APA Formatting Tips CSUB Department of Nursing Policy

1. APA Formatting TipsCSUB Department of Nursing Policy CSUB Department of Nursing 2014

2. APA Book & Electronic References Guide 6th edition &

3. Title Page – Department of Nursing • Elements of Page • Page # in upper right hand corner with a Page Header (page header is abbreviated title not student name) • Title: 10-12 words or less - describes the paper. Located in the upper half of the page • Student name • Institution • NO running head • NO instructor’s name or class name • NO date • NO author’s note or abstract

4. Page Header (not a Running Head) Example Title Page Title is in the Upper-Middle half of the page. Middle of Page

5. Formatting Tips • You will need to reset the automatic spacing of word documents, to 0 pt. before and after the lines otherwise the double spacing is not accurate. (You can format this under the paragraph settings menu) • You will need to change the font and size of the page header and page number. • Page numbers in word are automatically formatted in Calibri size 11. • You will need to go into the header and format your page header and page number to Times New Roman font, size 12.

6. Text • Set to the Left, with indents for new paragraphs. • Double-spaced throughout • Times New Roman, size 12 font • ALL margins 1” from body to edge of paper • You will need to set the margins to one inch, it is not the default • Pages numbered in sequence (starting w/1st page), so page 2 is 1st page of body of text • Page 2 text begins with FULL title, centered but not boldfaced (not level 1 heading)

7. Text Headings (table 3.1) p. 62 Level One (centered, boldface, Upper and lowercase heading) Level Two (flush Left, boldface, Upper and lowercase heading Level three. (indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.) – not often used

8. Text: Headings (example) Title of your Paper Not Boldface, not a heading. (NOT necessary to write “Introduction” as a heading; it’s understood. See APA p. 63) Body (level 1) Issue A (level 2) Issue B Issue C Conclusion

9. Summary & Additional Tips • Use 12-point font for entire paper • Times New Roman • Left justify ONLY • Margins 1” (top, bottom, left, & right) • Use page numbering function • See your Undergraduate Student Handbook, APA section for online resources.

10. Summary & Additional Tips • Save corrected papers to review changes & avoid same mistakes • Have someone else read your paper • A “proofreader” should help you recognize your errors—not rewrite your paper for you • Read your paper out loud • TAB YOUR BOOK for future use

11. APA –Writing Style APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition

12. Writing Style (p. 65) • Jargon (unnecessary tech language or euphemisms) • Wordiness (at the present time=now) • Redundancy (summarize briefly) • UnitLength (paragraph= >1 sentence, <1 page) • WordChoice (choose carefully) • Colloquialisms (practically all, hot & bothered, raining cats & dogs, down with that = ?) • Pronouns (avoid ambiguity) • Comparisons (structure carefully) • Attribution (avoid I, me, myself, us, we, ourselves, etc.)

13. Grammar (p. 77) • Agreement of Subject & Verb (p. 78) • Singular or Plural?: be consistent • Problem: She check her blood sugar regularly. • Solutions: checks, has checked, is checking

14. Grammar (p. 77) • Pronouns (p. 79) • Singular or Plural?: be consistent • Problem: A newly diagnosed diabetic patient should be taught to check their blood sugar regularly. • Solution #1: A newly diagnosed diabetic patient should be taught to check his or her blood sugar regularly. • Solution #2: Newly diagnosed diabetic patients should be taught to check their blood sugar regularly.

15. Grammar: Parallel form (p. 84) • Problem: • A patient who is recovering from GE should be advised to increase fluid intake, especially electrolyte-balanced drinks, introduce solid foods as tolerated, starting with bland foods such as the BRAT diet, spicy foods should be avoided, rest, and medications should be taken as directed. • Solution: • A patient who is recovering from GE should be advised to increase fluid intake, especially electrolyte-balanced drinks; introduce solid foods as tolerated, starting with bland foods such as the BRAT diet; avoid spicy foods; get adequate rest; and take medications as directed.

16. Reducing Bias in Language (p. 70) • Be sensitive to labels • Problem: “the schizophrenic” • Solution #1: “the schizophrenic patient” • Solution #2: “the person with a diagnosis of schizophrenia”

17. Reducing Bias in Language (p. 70) • Gender • Problem: “The nurse should remember that she is responsible for…” • Solution #1: “The nurse should remember that he or she is responsible for…” • Solution #2: “Nurses should remember that they are responsible for…” • Comment: avoid “male nurse” & “female doctor” unless necessary • Problem: The generic “he”

18. Punctuation (p. 87) • Avoid dashes, hyphens, slashes, italics, bold print, underlining, parentheses, extra punctuation, capital letters or quotation marks for emphasis • Solution: better word choice! • Use semicolons & colons carefully • When in doubt, end the sentence & start a new one

19. Capitalization (p. 101) Drug Names (p. 102) Trade Names are Capitalized Tylenol Motrin Benadryl Ativan generic names are not acetaminophen ibuprofen diphenhydramine lorazepam

20. Abbreviations (p. 106) • 1st use: term must be written out completely & followed immediately by its abbreviation in parentheses • Examples: • Kern Medical Center (KMC) • Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) • Use of periods with abbreviations correctly • Do not start a sentence with an abbreviation

21. Numbers (p. 111) • General rule: • 10+ use figures (10, 11, 12, etc.) • 9 or less use words (one, two, three, etc.) • Do not start a sentence off with a number Ex. Twelve participants consented to the study. • NOT: 12 participants consented to the study.

22. Numbers (p. 111) • Common number issues • Date: July 19, 2009 • Time: 8:00 a.m. • Age: • 18-year-old female (hyphen) • When she was 18 years old… (no hyphen) • Decade: • The 1990s (no apostrophe) • When she was in her 50s (no apostrophe)

23. Seriation (p. 63) • Always check APA before proceeding • Use letters to separate 3 or more elements within a paragraph or sentence: • The participant’s three choices were (a) …, (b) …, and (c) …. • Use numbers to identify separate paragraphs in a series: • Using learned helplessness theory, … participants would make the following judgments of control: • Individuals who… (continue to end of paragraph). • Nondepressed persons … (continue to end of paragraph).