West LibertyUniversity
West LibertyUniversity
Department of Nursing Program
6th Edition APA Format
Information
The
official source for formatting papers required in WLU nursing classes is the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). This style sheet attempts to cover the most
common formatting issues that students encounter. For additional information, students should
consult the Publication Manual.
Paper Set-up:
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Typeface: Times New Roman
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Font size: 12
-
Line spacing: Double space entire paper
-
Margins:
1 inch at the left, right, top, and bottom of every page -
Paragraphs:
Indentation settings for paragraphs/headings five to seven spaces
Title Page:
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Numbered as page 1 using Arabic numerals
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Information to include:
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Title of paper in upper and lower case letters (
12 words or less) -
Author’s Name (your name)
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Institutional affiliation (WestLiberty
University)
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This information should be centered, and positioned
in the upper half of page -
Running head: The abbreviated title; top flush
left; maximum of 50 characters (counting letters, punctuation, and spaces
between words); uppercase letters; appears on title page and all
subsequent pages
(see
full page example on the next page)
Running head: EFFECTS
ON NURSING BY COMPETENCY RULES
1
Effects
on Nursing by the Competency Rules of Accrediting Bodies
Mary
Anne Harkins
WestLiberty
University
3
Heading Levels:
(Ways to organize subject matter)
-
The Introduction does not need a “Heading”
-
With 1, 2,
or 3 levels use the following examples:
Level one: Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Words
Example:
The Pathophysiology of Pancreatitis
In
assessing the patient with acute pancreatitis, it is necessary to understand
the pathophysiology behind the signs and symptoms. Pancreatic enzymes are inappropriately
activated within the pancreas. Therefore,
inappropriate breakdown of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates occur within the
pancreas itself…………………………………
Level two: Flush left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Words
Example:
Associated
Signs and Symptoms
The
hallmark symptom of acute pancreatitis is persistent abdominal pain that is not
relieved by vomiting. Signs of
hypovolemia also accompany the abdominal pain…..
Level three: Indented, Boldface, lowercase except for the first word and with a
period at the end of the heading, then continue content 2 spaces after the
period.
Example:
Supportive measures. Supportive measures
include pain management, aggressive fluid replacement, and psychological
support.
4
Body of Work:
(Basic Rules)
-
A good general rule in writing is that you always
include and introduction of the content and end with a conclusion or
summary of the content, even when not specifically asked. -
Do not leave a heading only at the bottom of a
page. It should be taken to
the
next page.
-
If you start a new paragraph on the bottom of a
page – do not leave only
one line. That line should be taken to the next page.
-
Do not carry only the last line of a paragraph to a
new page. Carry at least two lines. -
Paragraphs must be at least three sentences.
-
Please proof read work for grammar and content.
APA rules on the use of numbers:
-
Use the digit for numbers 10 and above. (e.g.,
33) -
Use the words for numbers less than 10. (e.g., nine)
-
Use numbers when they are followed by a unit of
measurement. (e.g., 5 mg) -
Use the number with other numbers grouped in a
sentence with numbers greater than 10 or above. (e.g.,
there were 7 blocks…………..in 12 blocks)
-
Use numbers that denote a specific place in a
numbered series (books, volumes, table)
(e.g., Trial 3, Chapter 5) -
Use numbers if they represents time, dates, age,
sample size, exact money, etc.
5
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Use words for numbers that begin a sentence, title
or heading. Twenty Men of Honor -
Use words for common fractions. (e.g.,
one fifth of the class) -
Use
numbers and not Roman numerals, unless specifically part of the title
Referencing sources in text
(citations)
-
Direct
Quotes: quotes that are fewer than
40 words:
Example: Kertcher (2007) states, “The blood is not
always bluer on the other
side” (p. 125).
-
Direct
Quotes: quotes that are more than
40 words: freestanding block,
all indent throughout, double space and omit the quotation marks.
Example:
Foster and Merritt (2009) found the
following:
The angels
seemed to be perceived as glowing and floating about the air. However, when asked to describe a color, the
participants often were unable to distinguish red, blue, purple, yellow, or
white. As well, when asked if these
entities moved or hovered, it seemed that they did neither yet was always just
out of reach. (p. 58).
6
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Paraphrasing: This is using your own words to
summarize or explain another’s work.
The author must be credited and the reference must appear in the
reference list.
Example: Rivers and Nigel (2008) discovered that the
general feeling of the
tribe was
paternalistic.
Example: The gender battle is neither old nor new in
philosophy (Miles and
Craig, 2009).
-
Tables, charts, skill sheets, models, graphs, etc.
must be cited in text.
Direct Quotes (Basic Rules)
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When using a direct quote, always include the page
number in which the quote came from.
-
If there is no page number (for example a brochure
or internet site), use the paragraph number in the citation. e.g., (Ckekler, 2008, para. 5). -
Personal
Communications (Interviews): do
not include in reference list. DO
cite the person in text:
Example: B. Jones (personal communication, February
20, 2009) referred to the standards of care for the patients.
7
In-text
Citations (Basic Rules)
-
With every citation include author and year.
-
Once a citation has been made, you must cite the
same source within the same paragraph with the author and year again. -
If there are 2 authors, always cite both
-
If there are 3, 4, or 5 authors, cite all authors
the first time, then with subsequent authors cite only the first author
followed by et al., year Example: Smith et al., 2004 -
If there are 6 or more authors, cite only the last
name of the first author followed by et al., and the year for all
citations. -
If a group serves as an author (corporation,
associations, etc.), spell out the group name each time or if it is a well
known abbreviation cite the following:
Example: (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH,
2008)
And then abbreviate it thereafter as
NIMH (2008)
-
If there are no authors, move the title to the
author position, and alphabetize the first word of the title and the year. -
If the author is “Anonymous” begin the entry with
the word Anonymous spelled out and alphabetize the entry as if a true
name.
8
Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source:
-
Give the secondary source in the reference list; in
text, name the original work, and give a citation for the secondary
source.
Example: If Seidenberg and McClelland’s
work is cited in Coltheart et al. and you did not read the work cited, list the
Coltheart et al. reference in the References.
In the text, use the following citation as an example:
Seidenberg and McClelland’s study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins,
& Haller, 2009) explores the dual-route and parallel-distributed processing
approach to client interviewing.
Reference
List vs
Bibliography:
-
A reference list cites work that specifically
supports the content of your work. -
A bibliography cites and includes work that is used
for background and further reading.
-
Every reference that is cited in text must appear
in the reference list. -
Every entry in a reference list must be
cited in-text. -
The reference list or Bibliography is to be double
spaced and arrange entries in alphabetical order by last name of the first
author. -
For entries with multiple authors, do not alter the
order of the authors for the original text. -
The reference page is to be numbered and titled as
References, two lines (or a double space) below the page number,
and it is to be centered.
9
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Regarding publisher location: Give city and state abbreviation
according to U.S. Postal Service abbreviations if located in theUnited States. If located outside of theUnited States
give city and country.
Reference List Entries:
-
Book with
ONE Author:
Gilster, P. (2008). Digital literacy. New York,NY:
John Wiley & Sons.
-
Book with
MORE than One Author:
Forell, C. A., & Matthews, D.
M. (2009). A law of her own: The reasonable woman as a
measure of man. New York,NY:New
YorkUniversity
Press.
-
Book with
Editions:
Huskey, T., & Maury, J.
(2007). We must talk to hear ourselves: The introduction to
listening skills (2nd
ed.). New York,NY:
McGraw-Hill.
-
Brochure,
corporate author:
U.S.Department of Health and Human
Services, National Institutes of Health, National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2008).
Managing asthma: A guide for schools
(NIH
Publication No. 02-1002).Washington,
DC: Government Printing Office.
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Encyclopedia
Reference (dictionaries, etc.), with no author listed:
Special education. (2007). In The
new encyclopaedia Britannica (Vol 11, pp. 75-76).
Chicago,IL:
Encyclopaedia Britannica.
10
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Journal
Article:
Jones, J. J., & Fritter, R. L.
(2005). The remaking of the
organizational hierarchy in
the millennium. Journal of Healthcare Management, 45
(2), 10-22.
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Magazine
Article:
Keller, R., Peters, K., &
Knowlton, Y. (2005, November 10).
Magnesium: The
forgotten electrolyte. Science Magazine, 220, 999-1002.
-
Newspaper
Article:
Many doctors shun patients with
Medicare. (2005, March 17). The New York
Times,
p. A1.
Schwartz, J. (2007, September
30). Obesity affects economic, social
status. The
Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.
-
Online
Article:
Begley, S., Underwood, A., Springen,
K., & Gesalman, A. (2007). The
schizophrenic
mind. Newsweek, 139(10), 44-57.
Retrieved from http://search.epnet.com
-
Web Site:
B-type naturetic peptide in
congestive heart failure (2008, October). Retrieved from
http://www.bnpchf.org/elecref.html
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Online
Reference Work (Encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.) with author
Hutchinson, M. (2008). Hydrocephalus. In Deluxe (Ed.). The New American
encyclopedia (Fall 2009 ed.). Retrieved from
http://enclyopedia.stanford.edu/hydrocephalus/
11
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Online
Reference Work (Encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.) no author or editor
Hydrocephalus. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th
ed.). Retrieved from
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/hydrocephalus
ADDITIONAL ADVISE:
v
Use only refereed (Professional, credible) sources. When in doubt—check it out (with a Faculty
member).
v
For additional 6th Edition APA style information, refer to
the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association OR use the following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu
v
According to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (APA Ethics Code Standard 8:11) researchers/authors/writers
do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit
where credit is due. To not follow
this code is PLAGIARISM.
Revised 1/2010
Reviewed