USING THE APA STYLE

GUIDE FOR WRITING PAPERS USING THE APA STYLE

(Revised Spring 2001)

Students in the Social Work Program are expected to use the American Psychological Association style of referencing for papers that they write. Please refer to the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. 4^th edition.1994. Washington DC: APA, a guide for writing papers and referencing. It is available in the bookstore and in the reference section of the library. L. Szuchman and B. Thomlinson (2000). Writing with style: APA style for social work. Stanford, Ca.: Brooks/Cole, is a summary of APA style as used by social workers. It too is available in the bookstore. The chapter and pages refer to the APA Manual (without parenthesis) and Writing with Style (in parenthesis). Below is a quick guide to help you to begin to utilize this style. This guide does not cover all the situations you will have to reference. For online assistance: www.wilpaterson.edu/upcpages/library/citing/htm

Topic	Rule	Example	Chapter Section	Page
GENERAL WRITING
Spacing (Regular)	In a paper, double space between lines unless you are asked to do otherwise. Do not place a large numbers of spaces after the end of paragraphs, or sections of the paper. Do not leave a large part of a page blank at the end of a paragraph.		4.03	239
Margins	Unless you are asked to do differently, margins should be one inch on the top, bottom, left and right sides of the paper.		4.04	240 (123)
Page numbers	Be sure to include page numbers on the bottom of each page. (What if the staple falls out and the paper drops to the floor?)		4.06	241
Paragraph indentation	At the beginning of each paragraph, indent (space in) five to seven spaces.	At the beginning of the paragraph indent five to seven spaces.	4.08	242
Paragraphs	Paragraphs should not be too long or too short. Do not use a one-sentence paragraph; it does not give enough information. "New paragraphs provide a pause for the reader- a chance to assimilate one step in the conceptual development before beginning another"(APA). The first sentence in the paragraph should be a topic sentence. Paragraphs should not be longer than one page (and that is probably long).		2.03	28
Numbers	Use words for numbers below 10 and figures for above 10	Two people 325 clients	3.42	99
Topic	Rule	Example	Chapter Section	Page
Tables	A table shows data or information in a tabular form. A table must have a Table Number in order of appearance in the paper. Refer to this number when you are referring to the table. Each table should have a title which explains the table, and headings which help to explain the information	See page 240 in Hepworth, Rooney and Larsen for Table 9-1 – Indications of Abuse of Commonly Used Drugs	3.62- 3.74 4.21	120 140 253
Acronyms	An acronym is a word made up of the initials of a group of words or names. Write the name out the first time. Immediately after, place the initials in parenthesis. Use the acronym for the rest of the paper.	Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV)		(31)
Voice "I, We, You"	You and I (we) are not writing the paper. You are writing it. Do not refer to yourself as "this researcher, this writer, we." Do not use "you" unless it is part of a quote. In a research report, there is never a reason to address the reader of the work… (Szuchman and Thomlinson).			(28)
Slang	The tone of a paper is supposed to be different from conversational language. Therefore, do not use conversational slang			(26)
Contraction	Contractions are words that are combined; they are too informal to use in a paper. Do not use them. Use apostrophes only to indicate possession.	do not = don’t Mary’s cat
Because or being that	Do not use "being that" as a substitute for "because."
Latin Abbrevia- tions i.e. e.g. et al.	i.e. means "that is" or "another word for." Frame the statement in parentheses; place a period after the i and the e, add a comma, and then place the similar word. e.g. means "for example" or a "specific example(s)." Similar rule to rules for i.e. et al. means "and other things" et is not an abbreviation, so it gets no period, but al. does.	This is an example of empirical practice (i.e., research based practice). There are various forms of empirical practice (e.g., single system evaluation). When referring to Hepworth, Rooney and Larsen again, use Hepworth et al.		(30)

Topic	Rule		Example		Chapter Section		Page
BODY OF THE PAPER
Citations in the body of (narrative) the text- Paraphrase an author’s words	When you discuss a concept that you read about, but you put it in your own words, you are paraphrasing. Give the author credit for the idea, even if you are not quoting directly, but do not list a page number.	In discussing the impact of violence on young children, Goldstein (1995) claims that the symptom of the trauma continues for a long time afterward Or Symptoms of the trauma of violent experiences continue for a long time after the event (Goldstein, 1995).		3.39		97
Citations in the narrative text – Direct Quotes	Material directly quoted from another author’s work Try to stay away from many quotes or very long quotes. If the quote is less than 40 words put the quoted work in double quote marks " " and integrate it into the sentence. At the end of the quote, put in author, date and page in parentheses ( ). If the quote is more than 40 words, it should be written out, single in a freestanding manner, indenting the entire quote five spaces from the left margin with no quotation marks. At end, put in name, date & page in parentheses. Double space.	Less than 40 words… When developing a research study, it is important to determine the variables. "It is not always as easy to determine independent, dependent, and control variables in a research study" (Friedman, 1998, p. 30). The independent variable is…. More than 40 words: It is not always as easy to determine…		3.34		95 (26)
Citations in the narrative text – One author More than one author Citations in the narrative text – Groups personal communicat-ion e-mail web pages web site	When you are quoting or paraphrasing material from another author, put the author’s surname and the year of publication in parentheses ( ) at the end of the material discussed. When the author’s name is part of the sentence, then put only the date in the parenthesis. Two authors – give both names each time you cite joined by "and." More than two – give all names the first time you cite, but if you cite the same authors and article again, give the first author’s name followed by et al. (no comma before et; put a period after al but not after et). Join by commas, not "and" Spell out the name of the agency/group(s) that are authors the first time cited. Thereafter, if an abbreviation is clear, put that in. These could be letters, e-mails, phone conversations, face-to-face discussions. Give initials, surnames and full date of the communication. DO NOT PUT IN REFERENCES PAGES Same as personal communication On-line articles – Author. (date of publication) if an article Web URL (address)	See examples of citations in the above sections on quotes and paraphrases. (Cournoyer, 1996) Marlowe (1998) states …. (Dubois and Miley, 1996) (Hepworth, Rooney and Larsen,1997) (Hepworth et al., 1997) (Alternatives to Domestic Violence [ADV], 1995) (ADV, 1995) G. Bates, (personal communication, 1998) Same as personal communication Same as for an article in a journal http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html		3.105- 3.117 3.94 3.95 3.95 3.96 3.102		174-188 168 168 169 170 174
Material from an edited book	Credit the author of the chapter, not the editor of the book	(Lee, 1996) this is from chapter 10 in the book edited by Francis Turner				168- 173
Secondary Source in the text	When an author in the book you are reading cites another author… in the text, cite both authors – give the material from the book or article that you read		Citing of Harry Specht in Larry Shulman’s (1992) book Specht (as cited in Shulman, 1992) states		22		200 (43)
Legal Citations Pending, or unenacted Enacted	Form for unenacted, pending state bills & resolutions Name of bill and/or State, comma, and "S" for Senate or "A" for Assembly and bill number (all in parentheses) Form for enacted bills (bills that are passed & signed), called acts, laws, statutes, & codes: Name of the act and, in parentheses, the year of the act. In some cases the year the act was codified differs from the year it was introduced; give the year the act was codified.
Topic	Rule		Example		Chapter Section		Page
REFERENCES PAGE
On the References Page – Author Date	This should begin on a new page. Call this Reference Page if you only have one reference; otherwise, call it References Page. List only sources quoted or paraphrased in the narrative of the paper, not everything you read in preparation for writing the paper. Double space the entire reference List by author in alphabetical order. Put only first letter of first name and/or middle name. Put in the full last name of the author Indent the author’s name five to seven spaces; then put a period (.). Year is placed in parenthesis with a period (.) after it		References Page Dubois, B., & and Miley, K.K. (1996)…… Hepworth, D.H., Rooney, R.H. and Larsen J. A. (1997).		3.11		182-183
Title of the article or chapter	Only the first word in the title is capitalized, unless there is a proper name in the title or it is a two-part title separated by a colon. The first word after the colon is also capitalized. Do not underline or put in quotation marks. Put a period (.) at the end		Systems theory and social work treatment. Child welfare: A multicultural focus		3.113 3.116		185 187
Title of the periodical	Put the title in upper and lower case letters. (Please recognize that this is different from referencing a book, where the letters are not capitalized.) Italicize the name and the volume # Use "Vol." to indicate the volume number. If there is no volume #, include the months or seasons within the year. Include page numbers by writing pp., and then the number. Put a period at the end.		Social Work, Vol. 22, pp. 33-36.		3.114		185 194 – 200
References Page a chapter in an edited book	First place the author’s (of the chapter) last name, initial(s), the year (of the book), the name of the chapter, and a period. Next, begin with the word "In", then the name(s) of the editor(s) (initials before last name, opposite from the other listing of authors), with the abbreviation (Ed. or Eds.) in parenthesis, followed by a comma, then the title of the book, italicized. Include page numbers of the chapter (also italicized), followed by a period. Add the location of publisher, a colon, the publisher name, and a period.		Lee. J. B. (1996). The empowerment approach to social work practice. In F. J. Turner (Ed.), Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. (pp. 218-249). New York: The Free Press.		3.116		187
Page number	p. for one page pp. for more than one page		p. 21 pp. 21-30
Book	Put in the full last name of the author, followed by initial of first name and/or middle name. Indent the author’s name five to seven spaces; then put a period (.). Year is placed in parenthesis with a period (.) after it List by author in alphabetical order. Year is placed in parenthesis with a period (.) after it In the book title, only the first word in the title is capitalized, unless there is a proper name in the title. If it has two parts, place a colon between the two and capitalize the first word (only) of the second part Italicize the name of the book Add the geographic location of the publisher then a colon (:) a space and then the name of the publisher. Put a period at the end		Ashford, J., Lecroy, C., & Lortie, K. (1998). Human behavior In the social environment, Istaca, Ill.: F.E. Peacock Writing with style: APA style for social work		3.115 3.116		186 200-205 187
Brochure	Use the same style as in entire books. Add the word brochure in parenthesis after the title
Internet	Similar to book On-line articles – Author. (date of publication). Title of article. Title of journal, Vol. Page #. Retrieved (date) from world wide web: path address/ (no ending period)		View http://www.apa.org/journals/webref.html for the specific styles		I		218-222 ?174
Secondary Source	When an author in the book you are reading cites another author… in the reference list, reference the author of the book you are reading		Shulman. L. (1992). The skills of helping…		22		200
References Page Legislation Unenacted, pending Enacted Federal code State code	Form for unenacted state bills & resolutions Name, if bill has a name, State, Senate or Assembly Bill Number, all in parentheses. *Form for enacted bills, called acts, laws, statutes, & codes:* Explanation: This District of Columbia act can be found in chapter 21 of the 1981 edition of the District of Columbia Code Annotated. Sections 501 to 592 are the whole act. If you are discussing a particular provision of the law, cite that particular section (e.g., ss21-503). Ann. stands for Annotated, which means that the code contains summarized cases interpreting particular sections of the statute. Explanation: This act is codified in title 42 of the United States Code in section 4332. The act was proposed in 1969 and codified in 1976. If you are discussing a particular section of the original act, give that section number (in this example, section 102).		(New Jersey Assembly Bill No. 250) This bill concerns amending a previous statute concerned with long-term foster care; like many bills, this bill has not Ervin Act, D.C. Code Ann. ss 21-501-592 (1981)been given a name National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, ss 102, 42 U.S.C. ss 4332 (1976).

March 2001 prepared by Susan Scher and Valerie "Scotty" Massimo. Thanks to Linda Gilman for her 1995 Overview which was used as a base for this guide.