Professional Documents
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DeVry University
APA Handbook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... ii
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 1
Avoiding Plagiarism....................................................................................................... 2
What Needs to Be Cited? ........................................................................... 2
What Does Not Need to Be Cited? ............................................................. 2
Using Sources................................................................................................................ 3
Quotations .................................................................................................. 4
When to Quote ........................................................................................................................ 4
Tips and Suggestions ............................................................................................................... 4
Paraphrases ................................................................................................ 4
When to Paraphrase ................................................................................................................ 4
Tips and Suggestions ............................................................................................................... 4
Summaries .................................................................................................. 5
When to Summarize ................................................................................................................ 5
Tips and Suggestions ............................................................................................................... 5
Visual Aids .................................................................................................. 6
When to Use Visual Aids .......................................................................................................... 6
Tips and Suggestions ............................................................................................................... 6
Integrating and Citing Sources ....................................................................................... 7
Step 1: Introducing a Source with Signal Phrases ...................................... 7
Avoiding Monotony ............................................................................................................. 7
Using Signal Phrases with Quotations ................................................................................. 8
Using Signal Phrases with Paraphrases and Summaries ..................................................... 8
Tips and Suggestions ............................................................................................................ 9
Step 2: Citing Sources in the Text............................................................... 9
Organization of In-Text Citations............................................................................................. 9
Introducing a Source for the First Time ................................................................................. 10
Examples of In-Text Citations ................................................................................................ 11
Citing Visuals .......................................................................................................................... 13
Where to Cite Visuals ......................................................................................................... 13
List of Illustrations .............................................................................................................. 14
Tips and Suggestions .......................................................................................................... 14
Step 3: Citing Sources on the List of References ...................................... 14
Formatting Papers ...................................................................................................... 17
Word Choice, Punctuation, and Capitalization ............................................................. 18
Introduction
When you write a paper or present research results, you are not only completing an
assignment for class credit, you are also adding something to the research on your topic.
Think of it as entering a discussion about the topic: your ideas interact with other ideas out
there. Your paper or presentation is, in fact, a blend of your ideas and outside sources. Use
sources to give support for your claims and establish your credibility as a writer or presenter
about the topic.
This handbook describes how to integrate your sources in these ways for class assignments
and projects using the editing style approved by the American Psychological Association
(APA). See the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2009) for
more information on APA style.
Use this handbook as a guide to cite research in team projects and presentations, including
PowerPoint projects. However, you do not need to apply the guidelines and rules in this
handbook for citing discussion posts in class. If you need to cite a source in your discussion
posts (TDAs), simply give the following:
Doing so will help your classmates find the information on their own, review it and post their
ideas about the topic in the threaded discussion.
You’ll find details about the DeVry University Academic Integrity Policy and Turnitin.com use
in your Student Handbook, the Policies tab under Course Home, and online course syllabi.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism at its worst is the outright stealing of another’s words and ideas. This, however,
isn't the plagiarism that concerns most instructors and students. Students should be aware
of unintentional plagiarism often the result of improperly citing borrowed language or ideas.
A good rule of thumb is that if you find information that is repeated in the research, you can
consider this common knowledge. However, this doesn't apply to statistics. When you see
numbers or results of surveys or studies, cite them. You should also cite information that
deals with controversial subjects, no matter how popular you think the opinion might be.
Audience can determine common knowledge. A surgeon writing to a group of surgeons will
make more assumptions about common knowledge than if writing for the general public.
The same is true about specialized fields. You can assume that your audience won't share
your expert background, so you can't assume technical things are common knowledge.
Using Sources
When using sources in your writing, you have four options: a quotation, a paraphrase, a
summary, or a visual aid:
• Quoting means exactly copying the words or phrases of the original source.
• Paraphrasing means putting the words or phrases from the source into your own
words while keeping the original details and meaning.
• Summarizing means restating in your own words the main idea and main points of a
long passage.
• Using a visual aid means creating a table, chart, or other visual from your research
data or copying a table, chart, image, photograph, or other visual from a source.
Since you have choices, which one is better? It depends on your purpose. Basically,
quotations are used to emphasize exact words, paraphrases are used to provide ideas and
details, and summaries are used to provide many ideas without details in a short version.
Visual aids are used when a table, chart, or other visual represents an idea better than
words alone could express the idea. Visuals might be used in full, which is like quoting. You
might take just one column of data from a complex table and create a simple table; this
would be an example of summarizing the data. Since visual aids are formatted differently
than quotations and summaries of words, a section of this handbook is dedicated to them.
Usually, of all the sources used in a paper, most should not be directly quoted, but should
be paraphrased or summarized. Why? Paraphrases and summaries allow you to keep the
writing in your own words and create a consistent flow and style! Keeping the writing in
your own words also allows you to emphasize your ideas to the audience. If in doubt, check
with your professor for specific guidelines on how to use sources in assignments.
Notice that all four ways to use sources require that you cite the source. The section in this
handbook titled, “Integrating and Citing Sources” (See p. 7) will walk you through the three
steps of properly citing sources in APA style.
Quotations
Direct quotations are perhaps the most common way people think to use sources, but as
mentioned earlier, use them sparingly. A direct quotation uses the exact words of a source.
When to Quote
Quote in the following situations:
Paraphrases
Paraphrases take ideas from other sources, but these ideas are written in your own words.
A paraphrase is usually about the same length as the original text.
To paraphrase, do not just change a word here or there, or it will be considered plagiarism.
The language used must not be too similar to the original. If you need to use a few original
words because they are technical and can’t be reworded, such as "CPU," or "modem,"
quotations marks are NOT needed since the terms are common knowledge to readers.
One way to ensure that you don't unintentionally plagiarize when you are paraphrasing is to
put the original material aside and write from memory. This will prevent you from relying on
the original writer's words. Writers spend a great deal of time picking their words, so often
they phrase their sentences in way that seems perfect. When you paraphrase, it is often
difficult to let go of the original language, so forcing yourself to go from memory will help.
When to Paraphrase
Paraphrase in the following situations:
2. Compare your paraphrase to the original: Are the words your own? Are there similar
phrases, words, or style? If there are similar phrases, words, or style, this isn't a
paraphrase. Try again, or quote the source instead.
3. In some word-processing programs, like Microsoft Word, right click on a word that
you have trouble rewording to see suggested synonyms, or use a thesaurus.
Summaries
A summary is a very short explanation of a longer text. A summary is taking the main point
of another text and rewriting it in shorter form in your own words. When you talk about
someone else's text or argument, you need to summarize it in your writing. Depending on
what you are writing, you could be summarizing whole books, articles or even just ideas.
As with paraphrases, you cannot just skip a few sentences or words here or there, or it will
be considered plagiarism. The language you use must not be too similar to the original. It's
okay to use some words from the original source, but if you do, be sure to put those words
in quotation marks to show readers that they came from the original source.
When to Summarize
Summarize in the following situations:
Visual Aids
Visual aids are any non-textual presentations of data, such as tables, charts, graphs,
photographs, or drawings. In APA style, visuals fall into two categories, tables and figures. A
table is a simple presentation of data in rows and columns. A figure is any visual other than
a table. You might create a visual aid based on your own surveys, experiments, or
observations or you might borrow a visual aid (or information to create a visual aid) from a
source.
• Use a visual aid to present difficult numerical data or other information that would be
complicated to explain in words.
• Use a visual aid to make points clear or to emphasize points.
2. Avoid colors that are difficult to distinguish or text that is too small to read.
3. Be sure the visual is accurate.
Include signal phrases and in-text citations as smoothly as possible, so readers can go from
your words to quotations, paraphrases, summaries, or visual aids without interruptions.
Think carefully about the verbs you choose for signal phrases. The verb must accurately
reflect the author's ideas and how you are using these ideas in your writing. For example,
saying an author "argued" a point is very different than just saying that the author "said"
something. Think about the context: is it an argument, an observation, a suggestion, or
what? Find a verb that clearly shows how you are using the source.
You can also find good verbs to use in a thesaurus, which will show you choices of words
that are similar to the meaning you want.
Avoiding Monotony
Keep writing as interesting as possible by avoiding monotony—that means avoid using the
same signal phrases over and over. Vary the words and location of your signal phrases.
that the majority of teenagers and many adults are use the paraphrase to
now using instant messaging to communicate with support your point.
friends and family (para. 7).
• Search for each set of quotation marks and make sure you have used a signal
phrase to set-up each quotation. There should not be any dropped quotations.
• Check that you used at least three different signal phrases to avoid monotony.
• Check to see how many times you have used the same verbs in signal phrases. If
you've used a particular verb in a signal phrase more than two times, you should
consider using a different one to add variety.
2. Be sure to use signal phrases when you summarize and paraphrase as well. Any time
you introduce an outside source, you want to clarify that you are doing so. Signal
phrases give a nice transition between your ideas and others and provide a smooth,
organized style to your writing.
3. Keep a list of helpful verbs handy when you are using sources in your writing. Add
new verbs to the list so that you have a personalized, verb thesaurus.
4. You can access a thesaurus in Microsoft Word by right-clicking on a word. For
instance, if you are looking for another word to use in place of the word "said," right
click the word and MS Word will bring up a list of alternate words, or synonyms, that
are similar in meaning, such as "assumed," "thought," or "supposed."
Parenthetical citations include the following information (APA, 2009, pp. 175–192):
1. The author's last name or the name of the organizational author (or the title if there
is no author)
2. Publication date of the source or "n.d." if there is no publication date given
3. The page or paragraph number(s) if applicable:
• Page numbers are abbreviated as "p." or "pp." for more than one page
• Paragraph numbers are abbreviated as "para." and are used for electronic
sources
A sample parenthetical citation could read (Doe, 2001, p. 34). Make sure you have the right
information in parentheses. If the author is named in a signal phrase, put the date in
parentheses after the author’s last name, and at the end of the sentence or paragraph,
place the page or paragraph number in parentheses followed by a period ((APA, 2009, pp.
179).
If the author is not named in the signal phrase, put the author's last name, date, and the
page number in parentheses (APA, 2009, pp. 174).
If there is an organizational author, use the organization's full name the first time and an
abbreviation for following in-text citations (APA, 2009, pp. 176).
If there is no author, an abbreviated version of the title should be used (APA, 2009, pp.
176–177).
In APA style, author names are presented with just the first initial and last name, such as J.
Cameron for Julia Cameron. At the first mention, use the author's first initial and last name
with the date of publication in parentheses just after the author's last name. After that,
refer to the author by his or her last name only, unless you have more than one author with
the same last name. Do not use titles (like Dr. or Mrs.) or suffixes (APA, 2009, p. 175–6).
You may also mention the publication date in the sentence itself (APA, 2009, p. 174).
Use among adults has grown to include friends and far-flung family members,
particularly children away at college. AOL, which provides the most popular service
reports that more than one billion instant messages each day flow through its
networks.
And now, as families own more than one computer, the machines spread beyond the
den and home networks relying on wireless connections become increasingly popular,
instant messaging is taking root within the home itself.
Although it might seem lazy or silly to send electronic messages instead of getting out
of a chair and walking into the next room, some psychologists say that the role of the
technology within families can be remarkably positive. In many cases, they say, the
messages are helping break down the interpersonal barriers that often prevent open
communication.
Schwartz, J. (2004, January 3). That parent-child conversations is becoming instant,
http://www.nytimes.com
Citing Visuals
Just as writers need to use citations for any words quoted, paraphrased, or summarized,
writers also need to cite visuals borrowed from sources. Writers need to cite visuals that are
directly copied from a source or data from a source that is used to create a new visual.
All visuals also receive a title, which appears immediately following the label and a period.
The label and title are placed above the visual (APA, 2009, pp. 130–133). Italicize the title.
Place all visuals close to the paragraph that refers to the visual. Always refer to a visual in a
sentence and use its label, such as "See Figure 4 for a list of the survey results." Do not
use, "See the figure below" or "See the table above” (APA, 2009, p. 130).
As with quotations, paraphrases, and summaries borrowed from sources, visuals must be
cited. The in-text citation would be single-spaced in a note below the visual (APA, 2009, p.
150).
Note: From [or The data in column# are from] Title, by Author First Initial and Last
Name, 2000. Retrieved from www.webaddress.com
Note: From [or The data in row# are from] "Title of Article" by Author First Initial and
Last Name, 2000. Title of Journal, 50, p. 22.
Note: From [or The data in column# are from] Title of Book (p. 100), by Author First
Initial and Last Name, 2000, Place of Publication: Publisher.
List of Illustrations
In formal reports, provide a Table of Contents and then a List of Illustrations at the
beginning. List the numbers, titles, and page numbers in Arabic numerals of all visuals used
from first mentioned to last mentioned in the paper (APA, 2009, p. 127).
All parenthetical citations within papers must refer to the list of references (APA, 2009, pp.
180). Therefore, if a source is not listed on the list of references, but is in one of the
parenthetical citations in the paper, this source would need to be inserted immediately to
the list of references. The one exception to this is a non-published, personal communication
source, such as e-mail or phone communication; this type of source is cited in-text but not
at the end since the reader cannot retrieve the e-mail or phone call (APA, 2009, p. 180).
Use the first item in the reference entry to alphabetize. Alphabetize the list of references by
the author's last name. If there is no author, alphabetize by title (APA, 2009, pp. 181–183).
The reference entries for visuals should be alphabetized along with other sources. Do not
list visual citations separately from other sources (quotations, paraphrases, or summaries).
You can find a variety of sources listed in correct APA end-of-text format in the APA
Guidelines Tutorial located at the end of your course syllabus. The examples provided here
are for sources commonly used by students, but are not comprehensive.
Keep in mind that these examples can be mixed and matched. For instance, the example
showing how to cite a book with more than one author can be used as a guide for citing any
other source with more than one author. The way the authors are listed is the same.
Similarly, the example showing how to cite a web document with no author or no date can
be used as a guide for citing any other source with no author or no date; the placement of
the title first instead of the author and using "n.d." to indicate "no date" is the same.
Association.
Publication: Publisher.
Nadell, J., Langan, J., & Comodromos, E.A. (2005). The Longman reader. (7th ed.)
Page#s.
Daridus, R. (1998). The importance of sound. The New Journalist, 15(3), 14–18.
Western music: The romantic period. (n.d.) Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved
from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-15781/Western-
music
Zwinger, L.M. (2007). Seeing James seeing: Introduction. Arizona Quarterly: A Journal
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/
arizona_quarterly_a_journal_of_american_literature_culture_and_theory/
toc/arq62.3.html
ProQuest (1203477411).
Computer Program
Last Name, Initial. (Year). Title. (Version#) [Computer Program]. Place of Publication:
Publisher.
Bradley, F.P. (1999) Earth sciences references (Version 5.0) [Computer Program]. New
York: Prentice-Hall.
Visual
Last Name, Initial. (Responsibility). (Date). Title [Nature of work], [Medium]. Available
Doe, J. (Compiler). (2007). 2006 Goals [Chart], [Print Report]. Naperville, IL: DeVry
Formatting Papers
APA format represents an editing style for many academic papers. APA style also provides
guidelines for the basic format of the paper, including the list of references.
The basic format for APA involves the title page, page numbering, and spacing of the entire
paper. The title page itself must include the title of the paper, the author, and the university
where the paper is presented (APA, 2009, pp. 23–24).
The pages are numbered with a short version of the title before the page number itself. This
is placed on the upper right hand side of each page (page header) (APA, 2009, p. 230).
The spacing of the entire paper deals with the margins and the spaces between the lines of
text. All margins in APA format are 1 inch and everything in APA is double spaced except
notes under visual aids (APA, 2009, pp. 229).
A paper formatted according to APA style is provided in the Resources section of this
handbook.
Verb tense can be broken into four categories: simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect
progressive. The simple tenses break down into three groups: past, present, and future.
These verbs tell us that something happened in the past, happens right now, or will happen
in the future (APA, 2009, pp. 77–78).
Tense Example
Simple Past The tutors worked for three hours yesterday. [Describes an event
in the past.]
Simple Present The tutors work hard. [Describes something happening right now.]
Simple Future The tutors will work hard tomorrow. [Describes something that will
happen in the future.]
In APA style (2009), use the past tense or present perfect tense in signal phrases (p. 65-66).
While you cannot use the present tense in signal phrases, you can use present tense in two
ways (APA, 2009, p. 66):
Of course, when you are talking about actions that happened in the past, you need to use
the past tense. Common uses for past tense are (APA, 2009, p. 66):
Past Tense for Talking about Haskell (2006) formed the same conclusions.
Other Research
Past Tense for Presenting Your The telephone survey indicated that employees
Results reaching retirement age is a serious employer
concern.
Past Tense for Discussing Your As shown in the responses, 56% of all employees
Results pay out of pocket for medical care.
Punctuating Quotations
When including quotations, the quotation must be a part of a grammatical sentence. In
other words, when adding or removing words from a quotation and punctuating quotations,
it is very important to make sure that the sentence that has the quotation uses correct
grammar and mechanics.
Many writers are unsure where to place periods, commas, and other punctuation marks
when using quotation marks and parenthesis. When you are quoting, the punctuation goes
inside quotations marks and outside parentheses (APA, 2009, pp. 92).
If you include a quotation that is longer than forty words, indent it five spaces from the left
margin. You don't need to add quotation marks, but you do need to include a phrase that
introduces the quotation and this phrase should be punctuated with a colon. Also, place the
period before the parentheses in this case (APA, 2009, p. 171).
If a quotation is introduced with a full sentence, use a colon. Almost all long quotations are
introduced with a colon.
If a quotation is introduced with an expression such as "he said," "they wrote," or "she
remarked," use a comma.
When you blend a quotation into your own sentence, follow the normal rules of punctuation.
When using ellipses, be very careful that the words you omit don't alter the meaning the
writer's intended meaning.
Although you use the ellipses mark when you leave out words in the middle of the
quotation, you don't need to put them at the end or beginning of a quotation. Your reader
knows that you took the quotation from a longer text with words and sentences both before
and after the quoted words you used. Never use an ellipses mark at the end of a quotation.
If you are going to leave out one or more sentence in the quotation, you need to put a
period before the ellipses mark (APA, 2009, pp. 172-73).
The ellipses mark has a space before it, spaces between the periods, and a space following it.
Added Words Battelle (2006) has written that "Search is also a catalyst in
promising attempts at cracking one of mankind's most intractable
problems: the creation of artificial intelligence [human-like
computers]" (p. 26).
Grammar Change Battelle (2006) noted that "Search [was] also a catalyst in
promising attempts at cracking one of mankind's most intractable
problems: the creation of artificial intelligence" (p. 26).
Correction My six-year old daughter came home after her swimming lesson
and exclaimed to the family that she "swimmed [sic] under water
for 5 seconds."
Colon outside the Quotation Doe (2007) asked the same question:
"What will happen next?" (p. 27).
Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quotation marks when they are part of
the punctuation from the source you are quoting. Question marks and exclamation points
are outside the quotation marks if they are your own addition to the sentence as a whole.
Question Mark as Part of Quotation Doe (2007) asked the same question:
"What will happen next?" (p. 27).
Added Question Mark What should we do about the "truly
devastating problem facing our country
today" (Doe, 2007, p. 28)?
Titles of Tests Capitalize complete test titles, both The results of the
published and unpublished, as they Advanced Vocabulary Test
are written. were surprising.
Capitalization rules for the list of references citations are different (APA, 2009, pp. 185).
Resources
APA Style Links
The following resources will provide additional explanations, examples, and tools for using
APA style.
APA Formatting
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c09_s3.html: Has a clear description of the
various parts of formatting a manuscript in APA, including how to format abstracts.
http://www.noodletools.com/: Allows you to choose from almost any source type to create
a reference entry in APA format, but limits you to creating only a few reference entries
before requiring payment.
APA-Sponsored Resources
http://www.apa.org: This link is the homepage for the American Psychological Association
(APA).
http://www.apastyle.org/: This is the homepage for APA style and lists reference material
for sale.
Example Munez' study showed… (as cited in Munez' study showed… (qtd.
Rivera, 2001) in Rivera 90)
How to Format the Title Page, Body Text, and List of References
Introduction
This sample paper uses the proper format for headings, margins, and text within a
To form the in-text citation for a visual in the body of a paper or report, place a
How to
Integrate
Sources
Cite on the
Include Signal Cite in the
List of
Phrase Text
References
Note: From DeVry University Online APA Handbook (p. 35), by DeVry University Online
Student Academic Support, 2007.
The basic format for sources on the list of references is to list the author's last name
first then list the first initial of the first name only. After that, the date of the publication is
listed then the title of the source itself is written. The last two things to be written are the
location where the work was published then the publishing company. Specific page numbers
The list of references comes at the end of the paper on its own page. Everything is
double spaced. The sources are not indented on the first line, but the second lines are
A sample list of references is seen on the next page. The list of references on this
References
Association.
Atwood, M. (1984). Witches. In Second words: Selected critical prose (pp. 329–333).
Battelle, J. (2006). The search: How Google and its rivals rewrote the rules of business and
Cameron, J. (1998). Let yourself listen. In The right to write: An invitation and initiation into
Haskell, M. (2006, October 9). COA chief commits campus to emissions plan. Bangor Daily
(1142555121).
Schwartz, J. (2004, January 3). That parent-child conversations is becoming instant, and
http://www.nytimes.com