53a APA format

Formatting the paper: The basics

A title page appears here; the full paper appears in section 53b.

Text reads As follows:

Running Head: Technology and Student-Centered Learning [A corresponding margin note reads, A running head consists of a title (shortened to no more than fifty characters) in all capital letters. On the title page, it is preceded by the label open quotes Running head. Close quotes Page numbers appear in the upper right corner.]

Technology and the Shift From Teacher-Delivered to Student-Centered Learning:

A Review of the Literature.

April Bo Wang.

Glen County Community College [A corresponding margin note reads, Full title, writer’s name, and school name are centered halfway down the page.]

Author Note: This paper was prepared for Education 107, taught by Professor Gomez. [A margin note reads, An author’s note lists specific information about the course or department and can provide acknowledgments and contact information.] Text below the annotated title page reads, Marginal annotations indicate A P A-style formatting and effective writing.

Text continues as follows:

Technology And Student-Centered Learning

Abstract

In recent decades, instructors and administrators have viewed student-centered learning as a promising pedagogical practice that offers both the hope of increasing academic performance and a solution for teacher shortages. Differing from the traditional model of instruction in which a teacher delivers content from the front of a classroom, student-centered learning puts the students at the center of teaching and learning. Students set their own learning goals. [A corresponding margin note reads, Use Times New Roman or another easy-to-read font.] [Another margin note reads, ‘For easy reading, use a 1-inch margin on all sides of the page, and double-space the text.’ One-inch margin and double-space are in bold typeface.]

Formatting the paper: Other concerns

Capitalization, italics, and quotation marks

In headings and in titles of works that appear in the text of the paper, capitalize all words of four letters or more (and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length). Capitalize the first word following a colon in a title or a heading. Capitalize the first word following a colon if the word begins a complete sentence.

In the body of your paper, italicize the titles of books, journals, magazines, and other long works, including websites. Use quotation marks around the titles of articles, short stories, and other short works named in the body of your paper.

NOTE: APA has different requirements for titles in the reference list. See “Preparing the list of references” later in this section.

Long quotations

When a quotation is forty or more words, indent one-half inch from the left margin. Double-space the quotation. Do not use quotation marks around it. (See 53b for an example.)

Footnotes

Insert footnotes using the footnote function of your word processing program. The number in the text should immediately follow a word or any mark of punctuation except a dash. The text of the footnote should be single-spaced.

Abstract and keywords

If your assignment requires an abstract—a 150-to-250-word summary paragraph—include it on a new page after the title page. Center the word “Abstract” (in bold) one inch from the top of the page. Double-space the abstract and do not indent the first line. (See the end of 53b for an example of an abstract.)

Headings

Although headings are not always necessary, their use is encouraged in the social sciences. For most undergraduate papers, one level of heading is usually sufficient. (See 53b.)

First-level headings are centered and boldface. In research papers and laboratory reports, the major headings are “Method,” “Results,” and “Discussion.” In other types of papers, the major headings should be informative and concise, conveying the structure of the paper.

Second-level headings are left-aligned and boldface. Third-level headings are left-aligned, italic, and boldface.

In all headings, capitalize the first and last words and all words of four or more letters (and nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs of any length).

First-Level Heading Centered

Second-Level Heading Aligned Left

Third-Level Heading Aligned Left

Visuals

APA classifies visuals as tables and figures (figures include graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs). Place each visual after the paragraph in which it is called out, or on the following page if it does not fit on the same page as the callout.

Tables

Number each table (Table 1, Table 2) and provide a clear title. The label and title should appear on separate lines above the table, flush left and double-spaced. Type the table number in bold font; italicize the table title.

Table 2

Effect of Nifedipine (Procardia) on Blood Pressure in Women

If you have used data from an outside source or have taken or adapted the table from a source, give the source information in a note below the table. Begin with the word “Note,” italicized and followed by a period. If you use lettered footnotes to explain specific data in the table, those footnotes begin on a new line after the source information.

Figures

Like tables, number each figure in bold and include a title in italic font. If you have taken or adapted the figure from an outside source, give the source information in a note underneath the figure, starting with the word “Note” in italic and followed by a period. Use the term “From” or “Adapted from” before the source information. Notes can also give additional information or context for the figure.

Preparing the list of references

Begin your list of references on a new page at the end of the paper. Center the title “References” in bold one inch from the top of the page. Double-space throughout. For a sample reference list, see 53b.

Indenting entries

Type the first line of each entry at the left margin and indent any additional lines one-half inch.

Alphabetizing the list

Alphabetize the reference list by the last names of the authors (or editors) or by the first word of an organization name (if the author is an organization). When a work has no author or editor, alphabetize by the first word of the title other than “A,” “An,” or “The.”

If your list includes two or more works by the same author, arrange the entries by year, the earliest first. If your list includes two or more works by the same author in the same year, arrange the works alphabetically by title. Add the letters “a,” “b,” and so on within the parentheses after the year. For journal articles, use only the year and the letter: (2012a). For articles in magazines and newspapers, use the full date and the letter in the reference list: (2012a, July 7); use only the year and the letter in the in-text citation.

Authors’ names

Invert all authors’ names and use initials instead of first names. Separate the names with commas. For two to twenty authors, use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name. For twenty-one or more authors, give the first nineteen authors, three ellipsis dots, and the last author (see item 3 in 52b).

Titles of books and articles

In the reference list, italicize the titles and subtitles of books and other stand-alone works. Do not italicize or use quotation marks around the titles of articles. For both books and articles, capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle (and all proper nouns). Capitalize names of journals, magazines, and newspapers as you would normally (see 39c).

Abbreviations for page numbers

Abbreviations for “page” and “pages” (“p.” and “pp.”) are used before page numbers of selections in anthologies (see item 24 in 52b). Do not use “p.” or “pp.” before page numbers of articles in journals and magazines (see items 11 and 12 in 52b).

Breaking a URL or DOI

Do not insert any line breaks into URLs or DOIs (digital object identifier). Any line breaks that your word processor makes automatically are acceptable. Do not add a period at the end of the URL or DOI.