Effective APA titles Running head: APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.

) 1
help readers find
Offer a running
good work.
head and the page
Your title should be number on every
descriptive, self- page (p. 229).
explanatory, and
If you need to
brief (the APA
shorten your title
recommends 12
for your running
words max). Then,
head—APA allows
if possible, you can
50 characters
be stylish (p. 23).
max—you may
Annotated APA Sample Paper and Style Guide for Student Writers (6th Edition) revise the wording.

Caroline M. Abramowitz, Christine E. Swartz, Gabriela M. Baker, The words

“Running head:”
appear only page 1
Center and double- Taralyn N. Guthrie, Paige E. McKenzie, Nico T. C. Penaranda, (click on the top
space your title,
inch of your page to
author(s), and
Kristina S. Shuey, and Kevin R. Jefferson open the Header &
institutional
Footer tools and
affiliation in the top
James Madison University then click on the
half of your first
“different first
page (p. 23).
page” box).
If your title runs This paper follows and cites the American Psychological Association’s 2010 Publication Manual (6th
more than one line ed.) and the APA Style Blog 6th Edition Archive. We’ll update to reflect the APA’s new 2019
(here and on page Publication Manual (7th ed.) as soon as possible.
How to use this
3), you may insert a paper
APA Format Guidelines
break wherever you
want or can just let • APA recommends a consistent serif font and font size (e.g., 12-point Times New Roman; p. This APA sample
your title wrap onto 228). paper addresses
a new (still double- • Double space throughout, with at least 1-inch margins (p. 229) APA content,
spaced) line. • Leave right margins ragged (do not right justify; p. 229) à à formatting, and
style concerns.
In published APA APA Style Guidelines
papers, the order of The main text
authors’ names • APA Style values clear, concise, specific language and consistent punctuation (p. 66) focuses on key
usually reflects • APA recommends first person (“I/We found”) over third person (“The researchers found”; p. content concerns in
their relative 69); some APA disciplines and audiences prefer third person. the sections and
contributions to the • APA recommends active voice (“I/We/Jones found” and “Results suggest”) over passive voice subsections of a
project (p. 24). (“It was found”; p. 77). Passive voice is “acceptable” (p.77) when the object of the action is typical APA paper.
Student teams that more important than the actor (e.g., “Participants were grouped” may focus attention on the
participants while “I/we grouped” may draw attention to the researcher). Some APA The purple boxes
have shared/split
disciplines and audiences value first person active voice for the sake of clarity; others favor summarize APA
different tasks may
active voice workarounds like “The current study focuses on” and “The survey asked.” formatting and
opt to alphabetize
style conventions.
by last name or to • Use the Oxford/serial comma before the last item in a list (e.g., a, b, and c; p. 88).
establish an • APA offers guidelines for formatting and citing quotations, but many APA disciplines use The green marginal
alternative order. quotations sparingly, favoring summary and paraphrase. notes address
• In general, spell the numbers one to nine (p. 111) and any larger number that begins a common APA
If you are writing sentence (but try reworking the sentence before doing so; p. 112). Use numerals for 10 and questions.
for a course, your above (p. 111), immediately before a unit of measurement, and to represent mathematical
professor may ask functions, fractional quantities, percentages, ratios, the date and time of day, and points on a Use Command or
for more, perhaps Control F to search for
scale (e.g., 6.7 meters, divided by 12, .26 of the sample, 10.2%, 4:1 ratio, September 24, at specific concerns.
in this order: 2:14 p.m., and 3.5 on a 5-point scale). See pp. 111-114 for exceptions to these suggestions.
Title • Use italics sparingly (p. 104). Italics are appropriate for symbols (p and N); genera, species,
Author(s) and varieties (Rattus rattus); and when introducing technical terms, unfamiliar foreign words, .
Course #: Course and words as words (e.g., the term haptic feedback refers to…, Bertolt Brecht’s
Semester and Prof Verfremdungseffekt suggests that…, there is a difference between then and than).
School Name • Spell out variables and symbols when discussing them in the text (e.g., independent variable,
Date Submitted p value, and sample size); shorten them in equations (e.g., y = f(x), p ≤ .05, and N = 7) (p. 117).
• Use % when it immediately follows a number (e.g., 15%); otherwise, use percentage (p. 118).
• For help with APA title case and sentence case capitalization and for when to italicize
titles/enclose titles in quotation marks, see this paper’s References section.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 2

Do not indent the

first line of your Abstract
abstract. Center and do NOT
Many APA papers submitted for academic courses and most APA papers submitted for boldface the word
Abstract at the top
publication require an abstract. Often between 150 and 250 words, an abstract offers a of a new page
(usually page 2).
concise, readable, objective one-paragraph summary to potential readers who are
Abstracts should be
“nonevaluative” (p. scanning quickly through the first page(s) of a database search. An effective abstract
26). In other words,
do not include
introduces the paper’s central concern or problem before offering a sentence or two on
adjectives like
Present tense is
countless, unique,
each of the sections. For example, the abstract for an empirical paper might report the appropriate in your
or breakthrough.
abstract as you
introduce your
context (introduction/literature review), approach (method), findings (results), and paper’s subject and
as you survey its
implications (discussion/conclusion). An abstract for a case study or stand-alone applications/
implications. Past
literature review might include similar features: why focusing on the concern or problem tense is appropriate
as you discuss the
Published APA methods you used
is useful, the characteristics of the participants or text(s) studied, analysis procedures, and the outcomes
papers often
include key words you measured (p.
results/findings, and implications. Abstracts should be stand-alone documents: they may 26).
to help readers find
scholarship indexed
in databases under introduce key influences, theories, or measures but should not include in-text citations.
specific terms.
If your Keywords: writing in the disciplines, APA sample paper, APA format and style,
assignment asks for
Format as shown:
key words, choose APA style guide, content area guidelines, sample APA references, undergraduate Indent and italicize
terms that
Keywords: and
summarize where
research and scholarship separate words or
your paper fits in
phrases with
your field of study.
commas. Do not
capitalize the first
word (unless it is a
proper noun), and
do not include a
final period. Many
papers offer just a
few unalphabetized
key words; if your
key words run to a
second line, it goes
flush left.
Center your full
title as shown (no APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 3
bold) at the top of a Indent the first line
new page. of each new
Annotated APA Sample Paper and Style Guide for Student Writers (6th Edition) paragraph in the
body of your paper.
The introductory section in an American Psychological Association (APA) Style
Use ( ) to introduce
abbreviations and paper establishes the purpose and problem that will be addressed. Where the abstract is a
acronyms that APA Style values
appear repeatedly the date that
later in the paper. concise summary, the introduction devotes more time to explaining the central concern sources were
published. It should
An abbreviation or problem that the paper engages. The section typically situates the project within the be clear why you
that appears for value older sources.
the first time in an
in-text citation
field by providing background information and relevant research or theories that the Publication dates
looks like this: always follow
(American project will use, build on, test, support, and/or add to. Early on, the section might immediately after
Psychological authors’ names.
Association [APA], include one or more longer in-text citations featuring multiple key sources that If you name the
2010).
author(s) of a text
contextualize the issue. The APA Style Blog 6th Edition Archive offers help with in a sentence, it
looks like this:
headings (Lee, 2011), tables and figures (Becker, 2016, 2019; Stefanie, 2009), and
Lee (2011) noted
references (Lee, 2010, 2010). APA Style sample papers that follow 6th edition guidelines that X.
If you have
are available online (APA, n.d.-a, n.d.-b; Purdue Online Writing Lab, n.d.-a). summarized what
See the References Lee noted, no page
section for help Depending on the academic discipline and the type of paper, the introduction number is
with undated (n.d.) necessary.
sources and might conclude with a hypothesis, a research or guiding question, a problem statement,
sources by the See page 4 in this
same author from paper for help with
the same year. or something closer to a traditional thesis (e.g., “Doing the work of this paper paraphrases and
quotations.
illustrates/reveals/ suggests/shows something new/important”). In addition to situating _____
Alphabetize
this purpose within the field and establishing the objective, the section often briefly multiple sources in
a single in-text
discusses the research design and surveys the practical/theoretical implications of the citation by the first
authors’ last names
(i.e., by the first bit
effort. of information each
References entry).
Literature Review Separate each
A Level 1 heading source in the ( )
introduces a new If your paper includes a separate Literature Review or Background section, it with a semicolon
main section in the (as shown; p. 178).
paper.
follows the introductory section. A literature review surveys the key scholarship that the Exception: if you
Center and bold cite multiple
Level 1 headings project will use, build on, test, support, and/or add to. The aim is to situate readers sources by the
using title case same author in a
capitalization. single ( ), offer the
within the concern or problem that the rest of the paper will engage. The tone should be author’s last name
See this paper’s once, order the
References section “professional” and “noncombative”: literature reviews should synthesize the themes, sources by year of
for help with title publication, and
case capitalization. separate them with
findings, and/or methods that past researchers have reported and should identify
commas (p. 178).
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 4

opportunities for further research without stooping to exaggeration or personal attack

(APA, 2010, p. 66). See Appendix B for help formatting in-text citations.
Level 2 headings
APA style encourages writers to break sections into subsections to organize and
introduce new
subsections under
a Level 1 heading. lead readers through their thinking. Literature Review above is a Level 1 heading, and Past tense or
present perfect
Bolded Level 2 tense (“have
APA papers often feature Level 2 headings (longer papers may include Level 3, Level 4,
headings go flush offered”) is
left on their own appropriate when
line and use title and even Level 5 headings, with each new level containing at least two subsections). discussing sources
case capitalization. in literature
Synthesizing Sources reviews (pp. 65-
66).
A key aim in literature reviews is to synthesize sources, rather than to summarize

them one by one. Each section in a literature review typically engages multiple sources
As a general rule,
that focus on similar themes or report similar findings or use similar methods. Topic
reserve quotations
for when the exact
wording matters, sentences in literature reviews are generally more about the paragraph’s larger
and then help
readers find your concern—the theme, finding, or method—than about what a single source says.
quotations in the
original source. APA encourages—
Academic disciplines and courses have differing standards for what kinds of
but does not
APA does not use require—that
n.p. to indicate sources are permissible. The APA (2010) Publication Manual focuses on journal writers provide a
that there’s no page or paragraph
page number. articles, but the deeper point is that writers should favor recent peer-reviewed primary number to help
If you cannot find readers find
a page number, sources (i.e., sources that present information gathered firsthand, instead of simply paraphrases in the
use the paragraph original source,
number (e.g., especially when the
reporting on someone else’s work; Lee, 2015). Writers should “evaluate each source on source is long or
Smith, 2015, para.
4). If the text does complex (p. 171).
not number its its own merits” to ensure that it is appropriate for inclusion (Lee, 2015, “Reliable
paragraphs
but includes Sources,” para. 1). APA Style is flexible enough to cite any source. Lee’s (2010) APA
section headings, If you want to end a
use a short version Style Blog post offers guidance on citing website pages, YouTube videos, tweets, sentence with an
of the section title (i.e.,) or an (e.g.,)
and count the and then need to
paragraphs (as
Instagram posts, and other online sources. cite one or more
shown). sources, use just
Narrowing Down to a Research Gap one set of ( ),
separating the
Literature reviews generally narrow down to a research gap, a reason for concerns with a
semicolon, as
conducting the current study. Is the work that the paper will do a next step in an shown.
If the author
evolving conversation, does it illuminate a promising gray area between disciplines, or possesses
something (e.g.,
Lee’s post), include
does it apply existing approaches to an overlooked or emerging focus?
the date after the
author’s name, as
shown.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 5

Method

The Method section offers a detailed description of how the researcher conducted

the study. Different disciplines and kinds of papers feature different components in

different orders, and researchers generally break Method sections into subsections. The It is fine to
introduce a new
level of heading and
aim is to enable readers “to evaluate the appropriateness of your methods and the
then to move
immediately into a
reliability and validity of your results” (APA, 2010, p. 29). subsection (as
shown), provided
Participant Characteristics you have two or
more subsections.
Animal participants. This subsection describes the sample’s demographic
Level 3 heading:
indented, bolded, characteristics. If the study involved animals, report the genus, species, and strain
and capitalized
using sentence
number. Include the number of animals and their age, sex, weight, and condition.
case capitalization.
Include a bolded Human participants. This subsection describes the sample’s demographic
period after the
heading and begin
characteristics (e.g., age, sex, education, group membership, status, and/or identity).
your first sentence
as shown.
Sampling Procedures
Italicize Level 3
headings to create
If the study involved living human subjects, this subsection should detail how
Level 4 headings:
Search criteria.
they were selected, incentives for participating, the response rate, and any criteria that
Remove the bold
from Level 4
disqualified individuals from participating. This section should also affirm Institutional
heading to create
Level 5 headings:
Search criteria. Review Board (IRB) approval where necessary, including the assigned IRB protocol

number. If the study focused on texts—i.e., a literature review—this section might be

titled Search Criteria. It might establish the scope of the review by identifying databases

or journals searched and key terms and dates used to limit the search (Kay, 2015).

Measures

This Method subsection identifies instruments used to measure, collect, and

safeguard data. If the study involved surveys, questionnaires, interviews, or

Past tense is
appropriate in the
observations, it describes their design and affirms their internal and external validity.
Method section.

Broadly speaking, internal validity requires that measures be appropriate (e.g., they have Present perfect
tense (e.g.,
“Researchers have
been used before, or tested/vetted) and that they are administered fairly/consistently.
used the measure
since 1995”) is also
appropriate (p. 66).
APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 6

External validity refers to how generalizable any results can be. Do the measures permit

these results to be compared to other results? Will the measures produce results and

allow conclusions that can apply to other settings, groups of people, or times?

Research Design

This Method subsection describes the technical aspects of the research process

and is often a step-by-step procedural. For instance, when was the intervention—the

experiment, survey, or observation—administered, by whom (with what training), for

Past tense is
how long, in what kind of setting, to whom, with what controls in place to ensure appropriate in
describing an
empirical research
replicability/validity? The subsection may also be labeled Procedure, and may include
study that has
already been
Level 3 and even Level 4 headings. conducted.
Research proposals
Data Analysis
often feature a
Data Analysis Plan
Some APA papers include a Data Analysis subsection that describes the order that specifies how
data will be
and types of analysis (e.g., statistical tests, coding) used to interpret the raw quantitative analyzed. Future
tense is appropriate
and/or qualitative data. in this instance.

Results

Sometimes titled Data or Findings, the Results section summarizes the pertinent results

identified through the analysis. Researchers should present all results that bear on the
Past tense (e.g.,
hypothesis/ research question/problem statement, including results that contradict the “Participants
reported that…” or
“The percentage
hypothesis. Bem (2003) suggests that an effective Results sections offers a narrative: decreased from…”)
is appropriate in
“You cannot just throw numbers at readers and expect them to retain them in memory the Results section
(p. 66).
until they reach the discussion” (p. 9). Bem suggests beginning the section by reminding

readers of the questions/hypothesis the paper engages and the operations performed/

behaviors measured. Results sections are often divided into subsections: each Results

subsection might end with a summary that makes sense of the subsection’s data, and

each new Results subsection might begin with a clear transition that leads smoothly into

the next step in the narrative (Bem, 2003).

 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 7

Tables

Results sections often refer to tables that summarize quantitative or qualitative

Tables and figures
findings that cannot be expressed simply or clearly in the text of the paper (Becker, (and/or references
to them) are not
2019). The APA (2010) suggests that “Tables should be integral to the text but should restricted to the
Results section
(e.g., a source
be designed so that they can be understood in isolation” (p. 128). The text should refer matrix in a
literature review).
to every table but should discuss only the highlights (see Table 1). Tables require

multiple rows and/or columns; they are not simply bullet-pointed lists (Becker, 2019).

Table 1
Some disciplines
integrate tables APA Style Guidelines for Tables and Figures
and figures into
the main text;
others relegate
Figures
Concern Tables
them to an (graphs, charts, maps, images)
appendix or Format Retain standard font and (where May use a sans serif font, bolding,
appendices. possible) standard font size; single and different font sizes; label all
Some disciplines spacing within tables is fine; favor axes; figures should be large/clear
ask that each table white space over ruled lines enough to be read easily
and figure be on a
separate page, no Placement in Depends on the disciplinary field, Depends on the disciplinary field,
matter where it text guidelines, and audience guidelines, and audience
appears in the
paper. Mentioned in Required: “As shown in Table 1” or Required: “As shown in Figure 1”
Some disciplines text (see Table 1) or (see Figure 1)
ask that tables,
table notes, and Titles and Title: above the table, double- Caption: below the figure, in
figure captions captions spaced, in title case, and italicized; sentence case and not italicized;
retain the same brief, clear, self-explanatory (see brief, clear, self-explanatory (see
double-spaced 12
point Times New
Table 1) Figure 1)
Roman font used
Notes A note (optional) below the table After the caption title, include any
elsewhere in the
paper. Others explains any points of emphasis, explanatory information: points of
permit single abbreviations of technical terms, emphasis, abbreviations, or
spacing and or sources sources
smaller fonts for
the sake of Sources Tables that present information not Figures that present information
readability. created by the researcher require not created by the researcher
For more on APA citations.a Tables adapted or require citations. Figures adapted
tables and figures, reproduced from other sources may or reproduced from other sources
exact formatting, require permission from the may require permission from the
and a table that copyright holderb copyright holder
spans more than
one page), see the
Appendix section Note. Table notes are formatted as shown. Use a general note like this one to explain information relating to
at the end of this the table as a whole and/or offer a credit line acknowledging a source for the table as a whole. This note uses
paper. a smaller font size to ensure that the whole table fits on a single page for the sake of readability.
a
Specific notes refer to an individual row, column, or cell. If individual rows in a table are drawn from a
specific study or other source, you may use normal ( ) within the table, usually in the first column. Becker
(2016) offers help in using superscript (e.g., a and b in the last row above) to cite sources within tables. bLee
(2016a) and Figure C1 of this paper offer help in formatting credit lines below tables and figures.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 8

Figures

Figures—graphs, maps, charts (e.g., flow charts or schematic diagrams), and

images—can help the reader visualize the researcher’s findings (see Figure 1).
Refer to each
figure in the main Figure formatting. The APA (n.d.-b; 2010) suggests that each table and figure
text, just as you
refer to each table in manuscripts submitted for publication should be included on a separate page after the
in the main text.
If you put figures References section and that explanatory
and tables in
appendices, your notes and captions be double-spaced in
reference may
look like this: (see
Appendix A) or 12-point font. Some disciplines or
(see Figure C1).
audiences ask that tables and figures be
See this paper’s
Appendix section
for more help. included near where they are referenced in

the text, in which case they may be

Figure 1. Detail from case scenario program
positioned differently on the page, and page. Adapted from “Tutor Training Goes The first bit of
Digital,” by M. Chandler, 2017 (http://www. information in your
notes and captions may be single-spaced jmu.edu/news/uwc/2017/04-news.shtml). figure caption,
Copyright 2017 by Maya Chandler. Used with formatted in
in a smaller font for the sake of clarity). permission. sentence case, is
your figure title. Do
Figure citations. Like tables, figures that present information not created by the not include a title
above the figure
and do not embed
researcher require citations. While information presented in tables is cited using APA in- a title within the
figure.
text citations or superscript (see Becker, 2016), sources for figures require fuller

citations, as shown in the captions for Figures 1 and 2. See Lee (2016a) for formatting

guidelines and note that figure sources are also included in the References section.

Images and Copyright

Tables and figures reproduced from other sources count as images. Do not

simply scan, download, or snip images for use in your own work, even if someone else

has already (legally or illegally) reproduced the images. In addition to requiring citations,

they may require permission from the copyright holder (Lee, 2016a, 2016b).

Fair use law may give academic researchers some legal cover for infringing on

artists’ copyright, but it is best not to trespass too frequently on this legal gray area.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 9

Wherever possible, use images in the public domain or that have been licensed through

Creative Commons, or write directly to the copyright holder for permission.

Discussion and Conclusion

Some disciplines and writing tasks may call for splitting the Results, Discussion,

and Conclusion into three separate sections. Others may require or allow the researcher

to combine the results and discussion into a single “Results and Discussion” section,

particularly when the discussion is brief and clear. A third approach separates Results

and Discussion into two sections, treating the Conclusion as a final subsection in the

Discussion.

Discussion

The Discussion section focuses on the immediate, internal interpretation and

evaluation of results, particularly as the results inform the paper’s central hypothesis or

research question. How and how well do the results support the hypothesis or answer the

research question? If they don’t support the hypothesis or answer the research question,

why don’t they? Why do you think you got the results you did? How do the results

compare to results achieved in other comparable studies?

Limitations in design or execution. The Discussion section often includes a

Limitations subsection that objectively assesses the quality of the results. Despite the

traditional “Limitations” title for the subsection, the aim here is not to systematically

undermine everything that has come earlier. Rather, the aim is to qualify the results,

where a qualifier is a limitation or modification of meaning. In an immediate sense,

whether or not the results support the hypothesis or answer the research question, are

there any concerns about their internal validity? For instance, did the research process

expose biases, weaknesses, or imprecision in the method or its execution?

Limitations in generalizability. More broadly, how externally valid are the

results? Will these results be replicable in or applicable to other settings or in other

situations?
APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 10

Conclusion

Building on the earlier discussion, including the strengths or weaknesses

highlighted in the Limitations subsection, the Conclusion comments on “the theoretical,

clinical, or practical significance” of the study as a whole (APA, 2010, p. 36). Against

the initial problem or question that motivated the study, what do the findings mean for

the particular discipline or field within the discipline? What do they suggest or allow?

What directions for future research are now advisable or possible? What new horizons

or questions are now visible? Without overstating the importance of the effort, what are

its broader implications or applications? Why should audiences within and beyond the

particular discipline value and build on the study?

 References
sections should
APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 11 include sources
New page,
that you mention
centered, no bold.
or cite ( ) at least
References once in your main
text.
American Psychological Association (n.d.-a). Figure 2.1 [Sample paper]. Retrieved from
Double-space
within and https://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/sample-experiment-paper-1.pdf
between each
reference. Indent
American Psychological Association (n.d.-b). Figure 2.2 [Sample paper]. Retrieved
second and
Alphabetize entries
subsequent lines
from https://apastyle.apa.org/6th-edition-resources/sample-experiment- by the first word in
in each reference.
each reference,
ignoring the words
paper-2.pdf
A, An, and The.

American Psychological Association (n.d.-c). Quick answers—Formatting. Retrieved Numbers are

Sample book alphabetized by the
reference. way they are
from https://www.apastyle.org/learn/quick-guide-on-formatting
spelled (e.g., Figure
2.1 comes before
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Figure 2.2 because
the o in one comes
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological before the t in
two).
Association.
In APA Style
alphabetizing,
Becker, D. (2016, June 22). Navigating copyright: How to cite sources in a table [Blog “nothing precedes
Include the something,” which
Month and day post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/06/navigating- means that a text
for precisely by Jones, A. B.
dated sources (2018) would
(e.g., social media
copyright-how-to-cite-sources-in-a-table.html
precede a text by
posts and Jones, A. B., &
comments, Becker, D. (2019, March 4). What qualifies as a table or figure in APA Style? [Blog Smith, C. (2012),
newspapers, because the first
weekly post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2019/03/what-qualifies- text has no second
magazines). author.
Where no date is
as-a-table-or-a-figure-in-apa-style.html In the examples on
available, use
(n.d.). this page, the three
“no date” (n.d.)
Use brackets after References Guidelines texts by the APA
the title to come before the
describe the This paper’s References section offers examples of common citations. For help formatting APA in- dated (2010) APA
format of text citations, see the Literature Review section and Figure B2 in this paper’s Appendix. For help text.
nonstandard texts formatting citations within tables, see Table 1 and the Table 1 Note. For help formatting figure
(e.g., blog posts, and table credit lines, see Figure 1 and the box next to Figure 1. Use letters to
art, videos, distinguish
lecture notes). References entries include four key pieces of information: Author (date). Title. Publication between texts by
information. the same author
published in the
Authors
same year (e.g.,
• Most references start with an author or team of authors. List all authors (up to seven) in 2010a and 2010 b,
the order they appear in the text with last names followed by initials; separate each or n.d.-a and n.d.-
author with a comma; include an & before the final author’s name (e.g., Abramowitz, C. b).
M., & Swartz, C. E.). For eight or more authors, list the first six and the last, using a . . .
before the last author’s name (e.g., Penaranda, N. T. C., . . . Jefferson, K. R.).
• If no individuals are identified, references may start with the name of the publishing
organization, association, corporation, or government department.
• If no author or publishing group is available even after tracing back through the URL and
searching elsewhere online, start the reference with the title.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 12

Bem, D. J. (2003). Writing the empirical journal article. In J. M. Darley, M. P. Zanna, &
Sample book
H. L. Roediger III (Eds.), The compleat academic: A career guide (2nd ed., pp. chapter reference.
Use this template
185-219). Washington, DC,: American Psychological Association. Retrieved to supply all
available
from https://psychology.yale.edu/sites/default/files/bemempirical.pdf information:
Author, A. A., Author,
Cash, T. F. (2009). Caveats in the proficient preparation of an APA-style research B. B. B., & Author, C.
Sample journal C. (date). Chapter
title. In E. E. Editor &
article reference. manuscript for publication. Body Image, 6(1), 1-6. doi:10.1016/ F. Editor (Eds.), Title
of book (xth ed., Vol.
y, pp. zz-zzz).
j.bodyim.2008.10.003 Location: Publisher.

If you found the

Date book online, use
• Refer to the year of publication (i.e., do not use the copyright or “last updated” dates on the DOI (e.g., doi:)
or the URL (e.g.,
website pages).
Retrieved from
• Include the Month and day for precisely dated sources.
http://...) in place
• Where no date is available, use (n.d.). of the location and
Titles of sources are capitalized and formatted differently depending on where they appear in the publisher.
paper:
• In the body of the paper, use title case capitalization for all titles (capitalizing the first
word, all “major” words, the second part of hyphenated major words, all words longer
than three letters, and the first word in a subtitle/after a colon or em dash).
• In the body of the paper, italicize the titles of stand-alone texts (e.g., books, journals,
government reports, newspapers and newsletters, movies, TV shows, YouTube videos,
music albums, photographs, artwork). Use quotation marks around the titles of texts
that are part of a larger whole (e.g., book chapters,
journal/magazine/newspaper/newsletter/ website articles, TV episodes, songs, social
media posts and comments). Website titles—e.g., YouTube and APA Style Blog—don’t
get italics or quotation marks in the body of the paper (Lee, 2014).
• In the References section, use sentence case capitalization for all sources that are part of
a larger whole and for all book titles (capitalizing the first word in the title, all proper
nouns, and the first word in a subtitle/after a colon or em dash). With the exception of
book titles, the titles of all second texts in entries—the journals, newspapers, or
newsletters that contain the first texts—get title case capitalization (e.g., Journal of the
American Medical Association and The New York Times).
• In the References section, italicize the titles of all stand-alone texts and do not use
quotation marks around the titles of texts that are part of a larger whole.
Publication Information
• When the source is part of a larger work, publication information includes the location
within the text. Publication information begins with the title of the source and—for
journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, albums, and TV shows—the title of the
containing text. Website sources require only the title of the specific page.
• Include the volume, issue, and page numbers for all journal and magazine articles: 16(2),
342-360.
• Include the page number for printed newspaper articles: p. A1 or pp. A1-A2 or pp. 2, 7
(for an article printed on discontinuous pages).
• Include the digital object identifier (DOI) when one is available. Be consistent in
formatting DOIs either as DOIs (e.g., doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.10.003) or as URLs (e.g.,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.10.003).
• When no doi is available, include the URL, preceded by Retrieved from. It is permissible
to leave URLs as live links, especially if the text will be published and read online.
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 13

Chandler, M. (2017). Tutor training goes digital. Retrieved from http://www.jmu.edu/

Source for the
image in Figure 1 news/uwc/2017/04-news.shtml
and Figure B1
(also cited in the
Kay, R. (2015, January 26). Method section for review of the literature (part 1 - search
credit lines below
the figures). Sample video/
procedure) [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube
reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuE3TrvnAAY Video files are
often clipped and
Krupa, C. (2013, January 3). Alphabetizing “in press” and “no date” references [Blog posted (i.e.,
published without
permission).
post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/01/alphabetizing-in-
When possible,
track down and
press-and-no-date-references.html cite the original
creator’s posted
Lee, C. (2010a, July 15). Five steps to a great title [Blog post]. Retrieved from file.
Nine texts in a row
by the same https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/07/five-steps-to-a-great-title.html
author. Note how
they are
alphabetized and
Lee, C. (2012, March 1). How to capitalize and format reference titles in APA Style
the use of letters
(a, b, c …) [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2012/03/how-to-
immediately after Use brackets after
the publication capitalize-and-format-reference-titles-in-apa-style.html the title to
year to distinguish describe the
between multiple format of
Lee. C. (2010b, November 18). How to cite something you found on a website in APA
texts published in nonstandard texts
the same year. (e.g., blog posts,
Style [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2010/11/how art, videos, lecture
notes).
-to-cite-something-you-found-on-a-website-in-apa-style.html

Lee, C. (2011, April 14). How to use five levels of heading in an APA Style paper [Blog

post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/04/how-to-use-five-

levels-of-heading-in-an-apa-style-paper.html.

Lee, C. (2015, October 5). The myth of the off-limits source [Blog post]. Retrieved from

https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2015/10/the-myth-of-the-off-limits-source.html

Lee, C. (2016a, January 26). Navigating copyright for reproduced images: Part 4.

Writing the copyright statement [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://

blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/01/navigating-copyright-part-4.html

Lee, C. (2016b, January 22). Navigating copyright for reproduced images: Part 2.

Determining whether permission is needed [Blog post]. Retrieved from

 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 14

https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/01/navigating-copyright-part-

2.html

Lee, C. (2014, October 7). Re: How to capitalize and format reference titles in APA
Sample social
media comment
Style [Blog comment]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/
reference.
In this case, Lee 2012/03/how-to-capitalize-and-format-reference-titles-in-apa-style.html -
was responding
down in the
comment section comment-6a01157041f4e3970b01b7c6ef0feb970b
of her article to a
reader’s style Lee, C. (2016c, November 30). Writing website in-text citations and references [Blog
question, so she is
the author of the
comment. post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/11/writing-
The same format
would work for
website-in-text-citations-and-references.html
citing the reader’s
question. Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.-a). APA sample paper. Retrieved from
Applicable to
comment sections https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formattin
on blogs, online
newspaper g_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html
articles, YouTube
videos, Twitter,
Instagram, and Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.-b). APA tables and figures 1. Retrieved from
Facebook.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formattin

g_and_style_guide/apa_tables_and_figures_1.html

Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.-c). APA tables and figures 2. Retrieved from

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formattin

g_and_style_guide/apa_tables_and_figures_2.html

Stefanie (2009, November 12). Table tips [Blog post]. Retrieved from

https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2009/11/table-tips.html

The Writing Center (n.d.). Scientific reports. Retrieved from

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/scientific-reports/
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 15

Appendix A
Center and double Appendix Guidelines
space the
appendix label
and title using title Supplemental information that might clutter or distract earlier in the paper might appear
case capitalization This text-based
(no bold). in the Appendix section (e.g., stimulus materials, detailed equipment specifications or Appendix
observes the same
Every Appendix rules followed
should have a descriptions, a list of sources consulted but not directly referred to in the main text, or everywhere else in
label and a title. the paper, using
detailed demographic notes). Researchers submitting their APA papers for possible double-spaced 12-
An Appendix
section featuring point Times New
only one appendix publication should feature all tables and figures in the Appendix section. Roman font.
would be labeled Note that the first
Appendix. Some academic disciplines and courses include tables and figures near where paragraph is not
indented.
they are referenced in the main text, while others require that tables and figures appear

in the Appendix section. Disciplines and courses that allow researchers to integrate

tables and figures into the main text of the paper may require that each table and figure

appear on a separate page and may ask that tables, table notes, and figure captions use

the same 1-inch margins and double-spaced Times New Roman font featured elsewhere

in the paper. Other disciplines and courses may allow for design choices regarding font

size, line spacing, and alignment for the sake of readability (as shown in Table 1 and

Figure 1 earlier in this paper).

A paper may include just one appendix, labeled Appendix and titled

appropriately (e.g., Demographic Information or Tables and Figures). Use multiple

appendices (labeled Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C…) when dealing with

multiple topics. Each appendix may contain multiple tables and figures; in a general

sense, tables and figures should appear in the Appendix section in the order they are

referred to in the main text. If there are multiple tables and figures in an appendix—even

if there is only one appendix—include the appendix letter when identifying each table

and figure in the main text (i.e., the first table in Appendix A will be referred to in the

main text as Table A1, and the first figure as Figure A1).
Each appendix This appendix
begins on a new APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 16 would be referred
page, and each to as Appendix B
table or figure or (See Appendix
within a single Appendix B B) in the main
appendix begins text.
on a new page. In-Text Citation Guidelines

Parenthetical Parenthetical
Type of Subsequent format, first format, subsequent
citation First citation in text citations in text citation in text citations in text

Work by one Abramowitz (2019) Abramowitz (Abramowitz, 2019) (Abramowitz, 2019)

author (2019)

Work by two Abramowitz and Abramowitz (Abramowitz & (Abramowitz &

authors Swartz (2019) and Swartz Swartz, 2019) Swartz, 2019)
(2019)

Work by Abramowitz, Abramowitz et (Abramowitz, Swartz, (Abramowitz et al.,

three authors Swartz, al. (2019) & Baker, 2019) 2019)
and Baker (2019)

Work by four Abramowitz, Abramowitz et (Abramowitz, Swartz, (Abramowitz et al.,

authors Swartz, Baker, and al. (2019) Baker, & Guthrie, 2019)
Guthrie (2019) 2019)

Work by five Abramowitz, Abramowitz et (Abramowitz, Swartz, (Abramowitz et al.,

authors Swartz, Baker, al. (2019) Baker, Guthrie, & 2019)
Guthrie, and McKenzie, 2019)
McKenzie (2019)

Work by six Abramowitz et al. Abramowitz et (Abramowitz et al., (Abramowitz et al.,

or more (2019) al. (2019) 2019) 2019)
authors

If an appendix
features only one
table or figure,
use title case
capitalization to
offer a title
immediately
below the
Appendix label
(and omit the
table or figure title
elsewhere in the
appendix).
This page would APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 17
be referred to as
Table C1 or (see Appendix label
Table C1) in the Appendix C
main text of the
paper. Additional Examples of Tables and Figures Appendix title

Table C1 Table number

title.

APA Style Guidelines for Tables and Figures Table title

Figures

Concern Tables (graphs, charts, maps, images)

Format Retain standard font and (where May use a sans serif font, bolding, and

possible) standard font size; single different font sizes; label all axes;

spacing within tables is fine; favor figures should be large/clear enough to

white space over ruled lines be read easily

Placement in text Depends on the disciplinary field, Depends on the disciplinary field,

guidelines, and audience guidelines, and audience

Mentioned in text Required: “As shown in Table 1” or Required: “As shown in Figure 1” or

(see Table 1) (see Figure 1)

Titles and captions Title: above the table, double-spaced, in Caption: below the figure, in sentence

title case, and italicized; brief, clear, case and not italicized; brief, clear, self-

self-explanatory (see Table 1) explanatory (see Figure 1)

Notes A note (optional) below the table After the caption title, include any

explains any points of emphasis, explanatory information: points of

abbreviations of technical terms, emphasis, abbreviations, or sources

or sources

Sources Tables that present information not Figures that present information not

created by the researcher require created by the researcher require

citations.a Tables adapted or citations. Figures adapted or reproduced

(continued)
 APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 18

(continued)

Figures

Concern Tables (graphs, charts, maps, images)

Sources reproduced from other sources may from other sources may require

require permission from the permission from the copyright holder

copyright holderb

Note. Table notes are formatted as shown. Use a general note like this one to explain information relating to

the table as a whole and/or offer a credit line acknowledging a source for the table as a whole.
a
Specific notes refer to an individual row, column, or cell. If individual rows in a table are drawn from a

specific study or other source, you may use normal ( ) within the table, usually in the first column. Becker

(2016) offers help in using superscript (e.g., a and b in the last row above) to cite sources within tables. bLee

(2016a) and page 8 of this paper offer help in formatting credit lines below tables and figures. Table C1 spans
more than one
page. Note the
word continued at
the bottom right
of the table’s first
page and the top
right of the
table’s second
page. Note also
the repetition of
the column
headers at the top
of the second
page.
New page. APA SAMPLE PAPER AND STYLE GUIDE (6th ED.) 19

Figure C1. Sample case scenario program page. From “Tutor Training Goes Digital,” by M. Chandler,
Figure number
2017 (http://www.jmu.edu/news/uwc/2017/04-news.shtml). Copyright 2017 by Maya Chandler. Used with (italicized) BELOW
the figure.
permission.
After the figure
number, include a
The basic in-text brief descriptive
figure citation phrase. This
template for a caption functions
journal article is as as both the figure
follows: title and as an
From [or Adapted explanation of the
from/Data in column figure.
1 are from] “Title of
Article,” by A . A. If your figure (or
Author and B. B. table) is a
Author, year, Title of reproduced
Journal, Volume, p. image, make sure
xx. Copyright [year]
by Name of
you have
Copyright Holder. permission to use
Reprinted [or Used the image and
or Adapted] with then include a
permission. copyright
For a website page permission
figure citation, use statement at the
this template: end of your figure
caption (as
From [or Adapted shown) and a
from/Data in column
References entry.
1 are from] “Title of
Web Document,” by
A. A. Author and B.
B. Author, year
(http://URL).
Copyright [year] by
Name of Copyright
holder. Reprinted [or
Used or Adapted]
with permission.