1. Using APA Style for Academic Writing & Avoiding Plagiarism
Prepared By: Carla Levesque, Faculty Librarian
Miami Dade College
Medical Center Campus

2. Table of Contents Introduction to APA Style APA Style Manual
To go to a particular section, click on that heading or click on the arrow at the bottom of the page to move through the slides sequentially.
This button will return you to the Table of Contents.
Introduction to APA Style
APA Style Manual
Format of an APA Paper
Major Sections of Paper
Title Page
In-Text Citation
Paraphrasing
Direct Quotations
Print Sources
Electronic Sources
Long Quotations
Personal Communications
References Page
Avoiding Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism
Penalties for Plagiarism
Turnitin.com
Additional Help
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3. Introduction to APA Style
American Psychological Association (APA) Style is an editorial method commonly used in the social & behavioral science disciplines.
The style consists of rules & guidelines for writing a paper.
References are cited in text with an author-date citation system & are listed alphabetically on the References page.                      
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4. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
APA Style Manual
APA’s style rules & guidelines are set out in a book called The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This manual is available in the reference collection at each of the Miami Dade College Libraries or a copy may be purchased from one of the campus bookstores.
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5. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Format of an APA Paper
Double-space.
Use 1” margins.
Number pages in upper right-hand corner, beginning with the title page.
Before the page number, use an abbreviated form of the title as a header.
12-pt Times Roman or Courier are preferred typefaces.
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6. Major Sections of Paper
Title Page
Text of Paper
References Page
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7. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Title Page
Include a “running head,” an abbreviated title, in ALL CAPS flush left at the top of the page.
Center the paper’s full title (lower & upper case).
Center the author’s name & affiliation below the title.
View Sample Title Page:
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8. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
In Text Citation
Provide parenthetical citations when:
Paraphrasing or using ideas from a source
Quoting directly from a source
Referring to personal communications
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9. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Paraphrasing
Provide the author(s)* & copyright date in
parentheses.
Example:
As the sixty-five-and-older age group continues to grow, there is a greater demand for health care workers (Snook & D'Orazio, 1998).
*If a source has no known author, then use an abbreviated version of the title.
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10. Direct Quotations: Print Sources
Provide the author(s), copyright date & page
number in parentheses.
Examples: 
"The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in health care should grow 47 percent overall by the year 2010" (Snook & D'Orazio, 1998, p. 1). OR
According to Snook & D'Orazio (1998), "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in health care should grow 47 percent overall by the year 2010" (p. 1).
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11. Direct Quotations: Electronic Sources
Many electronic sources do not include page
numbers. If paragraph numbers are given, use
them in place of page numbers, preceded by the
¶ symbol or the abbreviation para.
Example:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “the health care industry is predicted to grow at a rate of 28 percent between 2002 and 2012, adding 3.5 million new jobs” (2004, ¶ 5).
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12. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Long Quotations
Quotations of 40 or more words are formatted
differently:
Start on a new line
Block Indent the full quote 5 spaces
from the left margin
Omit quotation marks
Double-space
See Example of Long Quotation
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13. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Long Quotations
Example:
According to Solovy & Towne (2003):
Over five million new health care workers
will be needed by Roughly 60 percent of those positions, or 3.1 million workers, will represent new jobs; the other 2.2 million workers are replacements for retirees and others leaving health care. (¶ 1)
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14. Personal Communications
Personal communications include:
Letters
Memos s
Personal Interviews
Telephone Conversations
See Example of Personal Communication
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15. Personal Communications
Cite only within the text.
They are not included in
the reference list.
Example:
(J. D. Smith, personal communication, Feb. 3, 2005).
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16. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
References Page
Start on a separate page.
Center the word “References” in upper & lowercase letters at the top of the page.
Arrange references alphabetically by author’s last name.
Use hanging indentation: first line is set flush left & subsequent lines are indented.
View Examples of References in APA Style.
View Sample References Page.
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17. Avoiding Plagiarism Proper citation of your
sources in APA style can help you avoid
plagiarism.
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18. What Is Plagiarism Plagiarism is using someone else's words
or ideas without giving proper credit.
Examples of plagiarism include:
Buying a paper.
Turning in a paper that a friend or classmate wrote.
Copying/Paraphrasing from a source without citing.
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19. Penalties for Plagiarism
Miami Dade College's Procedure for Dealing with
Academic Dishonesty (
4074.pdf) outlines possible sanctions against a
student suspected of plagiarism.
Possible sanctions include:
a grade of zero on the assignment in question
a grade of F for the course
removal from the course
disciplinary probation
suspension or dismissal from the college
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20. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
Turnitin.Com
Faculty at Miami Dade College
now have access to Turnitin.com,
a software program that analyzes
papers to determine whether or not
they are plagiarized.
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21. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library
For Additional Help
APA Style.org
Landmark Citation Machine
Microsoft Word Template
Ask-A-Librarian
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