
same form (e.g. Sy, Tan, and Co, 2008, and Sy, Co,
Tan, and Dy, 2006, shorten to Sy et al., 2007) cite the
surnames of the first authors to distinguish the two
references as:

Sy, Tan, and Co (2008) and Sy, Co et al. (2003)

Six or more authors cite only the surname of the first
author followed by et al. and the year for the first and
subsequent citations. In the reference list, provide
the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and
shorten any remaining authors to et al.
 Editing Style
If two references with six or more authors shorten to the
same form,
Ex. Sy, Tan, Co, Dy, Lee, and Ong (2005)
Sy, Tan, Lim, Ong, Chan, and Cruz (2005)

In text, cite them, respectively as: Sy, Tan, Co, et al. (2005)
and Sy, Tan, Lim, et al. (2005)

In parenthetical material, tables and captions, and

reference list, join the names by an ampersand (&)

Ex. Cruz and Chavez (2002) pointed that . . . .

. . . as has been shown (Cruz & Chavez, 2002)
Editing Style
Groups as Authors
The names of groups (e.g., corporations,
associations, study groups, etc.) are spelled out each
time they appear in a text citation; the names of some
group authors are spelled out in the first citation and
abbreviated thereafter especially if the name is long
and familiar or readily understandable.

Ex. (Bureau of Forest Development [BFD], BFD),

PAGASA, NEDA, WB, UP, DLSU, IRRI, US,
University of Peru, Central Bank
 Editing Style
Works with No Author or Anonymous Author

No author cite in text the first few words of the

reference list entry (usually the title) and the year;
use around the title of an article or chapter, and
italicize the title of a periodical, book, brochure, or
report
Ex. . . . as stressed in the Agribusiness Bulletin (2007)
. . . profitable for private traders (The Effect of, 2009)
 Editing Style
Legal materials - cite materials such as court cases and
legislation by the first few words of the reference and the year.
For cases: Name v. Name, Volume Source Page (Court
Date)
Onuh v. Usigan, 234 F. Supp. 345 (March 16, 2006)
Anonymous - e.g., (Anonymous, 2007)

Authors With the Same Surname

include the first authors initials in all text citations, even if the
year of publication differs.
Ex. A. T. Valerio (2004) and T. A. Valerio (2005) also found. . .
A. C. Cruz and Ilagan (2005) and C. A. Cruz and Sy (2008)
 Editing Style
Two or More Works Within the Same Parentheses
arrange two or more works by the same authors (in the
same order) by year of publication.; give the authors
surnames once; for each subsequent work, give only the
date.
Ex. (Cruz & Santos, 2005, 2007)
Several studies (Smith, 2000, 2005, 2008; Lim, 2001,
2005)
Specific Parts of a Source

indicate the page, chapter, figure, or table at the

appropriate point in text.
Ex. (Boserup & Kim, 2000, p.205); (Nakamura, 2005,
chap. 2)
(Kim, 2001, Conclusion section, para. 2)
Editing Style
Personal Communications
may be letters, memos, e-mail, personal
interviews,, and the like; cited in text only and not
included in the reference list
Ex. T. J. Santos (personal communication, April 3,
2010)
( F. C. Sevilla, personal communication, June 2, 2010)

Citations in Parenthetical Material

(see Table 10 of Sy, Tan, & Co, 2004, for
complete data)
Editing Style
30) Order of References in the Reference List
Alphabetize names
One-author entries are arranged by year of
publication
Ex. Valerio, A. T. (2006)
Valerio, A. T. (2009)

One-author entries precede multiple-author entries

beginning with the same surname
Ex. Valerio, A. T. (2006)
Valerio, A. T., & Sevilla, F. C. (2008)
Editing Style
31) General Forms (Reference Style)
Book
Marcos, F. E., & Arroyo, G. M., (2000) Family
mediation: Facts, myths, and future prospects (3rd
ed.). Washington DC: John Wiley and Sons.
Group author (government agency) as publisher
National Statistics Office. (2009). Census of
population and housing, Sta. Mesa, Manila
Daily newspaper
Samson, L. A. (2009, April 20). How to fight obesity.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. C20.
Editing Style
Journal article, more than six authors
Chong, S. F., Sy, A. C., Lim, J. G., Tan, L. C., See, K. N.,
Dy, J. L., et al., (2000). Population pressure,
migration and markets: Implications for upland
development. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 55
(3), 10401049.
Magazine article
Falcon, W. P. & Castro, A. G. (2010, June 10).
Scenarios for the year 2005. Science, 290 (4), 12-16.
Periodical published annually
Romero, G. M. (2006). Social cognition and social
perception. Annual Review of Psychology, 44 (1)
155-195.
 Editing Style
Edited book
Gonzales, L. A. & Alviar N. A. (Eds.). (2009), Natural resource
economics: Issues, analysis, and policy. New York: John
Wiley and Sons.

Encyclopedia or dictionary
Santos, D. R. (Eds.). (2007). The new science encyclopedia
(Vols. 1-20), London:Macmillan.

Proceedings of symposia
Minguez , G. R. (2006). The expanded corn program in the
Philippines. In A. F. Salgado (Ed.), Asian Regional Maize
Workshop (pp. 120-130), University of Bandung Press.
Indonesia.
Editing Style
Unpublished doctoral dissertation
Cruz, D. D. (2002). Technical and institutional
change in renewable resource development
(with application for traditional fisheries).
Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Madison University of Wisconsin.

Article in an internet
Environmental sustainability index. (n.d). Retrieved August
24, 2010, from http://www.cc.gatech.environ/fcu/.

Newton, R. T. (2007, July 7). Ten top corporations in

the world. In Business world. Retrieved October 10,
2004, from http://www.corp.net.