APA style, or APA format are the terms universally used to describe the writing style guidelines which are developed, maintained, revised and updated by the American Psychological Association (APA).

APA "Style" is a set of uniform standards and formats for punctuation, spelling, capitalization, word division, use of terms, etc. The elements that make up a "style" can be different from one language to another or even one group to another that use the same language. For example, the style of writing for poetry is different than the style used in writing articles for a professional periodical.

As in all documentation styles, APA style simply provides a standard format for giving credit to others for their contribution to your work. This is called "parenthetical" documentation style, meaning that citations to original sources appear in the body of your paper. This allows the reader to see immediately where your information comes from, and it eliminates the need for footnotes or endnotes.

APA is commonly used in both business and academia.  The history of APA can be traced back to 1928 when a group of editors and business managers of anthropological and psychological journals met to discuss the writing form of manuscripts. Over the years, the style has been refined and in 1952, a 60-page document was the first publication to carry the title Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and marked the beginning of APA style (Gelfand &Walker, 1994). Today the manual is in its fifth edition.

APA style incorporates all aspects of the writing and publishing process including: organizing, writing, formatting, keying, and submitting a manuscript for publication. It provides detailed direction on editorial style as well as on the standards for publishing research in conformity with ethical principles of publishing.

APA documentation (similar to the MLA style) calls for "in-text" citations of sources of information to be listed within the text of a manuscript where they are referenced, rather than in footnotes and endnotes.  APA style requires three kinds of information to be included in in-text citations:
          1.      The author's last name
          2.      The work’s date of publication
          3.      The page number

Numbers 1 & 2 must always appear in the in-text citation and these items must match exactly to the corresponding entry on the reference page.  Number three, the page number, is only listed in the in-text citation if a direct quote is used.

The Publication Manual (the book you should have in your possession already) is a combination of the guidelines known as APA Style. This guide gives instructions for documenting and formatting all written work for your program.  This manual is only a  reference book. As you can see when you thumb through it, it was not meant to be read cover to cover. Instead, use it as a reference just as you would a dictionary. Some advice here...check the examples in this reference book frequently as you produce written projects or have questions. They are extremely helpful! APA software that integrates with your word processor can also be purchased.  Check out  http://www.apastyle.org  for more details.

The main reason for using any style guide is simple: you want to be able to communicate your ideas clearly to others. Writing has two components: content and style. Content is what you say; while style is how you say it. If your paper is poorly prepared (lack of sources, grammatical errors, etc.) then the content of your paper will be lost.

There are many personal benefits to using the APA Style:

       1.      The Publication Manual is more than a list of rules and guidelines; it also contains advice on how to write. It will help you improve your
          written communication skills.
       2.      You will have more time to concentrate on the content of your papers because rules and guidelines are already established for
          complicated issues such as formatting references.
       3.      The Publication Manual offers a way to arrange your information. This will help with writer's block since you will have an outline to
          begin with instead of a blank computer screen.
       4.      If you follow the APA style guidelines, your writing will be free of most of the mechanical errors that can distract attention away from
          the content of your paper.
       5.      The more you use APA, the better you'll be with it. Your writing skills will improve with each paper you do, and you will have to
          consult the Manual less and less.
       6.      You will use APA style beyond the classroom. It is the professional accepted writing style in the business area. This includes
          doctoral study as well as other professional publications.
       7.      By using APA, you will increase your writing skills, which will lead to better grades!

As you can see from the above reasons, it is extremely important that you master APA style (Gelfand & Walker, 1994).

We're talking about writing and policies, there is another important one we take very seriously...ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. Your  College believes that both the faculty and students have very definite responsibilities in this area. The responsibility of the faculty member is to present the course materials in a fair and complete manner, in such a way as to ensure good assimilation of information and knowledge.

The instructor is charged with the primary responsibility of promoting academic integrity in the classroom environment. Instructors post information regarding their academic integrity policies in each course you take.

The student shares this responsibility. Your work, your performance, and your standards are all a part of this learning process. In support of the integrity of all concerned, every student is required to acknowledge that all written work submitted is original work, prepared specifically for the course. You should understand this to mean that work must be completed during this term, specifically for this course. Work previously submitted to another instructor or to complete requirements for another course is not acceptable without the expressed permission of the instructor concerned.

Academic integrity also implies that all sources from which you used data, ideas or words (quoted or paraphrased) are given the proper credit within your work. Basically, as a student you must ALWAYS submit work that represents your original words or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent your own work, you must cite all relevant sources. Again…you must cite everything that is not yours...this includes ideas, items you have paraphrased, as well as directo quotes. It is better to overcite than not all all!!!  This is where APA style comes in.

You must make it clear the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas that require citation include (but are not limited to) all hard copy or electronic publications (whether copyrighted or not) and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. For example…if you were to interview someone for a project you are working on…you must cite it in your paper.   All submissions to any virtual classroom or a private e-mail fall within the scope of words and ideas that require citations if used by someone other than the original author.

Academic dishonesty could involve:

1. Having a tutor or friend complete a portion of your assignment
2. Having a reviewer make extensive revisions to an assignment
3. Copying work submitted by another student to a public class meeting
4. Using information from on-line information services without proper citation
5. Having someone assist you in answering examination questions or cases, or having someone see/review/critique your answers prior to submitting those answers

The above list is not inclusive and individual instructors may also have their own rules regarding this subject. Be sure to check with your instructor if you have any questions regarding this issue. Violating the Academic Honesty policy may be as severe as dismissal from your College.

The remaining parts of this lecture are basic APA style tips (broken down into categories) from Dr. Jan Kennedy (1994) at Georgia Southern University.

Basic APA Rules

1.      Use a standard-size paper (8.5 x 11 inches).
2.      Always make a copy of your paper.
3.      Do not use folders. Staple the final copy in the top left corner.
4.      Double-space between all lines of the manuscript.
5.      Do not hyphenate words at the end of lines.
6.      Do not use contractions.
7.      If you are using a word processing program, make sure that your margins are not "right justified." Otherwise, you will have trouble with your spacing.
8.      Do not use a word processor to create underlining, bold, or other special fonts. Instead, use italics as APA requires.
9.      Use either Courier 12 pt. font or Times Roman 12 pt. font.

Margins

Uniform margins of one inch at the top, bottom, right, and left margins

Paragraph Indentations

Indent five to seven spaces for the first line of every new paragraph. The only exceptions to this are in the cases of block quotations, titles and headings, abstract, and table titles, and figure captions.

Order of Manuscript Pages

Number all pages except the figures consecutively. Arrange the pages of the manuscript as follows:
          ·        Title page (separate page, numbered 1)
          ·        Abstract (separate page, numbered 2)
          ·        Body of paper (start on new page, numbered 3)
          ·        References (start on new page)
          ·        Appendices (start on new page)
          ·        Tables (start on new page, each on a separate page)
          ·        Figure captions (start on a new page)
          ·        Figures (place each on a separate page)

Manuscript Page Header and Running Head

Pages occasionally get separated, so identify each manuscript page (except the figures) by typing the first two or three words from the title in the upper right-hand corner above or five spaces to the left of the page number. This is the page header.

The page header should not be confused with the running head, which goes only on the title page (one double space below the page header) and appears in the printed article. The running head is limited to 50 spaces.

Headings

Headings indicate the organization of a paper and establish the importance of each topic. Topics of equal importance are positioned consistently in the paper. A centered main heading is used to separate and identify the primary topic areas of the paper. Flush side headings and indented paragraph headings are only used when you wish to break the previous heading into two or more distinct topic areas.

Listing within a Paragraph

When you want to list items within a paragraph or sentence use lower case letters in parentheses as follows:
       (a)...(b)..., (c)...

Listing of Paragraphs

When you want to list paragraphs, such as itemized conclusions or successive steps in a procedure, number each paragraph or sentence with an Arabic numeral followed by a period as follows:

Begin with paragraph indention. Type second and succeeding lines flush with the left margin.

Spacing with Punctuation

Space once after punctuation as follows:
            after commas, colons, and semicolons
            after periods ending sentences
            after periods separating parts of a reference citation
            after periods used in initials of personal names

Most of us typically learned to use two spaces after a period. However, with APA style you will space only once after a period. Exception: no space after internal periods in abbreviations (i.e., a.m., U.S.)

Hyphens, Dashes, and Minus Signs

Hyphens: no space before or after (e.g., trial-by-trial) -dashes: type as two hyphens with no space before or after (e.g., Studies-published and unpublished-are....)-minus: type as a hyphen with space on both sides (e.g., a - b)

Numbers Used in Body of Paper

Numbers one through nine in sentences should be spelled out. Numbers 10 and greater should be typed as numerals, except where they begin a sentence.

Percent

Use the symbol for percent only when it is preceded by a numeral. Use the word percentage when a number is not given. (An exception is in table headings and figure legends, where the symbol % is used to conserve space.)

Nonsexist and Ethnically Unbiased Language

Guidelines have been developed by the APA to avoid sexism and ethnic bias in research writing. Generally, one should choose nouns, pronouns, and adjectives to eliminate the possibility of ambiguity in sex identity. Moreover, scientific writing should be free of implied or irrelevant evaluation of the sexes.  Below are a few examples.

       Incorrect usage
       The student is usually the best judge of the quality of the course he has taken.

       Correct usage
       Students are usually the best judges of the quality of the courses they have taken.

       Incorrect usage
       The mission of the Starship Enterprise is to go boldly where no man has gone before.

       Correct usage
       The mission of the Starship Enterprise is to go boldly where no one has gone before.

       Incorrect usage
       Ambitious men are more likely to achieve success in life; likewise, aggressive women are more likely to reach the top.

       Correct
       Ambitious individuals are more likely to achieve success in life.

Abbreviations

Do not abbreviate except for those formally accepted abbreviations such as Mr., Ms., Dr., Mrs., U.S., etc. Another exception is when you have one identifying name such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or a topic such as job satisfaction. You may abbreviate these if they are used throughout the paper by the following method: The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA); or job satisfaction (JS), after the first time the term is used in a paper.