School of Nursing  

 

 

 

TIPS FOR AVOIDING MISTAKES WHEN FOLLOWING APA GUIDELINES

The following are a few tips to avoid mistakes when following the American Psychological Association (APA) Manual (2001) for writing papers in the School of Nursing. This is not all inclusive so you WILL NEED TO PURCHASE AND READ THE MANUAL and use it in conjunction with these tips. This is intended to be an overview and help you in common areas where students have difficulties.  Sample title page following APA and School of Nursing Guidelines.

Citing references in the text (see pp. 120-121; 207-214 )

  • Cite only the essentials in the text (last name of author, year of publication) as the complete citation will be included on the References page:

In a recent study of reaction times (Rogers, 1998)…

Rogers (1998) compared reaction times…

  • If the reference has two authors, always cite the last names of both authors every time:

Gilbert and Harmon (1999) found ….

In a recent study (Gilbert & Harmon, 1999)…

  • When three to five authors are listed, cite all names for the first time;

Wilson, Shannon, and Stang (1996) found…

Name the first author and "et al." the second and subsequent times:

Wilson et al. (1996) found…

  • With six or more authors, only cite the first author and "et al." in every citation within the text:

Gordon et al. (1998) identified…

Researchers (Gordon et al., 1998) concluded…

Using "and" versus "&"

The ampersand is only used in full reference citations on the References page and within parentheses in the text:

Kaufman, J.R., & Wong, D. F. (1998) - References page

In a recent study (Kaufman & Wong, 1998)… - text

OR

Kaufman and Wong (1998) discovered…

Parenthetical punctuation

When a citation falls at the end of the sentence and utilizes parenthesis, place a period immediately outside of the parens:

…indicated the importance of breastfeeding education (Riordan & Auerbach, 1998).

Utilizing numerals versus numbers expressed in words

  • General rule of thumb, express numbers of nine and below with words; express numbers of 10 and above with figures:

Nolan completed three careplans on Friday

and 12 term papers on Sunday.

  • Many exceptions exist to this rule: (see pp. 122-130)

Never begin a sentence with a figure:

Fifty students volunteered.

OR

There were 50 student volunteers.

NOT

            50 students volunteered.

Abbreviations (see p. 103-111)

  • As a rule of thumb, use abbreviations only if they will help you communicate with the reader.
  • You must spell the term out initially and then may abbreviate it thereafter.
  • Do not use too many abbreviations or ones unfamiliar to the reader.

Quotations (see pp. 117-119)

  • Using a quotation

The reference following a quotation should always have the author(s) last name(s), year of publication, and specific page(s). The format will be different, depending on the length of the quote.

  • Shorter quotations

Double quotation marks are required at the beginning and end of a quote with less than 40 words. Include the reference information inside parenthesis and place the period at the end.

Ahrens identified "the health customs of the Hmong people in Tulsa" (1991, p.25).

  • Longer or block quotations

A block quotation, without double quotation marks, should be utilized with a quote over 40 words. Start the block quotation on a new line. Indent each line of the block 5 spaces from the left, and continue to double space the block as you have your entire paper.

According to Armstrong (1991):

Circumstances and decision-making for career-oriented women with tattoos are probably quite different from people with tattoos who are in the military or under extreme stress with criminal records and a history of psychiatric problems. Another cultural perspective of women with tattoos could decrease possession risk and negative labeling of those with differing values and beliefs. (p. 215)

References Page (see pp. 216-281)

  • The reference list follow your paper and is titled References.
  • It should be double spaced.
  • Use a hanging indent:  The first line of each reference is set flush left.  The following lines of the reference should be indented 5 spaces.  (see p.216, 299)
  • Alphabetize all entries on the reference list. Only references which were cited in the paper are placed on the reference page.
  • See pages 239-274 for samples of the most frequently utilized entries.

 

 Adapted from: American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

APA Publication Manual Website:  www.apastyle.org

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