1. APA Review

2. Formal vs Informal Writing

3. APA Layout
Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins on all sides. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

5. APA Layout
Include a page header (also known as a running head) at the top of every page, with page numbers on the right and the title of your paper on the left using all capital letters.

7. APA Layout
Generally, your essay should include four major sections: the Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References
Other sub-sections may be included

8. APA Layout- Title Page
Your title should be centered in the upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose.
Beneath the title, type the author's name: first name, middle initial(s), and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (PhD).
Beneath the author's name, type the institutional affiliation, which should indicate the location where the author(s) conducted the research.

10. APA Layout- Abstract
Begin a new page. Centre the word “Abstract” (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).
Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced. Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

12. APA Layout- Main Body
APA style uses section headings to organize information, making it easy for the reader to follow the writer’s train of thought and to know immediately what major topics are covered. Depending on the length and complexity of the paper, its major sections may also be divided into subsections, sub-subsections, and so on. These smaller sections, in turn, use different heading styles to indicate different levels of information. In essence, you are using headings to create a hierarchy of information.

13. APA Layout- Main Body
The following heading styles used in APA formatting are listed in order of greatest to least importance:
Section headings use centered, boldface type. Headings use title case, with important words in the heading capitalized.
Subsection headings use left-aligned, boldface type. Headings use title case.
The third level uses left-aligned, indented, boldface type. Headings use a capital letter only for the first word, and they end in a period.
The fourth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are indented further and italicized.
The fifth level follows the same style used for the previous level, but the headings are indented again, italicized and not boldfaced

15. APA Style- References
The brief citations included in the body of your paper correspond to the more detailed citations provided at the end of the paper in the references section. In-text citations provide basic information—the author’s name, the publication date, and the page number if necessary—while the references section provides more extensive bibliographical information.

16. APA Style- References Start a new page
Center the title References (no bold, formatting, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).
The references page is double spaced and lists entries in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. If an entry continues for more than one line, the second line and each subsequent line are indented five spaces
Every source mentioned in the paper should have an entry

18. APA Referencing
Review

19. In Academic Writing: Avoid Plagiarism by:
Using other people’s ideas BUT using your own words;
Using your own structure and organisation of the essay;
Acknowledging your sources

20. APA Style
The style used at UIC (and many western universities) is called APA style.
What does APA mean?
American Psychological Association (they produce many academic books & journals).
You can look up details in the UIC library ( /A ); in your old ARW book or online at

21. References In-text citations…
i.e. written ‘in’ the text of your essay [Smith, ]
“citation” means quote or reference;
Complete list of references at the end of your essay.

22. In-Text Citations
Author-date method - author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, E.g., (Jones, 1998), and a complete reference should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.
Use of signal phrases: eg “According to Jones (1998)…”

23. Paraphrasing and Summarising
If paraphrasing or summarising another piece of work, you need the last name and the date of publication.

24. Direct Quotations
If directly quoting another piece of work, page numbers must be included:
Wang (2012) pointed out that “students often have difficulty using APA style. (p54)” OR
"Students often had difficulty using APA style," (Jones, 1998, p54).

25. Overview of the rules: Book:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (yyyy). Title of Book. City: Publisher.
Journal Article:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (yyyy). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume number, (issue number) pages. DOI (digital object identifier – for any article written since 2010).

26. Online Journal (before 2010):
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (yyyy). Title of article. Title of Journal volume number (issue number) pages. Retrieved from ?? Database.
Website: List as much of the following information as possible :
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document. Retrieved month date, year, from address
Important to point out to students that many websites are quite authoritative but DO NOT contain essential information such as date or author’s name. These can include university websites (information for prospective students) or government websites

27. Website with no author Use the organisation as author:
If there is no date write (n.d.);
If there is no author, no organisation and no date be very careful about using this information!
World Health Organisation. (2007, April 27) Avian influenza:Food safety issues. Retrieved 19 June 2008 from

28. Short Quiz

29. Links to Useful Resources