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SCRIVERE LA TESI NEL FORMATO DI PUBBLICAZIONE RICHIESTO DALLA AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA)
La tesi va scritta con un software di word processing (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Wordpad o Open Office Writer). Open Office è un software gratuito, che può essere scaricato dal sito http://it.openoffice.org/download/. Questa guida fornisce le indicazioni per impostare correttamente i margini, i titoli, le note e i riferimenti bibliografici.
Il formato APA consiste in una serie di convenzioni per la formattazione del testo degli articoli scientifici. Fornisce istruzioni dettagliate per i riferimenti nel testo, le citazioni bibliografiche, l'impaginazione, etc. E' adottato come stile di riferimento non solo dalle riviste di psicologia piùprestigiose, ma anche da quelle di altre discipline (per esempio, medicina e biologia) e la ragione fondamentale è che rappresenta un formato di scrittura standard che rende facilmente leggibile il testo, e conseguentemente permette una migliore e più rapida trasmissione delle informazioni. Il futuro psicologo professionista deve quindi essere in grado di realizzare un elaborato in questo formato.
La tesi di laurea necessita ad ogni modo di alcuni adattamenti rispetto al formato APA originale, che verranno indicati nelle pagine che seguono. La prima fondamentale è il frontespizio, che per la tesi di laurea nella facoltà di Scienze della Formazione dell'Università di Genova è standard e può essere scaricato dal sito www.sdf.unige.it/documenti/frontespizio.doc.
Per le tesi triennali non è previsto il correlatore
IMPOSTARE LA PAGINA
Numerare tutte le pagine, impostando la giustificazione in basso al centro (per gli articoli scientifici, invece, è in alto a destra)
Impostare i margini della pagina 2,5 cm su tutti i lati. La tesi, poi, va rilegata, quindi impostare a 1cm il margine della rilegatura
2,5 cm + 1 cm rilegatura
2,5
cm
Impostare la spaziatura doppia (2) fra le righe
Il testo deve essere scritto in corpo (CPI) 12, con font non particolarmente stravaganti. I classici sono Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, Tahoma.
L'inizio di ogni nuovo paragrafo deve essere "indentato. Basta premere TAB ogni volta che si ricomincia a scrivere dopo essere andati a capo (può anche essere impostato automaticamente)
Per modificare impostazioni della pagina in Word, occorre aprire il menu File → Imposta Pagina
Mentre in Open Office Writer occorre aprire il menu Formato → Pagina. Impostare il margine sinistro a 3,5 cm per avere un 1 cm in più per la rilegatura
Per inserire i numeri di pagina in Word aprire il menu Inserisci → Numeri di pagina
In Open Office Writer è leggermente piùcomplesso inserire i numeri di pagina.
(1) Aprire il menu Inserisci → Pie' di pagina→ Standard.
(2) Verrà visualizzato un campo a pie'della pagina. Posizionare il cursore in questo campo.
(3) Aprire il menu Inserisci → Controllo di campo → Numero di pagina
(4) Centrarlo con il tasto per la giustificazione al centro
I titoli dei capitoli vanno in grassetto e con un numero che li contraddistingua
I titoli dei sottocapitoli vanno in corsivo e anch'essi con un numero che indichi il capitolo (primo numero) e il sottocapitolo (secondo numero, dopo il punto).
Ulteriori sottocapitoli devono essere numerati di conseguenza, ad esempio:
1.1.1. La sinergetica in Italia
Nel testo deve essere sempre chiaramente indicato a quale testo si sta facendo riferimento. La mancata indicazione del riferimento bibliografico da cui si sta traendo l'informazione implica che l'autore stia esprimendo un suo contenuto originale: se non è questo il caso, è passibile di accusa di plagio
Le IN-TEXT CITATIONS nel formato APA sono di tipo parentetico, per cui quando si parafrasa una fonte non c'èbisogno di inserire tutte le informazioni relative ad essa: basta autore(i) e anno della pubblicazione
Il numero di pagina è però necessario dopo l'anno di pubblicazione quando si proponga una citazione letterale, che a sua volta deve essere inserita fra virgolette
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Sherrington (1906) aveva osservato che i riflessi semplici sono sempre combinati in armonie unitarie più grandi, ossia in azioni, la cui continuità temporale costituisce il comportamento dell’individuo.
oppure
i riflessi semplici sono sempre combinati in armonie unitarie più grandi, ossia in azioni, la cui continuitàtemporale costituisce il comportamento dell’individuo (Sherrington, 1906)
Se si fa una parafrasi, citare le fonti inserendo nome(i) (anno) nel testo, oppure tutto fra parentesi alla fine del paragrafo/periodo
Se si fa una citazione letterale, occorre anche la pagina da cui è stata tratta
Se le pagine della citazione sono più di una, occorrono 2 lettere "p"
Un sistema può essere considerato come “un qualche oggetto formato da una collezione di elementi, di parti, che è concepito come un’entità singola” (Luccio, 1998, p. 119).
oppure
Secondo Luccio (1998) un sistema può essere considerato come “un qualche oggetto formato da una collezione di elementi, di parti, che è concepito come un’entità singola”(pp. 119-120).
Se si cita in inglese e si vuole inserire la traduzione, questo può essere fatto fra parentesi, indicando la fonte della traduzione (libro) oppure segnalando che èstata realizzata da chi scrive (con la dicitura "traduzione mia")
Come sostiene Miller (2000), "the central question for anevolutionary personality psychology is: how do psychological differences relate to fitness?" (pp. 12-13, "la domanda fondamentale che si pone la psicologia evoluzionistica della personalità è: quale relazione esiste fra differenze individuali e adattamento all'ambiente?", traduzione in Rossi, 2003, p. 230)
oppure
Come sostiene Miller (2000), "the central question for anevolutionary personality psychology is: how do psychological differences relate to fitness?" (pp. 12-13, "la domanda fondamentale che si pone la psicologia evoluzionistica della personalità è: quale relazione esiste fra differenze individuali e adattamento all'ambiente?", traduzione mia)
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Patten e Auble (1981) propongono una definizione di sistema come un set parzialmente interconnesso di componenti, rimarcando come la complessità di un sistema derivi da come si configurano le relazioni tra le sue componenti.
oppure
Un sistema può essere definito come un set parzialmente interconnesso di componenti (Patten & Auble, 1981)
Se gli autori sono DUE, vanno citati entrambi con la congiunzione "e" fra i nomi. Quando i nomi vengono citati fra parentesi, devono essere separati dalla "e commerciale" &
Se gli autori sono da TRE a CINQUE, vanno indicati tuttila prima volta che vengonocitati nel capitolo. Nellaparentesi, ci vuole sempre la & prima dell'ultimo nomecitato.
Dalla seconda volta in avantidopo il primo nome si puòinserire "et al." (da latino et alii, ossia "e altri)
La prima volta
Kelso, Ding e Schöner (1992) hanno applicato questo tipo di sistema ai problemi riguardanti la popolazione degli insetti
oppure
Questo tipo di sistema è stato applicato in etologia, nei problemi riguardanti la popolazione degli insetti (Kelso, Ding & Schöner, 1992)
Dalla seconda volta in avanti
Kelso et al. (1992) hanno mostrato la rilevanza teorica del modello animale anche nel caso degli esseri umani
oppure
La rilevanza teorica del modello animale è stata mostrata anche nel caso degli esseri umani (Kelso et al., 1992)
Se gli autori sono SEI o più, la prima volta vengono citati i primi cinque seguiti da "etal.".
Dalla seconda volta si cita come nel caso da 3 a 5 autori
Kelso, Ding, Schöner, Stroeber, Stadler, et al. (1992)hanno applicato questo tipo di sistema ai problemi riguardanti la popolazione degli insetti
oppure
Questo tipo di sistema è stato applicato in etologia, nei problemi riguardanti la popolazione degli insetti (Kelso, Ding, Schöner, Stroeber, Stadler, et al., 1992)
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Alcuni studi indicano che certi ormoni della carne possonoinfluire sul ciclo mestruale delle donne (“Vegetarianism,”2001).
Se l'autore è sconosciuto, utilizzare la prima parola piùimportante del TITOLO della pubblicazione a cui si faràriferimento in bibliografia
FONTI INDIRETTEIndicare la fonte da cui si ètratto quanto riferito nel testo
Barr riferisce che le donne non vegetariane tendono ad avere più disturbi a livello sub-clinico (citato in Weisenthal, 1995).
oppure
Barr riferisce che "le donne non vegetariane tendono ad avere più disturbi a livello sub-clinico" (citato in Weisenthal, 1995, p.57 ).
Per ulteriori casi particolari, vedere le pagine più avanti
BIBLIOGRAFIA
La spaziatura doppia non è necessaria, soprattutto se i riferimenti sono numerosiPer ordinare i riferimenti bbiliografici basta utilizzare la funzione di ordinamento (vedi oltre come si imposta)
Le voci vannoelencate in ordinealfabetico in base al cognome del primo autore. Dopo ognicognome, civa la virgola, l'iniziale(i) del nome puntata, virgola, cognome del secondoautore, etc.
Utilizzare il rientro di 1 cm per le righe dalla seconda in poi (vedi oltre come siimposta)
Gli indirizzi deisiti possonoessere moltolunghi, e non stanno tutti suuna riga: nelcaso, dar un invio dopo unadelle slash ("/") per andare allarigasuccessiva
L'indicazione "pp." ènecessaria solo per i capitolidi libri, non per gli articoli
Per i dettagli di ogni possibile tipo di voce bibliografica si veda più avanti
BIBLIOGRAFIA
Per ordinare automaticamente i riferimenti bibliografici in Word, selezionare tutto il testo, scritto di seguito e senza alcuna impostazione particolare, e andare su Tabella → Ordina:
Selezionare "Ordina per Paragrafi", "Tipo: Testo", e crescente, poi OK
Per indentare le righe successive alla prima di ogni riferimento, sempre dopo aver selezionato tutti riferimenti andare su Formato → Paragrafo e nel riquadro RIENTRI selezionare "Speciale: Sporgente" e indicare "Rientra di: 1 cm"
BIBLIOGRAFIA
Per ordinare automaticamente i riferimenti bibliografici in Open Office Writer, selezionare tutto il testo, scritto di seguito e senza alcuna impostazione particolare, e andare su Strumenti → Ordina:
Lasciare le impostazioni così come vengono trovate e dare OK
Per indentare le righe successive alla prima di ogni riferimento, sempre dopo aver selezionato tutti riferimenti andare su Formato →Paragrafo, linguetta Paragrafo, e nel riquadro RIENTRO indicare "Prima del testo: 1 cm" e "Prima riga: -1 cm"
FIGURE E TABELLE
Figure e tabelle devono riassumere informazioni che se riportate nel testo richiederebbero una spiegazione verbale lunga e di difficile comprensione.
Devono avere un chiaro riferimento nel testo, essere posizionate poco dopo essere state indicate e SOTTO alla figura deve comparire una didascalia che permetta al lettore di comprendere facilmente cosa vi è rappresentato. Ad esempio, devono essere esplicitate eventuali abbreviazioni o la fonte da cui è stata tratta
A livello macroscopico, tuttavia, quando il sistema scivola in un attrattore cambia e diviene relativamente stabile, con proprietà definibili. Perché il sistema cada in un attrattore, però, le sue dinamiche devono essere progressive e terminare in un singolo stato (Figura 1.1).
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
IND GRU MX
Tipo di psicoterapia
N°
atta
cchi
pan
ico
med
i /
sett
iman
a
L'analisi della varianza hanno mostrato un effetto significato del tipo di psicoterapia sul numero di attacchi di panico settimanali (F(2, 12) = 12.01, p < .001) (Figura 3.2).
Fig. 3.2 Attacchi di panico medi per tipo di psicoterapia; IND = individuale; GRU = gruppo, MX = misto
Il numero della figura deve indicare prima del punto il capitolo a cui fa riferimento, e dopo il punto il numero successivo che la identifica (quindi Fig 3.2 = figura 2 del capitolo 3)
Vedi oltre per le indicazioni sucome riportare i dati statistici
FIGURE E TABELLE
Come le figure, le tabelle devono avere un chiaro riferimento nel testo, essere posizionate poco dopo essere state indicate e SOPRA alla tabella deve comparire una didascalia che permetta al lettore di comprendere facilmente cosa vi è rappresentato. Eventuali abbreviazioni o la fonte da cui è stata tratta, invece, vanno SOTTO alla tabella, in carattere corpo 10.
Utilizzare sempre 2 cifre decimali. Il numero intero prima della virgola può essere omesso se il valore riportato può essere al massimo 1 (esempio: proporzioni) o compreso fra -1 e 1 (coefficienti di correlazione), mentre deve essere indicato se il valore può essere maggiore di 1 (ad esempio, deviazioni standard)
0,831,301,200,9040100item47
0,220,790,991,0830100item42
-0,690,331,131,4340100item39
-0,470,531,001,1940100item33
-0,490,611,031,124099item30
-0,480,281,101,8440100item28
-0,070,661,011,104099item26
KUSKDSMMaxMinNItem
Le statistiche descrittive degli item sono riportate in Tabella 2.2
Tabella 2.2 Statistiche descrittive degli item del Big Five Inventory
Nota: N =numero di casi validi; Min = minimo; Max = massimo; M = media; DS = deviazione standard; SK = skewness; KU = curtosi
Il numero della tabella deve indicare prima del punto il capitolo a cui fa riferimento, e dopo il punto il numero successivo che la identifica (quindi Tabella 4.3 = tabella 3 del capitolo 4)
0,831,301,200,9040100item47
0,220,790,991,0830100item42
-0,690,331,131,4340100item39
-0,470,531,001,1940100item33
-0,490,611,031,124099item30
-0,480,281,101,8440100item28
-0,070,661,011,104099item26
KUSKDSMMaxMinNItem
Riga intera sopra e sotto le intestazioni delle colonne
Riga intera sotto all'ultima riga
I bordi della tabella devono essere nel minor numero possibile, e sostanzialmente devono dividere l'intestazione delle colonne dai dati. Il testo nella riga coi nomi delle colonne va in corsivo
Douglas College Library
Your research and information source
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) STYLE FOR REFERENCE CITATIONS AND REFERENCE LISTS
For further explanation of APA practices associated with writing research papers, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Copies are available in the Reference and Reserve collections, and in the stacks on the second floor at the New Westminster campus and on the lower level at the David Lam campus under the call number BF 76.7 A46 2001.
The Reference List The reference list documents the essay/paper and provides information necessary to identify and retrieve each source. Start the reference list on a new page. Type the word References (Reference, if there is only one), centred, at the top of the page. The reference list is double-spaced, both between and within entries; entries have a hanging indent.
For each reference, the first line is typed flush with the left margin, and any additional lines are indented as a group a few spaces to the right of the left margin. This is called a hanging indent. Entries in a reference list should appear in alphabetical order by the authors’ last name, or by the first significant word in the title, if there is no author. Words such as “The”, “An” or “A” at the beginning of the title should be ignored, but not omitted, when alphabetizing the reference list. Each entry should contain the following information: author, year of publication, title and publishing data. The variety of material available on the Web, and the variety of ways in which it is structured and presented, can present challenges for creating usable and useful references. At a minimum, an entry for a Web source should provide a document title or description, the date of publication or update (when available), the date of retrieval, and the URL that leads to the entry page for the document. Use n.d. (no date) when the publication date is not available.
Basic Formats
Books Author’s surname, followed by initials Title of book Publisher
Bernstein, T. M. (1965). The careful writer. New York: Atheneum.
Date of publication Place of publication
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Journal Articles from a Print Source
Authors’ names Year of publication Title of article
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45(2), 10-36.
Title of journal Volume (issue) Page numbers
If a periodical includes a volume number, italicize it and then change to regular type and give the page range without "pp." If the periodical does not use volume numbers, include "pp." before the page numbers so the reader will understand that the numbers refer to pagination. Use "p." if the source is a page or less long.
Journal Articles from a Fulltext Online Database
The format is as above, with the addition of retrieval information.
March, J. S., & Curry, J. F. (1998). Predicting the outcome of treatment. Journal of
Abnormal Child Psychology, 26(2), 39-45. Retrieved April 15, 2004, from
PsycARTICLES database.
Name of database (not the service provider, like EBSCO, InfoTrack, etc.) Date retrieved from database
More on Authors and Editors
References with a Single Author (with a Subsequent Edition)
Bernstein, T. M. (1965). The careful writer. New York: Atheneum. American Psychiatric
Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th
ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
APA Style Sheet Page 3
References with Two to Six Authors
Saywitz, K. J., Mannarino, A. P., Berliner, L., & Cohen, J. A. (2000).
Treatment for sexually abused children and adolescents.
American Psychologist, 55, 1040-1049.
References with More Than Six Authors
When there are more than six authors, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors and shorten any remaining authors to et al.
Wolchik, S. A., West, S. G., Sandler, I. N., Tein, J., Coatsworth, D.,
Lengua, L., et al. (2000). An experimental evaluation of
theory-based mother and mother-child programs for chil-
dren of divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psy-
chology, 68, 843-856.
References with No Named Author or Editor (Subsequent Editions)
Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993). Springfield,
MA: Merriam-Webster.
Statistical power analysis (Rev. ed.). (1979). New York: Academic
Press.
Edited Books (Entire Book)
Hunt, R. R., & Ellis, H. C. (Eds.). (1999). Fundamentals of cognitive
psychology. Toronto: McGraw-Hill College.
Page 4 APA Style Sheet
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Chapter or Essay in Edited Books
Gurman, A. S. (1981). Family therapy. In M. N. Blum (Ed.), Handbook of
family therapy (pp. 742-775). New York: Springer.
Articles/Chapters in Edited Books, Reprinted from Another Source
Piaget, J. (1988). Extracts from Piaget’s theory (G. Gellerier & J.
Langer, Trans.). In K. Richardson & S. Sheldon (Eds.), Cognitive
development to adolescence: A reader (pp. 3-18). Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum. (Reprinted from Manual of child psychology, pp. 703-
732, by P.H. Mussen, Ed., 1970, New York: Wiley).
In text, use following parenthetical citation: (Piaget, 1970/1988)
Encyclopedia Articles
Bergmann, P. G. (1993). Relativity. In The new encyclopaedia
Britannica (Vol. 26, pp. 501-508). Chicago: Encyclopaedia
Britannica.
Cooper, J. E. (1972). Schizophrenia. In H. J. Eysenck, W. Arnold & R.
Meili (Eds.), Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 26, pp. 175-180).
New York: Seabury Press.
If an encyclopedia article is unsigned, place the title of the article in the author position.
APA Style Sheet Page 5
Secondary Sources
To cite a work discussed in a secondary source, give the secondary source in the reference list; in the text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source.
If Johnson’s unpublished manuscript is cited in Beatty, cite Beatty in the reference list.
Beatty, J. (1982). Task-evoked pupillary responses. Psychological
Bulletin, 91. 276-292.
In the text, use the following citation:
Johnson’s study (as cited in Beatty, 1982)...
Books in Translation
Buci-Gluckmann, C. (1980). Gramsci and the state (D. Fernbach, Trans.).
London: Lawrence and Wishart. (Original work published 1975)
In text, cite the original publication date and the date of the translation:
(Buci-Gluckmann, 1975/1980).
Articles and Abstracts
Journal Articles from a Print Source
Horowitz, L. M., Post, D. L., French, R. S., & Siegel, E. Y. (1981). The
prototype as a construct. Journal of Psychology, 90, 575-585.
Klimoski, R., & Palmer, S. (1993). The ADA and the hiring process in organizations.
Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 45(2), 10-36.
Include the issue number when the journal is paginated by issue.
Paivco, A. (1975). Perceptual comparisons. Memory, 3, 635-647.
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Magazine Articles from a Print Source
Give the date shown on the publication (the month for monthly publications, and the month and day for weekly publications). Also, give the volume number, if there is one.
Kandel, E. R., & Squire, L. R. (2000, November 10). Neuroscience:
Breaking down scientific barriers to the study of brain and
mind. Science, 290, 1113-1120.
Newspaper Articles from a Print Source
Newspaper articles often do not have authors. If this is the case, alphabetize by the title of the article.
New drug appears to sharply cut risk of death from heart failure.
(1993, July 15). The National Post, p. A12.
Precede page numbers for newspaper articles with p. or pp.
Abstracts
Use this form of reference if only the abstract and not the entire article is used, and the abstract appears in a secondary source.
Misumi, J. (1982). Effects of organizational change in Japan. Japanese
Psychology Journal, 21, 93-111. Abstract obtained from
Psychological Abstracts, 1982, 68, Abstract No. 11474.
Periodicals Published Annually
Use for a series published annually.
Petty, R. E., & Coro, D. M. (1981). Attitude change. Annual Review of
Psychology, 32, 357-404.
APA Style Sheet Page 7
Articles from Online Periodical Databases
When referencing material where the full text is obtained by searching a periodical database, follow the format appropriate to the work retrieved and add a retrieval statement that gives the date of retrieval and the proper name of the specific database. Some databases list only the starting page number and the number of pages, rather than page number ranges. In such cases, use a plus sign (+) after the starting page number when the article is longer than a single page.
Blakeslee, D. J. (1981). The origin and spread of the calumet ceremony. American
Antiquity, 46(4), 759-768. Retrieved October 3, 2005, from JSTOR database.
Borman, W. C., Hanson, M. A., Oppler, S. H., Pulakos, E. D., &
White, L. A. (1993). Role of early supervisory experience in
supervisor performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78,
443-449. Retrieved October 23, 2004, from PsycARTICLES
database.
March, J. S., & Curry, J. F. (1998). Predicting the outcome of treatment.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26(2), 39+. Retrieved
April 15, 2001, from Expanded Academic ASAP database.
Morton, P. (1998, July 24). Border crossing plan repealed. Financial Post
(Daily ed.), 5. Retrieved April 15, 2001, from Canadian Newsstand
database.
Padian, K. (1999). [Review of the book Buffon: A life in natural history].
Bioscience, 48(1), 72+. Retrieved April 15, 2001, from
Academic Search Premier database.
Piskurich, G. M. (1999). Leading organizational change. Personnel
Psychology, 52, 206-210. Retrieved April 15, 2001, from
ABI/INFORM Complete database.
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Taylor, C. (1998). Globalization and the future of Canada. Queen’s
Quarterly, 105, 330-353. Retrieved April 1, 2004, from
CBCA database.
Abstracts from Online Periodical Databases
Use this form of reference if only the abstract and not the entire article is used as the source.
Haim, P. P. (1998). The communication of aggression in dreams.
Modern Psychoanalysis, 23, 63-70. Abstract retrieved April 15,
2004, from PsycINFO database.
Briggs, M., & Dean, K. L. (1998). A qualitative analysis of the nursing
documentation of post-operative pain management. Journal of
Clinical Nursing, 7, 155-63. Abstract retrieved April 15, 2001,
from CINAHL database.
Online Journal Articles Based on a Print Source
Most articles retrieved online are exact duplicates of those in their print versions and are unlikely to have additional analyses and data attached. Use the basic primary journal reference, but add [Electronic version] after the article title.
Boos, E. J. (1997). Moving in the direction of justice: College minds-
criminal mentalities [Electronic version]. Journal of Criminal
Justice and Popular Culture, 5, 1-20.
Online Magazine Articles Based on a Print Source
Walt, V. (1995, September/October). Women’s work [Electronic version].
Mother Jones Magazine, 12-13.
APA Style Sheet Page 9
Articles in an Internet-only Journal (no print equivalent)
Frederickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to
optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3,
Article 23657. Retrieved November 1, 2001, from http://journals/
apa.org/prevention/volume3/23657.html
Web Sites and Documents
Multi-Page Web Document Created by a Single Organization
At a minimum, a reference of an internet source should provide a document title or description, the date of publication or update (when available), the date of retrieval, and the URL that leads to the entry page for the document. Wherever possible, identify the author(s) of the document.
City of Vancouver. (2003). Graffiti management program. Retrieved March 20, 2003,
from http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/engsvcs/streets/graffiti/
Greater Vancouver Regional District, Task Force on Teen and Adolescent Issues. (n.d.)
Who has time for a healthy meal? Retrieved May 25, 2003 from
http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/teen/issues/
A Single Document or Part of a Web Site
Identify the host organization and the relevant department before giving the URL for the document itself. Precede the URL with a colon.
American Psychological Association. (1998). Managing traumatic stress: Tips for
recovering from disaster and other traumatic events. Retrieved April 15, 2001,
from American Psychological Association, Help Center Web site:
http://helping.apa.org/family/warning.html
Statistics Canada. (n.d.). Homicide victims and suspects, by age and sex. Retrieved April
15, 2001, from http://www.statcan.ca/english/pgdb/State/Justice/lega10a.htm
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Further Examples
NetLibrary Citations
Megone, C., & Robinson, S. (2005). Case histories in business ethics. London, Eng.:
Taylor & Francis. Retrieved March 10, 2005, from Netlibrary database.
Reports & Government Documents
Reports include government publications and studies produced by a university or private organization.
Frenken, H. (1997, January). RRSP withdrawals revisited. Canadian Economic Observer
(Cat. No. 11-010-XPB). Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada.
Hall, S. P. (1986). How valid are I.Q. scores? (Report No. CSOS-R-292). Baltimore, MD:
Johns Hopkins University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED465)
Newport, E. L. (1975). Motherese: The speech of mothers to babies (Tech. Rep. No. 52).
San Diego: University of California, Center for Human Information Processing.
Statistics Canada. (1998). Marketing research handbook (Cat. No. 63-224-XPB). Ottawa,
ON: Author.
Reviews
Carmody, T. P. (1982). A new look at medicine [Review of the book Social contexts of
health]. Contemporary Psychology, 27, 208-209.
Sheehan, M. (2004). The hours: The ‘as-if’ personality and problems of loving [Review of
the motion picture The hours]. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 49(3), 413-20.
If the review is untitled, use the information in the square brackets as the title. Retain the brackets so that this information is not mistaken for the title.
APA Style Sheet Page 11
Personal Communications and Unpublished Material Interviews, most e-mail messages, letters, and television and radio broadcasts do not provide recoverable data and are not included in the reference list. Cite personal communications in text only, including as exact a date as possible.
B. Mah (personal communication, April 24, 2004) stated that…
Some e-mail discussion groups and mailing lists keep archives of messages sent, which may be retrieved online. In such cases, provide the name of the mailing list or discussion group and the address or URL for the archived version of the message.
Simons, D. J. (2000, July 14). New responses for visual cognition
[Msg 31]. Message posted to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
visualcognition/messages/31
Brochures
Research and Training Center on Independent Living. (1993). Guidelines for reporting and
writing about people with disabilities (4th ed.) [Brochure]. Lawrence, KS: Author.
Advertisements
Adrenaline: A fragrance for men from Adidas [Advertisement]. (2004, November 8).
Sports Illustrated, 101(18), 2.
Videos
Scorsese, M. (Producer), & Lonergan, K. (Writer/Director). (2000).
You can count on me [Motion picture]. United States:
Paramount Pictures.
When a video is of limited circulation, provide the distributor's name and complete address in parentheses at the end of the reference.
Harrison, J. (Producer), & Schmiechen, R. (Director). (1992). Changing
our minds: The story of Evelyn Hooker [Motion picture].
(Available from Changing Our Minds Inc., 170 West End Avenue,
Suite 25R, New York, NY 10023).
Page 12 APA Style Sheet
C:\Documents and Settings\michelsena\Desktop\APA.doc
Revised Nov 05 - sw
Reference Citations
Document your work throughout the text by citing the works used in your research by author and date. This identifies the source for readers and enables them to locate the source of information in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper.
In 2000, Smith compared reaction times ...
Smith (2000) compared reaction times...
In a recent study of reaction times (Smith, 2000)...
Where there are TWO AUTHORS, cite both names each time the reference occurs in text.
The most recent study (Smith & Jones, 1983)...
When there are THREE TO FIVE AUTHORS, cite all the names the first time. From then on, use only the first name followed by et al. (Latin abbreviation for “and others”).
First citation: Sokolowski, Smith, Jones and Hajid (1983) discovered that...
Later citations: Sokolowski et al. (1983) also discovered that ...
When there are SIX OR MORE AUTHORS, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for all citations in text.
First citation: Hewitt et al. (2001) demonstrated that…
Later citations: …as has been shown by Hewitt et al. (2001).
Write out in full the whole name of a GROUP THAT SERVES AS AUTHOR every time, unless the abbreviation is well known.
First citation: The police report (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 1979)...
Second citation: The RCMP report (1979) ...
APA Style Sheet Page 13
Where there is NO AUTHOR, cite the first few words of the title and the date. Put quotation marks around an article title, but italicize the title of a periodical or book.
A Time magazine article (“Brain Breakthrough,” 1988) said that...
It states in the Vancouver Social Services Directory (1988)...
Words in the title are capitalized in reference citations, but not in the reference list.
When there are TWO OR MORE AUTHORS WITH THE SAME SURNAME, include initials to avoid confusion.
Both G. A. Jones (1984) and B. W. Jones (1986) have studied...
QUOTATIONS
Incorporate a short quotation (fewer than 40 words) into the text of your essay and enclose the quotation in double quotation marks.
Miele (1993) found that "the placebo effect, which had been verified in
previous studies, disappeared when only the first group’s behaviors were
studied in this manner” (p. 255).
Display a quotation of 40 or more words in a freestanding block of typewritten lines and omit the quotation marks.
Miele (1993) found the following:
The placebo effect, which had been verified in previous studies,
disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner.
Furthermore, the behaviors were never exhibited again, even
when real drugs were administered. Earlier studies were clearly
premature in attributing the results to a placebo effect. (p.255)
If page numbers are not clearly marked (as in online periodical articles), omit the page location reference.
6
Basic Rules for formatting citations in your text The following are some general guidelines for referencing works in the text of your document.
The author/s surname and year of publication are used within the text of a document
(commonly referred to as in-text citations) when you are quoting, paraphrasing or summarizing
someone else’s ideas. At the end of the document full details of the in-text citations are given in
a reference list. For more information on in-text citations consult the APA manual (pages 207-
214).
Standard Citation: One author For example:
According to Froggatt (2003) a growing body of research is emerging on palliative care….
OR
A growing body of research is emerging on palliative care (Froggatt, 2003).
NB: If you refer to the same citation a second time within the same paragraph you may omit the
year of publication as long as it cannot be confused with other studies cited in that paragraph.
Standard Citation: Two authors For example:
Jowett and Shanley (1993) observed during interviews that patients responded…….
OR
It was observed during the interview that patients responded well to drug therapy (Jowett &
Shanley, 1993).
Standard Citation: Three to five authors The first time the citation is referred to give all the authors surnames:
For example:
Herth, Korner, and McGee (2004) documented their experiences as patients…..
OR
Their experiences as patients was well documented (Herth, Korner, & McGee, 2004)
NB: In the second example ‘&’ is placed before the last author.
Subsequently, only the surname of the first listed author is used followed by et al. and the year
of publication.
For example:
Herth et al. (2004) stated that…..
7
Standard Citation: Six or more authors When a citation has six or more authors, cite only the first author followed by et al. and the year
of publication, for the first and subsequent citations.
For example:
Benzein et al. (2001) conducted narrative interviews….
OR
Narrative interviews were conducted over two weeks (Benzein et al., 2001).
Standard Citation: No author When a work has no author, cite in the text the first few words of the title and the year. For an
article or chapter title use double quotation marks around the title. For a book,
periodical/journal, brochure, or report, italicize the title.
For example:
In the chapter “Thoughts on integrated care” (1999) it discusses…
OR
… it was discussed (“Thoughts on integrated care”, 1999).
In the book Social learning theory (1980) evidence is…
OR
… the evidence was presented (Social learning theory, 1980).
NB: When a work’s author is designated as “Anonymous” cit in the text the word Anonymous
followed by a comma and the date. In the reference list, an anonymous work is alphabetized by
the word Anonymous.
Groups as authors Group authors (e.g. corporations, associations and government agencies) are normally spelled
out every time they appear as an in-text citation. However the names of some group authors are
spelled out the first time they are cited and abbreviated thereafter. The general rule in deciding
to abbreviate is that you should provide enough information in the in-text citation for the reader
to easily locate the entry in the reference list.
For example:
The Accident Compensation Corporation [ACC] (2003) would not cover injuries ….
OR
There was no compensation for these kinds of injures (Accident Compensation Corporation
[ACC], 2003).
Subsequently
ACC (2003) does not consider injuries of this nature…..
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. For example if Bendz, Sjodin, & Aurell’s work is cited in
Olson, Meek, & Lynch and you did not read the work cited, list the Olson, Meek, & Lynch
reference in the Reference list.
For example:
In-text citation
Bendz, Sjodin, and Aurell’s study (1990, as cited in Olson, Meek, & Lynch, 2004) showed…
OR
…showed in the study (Bendz, Sjodin, & Aurell, 1990, as cited in Olson, Meek, & Lynch,
2004).
In the Reference List
Olson, D. M., Meek, L. G., & Lynch, J. R. (2004). Accurate patient history contributes
to differentiating diabetes insipidus: A case study. Journal of Neuroscience
Nursing, 36(4), 228-230.
Direct Quote For example:
The author stated, “The effect disappeared within minutes” (Lopez, 1993, p. 311), but she did
not say which effect.
OR
Lopez (1993) found that “the effect disappeared within minutes” (p. 311).
NB: Quotations that are 40 words or longer should be placed in a free standing block of type
written lines and omit quotation marks. For more information see the APA manual.
Several works by the same first author and with the same publication date: Within the text the publication date is followed by the suffixes a, b, c, etc. after the year; repeat
the year. The suffixes reflect the order in which the references are arranged in the reference list
i.e. alphabetically by the title (excluding ‘A’ and ‘The’) that follows the date.
For example:
Cook (2001a) found that the control of …. The roles were reversed (Cook, 2001b).
Several works within the same parentheses: List two or more works by different authors who are cited within the same parentheses in
alphabetical order by the first author’s surname. Separate the citations with semicolons
9
For example:
Several trials found inconsistencies in the results (Brown, 2006; Cook, 2007; Wilson, 2000).
Personal Communication Personal communication may be letters, memos, some electronic communications, personal
interviews, telephone conversations and the like. Cite personal communications in the text only,
they are not included in the reference list. In the body of your text you need the following:
Initials and Surname of communicator, and provide an exact a date as possible.
For example in-text reference would look like this:
P. D. Gluckman (personal communication, May 23, 2004)
OR
(J. Kilpatrick, personal communication, November 7, 2004)
10
Your Reference List: Formatting your reference list is covered in Chapter 4 of the APA manual. What follows are
some general guidelines for formatting your reference list.
Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper and should begin on a separate page
from the text of the essay under the heading References (centered, at the top of the page and
not underlined). The references should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay, and
entries should have a hanging indent of 5 spaces (i.e. starting on the 5th space). NB: The School
of Nursing accepts 1.5 or double spacing. In this guide I have used 1.5 spacing to save paper!!
References cited in the text must appear in the reference list; likewise, each entry in the
reference list must be cited in the text.
NB: A Reference list cites works that specifically support a particular article whereas a
Bibliography cites works for background or for further reading and may include descriptive
notes.
11
Abbreviations: Acceptable abbreviations in the reference list for parts of books and other publications are:
chap. chapter p. Page
ed. edition pp. Pages
rev. ed. revised edition para. paragraph
2nd ed. second edition Pt. Part
Ed. Editor Suppl. Supplement
Eds. Editors Tech. Rep. Technical Report
et al. and others (from Latin et alii,
et aliae)
Trans. Translator(s)
n.d. no date Vol. Volume (as in Vol. 4)
No. Number vols. Volumes (as in 4 vols.)
Publisher’s Locations: Give the location (city and state for U.S. publishers, city, state or province if applicable, and
country for publishers outside of the United States) of the publishers of books, reports,
brochures, and other separate, non-periodical publications. If two or more publisher locations
are given, give the location listed first in the book or, if specified, the location of the publishers
home office. If the publisher is a university, and the name of the state (or province) is included
in the name of the university, do not repeat the name in the publisher location. The following
locations can be listed without a state abbreviation or country because they are major cites that
are well known for publishing.
NB: Do not use abbreviations for the name of the Country e.g. use New Zealand not NZ.
Baltimore Philadelphia Milan Tokyo
Boston San Francisco Moscow Vienna
Chicago Amsterdam Paris
Los Angeles Jerusalem Rome
New York London Stockholm
12
The names of U.S states and territories are abbreviated in the reference list.
Location Abbreviation Location Abbreviation Alabama AL Missouri MO
Alaska AK Montana MT
American Samoa AS Nebraska NE
Arizona AZ Nevada NV
Arkansas AR New Hampshire NH
California CA New Jersey NJ
Canal Zone CZ New Mexico NM
Colorado CO New York NY
Connecticut CT North Carolina NC
Delaware DE North Dakota ND
District of Columbia DC Ohio OH
Florida FL Oklahoma OK
Georgia GA Oregon OR
Guam GU Pennsylvania PA
Hawaii HI Puerto Rico PR
Idaho ID Rhode Island RI
Illinois IL South Carolina SC
Indiana IN South Dakota SD
Iowa IA Tennessee TN
Kansas KS Texas TX
Kentucky KY Utah UT
Louisiana LA Vermont VT
Maine ME Virginia VA
Maryland MD Virgin Islands VI
Massachusetts MA Washington WA
Michigan MI West Virginia WV
Minnesota MN Wisconsin WI
Mississippi MS Wyoming WY
13
Order of References: For more detailed information see Section 4.04 pg 219 of the APA manual
References are arranged in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author
Several works by the same first author: Arranged by year of publication, the earliest first
For example:
Hobson, J. M. (2000). Where to …
Hobson, J. M. (2004). Maori nursing….
Several works by the same first author and with the same publication date: Arranged alphabetically by the title (excluding A and The) that follows the date.
For example:
Cook, S. (2001a). The control of ….
Cook, S. (2001b). Roles of the…..
Works by groups (agency, association, or institution): Alphabetise group authors by the first significant word of the name. Use the full name.
For example:
American Psychological Association, (not APA)
University of Auckland, Department of Medicine,
If there is no author: The title moves to the author position and the entry is alphabetised by the first significant word
of the title.
For example:
Surveillance and control notes. (1997). New Zealand Public Health Report, 4(6), 43-45.
14
How to reference a Periodical/Journal Article The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of article – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of article. (followed by a full stop)
4. Journal title, in italics (followed by a comma) NB: Journal Title must be in full
5. Volume number in italics (followed by a comma if no issue number is given)
6. Issue/part number, in parentheses - only needed if issues are individually paginated
(followed by a comma)
7. Page Numbers. of article (followed by a full stop)
Journal article - one author Neugroschl, J. (2002). Agitation: How to manage behaviour disturbances in the older patient
with dementia. Geriatrics, 57(4), 33-37.
Journal article - two author Hughes, E., & Rodgers, J. (1999). Changing times in diabetes care. Diabetes Primary Care,
1(1), 4.
Journal article - three-six authors Ilan, D. I., Liporace, F. A., Rosen, J., & Cannavo, D. (2004). Efficacy of rofecoxib for pain
control after knee arthroscopy: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial.
Arthroscopy, 20, 813-818.
Journal article - more than six authors Cohet, C., Cheng, S., MacDonald, C., Baker, M., Foliaki, S., Huntington, N., et al. (2004).
Infections, medication use, and the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, rhinitis, and
eczema in childhood. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 58, 852-857.
15
Journal supplements If there is no supplement number, the journal issue number is included in parentheses before
Suppl.
Roose, S. P. (2000). Considerations for the use of antidepressants in patients with
cardiovascular disease. American Heart Journal, 140(4 Suppl.), S84-S88.
OR if the supplement has a number, the number is included in parentheses after Suppl.
Stjernholm, C. (2003). Aspects of temporal bone anatomy and pathology in conjunction with
cochlear implant surgery. Acta Radiologica - Supplementum, 44(Suppl. 430), 2-15.
Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source See page 7 of this guide for details.
Journal article in press A paper that has been submitted to a journal and accepted for publication but not yet published
is considered in press. Do not give a year, vol, or page numbers until the article is published.
Add (in press) after the author/s name. For more details see page 241 of the APA manual.
Alonso, S., Geys, H., Molenberghs, G., & Kenward, M. G. (in press). Validation of surrogate
markers in multiple randomized clinical trials with repeated measurements. Biometrics.
How to reference a Magazine Article The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of article – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of article. (followed by a full stop)
4. Magazine title, in italics (followed by a comma) NB. Magazine title must be in full
5. Volume number in italics (followed by a comma if no issue number is given)
6. Issue/part number, in parentheses only needed if issues are individually paginated
(followed by a comma)
7. Page Number/s. of article (followed by a full stop)
Allan, B. (2004, March). The food fight. Consumer, 438, 8-11.
OR
Fleming, D. (2004, March 8). Cutting back on obesity. New Zealand Woman's Weekly, 95-96.
16
How to reference a Newspaper Article The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Reporter/s. of article – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year, Month Day. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of article. (followed by a full stop)
4. Newspaper title, in italics (followed by a comma)
5. Section Page Number/s. of article (followed by a full stop)
Brooker, M. (2003, July 14). Meningitis scare swamps hospital. The Press, p. A1.
NB: If an article appears on discontinuous pages, give all page numbers and separate the
numbers with a comma (e.g. pp. B1, B3, B5-B7.)
If there is no reporter the work goes under the Title of the article.
How to reference a Book The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s), editor(s) – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Edition. (in parentheses) if other than the first (followed by a full stop) (edition always
abbreviated to ed.)
5. Place of publication: (followed by a colon)
6. Publisher. (followed by a full stop)
Single author Durie, M. (2001). Mauri ora: The dynamics of Maori health. Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford
University Press.
Single editor Perl, A. (Ed.). (2004). Autoimmunity: Methods and protocols. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
Two authors Polit-O'Hara, D., & Hungler, B. P. (1999). Nursing research: Principles and methods (6th ed.).
Philadelphia: Lippincott.
NB: For books that have 3 to 5 authors see in-text citation information on page 6.
17
For books that have six or more authors, follow the rule for journals (see example on Page 12)
and abbreviate remaining authors as et al. (not italicized and with a full stop after “al”). For in-
text citation information see page 6.
Corporate Author New Zealand Occupational Safety & Health Service. (1996). Approved code of practice for the
management of noise in the workplace. Wellington, New Zealand: Department of Labour,
Occupational Safety & Health Service.
Author/Publisher are Identical When the author and the publisher are the same, use the word Author as the name of the
publisher.
New Zealand Ministry of Health. (2004). Guideline for specialist health services for older
people. Wellington, New Zealand: Author.
No author/editor Australian medicines handbook: AMH. (2004). Adelaide, South Australia: Australian Medicines
Handbook.
How to reference a Brochure/Pamphlet Format references to brochures/pamphlets in the same way as those to entire books (see page
15). In brackets, identify the publication as a brochure.
Diabetes New Zealand. (2003). Cardiovascular risk and diabetes [Brochure]. Wellington, New
Zealand: Author.
18
How to reference a Book Chapter The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s) of chapter – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Chapter title. (followed by a full stop)
4. Editor/s of book preceded by “In”.
5. Title. of book in italics. (followed by a full stop). NB: For a chapter in a book that is not
edited, include the word In before the book title
6. Page Numbers. of chapter in parentheses (followed by a full stop) NB: If there is an
edition, volume number or report number this information precedes the page numbers
within the parentheses and is followed by a comma.
7. Place of publication: (followed by a colon)
8. Publisher. (followed by a full stop)
Chapter in an edited book Brown, S. A., Aarons, G. A., & Abrantes, A. M. (2001). Adolescent alcohol and drug abuse. In
C. E. Walker & M. C. Roberts (Eds.), Handbook of clinical child psychology (3rd ed., pp.
757-775). New York: Wiley.
Chapter in an unedited book For a chapter in a book where the author has written the whole book, include the word In before the book title. Cook, S. (2007). Palliative care of the elderly. In Palliative care (pp. 23-45). New York:
Blackwell.
Entry in Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Follow the format for book chapters (see above). Note if an entry has no author, place the entry
title in the author position
Hordeolum. (2002). In D. M. Anderson (Ed.), Mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health
dictionary (p. 826). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
Entry in an online Encyclopaedia/Dictionary See page ?? for details.
Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source
See page 7 for details.
19
How to reference Technical Reports The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s), editor(s) – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Report No. (in parentheses, followed by a full stop) (edition always abbreviated to ed.)
5. Place of publication: (followed by a colon)
6. Publisher. (followed by a full stop)
Eagle, L., Bulmer, S., & Hawkins, J. (2003). The 'obesity epidemic': Complex causes,
controversial cures: Implications for marketing communication (Tech. Rep. No. 03.03.).
Auckland, New Zealand: Massey University at Albany, Department of Commerce.
NB: If there is no report number treat the item as a book and reference as such (see pg 14).
If using EndNote and you have selected Reference type - Report, the following fields need to
be filled in - Author, Year, Title, Type, Report No., City, Institution (for publishers name).
How to reference a Conference Proceeding NB: Treat regularly published Conference Proceedings as journals (see pg 12).
Conference Proceedings that are published in any form (e.g. in a journal, as a chapter in an
edited book, or as contribution to a symposium) should be treated in the same way as a chapter
in a book (see pg 16).
The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s), editor(s) – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a comma) and Month. (followed by a
full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Name of Conference, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Name of Conference – Paper presented at the
5. Place of conference. (followed by a full stop)
For an unpublished paper
Bonita, R. (2000, May 8-10). World Health Organisation mandate for women and heart
diseases. Paper presented at the International Conference on Women, Heart Diseases and
Stroke, Victoria, Canada.
20
Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses
How to reference a Thesis NB: The American equivalent of a master’s thesis is a doctoral dissertation
The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s), editor(s) – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Name of University, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Name of University – Unpublished master’s thesis OR if
from an American University - Unpublished doctoral dissertation
5. City, (followed by a comma) State, (followed by a comma)
Country. (followed by a full stop)
Unpublished Thesis
Grayson, S. J. (2001). Nursing management of the rheumatic fever secondary prophylaxis
programme. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Auckland, Auckland, New
Zealand.
OR
Spernak, S. M. (2001). The impact of constructive thinking and doctor-patient relations on
cardiac patient adherence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, George Washington
University, Washington, DC.
NB: If you are using EndNote select the Reference type – Thesis. You will need to type the
following text into the Thesis Type field - either master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.
How to reference a Personal Communication Personal communications are not included in the reference list. See page 8 for in-text citation
details.
21
How to reference Lecture Notes The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name. of lecturer(s). - Surname, (comma) Initial(s). (full stop)
2. Year, Month Day. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of lecture. (followed by a full stop)
4. Insert the following text after the title – Unpublished lecture notes, (followed by a
comma)
5. Name of University, (followed by a comma)
6. City, (followed by a comma) Country. (followed by a full stop)
Sheridan, N. (2007, February 27). Primary health care patterns in New Zealand. Unpublished
lecture notes, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
NB: If the lecture does not have a title, provide a brief description of the lecture material
within square brackets (not in italics).
How to reference Video Recording, Motion Pictures and Television
Series The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Producer/s. of video – Surname, (comma) Initial(s). (full stop)
Insert the following text after producers name – (Producer), followed by a comma and then
an ampersand &
2. Director/s. of video – Surname, (comma) Initial(s). (full stop)
Insert the following text after directors name – (Director). (followed by a full stop)
3. (Year). of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
4. Title. of video in italics
Insert the following text after Title of video [Motion picture]. NB. Use square brackets –
(followed by a full stop)
7. Country of origin: (followed by a colon)
8. Studio or distributor. (followed by a full stop)
Video or motion picture with international or national availability Roston, J. (Producer), & Haberman, I. (Director). (1987). Physical examination of the
musculoskeletal system: Program 2: Foot and ankle [Motion picture]. Park Ridge, Ill:
The Academy.
NB: If video recording or movie is not available for wide distribution, provide the distributors
name and complete address in parentheses at the end of the reference.
22
Video or motion picture or with limited availability Roberts, H. (Producer). (1993). Breast examination [Motion picture]. (Available from
University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand).
Motion picture (movie/film) with international or national availability Shadyac, T. & M. G. Williams (Producers), & Shadyac, T. (Director). (1998). Patch Adams
[Motion picture]. Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures.
NB: If video recording or movie is not available for wide distribution, provide the distributors
name and complete address in parentheses at the end of the reference.
Television broadcast Māori Television (Producer). (2006, September 1). Te kāea: News [Television broadcast].
Auckland, New Zealand: Māori Television.
Television series Bennett, S. (Producer). (1992). Shortland Street [Television series]. New Zealand: South Pacific
Pictures.
Single episode from a television series Booton, L. (Writer), & Bennett, S. (Director). (2007). Episode 16.101 [Television series
episode]. In S. Bennett (Producer), Shortland Street. New Zealand: South Pacific
Pictures.
OR
Crichton, M. & Maser, K. (Writers), & Innes, L. (Director). (2006). Tell me no secrets
[Television series episode]. In M. Crichton & J. Wells (Producers), ER. Burbank, CA:
Warner Bros. Television.
23
Electronic Media NB: There are new rules just released which have not been implemented into this section please check the APA style guide to electronic references by doing a title search in Voyager There is a variety of material available on the web and this can present challenges when referencing these sources. Two key guidelines to follow when referencing electronic media are:
1. Direct readers as closely as possible to the information being cited – whenever possible
reference specific documents rather than home or menu pages
2. Provide addresses (URL) that actually work
How to reference a Web Page The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of web page – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of web page in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Date Retrieved Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Month - Retrieved
5. URL (web address)
Insert the following text before URL – from (dependent on type of webpage)
Stand alone Webpage (no author, no date) Te Kaunihera O Nga Neehi Maori O Aotearoa [National Council of Maori Nurses]. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 25, 2006, from http://www.healthsite.co.nz/hauora_maori/ncmn/in
dex.html
How to reference part/section of a Web Page The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of section of web page – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of section of web page. (followed by a full stop)
4. Title. Of web page in italics. (followed by a full stop)
Insert the following text before Title - In
5. Date Retrieved Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Month - Retrieved
6. URL (web address)
Insert the following text before URL – from (dependent on type of webpage)
24
Part/section of a webpage Schrader, B. (n.d.). Building families. In We call it home: A history of state housing in New
Zealand. Retrieved June 24, 2004, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/housing/
family.html
How to reference an Electronic Publication of Limited Circulation
(Intranet not Internet)
Note: The Electronic Publication of Limited Circulation example below has been provided by
Philson Library Staff, following APA principles, as APA 5th ed. does not provide any exact
examples for this type of publication. Also, the MS Word formatting adds a carriage return
before the URL whereas APA have a simple space.
The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of electronic publication – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Date Retrieved - Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Month – Retrieved
5. (Location of Publication) In parentheses insert Available from the (host organisation
and the relevant programme or department)- followed by the web address (url)
6. URL (web address)
Insert the following text before URL – Web site: (dependent on type of webpage)
Auckland District Health Board. (2002, September) Cytotoxic therapy administration.
Retrieved May 1, 2007 (Available from the Auckland District Health Board, Polices and
Procedures Web site: http://adhbintranet/ADHB%5FPolicies%5Fand%5FProcedures/Clin
ical/ADHB_Board/cytotoxic_therapy_administration.htm)
How to reference an Electronic Journal article The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of article – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of article. (followed by a full stop)
4. Journal title, in italics (followed by a comma) NB. Journal Title must be in full
5. Volume number, in italics (followed by a comma if no issue number is given)
25
6. Issue/part number, in parentheses only needed if issues are individually paginated
(followed by a comma)
7. Page Numbers of article (followed by a full stop) NB: If no page numbers given
disregard
8. Date Retrieved Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before Month - Retrieved
9. URL (web address)
Insert the following text before URL – from
Electronic journal – Internet Only Klenk, K., Snow, J., Morgan, K., Bowen, R., Stephens, M., Foster, F., et al. (2004, December).
Alligators as West Nile virus amplifiers. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10(12). Retrieved
November 25, 2004, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no12/04-0264.htm
NB: For an Internet article based on a print source see APA Manual pg 271
How to reference a Cochrane Review Note: The Cochrane examples below have been provided by Philson Library Staff, following
APA principles, as APA 5th ed. does not provide any exact examples for Cochrane Databases.
The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Author/s. of article – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Updated Date. of review in parentheses. – Month Day, (comma) Year. (followed by a
full stop) Insert the following text before Month – Updated. NB: Use ‘Date of Most
Recent Update’ from the review.
3. Title. of article.
4. Type. of article in square brackets. (followed by a full stop) NB: Insert the following
text [Cochrane Review] or [Cochrane Protocol].
5. Database name, in italics (followed by a comma) NB. Insert following text - In
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,
6. Year of database (followed by a space)
7. Issue/volume. in parentheses (followed by a full stop).
8. Date Retrieved - Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma),
Insert the following text before Month – Retrieved
9. Software Provider. (followed by a full stop). NB: Insert following text – from Ovid
Evidence Based Medicine Reviews: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. OR
from The Cochrane Library, Wiley Interscience.
26
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid version) Sultana, A., Reilly, J., & Fenton, M. (Updated February 25, 2003). Thioridazine for
schizophrenia. [Cochrane Review]. In Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2004
(4). Retrieved February 5, 2005, from Ovid Evidence Based Medicine Reviews:
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
The Cochrane Library, Wiley Interscience Bunn, F., Byrne, G., & Kendall, S. (Updated March 22, 2004). Telephone consultation and
triage: effects on health care use and patient satisfaction. [Cochrane Review]. In
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2005 (1). Retrieved February 11, 2005, from
The Cochrane Library, Wiley Interscience.
How to reference an electronic book retrieved from a database e.g.
Books@Ovid, Ebrary, netLibrary The following details are needed (if available) in this order:
1. Name/s. of author(s), editor(s) – Surname,(comma) Initial(s).(full stop)
2. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
3. Title. of publication in italics. (followed by a full stop)
4. Edition. (in parentheses) if other than the first edition (followed by a full stop) NB:
edition always abbreviated to ed.
5. Place of publication: (followed by a colon)
6. Publisher. (followed by a full stop)
7. Date Retrieved, – Month Day, (followed by a comma) Year, (followed by a comma)
Insert the following text before month – Retrieved
8. Software Provider. (followed by a full stop) – NB: Insert the following text – from
Books@Ovid database OR from netLibrary database OR from Ebrary database.
Electronic book retrieved from a database Morris, P. J., & Wood, W. C. (2000). Oxford Textbook of Surgery (2nd ed.). Oxford, England:
Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 1, 2004, from Books@Ovid database.
Electronic book retrieved from a library catalogue Shaw, K. M., & Cummings, M. H. (Eds.), (2006). Diabetes: Chronic complications (2nd ed.).
Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved March 1, 2007, from University of
Auckland Library Catalogue, Wiley Interscience: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com
ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/cgi-bin/bookhome/112510904?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
27
Legal Material
How to reference an Act
The following are some general guidelines for referencing acts both in the text of your
document and in your reference list.
The details needed to reference an Act will vary according to the country from where the Act
originates. Consult with your subject librarian. Note: According to the APA manual p. 403 you
do not need to italicize the name of the Act in either the reference list or in text.
In text According to the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1975 it was….
OR
…….. particular class of specified drug offence (Misuse of Drugs Act, 1975).
Reference Basic Details required are:
1. Title of the Act,(followed by a comma)
2. Volume (followed by a space) NB: Number assigned to the Act
3. Source. (full stop) (followed by a space) NB: Abbreviate source, normally includes the
country where the Act originates from
4. § number (followed by a space) NB: You will need to copy and paste the section
number symbol from the Character Map (this is located under your Accessories Menu).
NB: The § number is only required when you are not referencing the whole act.
5. Year. of publication in parentheses. (followed by a full stop)
Whole Act
Misuse of Drugs Act, 116 Stat. N.Z. (1975).
OR
Human Rights Act, c.42 U.K. (1998).
OR
Section of an Act
Crimes Act, 43 Stat. N.Z. § 267 (1961).
Other Country Codes: Australia – Austl. England – Eng. Great Britain – Gr. Brit. United Kingdom – U.K. United States of America – U.S. For states within Australia and the U.S. consult your subject librarian for the abbreviated code.
Quick Guide to APA Referencing
TYPE EXAMPLE FOR MORE DETAILS SEE
Journal Articles
One Author Neugroschl, J. (2002). Agitation: How to manage behaviour disturbances in the older patient with
dementia. Geriatrics, 57(4), 33-37.
p. 14
Two Authors Hughes, E., & Rodgers, J. (1999). Changing times in diabetes care. Diabetes Primary Care, 1(1), 4. p. 14
Three – Six Authors Ilan, D. I., Liporace, F. A., Rosen, J., & Cannavo, D. (2004). Efficacy of rofecoxib for pain control after
knee arthroscopy: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial. Arthroscopy, 20, 813-
818.
p. 14
More than Six Authors Cohet, C., Cheng, S., MacDonald, C., Baker, M., Foliaki, S., Huntington, N., et al. (2004). Infections,
medication use, and the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in childhood.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 58, 852-857
p. 14
Journal supplements Roose, S. P. (2000). Considerations for the use of antidepressants in patients with cardiovascular disease.
American Heart Journal, 140(4 Suppl.), S84-S88.
OR
Stjernholm, C. (2003). Aspects of temporal bone anatomy and pathology in conjunction with cochlear
implant surgery. Acta Radiologica - Supplementum, 44(Suppl. 430), 2-15.
p. 15
Journal article in press Alonso, S., Geys, H., Molenberghs, G., & Kenward, M. G. (in press). Validation of surrogate markers in
multiple randomized clinical trials with repeated measurements. Biometrics.
p. 15
Magazine Article Allan, B. (2004, March). The food fight. Consumer, 438, 8-11.
OR
Fleming, D. (2004, March 8). Cutting back on obesity. New Zealand Woman's Weekly, 95-96.
p. 15
Newspaper Article Brooker, M. (2003, July 14). Meningitis scare swamps hospital. The Press, p. A1. p. 16
Books
Single author Durie, M. (2001). Mauri ora: The dynamics of Maori health. Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University
Press.
p. 16
Single editor Perl, A. (Ed.). (2004). Autoimmunity: Methods and protocols. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. p. 16
Two authors Polit-O'Hara, D., & Hungler, B. P. (1999). Nursing research: Principles and methods (6th ed.).
Philadelphia: Lippincott.
p. 16
Corporate Author New Zealand Occupational Safety & Health Service. (1996). Approved code of practice for the
management of noise in the workplace. Wellington, New Zealand: Department of Labour,
Occupational Safety & Health Service.
p. 17
Author/Publisher are Identical New Zealand Ministry of Health. (2004). Guideline for specialist health services for older people.
Wellington, New Zealand: Author.
p. 17
No author/editor Australian medicines handbook: AMH. (2004). Adelaide, South Australia: Australian Medicines
Handbook.
p. 17
Brochure Diabetes New Zealand. (2003). Cardiovascular risk and diabetes [Brochure]. Wellington, New Zealand:
Author.
p. 17
Book Chapter p. 18
Chapter in an edited book Brown, S. A., Aarons, G. A., & Abrantes, A. M. (2001). Adolescent alcohol and drug abuse. In C. E.
Walker & M. C. Roberts (Eds.), Handbook of clinical child psychology (3rd ed., pp. 757-775). New
York: Wiley.
p. 187
Chapter in an unedited book Cook, S. (2007). Palliative care of the elderly. In Palliative care (pp. 23-45). New York: Blackwell. p. 18
Entry in Encyclopaedia/Dictionary
Hordeolum. (2002). In D. M. Anderson (Ed.), Mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health dictionary (p.
826). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
p. 18
Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source
p. 7
Technical Reports Eagle, L., Bulmer, S., & Hawkins, J. (2003). The 'obesity epidemic': Complex causes, controversial cures:
Implications for marketing communication (Tech. Rep. No. 03.03.). Auckland, New Zealand:
Massey University at Albany, Department of Commerce.
p. 19
Conference Proceeding Bonita, R. (2000, May 8-10). World Health Organisation mandate for women and heart diseases. Paper
presented at the International Conference on Women, Heart Diseases and Stroke, Victoria, Canada.
p. 19
Thesis Grayson, S. J. (2001). Nursing management of the rheumatic fever secondary prophylaxis programme.
Unpublished master's thesis, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
OR
Spernak, S. M. (2001). The impact of constructive thinking and doctor-patient relations on cardiac
patient adherence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, George Washington University, Washington,
DC.
p. 20
Personal Communication p. 8
Lecture Notes Sheridan, N. (2007, February 27). Primary health care patterns in New Zealand. Unpublished lecture
notes, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
p. 21
Video Recording, Motion Pictures and Television
pp. 21-22
Video or motion picture with
international or national
availability
Roston, J. (Producer), & Haberman, I. (Director). (1987). Physical examination of the musculoskeletal
system: Program 2: Foot and ankle [Motion picture]. Park Ridge, Ill: The Academy.
p. 21
Video or motion picture with
limited availability
Roberts, H. (Producer). (1993). Breast examination [Motion picture]. (Available from University of
Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand).
p. 22
Motion picture (movie/film) with
international or nation availability
Shadyac, T. & M. G. Williams (Producers), & Shadyac, T. (Director). (1998). Patch Adams [Motion
picture]. Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures.
p. 22
Television broadcast Māori Television (Producer). (2006, September 1). Te kāea: News [Television broadcast]. Auckland, New
Zealand: Māori Television.
p. 22
Television series Bennett, S. (Producer). (1992). Shortland Street [Television series]. New Zealand: South Pacific Pictures. p. 22
Single episode from a television
series
Booton, L. (Writer), & Bennett, S. (Director). (2007). Episode 16.101 [Television series episode]. In S.
Bennett (Producer), Shortland Street. New Zealand: South Pacific Pictures.
OR
Crichton, M. & Maser, K. (Writers), & Innes, L. (Director). (2006). Tell me no secrets [Television series
episode]. In M. Crichton & J. Wells (Producers), ER. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Television.
p. 22
Electronic Media pp. 23-26
Webpages pp. 23-24
Stand alone Webpage (no author, no date)
Te Kaunihera O Nga Neehi Maori O Aotearoa [National Council of Maori Nurses]. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 25, 2006, from http://www.healthsite.co.nz/hauora_maori/ncmn/index.html
p. 23
Part/section of a webpage Schrader, B. (n.d.). Building families. In We call it home: A history of state housing in New Zealand.
Retrieved June 24, 2004, from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/housing/family.html
pp. 23-24
Electronic Publication of Limited Circulation (Intranet not Internet)
Auckland District Health Board. (2002, September) Cytotoxic therapy administration. Retrieved May 1,
2007 (Available from the Auckland District Health Board, Polices and Procedures Web site:
http://adhbintranet/ADHB%5FPolicies%5Fand%5FProcedures/Clinical/ADHB_Board/cytotoxic_th
erapy_administration.htm)
p. 24
Electronic journal – Internet Only
Klenk, K., Snow, J., Morgan, K., Bowen, R., Stephens, M., Foster, F., et al. (2004, December). Alligators
as West Nile virus amplifiers. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10(12). Retrieved November 25, 2004,
from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no12/04-0264.htm
p. 24-25
Cochrane Review pp. 25-26
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid version)
Sultana, A., Reilly, J., & Fenton, M. (Updated February 25, 2003). Thioridazine for schizophrenia.
[Cochrane Review]. In Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2004 (4). Retrieved February 5,
2005, from Ovid Evidence Based Medicine Reviews: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
p. 26
The Cochrane Library, Wiley Interscience
Bunn, F., Byrne, G., & Kendall, S. (Updated March 22, 2004). Telephone consultation and triage: effects
on health care use and patient satisfaction. [Cochrane Review]. In Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews, 2005 (1). Retrieved February 11, 2005, from The Cochrane Library, Wiley Interscience.
p. 26
Electronic Books p. 26
Electronic Book retrieved from a
database
Morris, P. J., & Wood, W. C. (2000). Oxford Textbook of Surgery (2nd ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford
University Press. Retrieved September 1, 2004, from Books@Ovid database.
p. 26
Electronic book retrieved from a
library catalogue
Shaw, K. M., & Cummings, M. H. (Eds.), (2006). Diabetes: Chronic complications (2nd ed.). Chichester,
England: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved March 1, 2007, from University of Auckland Library
Catalogue, Wiley Interscience: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/cgi-
bin/bookhome/112510904?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
p. 26
Legal Material p. 27
Act in text p. 27
Whole Act Misuse of Drugs Act, 116 Stat. N.Z. (1975).
OR
Human Rights Act, c.42 U.K. (1998).
p. 27
Section of an Act Crimes Act, 43 Stat. N.Z. § 267 (1961). p. 27
REPORTING STATISTICS APA STYLE Mean and Standard Deviation are most clearly presented in parentheses: The sample as a whole was relatively young (M = 19.22, SD = 3.45).
The average age of students was 19.22 years (SD = 3.45).
Percentages are also most clearly displayed in parentheses with no decimal places:
Nearly half (49%) of the sample was married.
Chi-Square statistics are reported with degrees of freedom and sample size in parentheses, the Pearson chi-square value (rounded to two decimal places), and the significance level:
The percentage of participants that were married did not differ by gender, χ2(1, N = 90) = 0.89, p > .05.
T Tests are reported like chi-squares, but only the degrees of freedom are in parentheses. Following that, report the t statistic (rounded to two decimal places) and the significance level.
There was a significant effect for gender, t(54) = 5.43, p < .001, with men receiving higher scores than women.
ANOVAs (both one-way and two-way) are reported like the t test, but there are two degrees-of-freedom numbers to report. First report the between-groups degrees of freedom, then report the within-groups degrees of freedom (separated by a comma). After that report the F statistic (rounded off to two decimal places) and the significance level.
There was a significant main effect for treatment, F(1, 145) = 5.43, p < .01, and a significant interaction, F(2, 145) = 3.13, p < .05.
Correlations are reported with the degrees of freedom (which is N-2) in parentheses and the significance level:
The two variables were strongly correlated, r(55) = .49, p < .01.
Regression results are often best presented in a table. APA doesn't say much about how to report regression results in the text, but if you would like to report the regression in the text of your Results section, you should at least present the standardized slope (beta) along with the t-test and the corresponding significance level. (Degrees of freedom for the t-test is N-k-1 where k equals the number of predictor variables.) It is also customary to report the percentage of variance explained along with the corresponding F test.
Social support significantly predicted depression scores, β = -.34, t(225) = 6.53, p < .01. Social support also explained a significant proportion of variance in depression scores, R2 = .12, F(1, 225) = 42.64, p < .01.
Copyright 1997-2005 University of Washington
4/6/05 stats.pdf
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Psychology Writing Center Phone: 206.685.8278 3937 15th Avenue NE psywc@u.washington.edu Box 351525 http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts.shtml
Reporting Results of Common Statistical Tests in APA Format The goal of the results section in an empirical paper is to report the results of the data analysis used to test a hypothesis. The results section should be in condensed format and lacking interpretation. Avoid discussing why or how the experiment was performed or alluding to whether your results are good or bad, expected or unexpected, interesting or uninteresting. This document is specifically about how to report statistical results. Refer to our handout, Writing an APA Style Empirical Paper, for details on writing a results section (http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/APApaper.pdf) Every statistical test that you report should relate directly to a hypothesis. Begin the results section by restating each hypothesis, then state whether your results supported it, then give the data and statistics that allowed you to draw this conclusion. If you have multiple numerical results to report, it’s often a good idea to present them in a figure (graph) or a table (see APA Table Guidelines. http://depts.washington.edu/psywc/handouts/pdf/tables.pdf). In reporting the results of statistical tests, report the descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations, as well as the test statistic, degrees of freedom, obtained value of the test, and the probability of the result occurring by chance (p value). Test statistics and p values should be rounded to two decimal places. All statistical symbols that are not Greek letters should be italicized (M, SD, t, p, etc.). When reporting a significant difference between two conditions, indicate the direction of this difference, i.e. which condition was more/less/higher/lower than the other condition(s). Assume that your audience has a professional knowledge of statistics. Don’t explain how or why you used a certain test unless it is unusual. p values
There are two ways to report p values. One way is to use the alpha level (the a priori criterion for the probablility of falsely rejecting your null hypothesis), which is typically .05 or .01. Example: F(1, 24) = 44.4, p < .01. You may also report the exact p value (the a posteriori probability that the result that you obtained, or one more extreme, occurred by chance). Example: t(33) = 2.10, p = .03. If your exact p value is less than .001, it is conventional to state merely p<.001. If you report exact p values, state early in the results section the alpha level used as a significance criterion for your tests. Example: “We used an alpha level of .05 for all statistical tests.”
EXAMPLES Reporting a significant single sample t-test (µ ≠ µ0):
Students taking statistics courses in psychology at the University of Washington reported studying more hours for tests (M = 121, SD = 14.2) than did UW college students in in general, t(33) = 2.10, p = .034. Reporting a significant t-test for dependent groups (µ1 ≠ µ2):
Results indicate a significant preference for pecan pie (M = 3.45, SD = 1.11) over cherry pie (M = 3.00, SD = .80), t(15) = 4.00, p = .001. Reporting a significant t-test for independent groups (µ1 ≠ µ2):
UW students taking statistics courses in Psychology had higher IQ scores (M = 121, SD = 14.2) than did those
4/6/05 stats.pdf
taking statistics courses in Statistics (M = 117, SD = 10.3), t(44) = 1.23, p = .09. Over a two-day period, participants drank significantly fewer drinks in the experimental group (M= 0.667, SD = 1.15) than did those in the wait-list control group (M= 8.00, SD= 2.00), t(4) = -5.51, p=.005. Reporting a significant omnibus F test for a one-way ANOVA:
An analysis of variance showed that the effect of noise was significant, F(3,27) = 5.94, p = .007. Post hoc analyses using the Scheffé post hoc criterion for significance indicated that the average number of errors was significantly lower in the white noise condition (M = 12.4, SD = 2.26) than in the other two noise conditions (traffic and industrial) combined (M = 13.62, SD = 5.56), F(3, 27) = 7.77, p = .042. Reporting tests of a priori hypotheses in a multi-group study:
Tests of the four a priori hypotheses were conducted using Bonferroni adjusted alpha levels of .0125 per test (.05/4). Results indicated that the average number of errors was significantly lower in the silence condition (M = 8.11, SD = 4.32) than were those in both the white noise condition (M = 12.4, SD = 2.26), F(1, 27) = 8.90, p = .011 and in the industrial noise condition (M = 15.28, SD = 3.30), F (1, 27) = 10.22, p = .007. The pairwise comparison of the traffic noise condition with the silence condition was non-significant. The average number of errors in all noise conditions combined (M = 15.2, SD = 6.32) was significantly higher than those in the silence condition (M = 8.11, SD = 3.30), F(1, 27) = 8.66, p = .009. Reporting results of major tests in factorial ANOVA; non-significant interaction:
Attitude change scores were subjected to a two-way analysis of variance having two levels of message discrepancy (small, large) and two levels of source expertise (high, low). All effects were statistically significant at the .05 significance level. The main effect of message discrepancy yielded an F ratio of F(1, 24) = 44.4, p < .001, indicating that the mean change score was significantly greater for large-discrepancy messages (M = 4.78, SD = 1.99) than for small-discrepancy messages (M = 2.17, SD = 1.25). The main effect of source expertise yielded an F ratio of F(1, 24) = 25.4, p < .01, indicating that the mean change score was significantly higher in the high-expertise message source (M = 5.49, SD = 2.25) than in the low-expertise message source (M = 0.88, SD = 1.21). The interaction effect was non-significant, F(1, 24) = 1.22, p > .05. Reporting results of major tests in factorial ANOVA; non-significant interaction:
A two-way analysis of variance yielded a main effect for the diner’s gender, F(1,108) = 3.93, p < .05, such that the average tip was significantly higher for men (M = 15.3%, SD = 4.44) than for women (M = 12.6%, SD = 6.18). The main effect of touch was non-significant, F(1, 108) = 2.24, p > .05. However, the interaction effect was significant, F(1, 108) = 5.55, p < .05, indicating that the gender effect was greater in the touch condition than in the non-touch condition. Reporting the results of a chi-square test of independence:
A chi-square test of independence was performed to examine the relation between religion and college interest. The relation between these variables was significant, X2 (2, N = 170) = 14.14, p <.01. Catholic teens were less likely to show an interest in attending college than were Protestant teens. Reporting the results of a chi-square test of goodness of fit:
A chi-square test of goodness-of-fit was performed to determine whether the three sodas were equally preferred. Preference for the three sodas was not equally distributed in the population, X2 (2, N = 55) = 4.53, p < .05.
Thanks to Laura Little, Ph.D., UW Department of Psychology, for providing the examples reported here.