APA Checklist

Formatting – 2 points

Yes ü

One inch margins, text flush left with uneven right margin

Double spaced throughout including reference page

No extra spaces between paragraphs

Copy double sided with back of title page blank

Heading  - Full title as it appears on title page centered on first line of body of paper

Headings to separate and classify sections of paper are used in any paper that is more than 5 pages in length

Do not use picture, tables or bullets

5-7 space indent at beginning of each paragraph

Font 12 pt. New Times Roman

Pagination –flush right as the first line of every page including the title page (place in header)

Page Header flush left, Upper case; page number flush right

Use active voice: “the nurse changed the dressing…” rather than “the dressing was changed by the nurse…”

Use third person.  “author/he/she/one/they” rather than “I, we, or you”  

Use consistent tense throughout the paper – present tense “he sings” or past tense “he sang”

Total Formatting

Title Page – 2 points

Title – title case/Author/ Course – title case/ instructor/ Date

Double spaced

Page number right margin of header

1 inch margin

Centered in middle of the page

Total Title Page

Text Citations      2 points

A balanced presentation of the ideas from all references is required.  Citations from one source exclusively with brief mention of several others are not acceptable. 

All source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing the author(s) and date(s) but no page number unless a direct quote. The idea is to formally acknowledge the words and ideas of others. 

Failure to include citations within the body of the text is an example of plagiarism and is unacceptable

Total Text Citations

Quotations            2 points

Paraphrase ideas of authors in your own words primarily in the body of the paper.

If you must quote the author and the quotation is less than 40 words, encase the quote in “…” followed by (Author, year, page #).

Block quotations (quotations of 40 words or more) are not allowed.

Total Quotations

References            2 points

All sources cited in the body of the paper must be listed on the reference list and all references on the reference list must be cited in the paper. 

Reference section begins on a new page

The header (Reference) is centered on the first line of the page

Sources meet the requirements of the assignment (number, type, publication date)

References are from reliable sources: professional journals and books that publish articles by experts in the discipline

Web sites are not allowed unless approved by instructor in advance.  Use on-line resources to find full text articles only. 

Each reference uses a hanging indent – first line is flush with the left margin; all of lines are indented 5-7 spaces

References are listed alphabetically by author.

Formatting of references follow rules as published in the web sites published on the Discussion Board.  

Total References