1. APA Formatting: Preparing for Final Review

2. FSE Resources
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.)
APA help / tutorials:
(Academic Resources)

3. Disable Auto-Formatting in Word
Before you type a word:
Go to Format
Lines and Page Breaks
Uncheck first 4 boxes
It is OK to turn off Widow/Orphan control.

4. In Word 2007, 1) select No Spacing, 2) adjust font & size1. 2. .
In Word 2003, the font size default is
already set to Times New Roman 12

5. Margins 1½ inch left margin for dissertation.
For the final dissertation report, use a ruler
Tip: Try setting bottom margin at 0.95 inches.
Tables and appendices MUST have correct margins!
Margins 2
See ARC document, Tips for Correct Margins

6. An Applied Dissertation Submitted to the
What Students Need to Know About APA
Laura Lucio Ramirez
An Applied Dissertation Submitted to the
Fischler School of Education
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Education
Use the most recent version of the ARC template!
Nova Southeastern University 2012

7. Pagination
Use roman numerals in first section for Acknowledgments, Abstract, and TOC – at bottom in the middle of the page

8. Pagination in Body of Paper
Page numbers go in upper right-hand corner
Use a section break to divide the paper into sections to change from roman numerals at bottom to numbers in upper right

9. Pagination in Word 2007 Page numbers go in upper right-hand corner
Use a section break to divide the paper into sections to change from roman numerals at bottom to numbers in upper right

10. Abstract page is single-spaced

11. Table of Contents
Do NOT use a row of periods in the TOC! Need to use a “dot leader”.
Use the FSE template!

12. No running headers Page #s Double spaced Indented Left justified1
APA Formatting for NSU Class Assignments
Page #s
Double spaced
Indented
Left justified
No underlining
Bolding for some
headings.
Use double-spacing throughout the paper including the title
page, abstract, body of the document, reference list, appendixes,
tables, and figure captions.  APA does permit single spacing within
references but double spacing between references (see Publication
Manual, p. 323).
Major headings are centered. The first word of the heading
is capitalized as well as all major words. Articles, short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions, however, are not capitalized (Falcao, 2005).
Other issues also need to be considered. Students and teachers alike need to pay attention to using subheadings. For example,

13. Headings --APA (6th ed.) , p. 62
Use Level 1 Headings
Level 2 – Flush Left, Bold, Upper and Lower Case Side Heading
Level 3 is indented, italicized, uses lowercase, and ends with a period.

14. APA Headings Title Level 1 Level 2 1
APA Formatting for NSU Class Assignments
Use double-spacing throughout the paper including the title
page, abstract, body of the document, reference list, appendixes,
tables, and figure captions.  APA does permit single spacing within
references but double spacing between references. (See p. 326
of the Publication Manual.)
Issues to Consider
Major headings require specific formatting: (a) The first word of
the heading is capitalized as well as all major words; (b) articles,
short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized; and (c) the heading is not italicized.
Formatting of Paper
There are exceptions for dissertation. Other issues also need to
be considered. Students and teachers need to know how to use
Level 1
Issues to Consider
Formatting of Paper
Level 2

15. APA headings should not be confused with Word’s formatting levels.1
Title
Level 2
APA Formatting for NSU Class Assignments
Use double-spacing throughout the paper including the title
page, abstract, body of the document, reference list, appendixes,
tables, and figure captions.  APA does permit single spacing within
references but double spacing between references. (See p. 326
of the Publication Manual.)
Issues to Consider
Major headings require specific formatting: (a) The first word of
the heading is capitalized as well as all major words; (b) articles,
short prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions are not capitalized; and (c) the heading is not italicized.
Formatting of Paper
There are exceptions for dissertation. Other issues also need to
be considered. Students and teachers need to know how to use
Level 1
Issues to Consider
Formatting of Paper

16. Formatting definitions
Level 2
This is not numbered so do not use a colon.
Definition of Terms
For the purposes of this study, the following terms are defined.
Information literacy. This phrase refers to a set of standards approved by …
Outcomes. For the purposes of this applied dissertation, outcome refers to ….
Assessment. This term refers to …
Formatting definitions
Level 3
Italicized -- APA, p. 91
Note bolding and period after word or phrase being defined when using Level 3 format. Use complete sentence(s) for the definition of the term or phrase.

17. Appendices
Must have correct margins and all pages in appendices must be numbered
Each appendix must have an individual cover page
Do not include any appendices that are not mentioned in the text.
Appendices are numbered chronologically in the same order as they are first mentioned in the dissertations.
Do not include IRB information
If there is only one appendix, just use Appendix, not Appendix A

18. Repeated References to a Specific Source
Citing author’s name in the narrative and when used in parenthetical text citations:
Long (2009) conducted a correlational study. Long found a relation between media specialists with a transformational leadership style and a collaborative instructional relationship with teachers. The findings supported .... (Long, 2009).
APA manual, pp

19. When Citing a Source With Several Authors
List all 2-5 authors first time in paper.
Example:
Bhatt, Jenson, Casey, and Vandenputty (2011) found…. Bhatt et al. (2011) concluded that…. However, Bhatt et al. experienced some problems with…. The findings were statistically significant (Bhatt, et al., 2011).
Bhatt et al. (2011) checked for…. Bhatt et al. challenged previous findings on…. Triangulation of data confirmed… (Bhatt et al., 2011).
Use et al, and include the year.
Do not include year.
Always include date in parenthetical citations.
Include month the first time in the next paragraph.
APA manual, pp

20. When Citing Source With Several Authors
Cite all the authors the first time in text.
Use et al. thereafter.
Include year in all parenthetical text citations and in the first text citation in the paragraph.
For subsequent citations in text within the same paragraph, leave off the year.
APA manual, pp

21. Citing Two Group Studies When First Author Has Same Last Name
Two sources with same first name and same year of publication:
Rice, Batson-George, and Ramdial (2010)
Rice, Hutchens, and Seiler (2010)
Rice, Batson-George, et al. (2010)
Rice, Hutchens, et al. (2010)
Rice et al. (2008)
No comma when there is only one surname with et al.
Use as many surnames as needed to distinguish the studies:
Additional surnames are not needed for other years:
Notice the commas used when there is more than one surname with et al.
APA manual, p. 175

22. Authors With Last Surname
When two authors have same surname, cite the initials in the text even if the years of publication are different.
R. Jones (2008) and M. Jones (2011) found that….
… as the tweets demonstrated (Obama, B., 2011; Obama, M., 2012).
APA manual, Sec , p. 176

23. Personal Communication
Text and reference citation for retrievable content:
(Jones, 2012) Jones, E. (2012). Fast track findings. Retrieved from
Text citation used for unretrievable content:
(E. Jones, personal communication, June 23, 2012)
APA manual, Sec , p. 176

24. Numbers: See APA pp
Use figures for numbers 10 and above: students in 26 classes
The numbers between one and nine should be spelled out:
A total of six experiments went awry.
Exceptions
Numbers above and below 10 grouped for comparison: 3 of 15 students The school needs 4 teachers and 11 staff people.

25. Numbers: See APA pp
Use figures for all times – years, months, days,
hours, minutes The teachers take 3 hours to complete the work months ago weeks later :30 a.m.
Numbers representing dates, age, exact sums of money April 16, year-olds reimbursed $5
Exception --Use word when a number is the first word in the sentence Two hours is more than enough time.

26. Numbers, cont. More exceptions:
Numbers denoting a specific place in a series, book, or table Table Session Grade 7
Percentages, fractions, ratios, percentiles, quartiles Twenty-four percent replied but 76% did not.
APA manual, pp

27. In Grade 1, the students … (APA, p. 112f)

28. In Grade 1, the students … (APA, p. 112f)
In first grade, the students… (APA, p. 113, 4.34) but
In 12th grade, the students … (APA, p. 111, 4.31)

29. In Grade 1, the students … (APA, p.112f)
In first grade, the students… (APA, p. 113, 4.34) but In 12th grade, the students … (APA, p. 111, 4.31)
(Note: Do NOT use superscript -- 12th grade)

30. In Grade 1, the students … (APA, p. 112f)
In first grade, the students… (APA, p. 113, 4.34 ) but
In 12th grade, the students … (APA, p. 111, 4.31)
(Note: Do NOT use superscript -- 12th grade)
Twelfth grade presents….

31. In Grade 1, the students … (APA, p. 112f)
In first grade, the students… (APA, p. 113, 434) but In 12th grade, the students … (APA, p. 113, 4.31)
(Note: Do NOT use superscript -- 12th grade)
Twelfth grade presents….
The first-grade students … (hyphenated compound adjective APA, p. 98) but
The 12th-grade students

32.    Tenth-grade students ate in the cafeteria. or
The seventh grade went on a field trip. or
2. The 7th grade went on a field trip.  
Students in Grades 4 and 5 took the test. or
Students in grades 4 and 5 took the test.
3. Students in grades four and five took the test.

33. Compound-Adjectives Role playing High anxiety Seventh grade
Role-playing technique
High-anxiety situations
Seventh-grade students
but
Type II error
Post hoc comparisons
randomly assigned participants
APA manual, pp

34. Commas Use commas: Between independent clauses:
Jane went to school, but Dick stayed home.
APA (6th ed.), pp

35. Commas Use commas: Between independent clauses:
Jane went to school, but Dick stayed home.
Series of three or more
Jane, Dick, and Harry argued about money.
APA (6th ed.), pp

36. Commas Use commas: Between independent clauses:
Jane went to school, but Dick stayed home.
Series of three or more
Jane, Dick, and Harry argued about money.
Nonessential or nonrestictive clauses
Direct TV, which is available in south Florida, offers some nice features.
APA (6th ed.), pp

37. Commas Use commas: Between independent clauses:
Jane went to school, but Dick stayed home.
Series of three or more
Jane, Dick, and Harry argued about money.
Nonessential or nonrestictive clauses
Direct TV, which is available in south Florida, offers some nice features.
But:
Comma are not used to separate a compound predicate Jane baked a cake and worked on her homework.
APA (6th ed.), pp

38. Seriation Numbered lists – separate paragraphs
Lowercase letters – within paragraph or sentence FSE does not use:
Bulleted lists – separate paragraphs
Bulleted lists – within paragraphs or sentence

39. Formatting research questions
Paragraph Seriation
Numbered list for conclusions, steps in a process, chronology, or priority.
Method
The methodology of this applied dissertation followed the following three steps:
1. The sample and participants were identified. ….
2. Assessment measures were selected….
3. Implementation took place over a period of one school year….
Formatting research questions
The arabic numerals followed by a period.
Paragraph seriation – Indented. The second line wraps back to margin. APA manual, pp

40. Seriation in paragraph
Seriation for items in a sentence or paragraph APA, p. 64
A colon is not used when the list is not numbered
Seriation in paragraph
The ACRL Information Literacy Comprehensive Standards address the ability of students (a) to determine the nature and extent of the information need, (b) to access information efficiently and accurately, and (c) to evaluate information critically.
Items are not indented. Use lowercase letters in parentheses. Do not italicize.

41. Seriation in paragraph
Seriation for items in a sentence or paragraph APA, p. 64
Seriation in paragraph
The ACRL Information Literacy Comprehensive Standards address the ability of students (a) to determine the nature and extent of the information need, (b) to access information efficiently and accurately, and (c) to evaluate information critically.
Use commas to separate 3 or more elements. If there are no internal commas, use commas. If there are internal commas, use semicolons.

42. Slang vs Key or Linguistic Term
Use quotation marks for slang, coined, or ironic terms. p. 91
The students felt “slammed” by the .
The term school media specialist is defined in this study to include only librarians with MLS degrees and state certification.
The letter b was used to …
Italicize linguistic examples and technical or key terms. p. 91

43. Abbreviations Once defined, you must use the abbreviation throughout
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Fischler School of Education (FSE)
Nova Southeastern University (NSU)
Once defined, you must use the abbreviation throughout
the rest of your paper. NOTE: If possible, do not start a sentence with an abbreviation or acronym.
Parenthetical Nonparenthetical (in the text)
Use Latin Use English
(e.g., ) for example,
(i.e., ) that is,
(, etc. ) , and so forth
APA manual, pp ,

44. Statistical Abbreviations and Symbols
Italicize letters used as statistical symbols:
f – frequency
Mdn – median n – number in a subsample N – number in a sample
p – probability
P – percentage, percentile
t – computed value for t test
Symbols for vectors and matrices are bolded.
V, ∑
APA manual, pp

45. Capitalizing Proper Names of School/ University Departments and Courses
Department of Education, Valparaiso University
Doctoral Studies Orientation 8000
Educational Assessment 101
Proper names
APA manual, pp

46. Capitalizing Proper Names of School/ University Departments and Courses
Department of Education, Valparaiso University
Doctoral Studies Orientation 8000
Educational Assessment 101
but
an education department
a doctoral orientation
an educational assessment course
Trade names
APA manual, p. 102

47. Other Proper Names In the third week, the class will be… but
In Week 3, the class will be …
In the second chapter, read the section … but
In Chapter 2, read the section on ….

48. Only One Space after Most Punctuation
Between initials in citation in reference list
Brown, J. D. (2003, March 8).
Periods at the end of a sentence: (Fischler style guide)
Students’ scores improved. The study demonstrated that … Exceptions
Internal periods in abbreviations
i.e., e.g., 9 a.m., U.S.A.
APA (6th ed.), pp

49. Checklist
Follow FSE formatting and checklist rules. Use current template!
Check margins – exactly one inch at the bottom.
Seriation and APA headings formatted correctly
Search and replace
Check spacing
Correct use of the word data
Check that statistical symbol is italicized
Compound adjectives
Acronyms
Match between text and reference citations, TOC and pages, and references to appendices and order of the appendices.
Remove hyperlinks and superscript -- for example: 3rd ed.
Formatting of tables and figures
Reference citations correctly formatted

50. Ahah! What about using citation software?
References
Citation format?

51. No Short Cut for Learning the APA Rules

52. EndNote X2
See

53. Recommendation: Hire an Editor for Final Review
dissertation

54. Considerations for Selecting an Editor:
The university does not assume responsibility for a student's contractual agreement with a private editor or typist or for the quality of the editor's or typist's work.
Fully communicate with editor about the services included, turn-around time, and costs.
Don’t send your only copy of manuscript to the editor.

55. Refer to the APA Style Library Guide
Still confused?
Refer to the APA Style Library Guide or
Schedule a library consultation in person or by phone

56. Thanks!