APA Writing Style Guidelines: Formatting and Citation Rules | Cheat Sheet English Language

APA Major Guidelines (Mechanics of Style)

The following contain the most important guidelines in APA. Learn them by heart so your

articles will be clearer, more effective, and importantly, more apt with the times. (NB: A space has

been provided for you in between the following items. You could use the spaces for your notes).

1. The manuscript should be written in double-space to provide ease of reading, and possible space

where comments and corrections could be written. On the other hand, table titles and headings,

figure captions, references, footnotes, and long quotations are single-spaced. In addition, double-

spacing is done in between references.

2. Nowadays, there is only one footnote in a manuscript. It could be found at the bottom of the first

page, and it provides information about the author. It is also called author’s note. Perhaps the

reason why footnotes have become unpopular among writers and readers is its inconvenience.

3. Figures and tables are placed where they are needed inside the text. However, for manuscripts

submitted for publication, they are often placed at the end.

4. References are written following a hanging indent format. They should also be alphabetized. They

are not numbered, nor in bullet form.

For example:

Dizon, P.V. (2013). Looking back and looking beyond: Perspectives of a human

being who has seen it all. New York: Prentice-Hall.

5. Acronyms are explained the first time they are used in the text. In succeeding use, give the

acronym only. For instance, American Psychological Association (APA). If it is used again, write

APA only. Common acronyms like (IQ, REM, ESP) are no longer explained.

6. Use hr for hours, min for minutes, s for seconds, m for meter or meters. They should be in plain

text, and not highlighted. There should also be no period, and no s to indicate plurality.

For example:

The travel of the hare on foot was recorded at 3 hr and 25 min.

7. Latin terms are not abbreviated in the text unless they occur inside parentheses.

Inside Parentheses Outside Parentheses

cf. compare

e.g. for example

etc. and so forth

i.e. that is

viz. namely

For example:

ACCEPTABLE: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction, namely Bisaya,

Kapampangan, and Pangasinan.

OR: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction (viz., Bisaya, Kapampangan,

and Pangasinan.)

NOT ACCEPTABLE: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction, viz. Bisaya,

Kapampangan, and Pangasinan.

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APA Major Guidelines (Mechanics of Style) The following contain the most important guidelines in APA. Learn them by heart so your articles will be clearer, more effective, and importantly, more apt with the times. (NB: A space has been provided for you in between the following items. You could use the spaces for your notes).

The manuscript should be written in double-space to provide ease of reading, and possible space where comments and corrections could be written. On the other hand, table titles and headings, figure captions, references, footnotes, and long quotations are single-spaced. In addition, double- spacing is done in between references.
Nowadays, there is only one footnote in a manuscript. It could be found at the bottom of the first page, and it provides information about the author. It is also called author’s note. Perhaps the reason why footnotes have become unpopular among writers and readers is its inconvenience.
Figures and tables are placed where they are needed inside the text. However, for manuscripts submitted for publication, they are often placed at the end.
References are written following a hanging indent format. They should also be alphabetized. They are not numbered, nor in bullet form. For example: Dizon, P.V. (2013). Looking back and looking beyond: Perspectives of a human being who has seen it all. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Acronyms are explained the first time they are used in the text. In succeeding use, give the acronym only. For instance, American Psychological Association (APA). If it is used again, write APA only. Common acronyms like (IQ, REM, ESP) are no longer explained.
Use hr for hours, min for minutes, s for seconds, m for meter or meters. They should be in plain text, and not highlighted. There should also be no period, and no s to indicate plurality. For example: The travel of the hare on foot was recorded at 3 hr and 25 min.
Latin terms are not abbreviated in the text unless they occur inside parentheses. Inside Parentheses Outside Parentheses cf. compare e.g. for example etc. and so forth i.e. that is viz. namely For example: ACCEPTABLE: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction, namely Bisaya, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan. OR: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction (viz., Bisaya, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan.) NOT ACCEPTABLE: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction, viz. Bisaya, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan.

AND: A number of Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction, (namely, Bisaya, Kapampangan, and Pangasinan. ) EXCEPT: Dizon et al. (2014) argue that some Philippine languages are on the verge of extinction. (Note that et al. is abbreviated even if it occurs outside the parentheses.)

Degree titles and organization names such as PhD and APA should not contain periods within.
Measurements like lb, ft, s should not contain period except in. for inches. Not placing the period mark after in will make it appear as a preposition. For example: The weight of the chicken was 5 lb before refrigeration.
Major words and all words of four letters or more are capitalized in headings, titles, and subtitles. For example: Table 1. Estimated Amount of Gold Ore in Balatoc Mines
Laws, theories, and hypotheses are not capitalized: law of gravity, or language theories.
Commas should be indicated before and in lists. For example: CLSU, UP, and UB
Commas should separate the author from the date of publication in a citation. For example: The hospitality industry is one of the booming businesses in the Philippines (Dizon, 2013).
The following prefixes always require a hyphen: Hyphen Example All- all-powerful leader Ever- ever-faithful friend Ex- ex-lover; ex-boyfriend Great- great-grandfather Half- half-baked plan Much- much-loved Filipino saint Self- self-reliant individual Still- still-active volcano
Titles of books and the names of journals, newspapers, and magazines in references; species names; special terms; keywords; and labels (the first time they occur only); letters used as statistical symbols; and volume numbers in references should be italicized.
Commonly used foreign abbreviations like (e.g., vice versa, et al., a priori) are not to be italicized. For example: Thirty universities in the country (e.g., UST, La Salle, Ateneo, and CLSU) have applied for an increase in miscellaneous fees.
Numbers that occur at the beginning of sentences are spelled out. For example:

A short version of the original title is used in the citation. Reference : Pork Barrel Has Stirred the Hornet’s Nest. (2013, May 8). Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. 18-20. Citation : (Merriam-Webster, 2013) Reference: Merriam-Webster collegiate dictionary (10th^ ed.). (2013). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster. Note: The second line of the reference uses a hanging indention.

Books – Author (Tolentino, 2014) OR Tolentino (2014) concludes that …… Tolentino, R. (2014). Building a home. New York: International Universities Press. Note: The title of the book is italicized; only the first word is capitalized except for proper nouns. The city of publication comes first before the publisher. There is always a period after the publisher.
Edition other than the first (Dizon & Tolentino, 2014) OR Dizon and Tolentino (2014) state that ... Note: When the authors are introduced, use ‘and’, not the ampersand (&). Dizon, P., Jr. & Tolentino, R. V. (2014). How to plant rice. (4th ed.). New York: Random House_._
Editor as author in an edited book (Dizon, 2014) Dizon, P. V. (Ed.). (2014). The marriage of literature and linguistics. New York: Wiley.
Group Author (Central Luzon State University [CLSU], 2014); next citation: (CLSU, 2014) Central Luzon State University. (2014). Admission protocol for freshmen students (3rd^ ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. Note: When the “Author” is also publisher, use “Author”. Otherwise, indicate the appropriate publisher.

Three – Five Authors (Dizon, Tolentino, & Dulay, 2013); next citation: (Dizon et al., 2013) Note: List all the 3-5 authors in the first citation; use the ‘lead author and et al.’ in subsequent citations. Dizon, P.V., Tolentino, R.V., & Dulay, M. (2013). Somewhere over the Philippine rainbow. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Six or More Authors (Dizon et al., 2014) Dizon et al. (2014) claim……… Dizon, P., Tolentino, R., Dulay, M., Cacapit, M., Reyes, G., Veloria, M., et al. (2014). The levels of happiness. Journal of Life, 3, 140-145. Note: List only up to 6 authors in the reference. If there are more than six authors, provide the first six PLUS et al. The other authors in excess of 6 are not mentioned. In the citation, mention the lead author ONLY plus et al.
Chapter in an edited book (Tolentino, 2013) Tolentino, R.V. (2013). Language ripples. In P. Dizon & M. Dulay (Eds.). The Linguistic Factor ( 3 rd^ ed., pp. 599-658). New York: Random House. Note: Editors’ names go in their normal order, not reversed like author’s names.
Online Journal (Dizon, 2013) Dizon, P. V. (2013, May 8). Pangasinan word classes. Journal of Linguistics, 5 (20), 1-4. Retrieved January 1, 2013, from http://www.linguistics-pang.com/content/2/1/ Note: Do not place a period after the URL address.
Newspapers (when the author is named, use the following; if not, please see format in #1) (Tolentino, 2012)

APA Writing Style Guidelines: Formatting and Citation Rules, Cheat Sheet of English Language

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