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APA Style Help & Tools

{{page_title}}, best bet: apa's academic writer.

Academic Writer is the only authoritative and complete online environment for teaching, writing, and publishing in APA Style®, now updated to the 7th Edition. Designed to help users develop their writing and professional research skills, Academic Writer combines sophisticated learning and teaching tools, advanced writing and content management technology, and full integration of APA’s best-selling Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association® to create an unparalleled web-based suite of integrated services and tools.

Access Academic Writer anytime with this link:

library.purdueglobal.edu/academicwriter

Academic Writer Documentation & Tips

The below links lead to more information, tips, and training about the basics of using Academic Writer.

• Library Guide to Academic Writer
• Getting Started Guide (PDF)
• Creating Academic Writer Accounts (PDF)
• Accessing the Publication Manual (PDF)
• Technical Requirements

Using Academic Writer's Writing Tools

Academic Writer contains a Writing section where you can create and write a full APA-formatted paper.  You can write the entire paper in Academic Writer or just use it to setup the title page, headings, and references.  Export your work at any time to a Microsoft Word document.  Below are documents from Academic Writer about the essential features of their Writing tools.  

• Setting up the Title Page
• Adding References to Papers (PDF)
• Adding In-Text Citations (PDF)
• Adding Tables (PDF)
• Exporting Papers (PDF)

Featured Items from Academic Writer

Basics of APA Style

Learn the basics of APA Style, including how to format a manuscript, understand the form and function of common manuscript parts, organize and express your thoughts clearly and precisely, employ the mechanics of style, use graphic elements effectively, credit sources and acknowledge the contributions of others, and construct a comprehensive and reliable reference list.

Academic Writer

© 2020 American Psychological Association.

How to Avoid Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism

Learn how to avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, including how to identify plagiarism, understand its risks and consequences, cite sources properly, and develop sound writing practices.

Learn how to set up the title page of an APA Style paper, including the page header and running head, title, author name and affiliation, and author note.

Paper Template: ("Merenda" Sample Student Paper)

This sample response paper presents a university student's personal reaction to an article about whether medication is prescribed too often to young children to treat psychological disorders. The title page demonstrates the simple default layout for a student paper. The paper has a simple setup with only a title page, body of text, and references. No "running head"! Response papers typically do not include author notes or abstracts, though this may vary by assignment.

Visit the Writing Center

Need writing help?  Visit the Writing Center to contact a tutor, submit your paper for review and feedback, or ask APA Style-related questions, as well as access dozens of writing tutorials, videos, webinars, and other instructional resources.

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PG Writing Center's Top APA Links

• Common Citations in APA Format
• APA Title Page and Running Head Video
• APA (7th Edition) Demystified in 5 Minutes Video
• Formatting an APA Style (7th Edition) Reference List Video
• Writing With Integrity (APA Style 7th Ed.)

eBook on APA Style 7th Edition

Zotero: Free Reference Management Tool

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. This tool is especially popular for heavy researchers at the grad level and above.

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Citation Guide

• APA Style - 7th Edition

Introduction to MLA Style

Creating mla citations: examples, paper formatting guidelines & sample papers, in-text citations & the list of works cited, examples of works cited & in-text citations, software tools for mla style, works cited for this page.

• Chicago/Turabian Style
• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
• Tools for Managing Citations
• Citation Season!

What is MLA Style?

MLA stands for Modern Language Association. MLA Style is an established style for formatting your paper and giving credit to your sources. 

This page provides resources for all the elements of a preparing a paper in MLA Style, including formatting, in-text citations, and the works cited list.

Disciplines at Caldwell that use MLA Style include English, history, theology, philosophy, and others.

MLA Quick Links

• Quoting and Paraphrasing in MLA Format This video course is all about quoting and paraphrasing sources in your paper! Learn rules of quoting and paraphrasing responsibly, and see examples of in-text citations in MLA format.
• Purdue OWL Guide to MLA Style Purdue OWL has resources about many citation styles. Here is their section on MLA

An Article from a Journal Found in a Library Database (a source in two containers)

from MLA Handbook chapter 5.100-103, The Three Most Common Types of Entries

A Chapter or Section of a Book Accessed through an Online Repository (a source with two containers)

An Episode of a TV Show Watched on an Online Platform (a source in two containers)

A Chapter or Section of a Print Book (a source in one container)

A Print Book (a source that is self-contained)

• Sample MLA Papers These sample student papers show MLA formatting for all details of a research paper. Look a the structure of the page, how quotes are incorporated, and how works are cited.
• Formatting Your Research Project (MLA Handbook, Ch. 1) Instructions for formatting your paper in MLA style, including margins, title, headers and footers, headings and subheadings, etc.
• The Writing Process Purdue OWL's Guide to academic writing in MLA Style, including grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.
• Mechanics of Prose (MLA Handbook, Ch. 2) Guidance on all the details of writing, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, how format titles and names in your paper.

In-Text Citations

• In-Text Citations: The Basics Basic instructions from Purdue OWL about how to format in-text citations in MLA Style. This is how you credit your sources when you mention them in the text of your paper.
• Citing Sources in the Text (MLA Handbook, Ch. 6) This chapter starts with the basics of citing your sources in the text of your paper. It covers many situations you might encounter.

Works Cited Page

• MLA Style 101 This video course goes through each "element" of the MLA works cited page entry (like author, title, publisher) and shows how to identify what belongs in each element. This will help you create works cited page entries and know how to edit citations that a database generates!
• Interactive Practice Template Learn how to create citations for your Works Cited page!
• How to Cite Books This page from Purdue OWL covers the basics of citing books as well as what to do in a variety of situations. This page has guidance on multiple authors, an organization as author, translations, anthologies, and more.
• How to Cite Electronic Resources (aka things you found online) This page from Purdue OWL covers works cited page entries for most kinds of online sources, including scholarly journal articles in a library database, ebooks, government agency websites, online news, a YouTube video, personal email correspondence, and more.
• Citation Examples from the MLA Handbook This is a regularly updated list of citations for a wide variety of sources. It's organized by source, so scroll down or use ctrl-F to search the page for the kind of source you want to see, like "translated book" or "YouTube Video".

Journal Article Found in a Library Database

Works cited page entry.

Lorensen, Jutta. “Between Image and Word, Color, and Time: Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series.”  African American Review , vol. 40, no. 3, 2006, pp. 571-86. Academic Search Premier, each.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? Drect=true&db=f5h&AN=24093790&site=eho st-live.

In-text citation

(Lorensen 577)

Newspaper Article Found in a Library Database 

Fessenden, Ford, et al. "The Battle for New York's Key Voting Blocs in the Primaries."  New York Times , 19 Apr. 2016, p. A 14.  ProQuest Central , ezproxy.caldwell.edu:2048/login?url=http:// search.proquest.com/ docview/1781721245?accountid=26523.

(Fessenden et al. A14)

Article from an Online News Source

Chang, Kenneth. “NASA Will Send More Helicopters to Mars.” The New York Times , 27 July 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/science/mars-sample-mission-nasa.html.

Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdrich.  The Crown of Columbus . HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. 

(Dorris and Erdrich 110-12)

Article or Specific Chapter from a Book 

Copeland, Edward. “Money.”  The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen , edited by Copeland and Juliet McMaster, Cambridge UP, 1997, pp. 131-48. 

(Copeland 135)

Webpage on a Website 

“Infographic: Benefits of Language Learning.” Modern Language Association , 2022, www.mla.org/Resources/Advocacy/Infographics/Infographic-Benefits-of-Language-Learning.

("Inforgraphic: Benefits of Language Learning")

Film on an App 

Mamma Mia . Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, Universal Pictures, 2008. Netflix app. 

( Mamma Mia ) or ( Mamma Mia  59:03-61:23) - cite a specific scene with timestamps in the page number spot

There are many tools that can help you create, manage, and organize your citations and your references page. Here are some that the library provides or recommends for students and faculty. 

• NoodleTools This link opens in a new window NoodleTools is an online tool that helps you take notes and correctly format citations. MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian citation styles are included. Use throughout your research project to track sources, take notes, create outlines, collaborate with classmates, and format bibliographies. Use this link to create an account.
• ZoteroBib ZoteroBib is a free service that helps you build a bibliography from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. It's from the team behind the open source citation management app Zotero. ZBib can create a draft citation from a link or ISBN and has helpful templates for you to use to manually create citations. You can use it for MLA, APA, or Chicago Style.

The information on this page comes from the MLA Handbook, 9th Edition. This book can be cited in MLA style like this:

MLA Handbook.  9th ed., Modern Language Association of America, 2021. 

The elements used here are: [2. Title of source]  MLA Handbook.  [5. Version]  9th ed., [7. Publisher]  Modern Language Association of America, [8. Publication date]  2021. Because the publisher is an organization who is also the author, this organization - the Modern Language Association - is only listed once, as the publisher. 

An in-text citation for this handbook could be ( MLA Handbook  45) to refer specifically to something on page 45. 

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• Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 9:53 AM
• URL: https://libguides.caldwell.edu/citations

Citing Research Papers Using The Purdue OWL

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Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

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The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.

The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

A Message From the Assistant Director of Content Development 

The Purdue OWL® is committed to supporting  students, instructors, and writers by offering a wide range of resources that are developed and revised with them in mind. To do this, the OWL team is always exploring possibilties for a better design, allowing accessibility and user experience to guide our process. As the OWL undergoes some changes, we welcome your feedback and suggestions by email at any time.

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Citation Guides

• AMA (American Medical Association)
• APA Citation Examples
• APA Sample Paper
• Chicago General Formatting
• Chicago Citation Examples
• Chicago Sample Papers
• MLA General Formatting
• MLA Citation Examples

MLA Sample Paper

• Theological/Philosophical Citations

The following PDF provides a sample paper written in the MLA style to demonstrate visually how the guidelines work in action. This PDF is used with thanks and full credit to the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) , which maintains a robust online guide to a variety of style guides, avoiding plagiarism, and writing at the academic level in general. They are strongly recommended as a resource if you need something more in depth than this guide provides.

“MLA Sample Paper.” MLA Sample Paper - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University , Purdue OWL / Purdue University, 21 Oct. 2019, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_paper.html. Accessed on 28 Sept. 2023.

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Purdue Owl: APA Formatting & Style Guide

Developed by Purdue's Online Writing Lab. Contains resources on in-text citation and the references page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

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APA Style, 7th edition

• What is APA?
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Links on this guide may go to external web sites not connected with Randolph Community College. Their inclusion is not an endorsement by Randolph Community College and the College is not responsible for the accuracy of their content or the security of their site.

APA Style Formatting Steps

Setting up page numbering for apa.

1. Set font as Times New Roman and size 12.

2. Click on Insert.

3. Click on Page Number.

4. Click on Top of Page.

5. Click on Plain Number 3 box.

6. Finish cover page (see pages 11 and 12 of the APA guide).

7. Go to second page.

8. Type your title in bold at the top and centered.

9. Close Header/Footer box.

• APA Style Citations Video [PDF] Video Transcript

Sample Paper

• Purdue OWL: APA Sample Paper [PDF] An example of a correctly formatted APA style research paper. From Purdue University Online Writing Center (OWL).
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• Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024 11:39 AM
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Conducting Research

Also see: IRB Applications for information about conducting ethical research with human participants and completing an IRB application.

Once you have an idea of what you want to write about, it’s time to start researching the topic. The best place to begin your research is by using the resources available to you through Sprague Library . In addition to the resources and assistance at Sprague Library, you may find the following online resources helpful as you conduct research and incorporate it into your writing.

Also see: Citing Sources for discipline-specific citation styles and web-based citation tools | Academic Integrity for guidelines to help you use research responsibly.

Interactive Exercises (the companion web site for Mike Palmquist’s The Bedford Researcher ) Interactive exercises that walk the writer through the entire research paper writing process from analyzing the assignment to integrating quotations.

Research Steps (Cornell Univ. Library) “These steps outline a simple and effective strategy for finding information for your research paper and documenting the sources you find. Depending on your topic and your familiarity with the library, you may need to rearrange or recycle these steps.”

Writing a Research Paper (Purdue OWL) “This handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding sources.”

FINDING SOURCES

Articles and Databases at Sprague Library (Montclair State University Sprague Library) A direct link to the databases available at Montclair State. You will need to use your Net ID to access them.

Finding Sources (SUNY Empire State College) An overview of the different resources you can use to conduct research effectively.

Primary Research (Purdue OWL) Explains what primary research is and provides some examples.

Research Guides at Sprague Library (Montclair State University Sprague Library) Library research guides that are divided by subject and show available resources.

Research: Where to Begin (Purdue OWL) “We live in an age overflowing with sources of information. With so many information sources at our fingertips, knowing where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! This handout provides answers to the following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are available?”

Types of Sources (Purdue OWL) Lists different types of print sources and internet sources where you can find information.

CREATING AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Annotated Bibliographies – Purdue (Purdue OWL) “This handout provides information about annotated bibliographies in MLA, APA and CMS.”

Annotated Bibliographies – UNC (UNC Chapel Hill, The Writing Center) “This handout will explain why annotated bibliographies are useful for researchers, provide an explanation of what constitutes an annotation, describe various types of annotations and styles for writing them, and offer multiple examples of annotated bibliographies in the MLA, APA and CBE/CSE styles of citation.”

Annotated Bibliography Samples (Purdue OWL) Here you’ll find sample annotated bibliography entries cited in MLA, APA and Chicago styles.

How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography (Cornell Univ. Library) Explains what an annotated bibliography is, how it differs from an abstract, and how to create an annotated bibliography. It also includes a sample entry for a journal article, cited in both APA and MLA styles.

Write an Annotated Bibliography (UC Santa Cruz, University Library) Explains the definition, content, and purpose of an annotated bibliography.

TAKING NOTES (QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING)

When should you use a quote from your research? When should you paraphrase? When should you summarize? And what is the difference between these different ways of incorporating research into your writing?

The resources on this page will help you to understand the difference between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, and decide when it is best to use each technique in your writing.

Integrating Sources (Writing@CSU) A writing guide on how to incorporate outside sources.

Integrating Sources in MLA Style (Professor David Hennessy, Broward College) Posted on YouTube: July 23, 2008 | length 6:48 A clear and informative video of a student explaining how she learned to integrate sources into her writing rather than dropping in a quotation without explaining its purpose.

Quotations (UNC Chapel Hill, The Writing Center) “Used effectively, quotations can provide important pieces of evidence and lend fresh voices and perspectives to your narrative. Used ineffectively, however, quotations clutter your text and interrupt the flow of your argument. This handout will help you decide when and how to quote like a pro.”

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (Purdue OWL) “This handout is intended to help you become more comfortable with the uses of and distinctions among quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. This handout compares and contrasts the three terms, gives some pointers, and includes a short excerpt that you can use to practice these skills.”

EVALUATING SOURCES

All sources are not equal. It is essential that you know how to evaluate the sources you find to ensure that they are accurate, reliable, and timely.

Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell Univ. Library) “Ten things to look for when you evaluate an information source.”

Evaluating Sources: Introduction (Purdue OWL) “Evaluating sources of information is an important step in any research activity. This section provides information on evaluating bibliographic citations, aspects of evaluation, reading evaluation, print vs. Internet sources, and evaluating Internet sources.”

Evaluating Sources: Overview (Purdue OWL) “After you have asked yourself some questions about the source and determined that it’s worth your time to find and read that source, you can evaluate the material in the source as you read through it.” This site contains useful steps and questions you can ask yourself when evaluating sources.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• AI for Systematic Review
• How to Cite AI Generated Content
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How to Cite AI-Generated Content

Guideline :  https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt.

APA format:  OpenAI. (Year).  ChatGPT  (Month Day version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

APA reference entry: OpenAI. (2023).  ChatGPT  (Feb 13 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

APA in-text citation: (OpenAI, 2023)

Example 1 from APA Guideline

When prompted with “Is the left brain right brain divide real or a metaphor?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that although the two brain hemispheres are somewhat specialized, “the notation that people can be characterized as ‘left-brained’ or ‘right-brained’ is considered to be an oversimplification and a popular myth” (OpenAI, 2023).

OpenAI. (2023).  ChatGPT  (Mar 14 version) [Large language model].  https://chat.openai.com/chat

Example 2  from APA Guideline

When given a follow-up prompt of “What is a more accurate representation?” the ChatGPT-generated text indicated that “different brain regions work together to support various cognitive processes” and “the functional specialization of different regions can change in response to experience and environmental factors” (OpenAI, 2023; see Appendix A for the full transcript).

Guideline : https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/ 

MLA format: “Text of prompt” prompt.  ChatGPT , Day Month version, OpenAI, Day Month Year, chat.openai.com.

MLA Works Cited entry: “Explain antibiotics” prompt.  ChatGPT , 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 16 Feb. 2023, chat.openai.com.

MLA in-text citation: ("Explain antibiotics")

Recommendations on how to cite AI-generated content  

Chicago style recommends citing ChatGPT in a Chicago footnote

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 31, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com.

According to the Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Generated Text (based on  IEEE Author Center Submission Guidelines ),  The use of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) (including but not limited to text, figures, images, and code) shall be disclosed in an acknowledgments section. The AI system used shall be identified, and specific sections of the document that use AI-generated content shall be identified and accompanied by a brief explanation regarding the level at which the AI system was used to generate the content. The use of AI systems for editing and grammar enhancement should be disclosed as noted above.

IEEE has not published an official guideline on citing AI-generated content yet. The IEEE Author Center recommends consulting the Chicago Manual of Style for guidance for any usage not included in the  IEEE Editorial Style Manual . The Chicago Manual of Style has  recommendations on how to cite AI-generated content . 

Other resources: 

Scribbr: ChatGPT Citations | Formats & Examples  

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Citation Guides

• APA Citation Style A guide from Temple Libraries
• Tutorial: Citing with APA Basics Develop your research skills with our self-paced online tutorial
• Purdue Owl APA Guide
• APA Reference Examples
• How to Cite ChatGPT

Journal Abbreviations

Having trouble deciphering a journal title that's abbreviated? Try these resources:

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• All That JAS: Journal Abbreviation Services

Citation Management Tools

• Citation Managers by Fred Rowland Last Updated Feb 16, 2023 688 views this year

Books on Writing in the Sciences

• Communicating Science: A Practical Guide
• Clear and Concise Communications for Scientists and Engineers
• Writing Science : How to Write Papers that Get Cited and Proposals that Get Funded
• Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public
• Introducing Science Communication: A Practical Guide
• The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science
• Communicating in Science : Writing a Scientific Paper and Speaking at Scientific Meetings
• Writing Science Through Critical Thinking
• The Work of Language in Multicultural Classrooms : Talking Science, Writing Science
• Metaphor and Knowledge: The Challenges of Writing Science
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