1. Nursing 3643 The RN Introduction to Baccalaureate Nursing
APA, 6th Edition
Nursing 3643
The RN Introduction to Baccalaureate Nursing

2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition
Does not refer to writing style
Refers to editorial style that many professions have adopted to present written material
rules and guidelines observed to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material
uniform use of punctuation, abbreviations, citations

3. Basic Format Use a heavy white bond paper
Double space between all lines in the paper
After every line in the title, quotations, references, headings
Typeface
12 point Times Roman i.e this is 12 point Times Roman
Do not compress typeface or use settings that decrease the spacing between letters or words
(APA, p )

4. Basic Format cont. (APA, p. 229)
Margins are one inch at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page.
Do not divide word at the end of a line.
Do not justify lines (justify means making all the lines the same length on the right).
Indent the first line of every paragraph
Use the tab key
Five to seven spaces or ½ inch
(APA, p. 229)

5. Basic Format cont. Space once after Commas, colons, and semicolons
Periods that separate parts of a reference citation
Periods of the initials in personal names
No space after “internal periods” (a.m., i.e., U.S.)
No space before or after hyphens (p. 97)
Space twice after punctuation marks at the end of a sentence.
(APA, p )

6. Title Page (APA, p. 229-230) Page Numbers
Use the use the word processing program for the page number header
Title page is page 1
Upper right hand corner
Use Arabic numerals and number consecutively
(APA, p )

7. Title Page (APA, p. 229) Running Head An abbreviated title
Typed flush left at the top of the page
Typed in all upper case letters
Not to exceed 50 characters including spaces and punctuation
(APA, p. 229)

8. Title Page Title of Paper (APA, p. 23)
Type the title in upper and lower case letters
Centered between the right and left margins
Positioned in the upper half of the page
Double space if more than one line
(APA, p. 23)

9. Title Page Byline and Affiliation (APA, p. 23-24)
Names listed in order of their contribution
Omit all titles and degrees
Use upper and lower case letters
Centered between the right and left margins
Double spaced below the title
Affiliation is double spaced below the author
(APA, p )

10. Sample Title Page 1 Running head: DIFFERENCES IN ASSOCIATE
Differences in Associate and Baccalaureate
Nursing Education
Gloria L. Byrd
Texas Woman’s University

11. Text New page. If submitting an abstract, page 3.
Type the title of the paper centered at the top of the page, double space, then begin the text.
Title is typed in upper and lower case.
(APA, p. 42)

12. Text cont.
Indent the first line of every paragraph using the TAB key (5 – 7 spaces).
(APA, p. 229)
Do not split paragraphs
leave at least two lines of a paragraph at the bottom and 2 at the top of the page.
Per Byrd

13. Abbreviations Use sparingly
Write out the first time followed by its abbreviation in parentheses
coronary artery disease (CAD)
Do not switch between abbreviated and written out form
(APA, p.106, 107)

14. Quotations
Fewer than 40 words incorporate into the text and enclose with double quotation marks.
Doubled spaced
“Nurse understaffing is ranked by the public and
physicians as one of the greatest threats to
patient safety in U.S. hospitals” (Aiken, Clarke,
Cheung, Sloane, & Silber, 2003, p. 1617).
(APA, p.92, )

15. Quotations cont. (APA, p.92, 171)
40 or more words are put in a freestanding block of type
No quotation marks
New line indented five spaces
Doubled spaced
(APA, p.92, 171)

16. Quotations cont. Always provide the author, year, and page in the text
“Nurse understaffing is ranked by the public and physicians as one of the greatest
threats to patient safety in US hospitals” (Aiken, Clarke, Cheung, Sloane, &
Silber, 2003, p. 1617).
*note with five authors, cite all the first time then the first author
followed by et al.
“……………………….. (Aiken et al., 2003, p. 1618).
(APA, p.177)

17. Citations in the Text I require a page number when paraphrasing!
Must give credit to the source both in paraphrasing and quoting.
When a direct quote must provide author, year and page number.
Electronic sources may not provide page numbers
Use paragraph number or heading and paragraph number (p. 172)
Even though paraphrasing, give the page number
APA encourages a location reference (page number)
when paraphrasing.
I require a page number when paraphrasing!
(APA, p.169, 170, 171)

18. Citation in the Text cont.
Examples
Jones (2004) found that nurses must get a
Master’s Degree (p.123).
The research findings supported that nurses must get a Master’s Degree (Jones, 2004, p. 123).
Note that a page number is given
even though the author paraphrased.

19. Citation in the Text cont.
If there are two sources that state the same information use a semicolon to separate the authors. (Smith, 2004; Jones, 2003) (APA, p. 178)
If a work has two authors…always cite both names in the text.
If a work has three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time then the surname of the first author followed by et al (APA, p. 177)

20. Numbers Expressed as Numerals
All numbers 10 and above:
50 years of wedded bliss
All numbers below 10 grouped with numbers above 10 in the same paragraph:
9 of the 50 years he was in the military
(APA, p. 111)

21. Numbers Expressed as Numerals cont.
Numbers that precede a unit of measurement
15 mg. of MSO4
Numbers that represent time, dates, ages….
1 week ago
(APA, p )

22. Numbers Expressed in Words
All numbers below 10 (APA, p.111)
Common fractions
one third voted to change the rule
Numbers that begin a sentence
Seven horses had white spots.
(APA, p.112)

23. References
References cited in the text of the paper must appear in the References (APA, p. 174)
Alphabetize each entry based on the first author’s surname.
Aiken, L.H., Clarke, S.P., Cheung, R.B.,
Sloane, D.M., & Silber, J.H. (2003).
Educational levels of hospital nurses and
surgical patient mortality. Journal of the
American Medical Association,12,
(APA, p. 181)

24. Look at Reference Components on pages 183 – 187 of APA.
References cont.
If not used in the paper, do NOT cite in the references
“References cited in the text must appear in the reference list; conversely, each entry in the reference list must be cited in the text” (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 2010,
p. 174).
Doubled spaced (APA, p. 180)
First line is flush left and remaining lines are indented
Begin on a new page titled: References
References is in upper and lower case letters, centered
at the top of the page (APA, p. 37)
Look at Reference Components on pages 183 – 187 of APA.

25. Examples of Format for References
Double space on References
Journal Article (APA, p )
Morrison, S., Walsh, K., & Newman, M. (2002).
Do progression and remediation policies improve NCLEX-RN pass rates? Nurse Educator 27,
Electronic (Internet) Sources (APA, p )
Tucker, M, & Reicks, M. (2002, Mar/Apr). Exercise as a
gateway for healthful eating among older adults:
An exploratory study. Journal of Nutrition &
Behavior, 34, Retrieved from

26. Examples of Format for References
Book (APA, p. 203)
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought: A social cognitive theory. NJ: Prentice Hall.
Book or article with no author (APA, p. 203)
American Heart Association (2004). Congenital heart defects. Retrieved from,

27. Plagiarism
“Plagiarism occurs when a student obtains portions or elements of someone else’s work, including materials prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her or his own academic work. The intentional or unintentional use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism”
Texas Woman’s University: 2010 – 2011 Handbook, p. 155

28. Plagiarism
“Authors do not present the work of another as if it were their own work” (APA, p. 170)
“Whether paraphrasing, quoting an author directly, or describing an idea that influenced your work, you must credit the source” (APA, p. 170)

29. Plagiarism
This is considered academic dishonesty and can result in expulsion from the University.
Texas Woman’s University: 2010 – 2011 Handbook, p. 155

30. The Doing Research: Plagiarism Tutorial
Complete the Plagiarism Tutorial and take the
exam. The website is listed below.