Requirements & Resources
APA Requirements
- Using APA requires that the following format is present in your work:
- Double paragraph spacing
- Times New Roman Font
- 12 pt font size
- The bibliography is titled “References”
- Your resources are listed in alphabetical order
- If there is a title page required for your assignment, then the title, author’s name, student number, course number, due date and instructors name must be present
- When doing an in text citation after using another author’s words, it should have the author’s words, it should have the author’s last name, followed by the article’s publication date. For example, (Mcmurray, 2022)
- If you are citing from a book, textbook, journal article etc it should have, the authors last name, the publication year, and page number. For example, (Mcmurray, 2010, pg 220). When citing a book on your reference page it should be structured like this. (Authors last name, first initial, middle initial, publication year, title of the book, publisher).
- Page numbers are required
- There is a title page, main body, and references in your essay’s structure
- An abstract might be necessary if your instructor requires it
Resources
If you’re having issues understanding the APA format, there are several places you can get help from. For in person help, you can reach out to college professors / helpers on or librarians on or off campus. The library also holds guides for the APA format. If you aren’t able to go in person, then online materials such as APA Citation Machines are a good resource for typing up papers as it allows you to generate your references and intent citations automatically. Grammarly is also a great tool that allows you to check your work for mistakes, and is quite useful.
https://www.citationmachine.net/apa
https://www.citationmachine.net/apa
In tex citations guide for APA Style format
- Citation
- General Rules: In-text Citations
- Citation using Book reference in Text
- Citation Website references in Text
1.1 General Rules: In-text Citations
You must use author date to reference your sources in the text of your paper in accordance with the APA Style Guide. Specify the author, year, and page. Cite the entire source in your reference list. Cite all information that you paraphrase, summarise, or otherwise use.
ONE AUTHOR – Include the last name of the author and the publication year for your corresponding entry.
Example: According to study of plants (Ignacio, 2007, p.13) flowers were……..
TWO AUTHORS – Include both name of the authors for every reference in the text.
Example: Dinosaur bones discovery (Manlutac & Magno, 2013) inside a cave from…….
TWO OR MORE AUTHORS.- Include all authors in the first citation. Subsequent citation should include only the author’s surname, followed by et al. and the publication year.
Examples: First Citation (Magno, Galang, Manlutac & Ignacio, 2017) Subsequent Citations (Magno et al., 2017)
1.2 Citing using Book reference in Text.
This citation style will include a text citation originating from an author you prefer to quote, a paragraph summary, and taking the phrase in every text citation you desire to correspond for your paper in the references list. Specifically, this uses the author’s capital first name and last name, date of publication (year and month), the title of your reference and the publisher. Also for direct statements or quotations, it will be required to include the page number as well.
If the reference has not page just use the paragraph number.
Example of Book Reference:
Author’s last name and first initial name (year and month) Title of your reference. Publisher’s name
Baker, M. (2001) Families, Labour and Lone
UBC Press – Vancouver, BC.
1.3 Citing using Website reference in Text.
This citation style is the same as the Book reference text style as well but will need to input a hypertext link where your citation leads the reader to the corresponding entry in your reference list. This will include an author’s capital first initial name and last name, date of publication (year and month), the title of your reference, and the publisher.
If the author is unknown, just include the title of the reference and the date (year and month) in your reference list. For the corresponding reference that you prefer has no date, just include “n.d.” in your reference list.
Examples of Website Reference:
Lacasse, P.S and Louis, C. (2002). The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the religiosity of Canadians.
https://websiteaddressofyourentry.com
Examples of paraphrasing
According to psychology, Study of human behaviour and emotions is only possible by study the activities of brain but Dr. Stephen Porges ,who is a psychiatry professor and neuro-scientist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, believes in the idea of understanding them by monitoring the changes in the heart beat rates and also, holds the opinion that by doing this, the psychologists might able to get the proper idea of any mental problem of the patience in the future. (Partnoy, 2012, pp. 1-2)
Example of paraphrasing and quotation:
Professor Stephen Porges in late 1960s began his research how working of heart along with the brain is equally responsible for the human behaviour. “Instead of trusting the words that came out of patients’ mouths, these researchers wanted to test the changes in patients’ body.” (Partnoy,2012, p.2)
References
Partnoy, F. (2012). Wait: The Art and Science of delay. United Nations: Public Affairs
Example of In-Text Citation and reference as per APA style for a book:
Relationship of Humour and Society
Example of Paraphrasing
Humour is some thing which occurs arbitrarily most of the times. It can take place either between a couple living together for years or may be between person completely new to each other. (Martin, 2007)
Example of Paraphrasing and Quotations
Humour is some thing which occurs arbitrarily most of the times. It can take place either between a couple living together for years or may be between person completely new to each other. “It can take place in the conversation of a group of close friends casually sitting around a table in a coffee shop, or in the interactions of a group of businesspeople participating in formal negotiations.”  (Martin, 2007)
Reference:
Martin, R. A. (2007). The Psychology of Humor. London: Elsevier Academic Press.
Example of Intext Citation and reference as per APA style for a journal article:
Example of paraphrasing:
The authors of the special issue are dedicated to dispelling the myth that Africa is a continent that is always in dire straits, where war, feminism, never-ending refugee flows, and the need for charity rule the day. (M. DeJesus, 2018).
Example of paraphrasing and quotation:
The authors of the special issue are dedicated to dispelling the myth that Africa is a continent that is always in dire straits, where war, feminism, never-ending refugee flows, and the need for charity rule the day. “Yet, the persistent issue of forced migration across the globe, not excluding Africa, then renders its vast territory, these authors evince, a place where critical perspectives and narratives reveal the nuances, intricacies, and numerous complexities constituting the very human phenomenon that is forced migration.  (M.DeJesus, 2018)
References:
M.DeJesus, k. (2018). African Geographical Review. Forced migration and displacement in Africa:contexts,causes and consequences, 1.
Top Formatting Mistakes
As students, writing research papers is a regular requirement, and using the seventh edition of the APA format is crucial in attributing sources used. This is a citation and reference style that you may need bring with you in your professional work, so a firm grasp at an early stage is beneficial. If you are unsure how to start, or have any questions, we encourage you to do research from reputable sources or seek support from peers here at school.
Here are some APA formatting mistakes that are common in student papers, with a corresponding guide on how to avoid them:
- Not including a page number
Novice APA authors may focus on getting their references and citations right but forget to include this key detail. Page numbers are important as they allow the reader to keep track of their progress on your paper.
To make sure you don’t forget, insert the page numbers at the top of every page the moment you start your document. The page numbers, meanwhile, should be aligned to the right.
What about running heads?
While the previous-edition APAs require for student and professional papers to include a page header, known as a running head, the most updated seventh APA edition now requires this for professional papers only. Moving forward, running heads will still need to show up on all pages including the title page, stay within 50 characters (including spacing and punctuations), and be in all capital letters. You will also no longer be required to include the phrase “running head” as part of the header (2018). While you won’t need this while currently in school, you may need to learn this at a professional capacity post-graduation, so it would be a good idea to keep this information in mind.
- Incorrect or missing in-text citations
It is crucial to correctly provide citations for any information you use as part of your research. The APA in-text citation requires the use of the author’s last name and the year of publication (Igwenagu, 2016).
Example: Batugal (2022) claimed that 70% Filipino students do not know how to attribute sources properly using the APA format.
If a quote is included, page numbers from the original work are included as well (n.d.).
Example: Mabunay (2002) found that it takes her “three to five research papers to effectively capture the use of the seventh-edition APA style” (p. 12).
Below are other important points to consider for in-text citations:
- For articles without an author, use a shortened version of the title instead and if there is no date, use “n.d.”
- Four sources with two authors, state the surnames in alphabetical order, use “and” instead of an ampersand, and include the source date.
Example: Kummer and Corpuz (2019) states that…
- Sources with more than three authors must now be attributed by using the surname of the first author followed by “et al” (2018).
Example: APA citations must follow the seventh edition (Batugal et al, 2022).
Also remember that whatever citation you use must always be included in the Reference list at the end of your paper, and whatever references you include there must also be cited in the body of the paper.
- On direct quotes and paraphrasing
To avoid plagiarism and add credibility to your paper, it is imperative that direct quotations from an original source must be attributed correctly with quotation marks with page numbers. Paraphrasing can also be a good route for authors, but make sure to do this using your own words and understanding of the source.
However, in sharing personal experiences or observations, writing your own research results, using common knowledge, or stating generally accepted facts, there is no need to provide documentation (2018). You may do your own research or ask an instructor to find out if a particular information you wish to include needs attribution.
- Guidance in font and use of symbols
While the seventh-edition APA format does not have a required font or all student and professional papers, there is a general set of widely-available fonts that you can use. 11-point Calibri or Arial or 12-point Times New Roman are just some of them. It would be best to ask your teacher if they have a specific one they prefer you to use.
Novice APA authors must also be mindful of overusing commas, ampersands and italic formats in papers. It would be best to get your finished product peer-reviewed by a fellow student or by a Coast Mountain Learning Assistant Specialist to ensure you are formatting it correctly.