apa 6th edition research paper format

APA Research Paper Formatting: APA 6th Edition Resources

• Home of APA 7th Edition Resources
• APA 6th Edition Resources

APA (American Psychological Association) style was developed by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. It is used for term papers, research reports, empirical studies, literature reviews, theoretical articles, methodological articles, and case studies. (APA website)

Writers in the following disciplines usually use APA style:

• Social sciences- psychology, sociology, economics, criminology

*IMPORTANT NOTE: In October 2019 the American Psychological Association released the latest edition of the APA format - the 7th edition. For Spring term 2021 many instructors will have shifted to using APA 7th edition, while some may still request (or allow) students to choose APA 6th edition. It would be a good idea to verify which edition your professor will be requiring.  

As of January 2021, the APA citation generators in the Gale and Ebsco databases are formatting APA citations in 7th edition instead of 6th edition.

This Library Guide will also be updated throughout Spring 2021, to add additional resources for the 7th edition and links that should remain accessible for the 6th edition. 

ALL RESOURCES ON THIS PAGE ARE FOR APA 6TH EDITION.

FOR 7TH EDITION RESOURCES, SEE THE 7TH EDITION TAB AT THE TOP OF THIS GUIDE.

APA - Publication Manual

(In 2021 most instructors will be using the 7th edition instead.)

APA 6th ed. Template & Paper Sample

• APA 6th ed. Paper Sample (including headings)
• APA Template - 6th Edition You are going to love this! Save this template somewhere safe or e-mail it to yourself. Then resave it immediately with the name of your new document. This will keep your template safe and ready to reuse again for future assignments.

How to Use the APA Template

How Do I Write a Thesis Statement?

• Thesis Statement Help - Owl @ Purdue

Free Citation Creation Tools on the Web

• BibMe BibMe is a free automatic bibliography generator that supports MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian formatting.
• Citation Machine Select APA citation style. Then choose they type of resource to cite.
• CiteFast APA citation generator. Choose APA tab at top (if not already selected). Then select the source to be cited.
• KnightCite APA citation generator. Choose type of resource on the left.

How to Generate Citations Using CiteFast

Parenthetical References or In-text Citations

• APA Parenthetical (In-text) Citations - Purdue OWL
• APA Parenthetical (In-text) Citations - EasyBib

Everything APA - 6th Edition

• APA Style - Official 6th Edition Archive
• Purdue OWL - APA 6th ed.

APA Inclusive Language Guidelines

American Psychological Association's Inclusive Language Guidelines and related information can be found here:  https://www.apa.org/about/apa/equity-diversity-inclusion/language-guidelines

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• Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 12:13 PM
• URL: https://libguides.polk.edu/apa

Polk State College is committed to equal access/equal opportunity in its programs, activities, and employment. For additional information, visit polk.edu/compliance .

ZSR Library

Apa 6th ed. style guide: formatting an apa paper.

• Getting Started
• Scholarly Journal Articles
• Books & Reports
• Newspapers & Magazines
• Web Sources & Multimedia
• Legal Sources
• Citing Sources in Text
• Formatting an APA Paper
• APA Sample Paper This link opens in a new window

Formatting FAQs

More detailed information about how to format an APA style paper can be found in the APA style manual (available at the ZSR Reference Desk) or on the Purdue OWL APA Style guide . 

Q: How do I format my APA style paper in Word? How do I create a running head?

A:  The short video below will walk you through how to format your paper using Microsoft Word. If you don't have Microsoft Word, contact The Bridge (WFU students get a version of Microsoft Office for free). If you still need help, stop by the ZSR Reference Desk and someone will be happy to help you!

Q: How do I format headings in an APA style paper? 

A:  Formatting and style information is provided in the APA style manual. Specific information about levels of headings is found in Section 3.03 of the manual. Section 4 of the manual covers mechanics of style, such as spacing, punctuation, numerals, abbrevations, and more.  

Q: How do I format the References page? 

A:  General information about the Reference list can be found in Section 6.22 of the manual. A sample paper is provided in Figure 2.1. Purdue OWL also provides a sample paper .

Your Reference list should include all of the sources you cite in your paper (with a few exceptions, such as personal communications). Provide the information that would allow someone reading your paper to locate the original source. List sources alphabetically by the last name of the first author, and use a hanging indent to indent the second line. (See video below for how to create a hanging indent in Word.)

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• Last Updated: Jul 12, 2022 12:05 PM
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APA Style 6th Edition: Citing Your Sources

Apa 6th edition, what is the purpose of a citation, quick links.

• In Text Quick View
• Block Quotes
• Books & eBooks
• Thesis/Dissertation
• Conference Presentations
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• Sample Reference Page

APA Publications in the Library

This guide pertains to the 6th edition of the APA Manual.

What is the purpose of citations?

Citations help readers locate your sources. They help to continue the scholarly conversation. To learn more about how citations can help you avoid plagiarism, view this interactive tutorial: 

USC Library Lessons: Avoiding Plagiarism through Citations

When considering citations and references for your papers, you can ask yourself, "could someone find this information in the future?"

A client's personal file would not need a citation because your reader cannot go find that information again.  Census statistics would require a citation because your reader could go locate that information again.

APA requires FOUR ELEMENTS of every citation:

• Who- Author of content
• When- Date content was published
• What- Title of content
• Where- Publication information . This can be the website you got it from or the journal or book's publication information.

If any of the elements listed above are unavailable, check out "Missing pieces: How to write an APA style reference even without all the information" from APA Style Blog for more information.

• APA Style Blog
• Owl at Purdue Popular guide for APA. Use the navigation links on the left-hand side of the page.
• Organizing Your Social Science Research Paper Writing guide to help you develop and organize a quality research paper for any class in the social sciences.
• Sample Paper Sample paper provided by APA. For every style rule, there is a comment highlighted in the paper that tells you where to find the discussion of the rule in the APA Style Manual.
• Next: In Text Citations >>
• Last Updated: Sep 22, 2022 11:20 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/APA-citation-style

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Information

How to cite references using apa style.

• Getting Started
• Finding Help
• Books, E-Books (including book chapters & encyclopedia entries) & Dissertations/Theses
• Articles from Scholarly Journals, Magazines & Newspapers (print & online)
• Class Resources (Lectures, PowerPoints, Handouts)
• Webpages, websites & social media
• Government Reports, Legal Citations & Regulations, Lecture Notes, Interviews, ERIC Documents, archival materials and other miscellaneous
• Images, film, music, media
• Citing ChatGPT and Other AI Tools in APA Style
• Sources from Business-Specific Databases
• Formatting Author Names, Abbreviations, Rules & More
• In-text citation help
• APA 6th Edition

APA 6th Edition Examples - Books & Book Chapters

Drucker, P. F. (1998). Peter Drucker on the profession of management . Boston: Harvard Business School.

• Two Authors

McGuire, M. T., & Anderson, W. H. (1999). The US healthcare dilemma: Mirrors and chains . Westport, CT: Auburn House.

• Three authors

Marquart, J. W., Olson, S. E., & Sorensen, J. R. (1994). The rope, the chair, and the needle: Capital punishment in Texas, 1923-1990 . Austin: University of Texas Press.

• More than three authors

Sakakibara, S., Hidetoshi, Y., Hisakatsu, S., Kengo, S., & Shimon, F. (1988). The Japanese stock market: Pricing systems and accounting information . New York: Praeger.

Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1998). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

• Corporate author

American Health Association. (2000). American Hospital Association guide to the health care field . Chicago: Author.

• Edited Book

Gibbs, J. T., & Huang, L. N. (Eds.). (1991). Children of color: Psychological interventions with minority youth . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Article or chapter in an edited book

Massaro, D. (1992). Broadening the domain of the fuzzy logical model of perception. In H. L. Pick Jr., P. van den Broek, & D. C. Knill (Eds.), Cognition: Conceptual and methodological issues (pp. 51-84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Philips, M., & Rasberry, S. (1997). Marketing without advertising (2nd ed.). Berkley, CA: Nolo Press.

• Book in several volumes

Magill, F. N. (1993). Survey of social science: Psychology series (Vol. 2). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.

Shotton, M. A. (1989).  Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency  [DX Reader Version]. Retrieved from http://www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/htm/index.asp

• E-book with DOI

Schiraldi, G. R. (2001).  The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth  [Adobe Digital Editions version]. doi: 10.10.36/0071393722

• E-book from a database

Munroe, M. (2009).  Echoes of the Haitian Revolution, 1804-2004  [Monograph]. Retrieved from ebrary.

• E-book only (no print version, no DOI)

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.).  Egoism & the crisis in Western values . Retrieved from http://www.onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp?itemID=135

• Chapter in an e-book

Strong, E. K. Jr., & Uhrbrock, R. S. (1923). Bibliography on job analysis. In L. Outhwaite (Series Ed.),  Personnel Research Series: Vol. 1. Job analysis and the curriculum  (pp. 140-146). doi: 10.1037/10762-000

• Online reference book (author listed)

Graham, G. (2005). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.),  The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy  (Fall 2007 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/

• Online reference book (no author listed)

Heuristic. (n.d.). In  Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary  (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/heuristic

• APA Style Manual

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

For whole e-books, include the E-reader version and its original retrieval URL or doi

If the ebook has no DOI, try to find a permalink for the book.

If the book is read online, such as Google Books, ebrary, ebl, EbscoBooks, do not include the E-reader version.

For example, this is a book from ebrary. I read it online, so I do not need to include an E-reader version. I used the Share Link to Book to get a permalink for a book title.

Denzin, N. K. (2016). Searching for Yellowstone : Race, gender, family and memory in the Postmodern West. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/wayne/detail.action? docID=10411861

In text citing from e-books

For e-books from platforms that are read online do not have page numbers (such as Books 24x7), add an overarching heading plus a paragraph number within that section. If the heading is too long to cite in full, create a short title in quotation marks.

In-text citation, no page numbers, using a heading   (Smith, 1978, Introduction section, para. 5)

In-text citation, no page numbers, create a short title   (Smith, 1978, "The Future of Libraries," para. 1)

APA 6th Edition Examples - Periodical Articles

• Journal article (print)

Light, M. A., & Light, I. H. (2008). The geographic expansion of Mexican immigration in the United States and its implications for local law enforcement. Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal, 8 (1), 73-82.

• Journal article with Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Herbst-Damm, K. L., & Kulik, J. A. (2005). Volunteer support, marital status, and the survival times of terminally ill patients. Health Psychology, 24 , 225-229. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

• Article from an online-only journal

Frederickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3 . Retrieved from http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html

• Article with more than seven authors

Miller, F. H., Choi, M. J., Angeli, L. L., Harland, A. A., Stamos, J. A., Thomas, S. T., . . . Rubin, L. H. (2009). Web site usability for the blind and low-vision user. Technical Communication, 57 , 323-335.

• Electronic copy of a journal article retrieved from a database

Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., & White, L. A. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78 (3), 443-449.

• Newspaper (print) (author listed)

Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington Post , pp. A1, A4.

• Newspaper (print) (no author listed)

Obesity affects economic, social status. (1993, September 30). The Washington Post , pp. A1, A4.

• Online newspaper article

Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. New York Times . Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com

Magazine Articles

• Magazine article (print) (author listed)

Chamberlin, J., Novotney, A., Packard, E., & Price, M. (2008, May). Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. Monitor on Psychology, 39 (5), 26-29.

Note: For weekly magazines, add the day in addition to the month and year (2008, May 24).

• Magazine article (print) (no author listed)

Enhancing worker well-being: Occupational health psychologists convene to share their research on work, stress, and health. (2008, May). Monitor on Psychology, 39 (5), 26-29.

• Online magazine article

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology, 39 (6). Retrieved from http://apa.org/monitor/

• Electronic copy of a magazine article retrieved from a database

Frank, M. (1993, June). The wild, wild, West. Architectural Digest, 50, 180-185, 193. 

Editorials, Reviews, Interviews, etc.

• Editorial/ Letter to the Editor

Marshall-Pescini, S., & Whiten, A. (2006). “What is a disaster” and why does this question matter? [Editorial]. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 14 , 1-2.

• Review of a book

Schatz, B. R. (2000, November 17). Learning by text or context? [Review of the book The social life of information , by J. S. Brown & P. Duguid]. Science, 290 , 1304. doi: 10.1126/science.290.5495.1304

• Online book review

Zacharek, S. (2008, April 27). Natural women [Review of the book Girls like us ]. The New York Times . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/books/review/Zachareck-t.html?pagewanted=2

• Review of a DVD

Axelman, A., & Shapiro, J. L. (2007). Does the solution warrant the problem? [Review of the DVD Brief therapy with adolescents , produced by the American Psychological Association, 2007]. PsycCRITIQUES, 52 (51). doi: 10.1037/a0009036

• Interview (published in a periodical)

The entry should follow the format of the original source of the interview (in this case, a journal article with one author).  In this example, the interview lacks a title, so a description of the interview is given in brackets . 

Archer, N. (1993). [Interview with Helen Burns, author of Sense and Perception]. Journal of Sensory Studies, 21 , 211-216.

If the interview has a title, include the title (without quotation marks) after the year, and then give a further description in brackets if necessary. 

Fromm, M. G. (2014). Interview with Frank Ochberg. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 31 (2), 206-216. doi:10.1037/a0036147

Example adapted from http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/citation/apa/interview/

APA 6th Edition Examples - Electronic Resources

• An entire website (but not a specific document on the site)

Do not include in reference list; cite in text only. [More Information] Example: The Michigan Online Resources for Educators (MORE) database is a excellent resource for lesson plans (http://more.mel.org/).

• Document on an organization's website

Canarie, Inc. (1997, September 27). Towards a Canadian health IWAY: Vision, opportunities and future steps . Retrieved from http:www//canarie.ca/press/publications/pdf/health/healthvision.doc

• Website (no author, no year, no page number)

Social workers come out in support of marriage for same-sex couples. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/2004/081704.asp

• Online product review (such as epinions.com)

Pixeltech. (2010, December 10). Sony VAIO L Series Just Touch it [Review of Sony VAIO notebook]. Retrieved from: http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Sony_VAIO_L_VPCL137FX_R_24_All_in_One_Touchscreen_Computer_Red_PC_Notebook

• Online government report

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2003). Managing asthma: A guide for schools (NIH Publication No. 02-2650). Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/lung/asthma/asth_sch.pdf

Do not include in reference list; cite in text only. Example: According to S. D. Cathcart (personal communication, September 20, 2001), management is refusing to agree to the proposal.

• Message posted to a newsgroup, online forum, or discussion group

Ramperdas, T. (2005, June 8). Re: Traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions [Online forum content]. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/roller/comments/Weblog/theme_eight_how_can_cultural#comments

• Electronic mailing list (Listserv)

Smith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/Group/ForensicNetwork/message/670

MiddleKid. (2007, January 22). Re: The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/01the_unfortunate_prerequisites.php  

APA 6th Edition Examples - Miscellaneous & Unpublished

• Annual report

Home Depot. (2001). Home Depot 2000 annual report . Atlanta, GA: Author.

• Online annual report

Proctor & Gample Company. (2010). P & G 2010 annual report. Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/annualreport2010/index.shtml

• Interview or personal communication

Do not include in reference list;cite in text only. Example: P. Drucker (personal communication, September 20, 2001) believes that there are several different types of managers.

• Doctoral dissertation or master's thesis retrieved from the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database

McNiel, D. S. (2006). Meaning through narrative: A personal narrative discussing growing up with an alcoholic mother (Master’s thesis). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 1434728)

IMPORTANT:  The Publication Number is located in the field titled Publication Number in the Indexing Document Details area of the record in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database. The number is prefaced with AAT, which should not be included in the Publication Number. The Publication Number is equivalent to the UMI number that appears in the example for the APA citation for the dissertation or theses on page 208, APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition.

• ERIC document

Greenberg, J. & Walsh, K. (2010). Ed school essentials: A review of Illinois teacher preparation . Washington, DC: National Council on Teacher Quality. (ED512668)

• Conference proceedings (Unpublished paper or speech)

Smith, S. (2009, August). Putting the grrrr! Back in progressive . Paper presented at the meeting of the Progressive Librarians Guild, Detroit, MI.

• Conference proceedings (Unpublished poster)

Ruby, J., & Fulton, C. (1993, June). Beyond reading: Editing software that works . Poster session at the annual meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing, Washington, DC.

• Brochure/pamphlet

National Cancer Institute. (2000, June). Cancer research-because lives depend on it [Brochure]. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute.

Brown v. Board of Educ., 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

• Legal statute

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. § 4331 (1970).

• Code of Federal Regulations

FDA Prescription Drug Advertising Rule, 21 C.F.R. § 202.1 (2006).

• Government report

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2002). Statistical abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

• House or Senate Committee Report

Iraq: Meeting the challenge, sharing the burden, staying the course, a trip report to members of the Committee on Foreign Relations , U.S. Senate, 108th Cong., 1st sess. (S. Prt. 108-31). (2003).

• DSM-5 Individual chapter from DSM-5 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Cautionary statement for forensic use of DSM-5. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.744053
• Archival Materials from the Walter P. Reuther Library When citing materials please use the full name of the collection and of the Library. In the event your research becomes a source for publication, the Library requests a copy of the publication. Example: Doe, John. (July 1, 1923). Letter from John Doe to Jane Smith (Box 9, Folder 23). The Acme Company Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

APA 6th Edition Examples - Audiovisual Media

The following are interpretations based on rules put forth by the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition. The Manual does not speak specifically to many types of online visual resources.

General rules

Always check your URL to make sure it works

Follow standard form for author’s name when possible (Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial.)

Use n.d. if no date exists

Do not use a URL if material was retrieved from a library database. Use the library database name.

• Online Video Blog Post (YouTube, TED, Vimeo, TeacherTube, etc).

Use the designated shareable link as the URL, such as the Share URL in YouTube.

For Corporate Author or Channel, use as the Author. Use upload date as date if no creation date is available

Author Last Name, Author First Initial. Author Middle Initial. (Year, Month Date). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL

TEDtalksDirector. (2009, February 16). Barry Schwartz: The real crisis? We stopped being wise [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/lA-zdh_bQBo

• Image found in a free online resource

To assure copyright compliance, use a resource such as Flickr’s Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Creator’s last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Role of creator). (Year of creation). Description or title of image. [Type of work]. Retrieved from URL.

Comas, J. S. (Photographer). (2007). Jordi Comas Teaching. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/24567742@N03/4475421910/

Konopacki. (Cartoonist). Overcrowding. [Cartoon]. Retrieved from http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.solidarity.com/hkcartoons/teachertoons/images/kono2DEC.gif

• Image found in a library database

If it is a single image you found in a search in a library database . If there are credits under the image for the author or the original publisher, that should be noted in the citation.

Creator name. (Role of creator). (Year of creation). Description or title of image. [Type of work]. Retrieved from Database Name.

Cusic-McClatchy, C. C. (Photographer). (2009). Middle School Sex Education Class. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from GALE Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

• If the image is part of an article , cite the source in your bibliography and follow the discussion of the image with an in-text reference to the published source. For non-standard presentation, such as Powerpoint, Wiki, etc., follow the reproduction of the image with a caption that includes (Article Author(s) Last Name, Year, p. xx, title of image)

Example: This would appear immediately following the reference to the image from the article, book, etc.

(Andrews & Sayers, 2006, p. 35, Table 1)

This would be the citation for the reference:

Andrews, P. & Sayers, J. (2006). Conditions for learning: Part 3. Mathematics Teaching, 199. 34-38. Retrieved from ProQuest Research Library.

• Music recording

Artist. (Year) Name of Song. On Name of Collection/Album [Medium of recording]. City, State: Recording Label Company.

Coldplay. (2000). Trouble. On Parachutes [iTunes]. EMI Records Ltd. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/parachutes/id23533494

Van Nuys, D. (Producer). (2007, December 19). Shrink rap radio [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.shrinkrapradio.com/

• Television show episode

Egan, D. (Writer), & Alexander, J. (Director). (2005). Failure to communicate [Television series episode]. In D. Shore (Executive producer), House . New York, NY: Fox Broadcasting.

• Live television broadcast

Crystal, L. (Executive Producer). (1993, October 11). The MacNeil/Lehrer news hour [Television broadcast]. New York and Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting Service.

• Motion Picture/Video

Grey, B., King, G., & Pitt, B. (Producers), & Scorsese, M. (Director). (2006). The Departed [Motion Picture]. United States: Plan B Entertainment.

Author Names

When citing an author with a hyphenated first name in order of appearance, use the first letter with period, then present the second letter preceded by a hyphen.

Author is Jean-Baptise Lamour      Reference citation style is  Lamour, J.-B.

Author is Ru-Jye Chuang                Reference citation style is   Chuang, R.-J.

Source:  APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, 6,27, p 184

If an author's first name is hyphenated, retain the hyphen and include a period after each initial. Do not put a space after the period of the first initial and the - preceding the second initial.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

APA Changes 6th Edition

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects APA 6, which is now out of date. It will remain online until 2021, but will not be updated. The equivalent APA 7 page can be found here .

The American Psychological Association (APA) updated its style manual in the summer of 2009. This resource presents the changes made between the fifth and sixth editions. Please note that the first printing of the APA sixth edition contained misprints; if you are using the APA manual, make sure you are using at least the second printing of the sixth edition. Traditionally, psychologists were the main users of APA, but recently, students and writers in other fields began using APA style. Therefore, the sixth edition was written with a broader audience in mind. The changes made to the sixth edition reflect this broader audience. This resource was created following the APA manual’s “What’s New in APA,” is organized according to the APA manual chapters, and highlights updates to the sixth edition that most concern student writers instead of those interested in publishing manuscripts. For a more complete discussion of the changes, please visit this site .

Levels of Heading

Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading.

Fifth Edition (Section 3.31 in the APA manual)

Sixth Edition (3.03)

For example, in a scientific report following APA style, a report contains three sections: Method, Results, and Discussion. Each of these sections start with level 1 headings:

Methods (Level 1)

Site of Study (Level 2)

Participant Population (Level 2)

Teachers. (Level 3)

Students. (Level 3)

Results (Level 1)

Spatial Ability (Level 2)

Test one. (Level 3)

Teachers with experience. (Level 4)

Teachers in training. (Level 4)

Test two. (Level 3)

Kinesthetic Ability (Level 2)

Reducing Bias in Language (3.11)

Using precise language is expected in scientific writing, and the sixth edition offers new ways in which to talk about research participants (note that “subjects” is still an acceptable term to use, but “participants” is more representative of the individuals’ roles in the research project).

Refer to participants at the appropriate level of specificity. The manual provides the example of using "women and men" to refer to all human beings instead of only using man. "Man" is appropriate to use when referring to one man, but not when referring to a population that includes men and women.  The APA Style Blog also includes a page that discusses the use a singular “they.” You can find it here .

Refer to participants how they wish to be called. Try to avoid labels if possible, but if this is not avoidable, be respectful. Focus on the people and not the label. For example, instead of labeling a group “the elderly" or "the arthritic," labels in which individuals are lost, try “older adults" or "a woman with arthritis."

Acknowledge participants’ participation while still following the rules in your field. For example, a cognitive psychology student might use the term “subjects” in her research report, but a nursing student might use the term “patients” to refer to those who participated in his research. Whatever term you choose to use, be sure you are consistent throughout your paper and with your field’s guidelines.

The Mechanics of Style

Spacing (4.01). Regarding punctuation in manuscript drafts, APA suggests using two spaces after periods ending sentences to aid readability.

One space: “Previous research shows that patients are interested in palliative care. This research project explores how to discuss palliative care with patients.

Two spaces: “Previous research shows that patients are interested in palliative care.  This research project explores how to discuss palliative care with patients.

Approximations (4.31-32). Use words to express approximations of days, months, and year.

I started spelunking about four years ago.

Reporting statistics (4.35, 44, and 10). Use a zero before the decimal point with numbers less than one when the statistic can be greater than one.

Do not use a zero before the decimal point when the number cannot be greater than one.

Include effect sizes and confidence intervals with statistics. This will allow the reader to more fully understand the conducted analyses.

Use brackets to group together confidence interval limits in both the body text and tables (5.15).

95% Cls [-7.2, 4.3], [9.2, 12.4], and [-1.2, -0.5]” (p. 94)

Displaying Results

The sixth edition includes a section (5.01) on the purpose of displaying data. This section can help you decide when and how to display your data. For example, your data might show that you are exploring data and information, or your data may serve a storage purpose for later retrieval. More than likely, though, your data will serve either a communication purpose to show you have discovered meaning in data and you want to show/communicate to others this meaning. Figures. Figures include graphs, charts, maps, drawings, and photographs. As a general rule, only include figures when they add to the value of the paper. If the figure merely repeats what is written in the paper, do not include it, as it does not add any new information to the paper. The sixth edition also emphasizes the importance of clearly labeling electrophysiological, radiological, and genetic data (sections 5.26 – 5.28 in the Publication Manual).

Direct Quotations (6.01-21)

The sixth edition provides explicit rules for direct quotations and states that you must credit the source when “paraphrasing, quoting an author directly, or describing an idea that influenced your work” (p. 170). If the quotation is less than 40 words, incorporate the quotation into the text and place quotation marks round the quotation. Cite the source immediately after the quotation and continue with the sentence.

Porter (1998) has stated that “The internetworked classroom has the potential (not yet realized) to empower students” (p. 5), and this research project examines this potential.

If the quotation you are using falls at the end of the sentence, enclose the quotation with quotation marks without including the quotation’s original punctuation. Here’s a sentence as it appears in the original text:

“Semantic frames/domains represent one of the two major organizing principles for conceptual structure” (Croft & Cruse, 2004, p. 32).

Here’s what the sentence looks like when quoted within a text:

In arguing for frame semantics, Croft and Cruse (2004) asserted, “Semantic frames/domains represent one of the two major organizing principles for conceptual structure” (p. 32).

If the quotation has more than 40 words, use a block quotation. Begin the quotation on a new line and indent a half-inch from the left margin. Double-space the entire quotation, and at the end of the quotation, provide citation information after the final punctuation mark.

John Nicholson (1820) anticipated this effect when discussing farming methods in the nineteenth century:

Perhaps it would be well, if some institution were devised, and supported at the expense of the State, which would be so organized as would tend most effectually to produce a due degree of emulation among Farmers, by rewards and honorary distinctions conferred by those who, by their successful experimental efforts and improvements, should render themselves duly entitled to them. (p. 92)

The Reference List

References that appear in the text must appear in the references list in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, with the exception of personal communication; only cite personal communication in the text, not in the reference list. Electronic sources (6.31). Because electronic publishing has become a standard in research, the sixth edition provides an overview of electronic sources and how to reference them, specifically with URLs and DOIs. URLs, more commonly known as a web address, locate information housed on the Internet. The fifth edition specified that references to electronic sources should refer to the article’s or document’s URL. However, they are prone to “breaking” or deleting, and to resolve issues associated with the unstable nature of URLs, publishers have started using DOIs with articles. For more details on how to cite electronic sources with following the sixth edition, consult your APA manual or the OWL’s resource on citing electronic sources . While citing from a webpage, you may not be able to find a page number to refer to, i.e., there is no pagination. Instead, refer to the paragraph number from which you are citing where you would usually insert a page number by using “para.” instead of “p.”. Be sure to include the author’s/s’ name/s and year, too, if applicable.

“The Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement” (Purdue OWL, 2010, “Mission,” para. 1).

“Mission” is used here to refer to the section in which this quote was found.

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• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 6th edition
• APA headings and subheadings (6th edition)

APA headings (6th edition) | How to use and format (example)

Published on November 7, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk .

A paper is usually divided into chapters and subsections. Each chapter or section has its own heading, and these headings provide structure to a document. As well as many other APA format requirements , there are specific guidelines for formatting headings to ensure that all papers are uniform and easy to read.

Table of contents

Apa heading formatting, apa headings example, using heading levels, aligning word’s heading styles to apa style, setting up in google docs.

The APA formatting guidelines for each heading style are outlined in the table below. APA recommends using 12pt. Times New Roman font for both the body text as the headings.

* Capitalize the first word of the title and all major words (including words that have four or more letters). Example: The Effects of Autism on Listening Skills. ** Capitalize the first word of the title and proper nouns (just as you would capitalize a sentence). An example: Teenagers with autism in the United States.

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The example shows the different heading levels according to APA style. Hover over the different headings to see the specific APA formatting guidelines. You can also download the APA heading Template to add the correctly formatted APA heading styles to Word.

Download APA Headings Template

The Effects of Smartphones on the Attention in Classrooms

This research aims to gain insight into the relationship between smartphones and students’ attention in classrooms. This chapter further discusses the research method, the sampling method and the data analysis procedure.

Research Method

In addition to an extensive literature review, 40 interviews were conducted for this study. The goal of conducting interviews was to find out how students looked at the use of smartphones in the classroom.

Sampling Method

A non-probability sample was used to gather participants for this research. The driving factors behind this decision were cost and convenience.

Procedure. Participants were given an introductory text prior to the survey. In this introductory text, the participants were informed that all answers would be processed anonymously.

Participant recruitment. Students who participated in this study were recruited through posts on the school’s Facebook page. As an incentive, students who participated were granted an exemption for writing an essay.

Participant assessment. Participants were selected based on their age and gender to acquire a representative sample of the population. Furthermore, students had to share additional demographic information.

Data Analysis

The interviews collected for this research were transcribed and then coded. Next, the coded interviews were analysed and compared. The statistical program SPSS was used to perform the analysis.

First Hypothesis

The first hypothesis was tested using a regression analysis that used attention in classrooms as the dependent variable and the use of smartphones as the independent variable. The results of this analysis showed that the attention of the student decreases when a smartphone is used.

Using the right heading levels not only helps readers navigate your paper, but also enables you to automatically generate an APA style table of contents in Word.

Use as many heading levels as you need. Some papers only have three heading levels, whereas others use all five. It’s also possible for one section (e.g. “methods”) to have more subheadings than other sections. When writing your paper or thesis, you will often use these heading levels:

Heading 1 : Use heading 1 for the main elements of your paper, such as the “methods,” “results,” “conclusion” and “discussion” sections.

Heading 2 : Use heading 2 for the subsections underneath heading 1. For example, under “methods,” include sections describing the “participant selection,” “experiment design’ and “procedure.”

Heading 3:  The heading 2 subsections (e.g. “procedure”) can be split up further into subsections such as “data collection” and “data processing.” Use heading 3 for these subsections.

Heading 4 and 5:  Depending on your paper, you can also use heading 4 and 5 for subsections that fall underneath heading 3 and 4, respectively.

Instead of formatting every heading individually, use Word’s built-in headings feature, which you can find in the toolbar at the top of your document. This is the easiest and fastest way to format all the headings in your paper.

By default, Word’s heading styles do not follow APA style. However, you can change the default settings by right-clicking on the heading style and selecting “modify.”

You can also download the Scribbr APA Heading Word template . When attaching this template to your Word document the correctly formatted APA headings are added and the heading formatting will automatically apply on all existing headings.

To attach the APA heading template to your Word document go ‘tools’ and ‘Templates and Add-ins’. Next, attach the downloaded template to the document and check the box ‘automatically update heading styles’.

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This video will demonstrate how to format different APA heading levels in Google Docs.

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Streefkerk, R. (2020, November 07). APA headings (6th edition) | How to use and format (example). Scribbr. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/6th-edition/archived-headings/

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