apa nursing research paper

Archive: APA 6th Edition: Nursing Paper Example: APA Setup & Template

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Sample APA Paper

This guide has has been put together by the State College of Florida BSN Faculty for the Nursing Department.  It can be used as a template. It does show appropriate APA set-up for a paper. Models the following:

• Running Head
• References  
• SCFNursingPaperExampleGuide

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Additional Help

• Purdue OWL: APA 7th Edition Style Guide This resource, revised according to the 7th edition, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
• Purdue OWL APA 7th Edition Overview This is an excellent place to start to learn about APA format.
• UMGC's APA 7th Edition Examples An easy to navigate guide with examples of what your APA citations should look like for many different types of sources.
• Sweetland Center for Writing Need help with writing? The Sweetland Center for Writing can help, with personal consultations & online resources.
• Citation Help Guide
• Ask a Librarian Message library staff, including after business hours & on weekends.

Official Manual (catalog link)

Examples below are taken from Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, “Reference Examples.” 

Official Tutorial

• Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style A free tutorial about APA 7th edition from the American Psychological Association.

APA 7th ed. Examples

• Reference List
• Journals & periodicals
• Journal article with a DOI
• Journal article without a DOI
• Newspaper & magazine articles

Arrange entries in the Reference List in alphabetical order by surname of the first author. For more than one work by the same author, arrange in date order, earliest first. One-author entries precede multiple-author entries beginning with the same surname.

The general format for periodical articles (items published on a regular basis, like newspapers, magazines,and  journals):

Author, A.A., Author, B.B., & Author, C.C. (year). Title of article.  Title of Periodical, xx,  pp-pp. doi:xx.xxxxxxxxx

When there are up to twenty authors, spell out all authors’ names. After the nineteenth author, use ellipses before the last author’s name.

APA style requires the addition of a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for journal articles if one is available. Most current journals articles and many historic articles found in PsycINFO will have a DOI.

If retrieving an article from a private database (examples of private databases include ProQuest or PsycInfo), it is not necessary to include the database information in your reference. However, if there is no DOI available for a journal article, you should look up the home page URL of the journal and include it in your reference.

Journal article with a DOI  ( Manual  section 10.1.1)

McCauley, S.M., & Christiansen, M.H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development.  Psychological Review, 126 (1), 1-51.  https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126

Journal article without a DOI, from a print journal or database  ( Manual  section 10.1.3)

Anderson, M. (2018). Getting consistent with consequences.  Educational Leadership ,  76 (1), 26-33.

Goldman, C. (2018, November 28). The complicated calibration of love, especially in adoption.  Chicago Tribune .

Journal article without a DOI, with a non-database URL  ( Manual  section 10.1.2)

 Ahmann, E., Tuttle, L.J., Saviet, M., & Wright, S.D. (2018). A descriptive review of ADHD coaching research: Implications for college students.  Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 31 (1), 17-39, https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped/archived-jped/jped-volume-31

Newspaper article  ( Manual  section 10.1.16)

Guarino, B. (2017, December 4). How will humanity react to alien life? Psychologists have some predictions.  The Washington Post.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/12/04/how-will-humanity-react-to-alien-life-psychologists-have-some-predictions/

Magazine articles   ( Manual  section 10.1.15)

Bergeson, S. (2019, January 4). Really cool neutral plasmas.  Science , 363 (6422), 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau7988

Bustillos, M. (2013, March 19). On video games and storytelling: an interview with Tom Bissell.  The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/on-video-games-and-storytelling-an-interview-with-tom-bissell

Citing References in Text (Manual, section 8.10)

APA style uses an author-date format for in-text citations. Every reference cited in the text of your document should be included in the reference list. Generally speaking, the author’s last name and year of publication should be inserted into the text when appropriate. If the author’s name is part of the narrative, then the publication year alone is included in parentheses. If the author’s name is not part of the narrative, then both the author’s last name and the publication year is included in the parentheses.

One author  ( Manual  section 8.10)

Karaka (1884) describes the religious customs and traditions of the Parsis settled in Gujarat.

One of the most prominent men of the time had a close relationship with the British (Karaka, 1884).

Multiple authors  ( Manual  section 8.17 - 8.18)

If a work has two authors, then include both names every time the reference occurs in the text.

Forte and Hewitt (2006) propose the idea that

For a work with three or more authors, include the name of only the first author plus "et al." in every citation, including the first citation, unless doing so would create ambiguity. To avoid ambiguity, when the in-text citations of multiple works with three or more authors shorten to the same form, write out as many names as needed to distinguish the references.

Kapoor, Bloom, Montez, et al. (2017)

Kapoor, Bloom, Zucker, et al. (2017)

Book Citations

• Book with a DOI
• Book without a DOI
• Book chapter
• Reference book
• Entry from online reference work
• Government report

From Manual section 10.2.20

Brown, L.S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000092-000

From Manual  section 10.2.21.

Burgess, R. (2019).  Rethinking global health: Frameworks of power.  Routledge.

From Manual section 10.2.22

Christian, B., & Griffiths, T. (2016). Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions. Henry Holt & Co.

From Manual section 10.2.

For a chapter in an authored book, create a reference for the whole book (see "Book..." examples) and provide the chapter information with the in-text citation only.

From Manual section 10.2

Zalta, E.N. (Ed.). (2019). The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2019 ed.). Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/

From  Manual section 10.3.48

Graham, G. (2019). Behaviorism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2019 ed.). http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/

Entry in an online reference work, no individual author or editor ( Manual section 10.3.47)

Merriman-Webster (n.d.). Self-report. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary . Retrieved July 12, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-report

From Manual section 10.4.50. See also  Citing Gov Docs .

Australian Government Productivity Commission & New Zealand Productivity Commission. (2012). Strengthening trans-Tasman economic relations. https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/australia-new-zealand/report/trans-tasman.pdf

Citations for Other Types of Resources

• Websites or Web article
• Web message/comment or Blog post
• Wikipedia or other wiki entry
• Video or Film

To mention a website in general, do not create a reference list entry or an in-text citation. Instead, include the name of the website in the text and provide the URL in parentheses ( Manuel  10.16). If you are citing multiple or specific documents on a website, however, follow the example(s) below.

Web article with author listed  ( Manual  10.16.112)

Martin Lillie, C.M. (2016, December 29). Be kind to yourself: How self-compassion can improve your resiliancy. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-compassion-can-improve-your-resiliency/art-20267193

Web article with no author listed  (http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/web-page-no-author.aspx)

Justice Sotomayor:  A boon for business? (2009). Retrieved from http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=7449

Web message/post/comment with author listed  ( Manual  section 10.1.18)

KS in NJ. (2019, January 15). From this article, it sounds like men are figuring out something that women have known forever. I know of many [Comment on the article "How workout buddies can help stave off loneliness"]. The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2HDToGJ

Provide the comment title or up to the first 20 words of the comment, then write "Comment on the article" and the title of the article on which the comment appeared.

Blog post  ( Manual  section 10.1.17)

Use the author’s name if known, otherwise use a screen name.

Klymkowsky, M. (2018, September 15). Can we talk scientifically about free will?  Sci-Ed.  https://blogs.plos.org/scied/2018/09/15/can-we-talk-scientifically-about-free-will/

From  Manual  10.3.49

List of oldest companies. (2019, January 13). In  Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_oldest_companies&oldid=878158136

Cite the archived version of the page so that readers can retrieve the version you used. Access the archived version on Wikipedia by selecting "View history" and then the time and date of the version you used. If a wiki does not provide permanent links to archived versions of the page, include the URL for the entry and the retrieval date.

(Example from APA.org )

O'Donohue, W. (2017). Content analysis of undergraduate psychology textbooks (ICPSR 21600; Version V1) [Data set]. ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1

Video on website such as YouTube  ( Manual  section 10.12.90)

Fogarty, M. [Grammar Girl]. (2016, September 30).  How to diagram a sentence (absolute basics) . [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/deiEY5Yq1qI

Film  ( Manual  section 10.12.84)

Jackson, P. (Director). (2001).  The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring  [Film; four-disc special extended ed. on DVD]. WingNut Films; The Saul Zaentz Company.

From Manual  Section 10.12.87

Korsh, A. (Writer & Director). (2019, September 25). One last con (Season 9, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In D. Liman & D. Bartis (Executive Producers),  Suits . Untitled Korsh Company; Universal Content Productions; Open 4 Business Productions.

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Citing in APA in Nursing

How to get article citations from the databases, apa 7th edition updates, writing in nursing, sample papers & general guidelines.

• Nursing Theories
• NURS 4402 Workshop
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• DNP Orientation

As a nursing student, you will be required to write all kinds of text with concise and evidence-based information.

We hope that the information below will help you with your writing! 

APA 7th ed. was released in October 2019 and is the most current version of APA.

We ❤️ the  Reference List: Electronic Sources ​ page @ the Purdue OWL. Go there to find examples+instructions for citing web pages and articles in APA 7th Ed. 

• Databases Do The APA Work For You!
• MEDLINE/CINAHL
• Cochrane Library (Wiley)
• AccessMedicine from McGraw Hill
• Google Scholar

When you find articles in these databases, you can pick up auto-generated APA citations while you're there!

Use the instructions in the tabs above to see how.

Please note that auto-generated citations are not guaranteed to be correct, and should be double-checked before submitting them in assignments.

CITATION WARNING: Not all citations in databases are correct.

Please make sure it is formatted correctly and you are not missing any important information. 

Step 1: Click on the title of the article you want to look at to access the Tools menu

Step 2: Click on Cite under the Tools menu to get a quick citation from the database

PubMed offers full-text access through different platforms, so finding the Cite tool differs from database to database.

Step 1: Click on the title to access tools

Step 2: Click on the icons to access full text

Step 3: Most databases have a tool that provides the citation, but the tool may be labeled differently.  

Look for a link or button that says "Cite", "Save", "Cite this Article". If you have trouble locating the citation, you can look for it on Google Scholar or contact your librarian.

If you still cannot find the citation button or link, please copy + paste the citation into Google Scholar and find it that way. 

Step 1: Click on the title to access the article's link to full text

Step 2: Find the full text link

Step 3: Head to publisher's website and look for citation button OR copy + paste the title into Google Scholar and acquire the citation there.

Cochrane use the Harvard citation style, not APA.

Step 1: Click on the title of the article you want to see. 

Step 2: Click on Cite this Article

Step 3: This is in Harvard style but you can use it to make your APA citation.

You will have to create an account before you can use any of the tools on AccessMedicine.

Step 1: Access the citation by click on "Get Citation" 

Step 2: Citations are in AMA & MLA! You can create an APA citation with this information.

Click on the quotation marks at the bottom of each citation to see the citation.

• Changes in APA 7th Edition
• Title Pages
• Heading Levels
• Writing Style & Grammar
• Bias-Free Language
• Mechanics of Style
• Tables & Figures
• In-text Citations
• Reference List

Use the tabs above to see the breakdown of the new changes in APA 7th Edition.  

Please note that it is not an exhaustive or detailed list. 

For more detailed examples and thorough explanations, please reference the handbook.

All of the information you see in the tabs above was taken from: 

Purdue Writing Lab. (2020). Changes in the 7th Edition // Purdue Writing Lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_changes_7th_edition.html

The Title Page (2.3)

The newest edition of the APA manual recommends different title pages for students and professionals. Professional title pages include:

• the title of the paper,
• the name of each author of the paper,
• the affiliation for each author,
• an author note (if desired),
• a running head (which also appears on the following pages,
• a page number (which also appears on the following pages.

Students are directed to follow their instructors’ directions with regards to title page formatting. If no directions are given, students may use the APA-specified title page for students, which includes:

• the affiliation for each author (typically the school being attended),
• the course number and name for which the paper is being written (use the format used by the school or institution (e.g., ENGL 106),
• the course instructor’s name and title (ask for the instructor’s preferred form if possible; e.g., some instructors may prefer “Dr.,” “Ms.,” “Mrs.,” “Mr.,” or a different title),
• the assignment’s due date written in the format most common in your country (e.g., either January 3, 2020, or 3 January 2020 may be appropriate),

Note also that student papers now lack a running head.

Heading Levels (2.27)

Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination. In general,  each distinct section of an academic paper should start with a level one heading.

The seventh edition changes only levels three, four, and five headings. All headings are now written in title case (important words capitalized) and boldface. Headings are distinguished only by the use of italics, indentation, and periods.

A handful of additional formatting changes are recommended in the seventh edition. These include the following:

• Running heads are no longer required for student papers.
• Professional papers include a running head on every page, including the title page. However, the “Running head:” label used in the sixth edition is no longer used.

The running head is written in all capital letters. The running head should either be identical to the paper’s title, or a shortened form of the title that conveys the same idea. However, running heads should not exceed 50 characters (including spaces and punctuation).

• The section labels for abstracts and reference lists follow the conventions for level one headings (i.e., in addition to being centered and written in title case, they are also in boldface).
• Font guidelines are now somewhat looser in order to account for differences in computer specifications and users’ accessibility needs. So long as the same font is used throughout the text of the paper, a variety of fonts are acceptable.

Writing Style and Grammar (Chapter 4)

The most important changes here relate to pronoun usage, though it may bear mentioning that the APA has endorsed the "singular they"  on its website  for years prior to the release of the new manual:

• For instance, rather than writing "I don't know who wrote this note, but he or she has good handwriting," you might write something like "I don't know who wrote this note, but they have good handwriting."
• Additionally, “they” should be used for a person who uses “they” as their personal pronoun. In both cases, derivatives of “they,” like “them,” “their,” “themselves,” and so on should also be used accordingly. Plural verbs should be used when "they" is referring to a single person or entity (e.g., use "they are a kind friend" rather than "they is a kind friend").
• The manual also advises against anthropomorphizing language. Thus, non-human relative pronouns like “that,” and “which” are recommended for animals and inanimate objects, rather than “who.”

Bias-Free Language (Chapter 5)

The seventh edition of the manual updates guidelines for writing about “age, disability, gender, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation” to bring them in line with current best practices. The guidelines are too extensive to reproduce here, but a few of the most important and general instructions are described below. Consult chapter 5 of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.) for more details.

• Use “person-first” language whenever possible. For instance, “a man with epilepsy” is generally preferable to “an epileptic” or “an epileptic man.”
• Similarly, avoid using adjectives as nouns to describe groups of people (a la “the Asians” or “drug users”). Instead, use these adjectives to describe specific nouns or use descriptive noun phrases (a la “Asian people” or “people who use drugs”).
• Use specific labels rather than general ones when possible. For example, “cisgender men” is more specific than “men.” Similarly, “Korean Americans” is more specific than “Asian Americans” or “Asians.”
• When describing differences between groups of people, focus on the qualities that are relevant to the situation at hand. For example, in a study of sex chromosome-linked illnesses, study participants’ biological sexes are probably relevant, while participants’ sexual orientations are probably not.
• In general, respect the language that people use to refer to themselves, and understand that the language used to refer to certain groups of people can and does change over time. Recognize also that group members may not always express total agreement about this language.

Mechanics of Style (Chapter 6)

In terms of mechanics, the seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual contains a variety of minor changes from the sixth edition. Two of the most important are the following:

• Use one space after a period at the end of a sentence unless an instructor or publisher dictates otherwise.
• Use quotation marks around linguistic examples rather than highlighting these examples with italics. For example, one might write that a computer user should press the “F” key, rather than press the  F  key. Similarly, one might write about study participants who have to choose between the choices “agree,” “disagree,” and “other,” rather than the choices  agree ,  disagree , and  other .

This chapter also contain expanded guidelines that clarify a variety of mechanical issues, like whether certain proper nouns should be capitalized. The guidelines are too extensive to reproduce here, so consult chapter 6 for additional information.

Tables and Figures (Chapter 7)

Though the formatting for tables and figures has not dramatically changed from the sixth edition, a few relevant changes are as follows:

• Tables and figures are now formatted in parallel—in other words, they use consistent rules for titles, notes, and numbering.
• Tables and figures may now be presented either in the text of the document or after the reference list on separate pages.

In-Text Citations (Chapter 8)

Changes and updates to in-text citation procedure in the seventh edition include the following:

• Example: Fannon, Chan, Ramirez, Johnson, and Grimsdottir (2019) and Fannon, Chan, Montego, Daniels, and Miller (2019) can be cited as (Fannon, Chan, Ramirez, et al., 2019) and (Fannon, Chan, Montego, et al., 2019), respectively.
• If the information has been recorded (e.g., as an audio file or an interview transcript), follow the ordinary directions for citing the appropriate form of media.
• Example: Following a series of conversations with Joseph Turnipseed (Tulalip Nation, lives in Portland, Oregon, personal communication, September 2017), we discovered connections between…
• In both cases, capitalize not only the name of indigenous groups and nations (e.g., Crow, Seminole, Narragansett), but also most terms derived from indigenous culture (e.g., Oral Tradition, Elder, Traditional Knowledge, Vision Quest).
• Finally, work closely with indigenous keepers of traditional knowledge to ensure that the knowledge is reproduced only with the permission of relevant indigenous stakeholders.
• If attributing the quote to a pseudonym, enclose the name in quotation marks the first time you use it. After the first time, do not use quotation marks.

Reference List (Chapter 9)

Reference list entries are handled largely the same in the seventh edition as they are in the sixth edition, barring a few important changes. Most pertain to electronic sources.

• In the seventh edition, up to 20 authors should now be included in a reference list entry. For sources with more than 20 authors, after the 19th listed author, any additional authors' names are replaced with an ellipsis (…) followed by the final listed author's name. Do not place an ampersand before the final author's name.
• Digital object identifiers (DOIs) and URLs are now both presented as hyperlinks for electronic sources.
• The label “DOI:” is no longer used for entries that include a DOI.
• The words “Retrieved from” (preceding the URL or DOI) are now only used when a retrieval date is also provided in the citation.
• Note that, though database/archive information is typically not included in citation entries, it should be included when writers need to cite sources that are only available within a certain database.
• Some Tips For You

Be Objective

Remember Your Critical Audience

According to the Purdue OWL, here are three major rules to follow when writing as a professional  nurse: 

Use the tabs above to learn more.

All of this information was taken from:

Purdue Writing Lab. (2020). Writing as a Professional Nurse // Purdue Writing Lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/healthcare_writing/writing_as_a_professional_nurse/index.html

Be Precise ​ ​

• Example: "Did dressing change"  This example leaves many things to interpretation. 
• Better example: "Performed dressing change, cleaned wound with NS and gauze, applied calcium alginate, covered with ABD, secured with silk tape. Patient tolerated well."  This example provides a clear picture of every step taken, to include medications and materials. You may need even more details to describe wound status and/or doctor notifications.
• Example: "Patient acting crazy."  This example provides the nurse's subjective opinion.
• Better example: "Patient pacing back and forth, breathing fast, clenching fists, yelling ‘Don’t touch me!’ repeatedly."  This example provides a clear picture of what actually happened. 
• ​​Litigation and auditing are a fact of life in the medical field. People will be looking for mistakes or inconsistencies.  
• Both of the examples in the above points could be used by a critical audience to have cause for correction or could be used negatively against you in court. The phrase “Did dressing change” details no necessity for specific materials, leaves room for doubt as to compliance with doctor-ordered treatments, and can provide space for accusations from expert witnesses. Writing “Patient acting crazy,” without quantifying statements and description of your actions, can be grounds for charges of negligence. Either one of these cases, in an extreme scenario, could be grounds for you to lose your license.
• APA 7 Student Paper The APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.
• APA 7 Professional Paper The APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication). These differences mostly extend to the title page and running head. Crucially, citation practices do not differ between the two styles of paper.

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Nursing Research: APA 7th Ed.

• Nursing/Health Library Resources
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APA Resources from CUC

• APA Tutorials
• APA Sample Papers & Library Resources
• Dr. Garvin's APA PowerPoints
• Additional Support

Citation tools are often available in many databases.  Databases will create the citation for an article in the style you want.  However, formatting does not always copy correctly and you may need to adjust indentations and confirm that the information requested by your instructor is included in the citation generated.  It can be a real time saver.  See the tutorials below:

• How to create hanging indentations: Video
• How to format section and subheadings: Video

Below are APA sample papers that you can download or print for guidance: 

• APA Student Paper Example from Purdue OWL
• APA Formatting FAQs from Purdue OWL
• APA In-Text Citations
• APA Referencing Various Electronic Resources
• APA Citation with Tables and Figures
• APA Citation of a Poster
• APA Style Student Paper Setup Guide

Learning APA from Dr. Staci Garvin

Utilize these PowerPoints to help you learn proper scholarly citation techniques. Understanding this process is essential in higher education.

• Dr. Garvin's Direct Quotations for APA
• Dr. Garvin's In-Text Citations, Paraphrase & Quotations for APA
• Dr. Garvin's In-Text Citations APA
• Dr. Garvin's Parenthetical & Narrative Citations for APA
• Dr. Garvin's References for APA

Please visit the APA Guide from the CUC Library

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Nursing & Medicine Research Guide: APA 7th Ed. Citations, Paraphrasing, and More

• Overview - Best Links for Research
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• Selected Journals & Current Articles
• Federal, State & Local Resources
• International & Private Foundation Sites
• More Recommended Websites
• Consumer Health Sites
• Video Tutorials: Keywords, Peer-review, How to Read Articles, & More
• APA 7th Ed. Citations, Paraphrasing, and More
• Endnote Reference Manager

Get Up to Speed with NEW APA Style 7th Edition VIDEO Resources!

APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting

An audio/visual guide to formatting student research papers by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video highlights how to properly set up an APA Style paper for students, which includes setting margins and font; creating a title page; organizing the main text with section headings; and (if needed), formatting pages for references, footnotes, tables, figures, and appendices. For textual instructions, go to Handouts and Guides - Paper Format.

APA Style 7th Edition: Professional Publication Paper Formatting

An audio/visual guide to formatting student research papers by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video highlights how to properly set up an APA Style paper for Professional Publication. For textual instructions, go to Handouts and Guides - Paper Format.

APA Style 7th Edition: In-Text Citations, Quotations, and Plagiarism

An audio/visual guide to formatting your in-text citations by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported).This video will go through what plagiarism is and how to avoid it; how to cite sources using both parenthetical and narrative in-text citations; how to cite organizations, multiple sources at once, and avoid duplicate citations; and how to quote shorter and longer passages.

APA Style 7th Ed.: Reference Lists (Journal Articles, Books, Reports, Theses, Websites, more!)

An audio/visual guide to formatting your Reference List by Samuel Forlenza, PhD (for Contents time stamps, link to YouTube - ad supported). This video demonstrates how to format a reference list page and use a hanging indent; the four different elements of a reference list entry; and how to reference journal articles, books, chapters, reports, presentations, theses, and websites, plus numerous variations. For a textual resource, go to Reference Quick Guide.

Creating References Using Seventh Edition APA Style

The APA Style team, in cooperation with the American Library Association, provides an in-depth look at the simplified 7th ed. reference system. This video describes the rationale behind it, how to format references using it, and the ways in which references are easier to create because of it. Most importantly, it demonstrates how to cite a work found online. The APA Style experts use real-life examples to walk through the process of creating references for a variety of common webpages and websites, including ones with missing or hard-to-locate information, found via a database, and needing electronic source information (DOIs, URLs, and retrieval dates).

What’s New in APA Style—Inside the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the APA

This What's New video is by the editors of the 7th edition style guide produced in cooperation with the American Library Association. It provides a comprehensive narrative of significant changes in the new edition. For a chapter-by-chapter textual guide to changes, see What’s New in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (PDF, 1MB) .

APA Style Official Guide, 7th ed. TEXTUAL Resources

APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in a research paper. The APA Citation Style is often used for courses in psychology, education, business and other social sciences.

• APA 7th. ed. Style and Grammar Guidelines

Citation Machine

• Generate a Citation in APA 7th ed. Style!

Examples of APA Style for a Variety of Resources

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style. Authoritative resources on in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.

Why You Need to Cite Sources

Quick Guide to Paraphrasing

Plagiarism, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

• What is Plagiarism? Tutorial By the University of Southern Mississippi libraries.
• How to Avoid Plagiarism: Paraphrasing and Summarizing By the University of Southern Mississippi libraries.
• Avoiding Plagiarism - Safe Practices From Purdue's Online Writing Center (OWL), includes sections on Best Practices for Research and Drafting as well as Revising, proofreading, and finalizing your paper.

Citation Tools

How to use Citation Tools in our Databases - Tutorial

Legacy Links for APA Style, 6th ed.

APA Style Central for the 6th ed. - On this site, you will find limited archived information for the previous edition of the guide.

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Writing Center@AEC Citation Help

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APA 7th edition manual

Apa 7 citation examples, missing elements - apa 7, apa 7 paper formatting basics, apa 7 document templates, more apa 7th ed. resources, 1-credit apa 7th ed. class available.

• Writing resources

This guide will introduce you to APA 7 citations, both for the References page of your paper and in-text citations. It is offered in multiple file formats below. 

• Citation Examples - APA 7 - Word Document
• Citation Examples - APA 7 - PDF

This guide will tell you exactly what to do if your resource is missing a citation element. Can't find the author, publication date, page numbers, or something else? Use this guide to find out what to do! This guide is offered in multiple formats below. ​​​​​​​

• Missing Elements - APA 7 - Word Document
• Missing Elements - APA 7 - PDF
• Typed, double-spaced paragraphs.
• 1" margins on all sides.
• Align text to the left.
• Choose one of these fonts: 11-point Calibri, 11-points Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, 10-point Computer Modern.
• Include a page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page with the page number.
• APA papers are broken up into sections. Check with your instructor for his/her expectations.
• In general, headings and title are centered.

APA 7th edition recognizes two kinds of paper formats - student papers (undergraduate students) and professional research papers (graduate students and professionals). At Clackamas CC, you will use the student paper formatting conventions.

You don't have to format a paper from scratch! Download this APA-formatted document template as a Word document or Google document. Save it, erase the existing text, and type your text right into the template. Learn how to format a paper in APA format by reading the contents of the template. The References page has been formatted with hanging indents.

• Download & edit: APA Word document template Microsoft Word document template to save a copy of and type into. To edit it, save a copy to your desktop or Clackamas Office 365 account. Includes tips on how to format a paper in APA. Last updated Feb. 2020.
• Download & edit: Pages document template If you need this template in Pages, email [email protected]
• View Only: Sample APA student paper (7th ed.) This sample student paper includes descriptions of indentations, margins, headers, and other formatting conventions (APA, 2020).
• APA Style (APA.org) APA's site answers all the basic questions about APA 7th edition and gives sample "student" and "professional" papers. This will help you with document format, in-text citations, the References list, and various stylistics.

The English department offers an APA 7th ed. style course. It’s a one-credit online course. The course was developed for nursing students, but is also appropriate for students in other disciplines who need to develop APA formatting and style skills.

Course description:

Introduces American Psychological Association (APA) style and documentation, including document format, in-text citation, and References page. Includes style and documentation for narrative and academic papers. Students will work with provided sources. Recommended for pre-nursing and nursing students, allied health students, and STEM and social science students. Prerequisites: WR-121 with a C or better.

Registration information:

• Intro. to APA Style and Documentation
• Instructor: Susan Pesznecker
• [email protected]
• 100% online
• Offered Fall / Winter
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Nursing Research: APA 7 Examples

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• APA 7 Style
• Find an Article From a Nursing Journal
• Library Session

APA 6 vs. APA 7: Examples

• APA 7 Example Student Paper
• APA 7 Title Page Guide

Set up a hanging indent and spacing in Word for PC

Highlight all of your references, then click the small box in the corner of the Paragraph section of the toolbar (where the Start arrow is pointing in the screenshot below). Change the Special drop-down menu to Hanging, make sure your spacing matches the screenshot, and click OK.

APA 7 Journal Article Template

• APA 7 Quick Reference Guide

APA 7 Book Template

APA 7 Book Chapter Template

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• URL: https://clark.libguides.com/nursing-research

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• Reference Books - Print & Ebooks
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• More Videos-Finding Articles
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• Professional / Clinical Resources
• APA Citation Style - 7th Ed.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• NCLEX-RN Review / Practice Tests
• Nursing Program Pre-Entrance Exam - Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Pre-Admission Exam
• Course: Using PubMed in Evidence-Based Practice
• NUR 801 Evidence-Based Practice 1: Methods
• Nursing Theories & Theorists

American Psychological Association (APA) Citation Style

Print Book  

Citation: Polit, D.F. & Beck, C.T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice.        Wolters Kluwer.

In-Text Reference: (Polit & Beck, 2017) Print Book - Edition Other Than the First Citation: Duffy, J. R. (2018). Quality caring in nursing and health systems: Implications for clinicians, educators, and leaders (3rd ed.).      Springer Publishing Company. In-Text Reference: (Duffy, 2018)

Print Journal Article  

Citation: Scheetz, L. J. (2015). One for the road: A comparison of drinking and driving behavior among younger and      older adults involved in fatal crashes. Journal of Trauma Nursing , 22 (4), 187–193.

In-Text Reference: (Scheetz, 2015)

Electronic Book  

C itation: Renpenning, K. M., Taylor, S. G., & Pickens, J. M. (2016). Foundations of professional nursing : Care of self      and others .  Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from      http://lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http: //search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&      b=nlebk&AN=1233929&site=ehost-live In-Text Reference: (Renpenning, Taylor & Pickens, 2016)

Journal Article in Electronic Database

Citation: Georges, C. A. (2012). Project to expand diversity in the nursing workforce. Nursing Management - UK , 19 (2),      22–26. doi:10.7748/nm2012.05.19.2.22.c9061 In-Text Reference: (Georges, 2012)

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). The teen brain: 7 things to know. Retrieved from    https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know

In-Text Reference: (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.)

APA Citation Guides

• APA Style Blog - 7th Ed. Short articles with examples on citation styles for a variety of materials.
• Excelsior OWL APA Style Online guide to APA style. Provides guidance for both the 6th and 7th editions of the APA Manual of Style.
• Trinity College APA Style
• APA Basics, 6th ed.
• APA PAPER TEMPLATE Word document template with proper spacing.
• APA Guide, 7th Edition A handout covering the basics of formatting the reference entry and in-text citation for different types of sources.
• APA 7th Ed. Citation Guide Summary of paper and citation formatting following the APA 7th edition.
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*NURSING RESEARCH*

• Find articles
• Peer reviewed articles

Books/eBooks

• Evidence pyramid
• Code of ethics
• Exam practice
• Learn about APA Style

What's in this guide?

Additional apa help, apa style manual.

• Sample papers

Citation FAQ

Ask a Librarian

• Off-campus access
• journal, magazine, newspaper, and proceedings articles
• print and online books, chapters, and edited books/eBooks
• Webpages, a webpage with a group author or no author/date

Gov't/Legal

• cases, laws, and government publications
• social media, radio or music, video, music, etc.

Unpublished

• Class documents, interview/letter/email, test

Stats/Figures

• Statistics and figures (graphs, charts, maps, drawings, photographs)
• parenthetical referencing examples within the text
• citing author names within the text
• formatting of author variations (one or more, no named author, multiple sources by the same author) within the Works Cited
• ask for research or citing help at the Library Services Desk or by chat/text messaging, email, or phone
• APA Style Blog
• APA Checklist
• Missing Reference Information
• Citing Business Sources
• Citing Pro/Con Sources
• Citing Education Sources (ERIC Doc)

• Sample student paper (APA)
• Sample Paper (Purdue OWL)
• Sample professional paper (APA)

Formatting citations in:

Microsoft Word

Google Docs

Apple Pages

• APA - Student and Professional Title Page Examples
• Citation FAQ Find answers to commonly asked questions regarding APA, CSE, MLA, and Turabian styles.

The formatting and citation examples in this guide are based upon rules and examples in   the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The Official Guide to APA Style, 7th edition . If you would like additions or would like to report a correction to this guide, please contact  Lori Mardis . 

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• Books and Ebooks
• Evaluating Sources
• The Literature Review This link opens in a new window
• APA and Writing Resources
• Nurse Theorists
• Resources and Sample Articles
• Nursing Informatics
• The Evidence Pyramid
• Poster Sessions

Citation Tools

The Library has access to tools that will help you keep track of your sources, create in-text citations and reference list entries, and more.  Try these:

• NoodleTools NoodleTools is a web-based tool. Click the link above to sign up for an account, keep track of your sources, organize your project, and create reference list and in-text citations.
• Zotero Zotero has two parts: a program or application that you install on your computer, and an add-in for Microsoft Word or Google Docs that allows you to insert in-text citations and reference list entries in your paper. Check out our in-depth installation guide at https://stevenson.libguides.com/zotero
• Mendeley Reference Manager Mendeley Reference Manager is similar to Zotero, with an application that you install on your computer and integrated citing with Microsoft Word. It is available through our ScienceDirect database. Scroll to the bottom and click on the Mendeley link.
• ZoteroBib If you need to quickly cite a resource, ZoteroBib is an online resource t hat helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. It’s brought to you by the team behind Zotero.

Introduction

This section of the guide includes APA, Research, and Writing resources that will help you with papers and other assignments as you complete the nursing program. The primary APA resource that all students should use is the APA guide that is required for their program.

The following APA guide is required for your program:

Traditional and Graduate

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

RN/BS and ATB

American Psychological Association (2020). Concise guide to APA Style (7th ed.).

APA Style Guide and Website

The Library has print copies of the current  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association at all three locations:

The website APA Style includes a great deal of information on citing and writing research papers, including online examples of how to cite different types of sources .  While not a substitute for the required manual, it can be very helpful if you don't have yours with you or need to check something question. Homepage of APA Style.Org, this site includes APA Style Tips, Frequently Asked Questions and more.

Examples of how to cite the most common types of sources are also available on the Library's APA In-Depth guide .

More Resources

For additional help with citing in APA style and general writing, try the following links:

• A Guide to Writing an Outline

Setting Up your Paper in APA Style

Nursing APA Sample Paper

This sample paper demonstrates how your paper should be formatted and organized to meet APA style guidelines. The sample paper is in pdf format; your papers should be created and saved using Microsoft Word* unless otherwise specified or allowed by the instructor or course instructions.

*Note:  All students have free access to Office 365, which includes Microsoft Word.

Checklist for Paper Submission

This checklist was created by nursing faculty to ensure that you follow the steps to submit your best possible paper. It was created for students taking SUO nursing courses, but students in the traditional program may want to view it as well. Feel free to download a copy and use as a resource when writing a paper.

• Checklist for Nursing Paper Submission

Getting Help

Nursing students have access to writing tutors who can assist with citation as well as the general organization of an academic paper.

Students taking on-campus classes can make an appointment with Academic Link writing tutors through the TutorTrac system .

Students taking online classes have access to Brainfuse, an online tutoring service.  The online tutors can review your writing or answer questions in a live session. You can access Brainfuse from your Blackboard course.  Find more information about Brainfuse by viewing their website .

SafeAssign is being used in the majority of nursing classes when your work is submitted through the assignment link. This tool checks submitted assignments for originality against other submitted works in the Global Reference Database.

Click here to learn more about how SafeAssign works

When you submit your assignment it may take up to 24 hours for the originality report to be generated for your review. It is important that you understand how to review your SafeAssign Originality report and how to interpret the scores. Review the links below for detailed information.

Click here to learn how to review your originality report in the new layout

Click here to learn how to interpret your SafeAssign scores

Some instructors may have a suggested threshold for your SafeAssign score.  Check your syllabus or assignment instructions for more information.

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• Getting Started
• Evidence-Based Nursing Practice
• Cochrane Library
• Google Scholar
• CSUDH Library eBooks
• Organize Your Research
• Research Tips
• APA 7th Ed.
• Research Help

More Style Tips

APA is more than just citation and referencing! It's a whole style of writing designed to refer to people in research with dignity and respect and present research results in a standard style so that others can easily evaluate your work and replicate it.

• APA inclusive writing guidelines
• Bias free language for sexual orientation
• Bias free language for racial and ethnic identities
• Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers

About APA 7th ed.

This guide is a quick introduction to the American Psychological Association (APA) Style for references and citations. Be sure to consult the Publication Manual of the APA  or the  APA Style  website for detailed standards and procedures. 

• APA Style Comprehensive style and grammar guidelines from APA.

• A Quick Guide to APA Citation 7th Edition CSUDH Library

In-text Citations

When you reference another source use an in-text citation in the body of your paper. 

Basic Format: (Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year).

I'm using...

Summarizing or Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing or summarizing the main findings or takeaways from a research article is the preferred method of citing sources in an APA paper. Always include the last name of the author(s) and the year of the publication, so your reader can find the full citation in the reference list.

According to Shavers (2007), limitations of studying socioeconomic status in research on health disparities include difficulties in collecting data on socioeconomic status and the complications of classifying women, children, and employment status.

Direct Quotes

If you're quoting the exact words of someone else, introduce the quote with an in-text citation in parentheses. Any sentence punctuation goes after the closing parenthesis.

• According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
• Brown (2019) found that "Direct quote" (p. 1021).
• [Some other introduction] "Direct quote" (Brown, 2019, p. 1021).

If you're directly quoting more than 40 words, use a blockquote . Block quotes don't need quotation marks. Instead, indent the text 1/2" as a visual cue that you are citing. The in-text citation in parentheses goes after the punctuation of the quote.

Shavers (2007) study found the following:

While research studies have established that socioeconomic status influences disease incidence, severity and access to healthcare, there has been relatively less study of the specific manner in which low SES influences receipt of quality care and consequent morbidity and mortality among patients with similar disease characteristics, particularly among those who have gained access to the healthcare system. (p. 1021)

Toro Tip: Use direct quotes sparingly! Focus on summarizing the findings from multiple research studies. In the sciences and social sciences, only use the exact phrasing or argument of an individual when necessary.

In-text citations differ depending on the number of authors listed for a work, and if there is a group author .

I'm citing a work with...

You only need the author's last name comma year in parentheses.

(Abrams, 2018)

Connect both authors' last names with & (ampersand) comma and the year.

(Wegener & Petty, 1994)

3 or More Authors

If there are 3 or more authors use et al., which means "and others," comma and the year.

(Harris et al., 2018)

Group Authors

First time with an abbreviation:

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019)

Then all subsequent citations: (CDC, 2019)

Include the complete citation at the end of your paper in a references section. References are organized by the author's last name in alphabetic (A-Z) order. Use an hanging indent to separate each list item.

Basic Format: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work . URL or DOI if available

I'm citing a...

Journal Article

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initial as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name. Read more from the APA Style website if there are 21 or more authors.
• Title of the article. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Title of the Journal , Note: Italicize and capitalize each word in the journal.
• Volume Note: Italicize the journal volume. If there is no issue, include a comma before the page range.
• (Issue), Note: If there is a issue number in addition to a volume number, include it in parentheses.
• Page range. Note: If there is no page range within the journal volume/issue, this can be excluded.
• DOI (Digital Object Identifier) Read more about DOIs from the APA Style wesbite.

Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004). Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology , 13 (6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750

Online News/Magazine Article

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: You do not need to abbreviate the month.
• Title of the online newspaper or publication . Note: Capitalize each word in the publication and italicize. If the publication has an associated newly newspaper in print, use the newspaper article reference example .

Rogers, O. (2021, July 9). Why naming race is necessary to undo racism. Psychology Today . https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/who-am-i-who-are-we/202107/why-naming-race-is-necessary-undo-racism

• Title of the book. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• (Edition). Note: If there is an edition or volume, include it in parentheses and use abbreviations of ed. or vol.
• Publisher. Note: You do not need to include the publisher location or databases where you retrieved it.

Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2017). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Book Chapter with Editor(s)

• Author(s). Note: List each chapter author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. Use an ampersand (&) before the final author's name.
• Title of the chapter. Note: For works that are part of a greater whole (e.g. articles, chapter), use sentence case. Only the first word of the title and subtitle and proper nouns are capitalized.
• In Editor(s), Note: List each editor's last name and initials as A. A. Editor, B. B. Editor, & C. C. Editors, include (Ed.) or (Eds.) in parentheses, and end with a comma.
• Title of the book Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• (pp.xx-xx).

McCormack, B., McCance, T., & Maben, J. (2013). Outcome evaluation in the development of person-centred practice. In B. McCormack, K. Manley, & A. Titchen (Eds.), Practice development in nursing and healthcare (pp. 190-211). John Wiley & Sons.

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization or site.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: Read more about date formats from the APA Style website . Provide as specific a date as is available. Use the date last updated, but not the date last reviewed or copyright date. If there is no date, use (n.d.).
• Title of page or section. Note: Italicize the title of the page.
• Source. Note: Usually the official name of the website. If the source would be the same as the author, you can omit the source to avoid repetition.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Preventing HPV-associated cancers . https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/prevention.htm/

Online Report

• Author(s). Note: List each author's last name and initials as Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. If there is no author, spell out the name of the organization that published the report.
• (Year, Month Date). Note: Provide as specific a date as is available.
• Title of the report or document. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, reports), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns.
• Source. Includes the names of parent agencies or other organizations not listed in the group author name here.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. (2017, January). Key indicators of health by service planning area . http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/

Dissertation or Thesis

• Author. Note: List the author's last name and initials as Author, A. A. There is usually only one author for a thesis or dissertation, you don't need to include any faculty advisers.
• Title of the dissertation or thesis [Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis, Name of University]. Note: For works that stand alone (e.g. books, dissertations, theses), italicize the title. Only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle and any proper nouns. The title page will indicate whether it's a Doctoral dissertation or Master's thesis and list the name of the university granting the degree.
• Source. Note: Include the name of the database or institutional repository where you can access the work (e.g. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, PQDT Open, CSU ScholarWorks) here.
• URL Note: If available it's available.

Valentin, E. R. (2019, Summer). Narcissism predicted by Snapchat selfie sharing, filter usage, and editing [Master's thesis, California State University Dominguez Hills]. CSU ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/3197xm925?locale=en

Check out more examples for citing dissertations and theses on the APA Style site .

Citing a letter, photograph, text document, graphic material, or ephemera? Consult the Gerth Archives APA Citation Guide for Archival Materials .

Formatting Your APA Paper

What does an example apa paper look like .

APA Style offers sample student and professional paper s, including a free annotated student sample paper .

• Sample Student Paper (APA 7th edition) Download and use this Word document as a template for your paper!

How do I make a hanging indent in Word?

1. Highlight the citaiton with your cursor. 

2. Right click. 

3. Select Paragraph .

4. Under Indentation, select Special and Hanging .

How can I save time formatting my paper? 

Microsoft Word and Google Docs have a Format Painter tool that will copy and apply basic formatting to any text! 

1. Highlight the formatting you want to apply. 

2. Select  Format Painter . 

3. Highlight the text you want to change. 

Note: If using the Format Painter on the Reference List, you'll need to go back and add italics. 

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• Last Updated: Mar 7, 2024 4:29 PM
• URL: https://libguides.csudh.edu/nursing

Nursing Overview: APA 7-Citations

• Evidence Based Practice
• Purpose of Nursing Papers
• Writing Assignments by Class
• Nursing Journal Articles
• Nursing Texts
• How do I find this particular article?
• Other useful resources
• Lexicomp Drug Database
• APA 7-Citations
• APA 7-Layout
• APA 7 Style
• Word Tip Videos
• Plagiarism Tutorial
• HESI & NCLEX
• Faculty Resources
• Comments/Suggestions
• Movies About Health Care

Citation Basics

No matter where you find information, all APA citations have four pieces:

Who? (When?) What? Where?

Who wrote it? (When did they write it?) What did they call it? Where did you find it?

Who: author(s) last name(s) and first and middle initials or full title of the organization

When: most current copyright date. (if there is no copyright date, do not use it)

What: title of the article or book (should be in sentence case)

(book) edition number, name of book publisher

(journal article) the title of the journal, volume number, issue number, page numbers, doi or web address

(web site) exact address of the web site

Journal Article:

Smith, F. A . (2017). Students' reactions to nursing school. Journal of Nursing, 25 (6), 25-35. doi:hag.dlkfoiuwer/ah

Smith, F. A . (2017). Students' reactions to nursing school. (3rd ed). Elsevier .

Smith, F. A . (2017). Students' reactions to nursing school . Education World. http://edworld.com

Citation Examples

• References Page
• Do not include degrees or titles of authors.
• List all authors up to and including 20.  When there are 21 authors, include the first 19, an ellipsis and the final name. Do not use et al. in the references page.

Author last name, first and middle initials. (date). Title of book . (edition). Name of Publisher.

For book titles, use sentence case (capitalize only those words you would capitalize in a sentence, i.e. the first word, a proper name or an acronym) .

Potter, A.P., Perry, A.G., Stockert, P.A. & Hall, A.M. (2013). Fundamentals of nursing . (8th ed.). Elsevier.

Author(s) last name, First and middle initials. (date). Title of article. Title of journal, volume number (issue number), page numbers. doi or http://www.............

For article titles , use sentence case ( capitalize only those words you would capitalize in a sentence, i.e. the first word, a proper name or an acronym ) .

Smith, A. W. (2018). Student attitudes toward writing papers. Journal of Nursing Education, 5 (7), 124-150. http://dx.doi.org/10.0000/0000.

Websites (especially nursing related ones) are rarely just websites.  Most are journal articles available via a website, or reports compiled by hospitals or government agencies.  What kind of thing your source actually is will determine how you cite it.  If you are not sure, contact me .

Follow the same rules you used to cite anything else.  If the item does not have things like author names and dates, you should reconsider using it at all.

Whatever is it you have found, be sure to capture the entire address of the EXACT place where you found it.  Do not use just the address of the main page.  Your reader should be able to copy that address and see EXACTLY what you claim you read.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2014). Leading cancer cases and deaths, 2014 . https://nccd.cdc.gov/USCSDataViz/rdPage.aspx

• All sources must be cited at least once in the paper.
• Cite once per sentence. 
• The in text citation goes inside the sentence to which it refers, so the period will go after the closing parenthesis.
• In text citations are driven by the number of authors.

If paraphrasing or summarizing:

Narrative in text citation (the author's name is part of the sentence text): Author last name only (date),...

Ex: According to Smith (2018) study results showed...

Parenthetical in text citation (the author's name is not part of the sentence text): (Author(s) last name(s) only, date).

Ex: ...results showed improvement (Smith, 2018).

Direct quotes (three or more words taken directly from the source):

Narrative in text citation: Author(s) (date).......................(p.#).

Ex: According to Smith (2018), "nursing students hate writing papers" (p. 34).

Parenthetical in text  citation: ... (Author(s) last name only, date, p. #).

Ex: "Nursing students hate writing papers" ( Smith, 2018, p. 34).

Two Authors:

Always list BOTH author last names.

(Smith & Jones, 2017).

Three or more authors:

For every citation, use only first author followed by et al.

(Smith et al., 2017)

et al. is Latin for "and others"

Notice there is no comma after the name Smith, and a period goes after al.

Special Circumstances

• Personal Communication
• More than 20 Authors
• Organization is an Author
• YouTube Videos
• Indirect Quotations
• Long Quotations

Any communication that cannot be directly retrieved by a reader is considered “personal communication.” Emails, phone conversations, text messages, and social media messages are all examples of personal communication. You do not include personal communication in your reference list; instead, parenthetically cite the communicator's name, the phrase "personal communication," and the date of the communication in your main text only.

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2019).

After the first 19 authors’ names, use an ellipsis in place of the remaining author names. Then, end with the final author's name (do not place an ampersand before it). There should be no more than twenty names in the citation in total.

Pegion, K., Kirtman, B. P., Becker, E., Collins, D. C., LaJoie, E., Burgman, R., Bell, R., DelSole, R., Min, D., Zhu, Y., Li, W., Sinsky, E., Guan, H., Gottschalck, J., Metzger, E. J., Barton, N. P., Achuthavarier, D., Marshak, J., Koster, R., . . .  Kim, H. (2019). The subseasonal experiment (SubX): A multimodel subseasonal prediction experiment. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society , 100 (10), 2043-2061. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0270.1

Always use the full name of the organization in the references page--even if the organization is well known.

Ex: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. (2015). Annual numbers (in thousands) of new cases of diagnosed diabetes among adults ages 18-79 years, United States, 1980-2013. www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/incidence/fig1.htm

The first time you mention any acronym, define it.  Then you may use the acronym throughout the rest of paper.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC, 2015)...

....(Centers for Disease Control & Prevetion [CDC], 2015).

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video      [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxx

Parenthetical: ...(Author, year).

Narrative: Author (year)...

Click here for more information on how to cite a YouTube video.

What is an indirect quotation?

Let's say you are reading a great article you found written by Dr. Jones.  Within his article, Dr. Jones quotes a great article HE read by Dr. Smith.  Dr. Jones liked what Dr. Smith said so much, that he quote Dr. Smith in his article. You agree that what Dr.  Smith said is brilliant, and you would like to use that quote as well.  However, you did not actually read Dr. Smith's article, you read Dr. Jones' claim that Dr. Smith said this brilliant thing.  The quote from Dr. Smith is an indirect quote.

May I use indirect quotes?

Ideally, you should find the original article by Dr. Smith and quote directly from it--it's the only way you'll know if Dr. Jones quoted him correctly.

How do I find the original article by Dr. Smith?

Use Dr. Jones' References list to gather information about Dr. Smith's original article, then follow the steps listed on the research guide labeled: How do I find this particular article?

You can also just Google the particulars of Dr. Smith's article to see if it is freely available on the web.

What if I can't find Dr. Smith's original article, can I still use the quote?

It's always best practice to only quote directly from a source (remember the old telephone game?); however, if you cannot find the original article—and you really, really, really want to use that quote—you may use it--IF you cite it properly.

How do I cite indirect quotations properly?

You have to make it clear to your reader who actually said what and what you actually read.  Here are some examples:

According to Smith (2009), nursing school is tough (as cited in Jones, 2016, p 116).

Nursing school is tough (Smith, 2009, as cited in Jones, 2016, p. 116).

Always pay attention to the date of the original quote—it may be older than your five-year requirement!

Don’t use any data or statistics older than 5 years!

A long quote is a word-for-word quote that is longer than 40 words. (1 - 40 words is not considered long.)      

Try to not use these too often, as you are filling up your paper with things your teacher cannot grade. 

HINT: Instructors HATE direct quotes. They want you to put things in your own words so that they know you understood what you read.  (You would still CITE this information.)

However, if you REALLY need to use a long quote, here is how you format it:

Jones (2016) said:

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APA Sample Paper APA Sample Paper for Nursing Students (note: this link will open the PDF of the sample paper)

APA Sample Paper for Experimental Psychology

MLA Sample Paper

MLA Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions

CMS Author Date Sample Paper

CMS NB Sample Paper