APA Style Quick Format
Guide For Literature Reviews

This quick reference consists of basic information about the format of APA style for writing literature reviews. It was designed to be used as a general checklist and therefore, it does not provide complete information. You are encouraged to consult the fourth edition of the APA publication manual for complete details. Page numbers for relevant sections are provided in this guide to help you navigate the publication manual.

GENERAL TYPING INSTRUCTIONS (pages 235-272--note the example paper in this section. It can be used effectively for many of the questions you may have about format.)

  • 1" margins should be used at the top, bottom, and sides of each page
  • The entire document (except for the title page) should be double spaced
  • 12 pt font should be used with an easy to read type, such as Courier
  • Use underlines for all items that would be typeset in italics
  • Page numbers begin on the title page and are included within the header which is placed in the space between the top of the page and the first line of text (within the top margin).
  • Use the automatic header function in your word processor to produce headers (If you don't know how to do this, ask!).
  • Order of manuscript pages:
    1. title page (separate page, numbered 1)
    2. abstract (separate page, numbered 2)
    3. text (separate page, numbered 3 and on)
    4. references (separate page
  • Note: typing instructions for specific elements within sections of the paper are included in the following sections.

SECTIONS OF THE APA STYLE PAPER

1. TITLE PAGE

Header (pages 7-8 & 248-250)--This should be at the top right corner of the title page 1" from the side and within the top margin. It includes a few distinctive words from the title with the page number.

Running Head (pages 8 & 248)--This is an abbreviated title and should consist of 50 characters. It would appear at the top of the pages of a published article. It should be left justified with the words Running head followed by a colon with the actual running head in ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS.

Title (pages 7 & 248)--The title should be a concise statement of the main topic in 10 to 12 words. It is typed with upper and lower case letters and centered on the page. If the title is more than 1 line, double space between the lines.

Author(s) (pages 7 & 249-250)--First name, middle initial and last name centered and double spaced after the title.

Affiliation (pages 7-8 & 249-250)--This is the institution where the literature review was done. This is centered and double spaced from the author.

2. ABSTRACT (pages 8-10 & 250)

  • The abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the literature review presented in the body of the paper. The word abstract should be centered and typed in upper and lower case letters. The text should be typed in a block paragraph (i.e. do not indent the first line) and should consist of 75 to 100 words.

3. TEXT (pages 23-46 & 251)

  • The text begins on the third page of the manuscript with the title centered using upper and lower case letters. Then the body of your paper begins. Remember that you will NOT need a methods, results or discussion section, since these sections are only for reports on research projects performed by the authors, not for a literature review for a thesis.
  • If you choose to use subheadings within the text, check pages 90-91. If you have only one level of subheadings, you should use the same position and typing as you did for your title on the first page of the text. This placement is called "level 1" in the APA style manual.
  • Direct quotations from references should be used sparingly.

4. CITATIONS (pages 167-180)

  • For each citation there must be a reference, and for each reference, there must be a citation. There should be complete agreement between the two.
  • Citations can be incorporated into the sentence or they appear in parentheses, usually at the end of sentences.
  • For two authors, ALWAYS provide both names.
  • For three to five authors, give all authors in the first citation in the paper. Subsequent citations in the paper should have the first author followed by et al. (typed with no period after et and a period after al)
  • For six or more authors, always use the first author and et al.
  • Within a paragraph, the first citation should have the date. For subsequent citations where the author(s) are incorporated into a sentence, no date is necessary unless there might be confusion with another citation. However, if the citation is in parentheses, always use the date.
  • In each new paragraph, provide the date for the first citation for each article.
  • For multiple citations within one set of parentheses, arrange the citations in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.
  • Secondary Sources (pages 200-201): Citations of secondary sources should be kept to a minimum. However, if you must use a secondary source for your paper, use the primary source in the reference section and name the secondary source with the citation for the primary reference. See the above page numbers for an example.
  • In the unlikely event that you need to cite information from the web, look at the following website (www.apa.org/journals/webref.html) or ask your instructor for formatting information. This also applies for the reference section of the paper.

5. REFERENCES (pages 174-221 & 251)

  • Indent the first line of each reference. Subsequent lines within a reference are flush with the left margin.
  • References are in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author of each publication.
  • Multiple works by a single author are listed in ascending order by publication date.
  • References with multiple authors and the same first author are arranged alphabetically by the second author, or third author if the first two authors are the same, and so on.
  • All authors are named in a reference (even if there are 6 or more).
  • A reference for a journal article includes the authors' surnames and initials, the year of publication, the title of the article, the title and volume number of the journal, and the page numbers in this order.
  • Titles of journal articles, books, and book chapters use lower case letters except for the first word in the title, words following colons, or proper nouns.
  • Journal titles use upper case letters for the first letter of each word (except conjunctions or articles).
  • Journal titles with the volume number (do NOT include the issue number) are underlined.
  • Book titles are underlined.
  • The following are two general examples of APA style for journal articles and chapters of edited books. These are the most common sources used for a literature review of primary sources. Please note that format for other types of sources must be obtained from the APA Publication Manual.
  • Journal Article:
    •  General Format:
    • Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (1994). Title of article. Title of Journal, xx, xxx-xxx.
  • Example:
  • Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., & Harlow, T. (1993). There's more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The importance of stability of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1190-1204.
  • Book Chapter
    •  General Format:
    • Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (1994). Title of chapter. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
  • Example:
  • Deutsch, F. M., Lussier, J. B., & Servis, L. J. (1993). Men's and women's gender role journeys: Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). New York: Springer. 

* Remember that this is a general overview of APA style. For additional questions, consult the manual or instructor! You can also check the following websites for assistance if you prefer:

  • www.ldl.net/~bill/aparev.htm
  • www.stin.ac.uk/celt/study.htm
  • www.uwsp.edu/acad/psych/apa4b.htm

 

(updated 1-20-00)