APA

APA 6th edition book Do not use any other book

What is APA? Format devised by the American Psychological Association used to write professional papers A specific set of rules for papers and manuscripts Common form/style for easier reading

Nursing students !!!! Who uses APA? Anyone submitting a paper in psychology, education, or the social sciences Authors submitting manuscripts in the sciences Nursing students !!!!

Why use APA? Common, uniform, accepted style Intent is clear communication Easy to review and evaluate the literature Clearly cited authors

APA Format Includes: Every paper will have: - A Title page - An Abstract (not always required by instructor) - The Body of the paper (with citations) - The References page

Title Page Contains: A running head A page number Title Author name School Affiliation Is the first page of the paper (If this page is folded in half all this information will be on the top half just above an imaginary fold.)

Title The Title is: Concise Explanatory; the reader knows what to expect Should stand alone Informs the reader what the paper is about Recommended maximum length is 12 words (some instructors prefer 1-3 words)

Running Head Abbreviated title (1-2 words) Only printed at top of title page Identifies article for reader Maximum of 50 characters (including letters, punctuation, spaces) Located flush left and is written in uppercase letters Only the title page contains the words “Running head”; all subsequent pages will have only the abbreviated title Example: Running head: HEART FAILURE

Abstract Brief summary of paper Main idea and major points Titled “Abstract” Should be < 120 words Block form, no indentions Double spaced Is 2nd page of paper

Body of Paper This is the actual paper you have written: Contains the information you want to tell your reader Each page has a header and page number Headings are used throughout the paper Citations are used to credit sources Quotes can be used APA 6th edition: 2 spaces after each punctuation in BODY of paper

Page Numbers Page #1 is the title page Page #2 is the abstract Page #3 starts the body of the paper Number each page including the last page which is the reference page

Headings Located within the body of the paper Indicate what the next section is about Papers/manuscripts use from 1 – 5 levels of headings Most ADN and BSN students use two levels of headings See pages 62 and 63 of the APA book

Centered, Boldface. Uppercase and Lowercase Heading 5 levels of Headings Centered, Boldface. Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 1 heading) Flush left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 2 heading) Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading with a period. (Level 3 heading) Indented, boldface, italicized, paragraph heading ending with a period. (Level 4 heading) Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with period. (Level 5 heading) (APA, 2010, p. 62)

Citations Identifies source of information cited in body of paper Must appear on reference page and be identical in spelling and year If you fail to cite a source then you are committing plagiarism See pages 174 – 179 in your APA book for ways to cite different sources.

Quotes Author must receive credit when paraphrased or quoted Quotes of < 40 words: include in text and use quotation marks (“…..”) Quotes > 40 words: freestanding block, double spaced, no quotation marks, start on a new line, indent block (all lines) 5 spaces from left margin, if the quote is more than one paragraph, indent subsequent paragraphs from the new margin

Quotes continued… Place period or comma before the quotation mark Other punctuation marks (colon, semicolon) belong outside the quotation marks unless it is part of the material that is quoted Need copyright permission for use of more than 500 words

References Must have a reference for each citation in paper References are NOT a bibliography The reference section supports the research and content in the paper Accurate and complete Uses a hanging indent style See page 198 – 214 of your APA book to see how to reference specific sources

Examples of Book Reference American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Harkreader, H., Hogan, M., & Thobaben, M. (2007). Fundamental of nursing: Caring and clinical judgment (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders.

Example of a Periodical Reference Schumacher, K. L., & Meleis, A. I. (1994). Transitions: A central concept in nursing. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 26(2), 119-127.

Example of a Web Source Reference Joint Commission (n.d.). Facts about the Joint Commission. Retrieved December 16, 2006, from www.jointcommission.org/AboutUs/joint_commission_facts.htm

Other Reference Information More than one author, electronic sources, magazines, newsletters, newspaper, abstracts, encyclopedia, dictionary, brochure, government report, unpublished works, television, music, etc. See APA Manual for complete guidelines (Chapter 7, page 193 – 224)

Where Can I Get Help? Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Making It Easier FREE: Use the template on Microsoft or your word program AT A COST: There are various templates out there that you can research that will charge you a fee to use their product. PERRLA.com Pay one time fee for use of the product Keeps a database of your references for you to retrieve later Assists you to create citations and references Developed by nurses for nurses Updated frequently PERRLA asks questions and inserts the information exactly where it should be on your paper. Format only ~ you must still know and follow rules for everything else !

FAQ In 6th edition APA, you do not need to write in the 3rd person. You may write in the first person. Be sure to ask your individual instructors which they prefer. In 6th edition APA, there are 2 spaces after every punctuation in the body of the paper. (One space after each in the reference section.)

Reference American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

The End