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American Psychological
Association (APA)
Documentation
Last edited: 08/01/2021 DRR 1
The information in this handout is meant to be helpful, but it is not a substitute
for the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7
th
Ed. A
copy of the Manual is available for student use in the Writing Center. Additional
help may be found at www.apastyle.org/
Note: Different instructors may have different requirements. Students should check with
their instructors about their preferred documentation style for the specific course.
CONTENTS
Click on any heading below to jump directly to that topic.
WHAT IS APA? ............................................................................................................... 1
GENERAL FORMATTING GUIDELINES ............................................................................... 2
ELEMENTS OF A PAPER IN APA STYLE ............................................................................. 2
BEFORE WRITING YOUR PAPER ...................................................................................... 4
WRITING YOUR PAPER ................................................................................................... 5
THE REFERENCES PAGE .................................................................................................. 9
REFERENCE PAGE EXAMPLES ........................................................................................ 10
ONLINE SOURCES ........................................................................................................ 12
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS ................................................................................................. 13
BOOKS ........................................................................................................................ 14
AUDIOVISUAL WORKS .................................................................................................. 17
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 21
SAMPLE STUDENT PAPER ................................................................................................ 1
WHAT IS APA?
The American Psychological Association is an organization that supports educators and
researchers, specifically in the discipline of psychology. Part of APA’s work includes creating
and maintaining a standardized method in which writers can site their sources.
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Citing sources in a written work is one of the most important components of completing a
written assignment. In citing sources, you:
1. Give proper credit to the author(s) whose original ideas you are using in your paper
2. Point the reader back to the original source, if they wish to conduct their own research
3. Engage in scholarly and academic debate, using the work of others to support your
argument
4. Avoid plagiarism
GENERAL FORMATTING GUIDELINES
• Page numbers are indicated in the top right-hand corner of each page,
beginning with the Title Page
• All pages have a one-inch margin
• Double-space the entire document, including quotations and the References
page
• Use a readable typeface and keep the size and font consistent throughout
the paper; acceptable fonts include:
o sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point
Lucida Sans Unicode
o serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Georgia
• Indent each paragraph .5 inches; the Tab key is usually defaulted to do this
• Headings should be included as identifiers of the sections within your
paper; generally, headings are centered and bolded, with the text of the
new paragraph following on a new line
• Include one space after each sentence
• Use a hanging indent for each entry on the References page
ELEMENTS OF A PAPER IN APA STYLE
• Title Page
• Abstract (optional)
• Body of the work, including in-text and/or parenthetical citations and
headings
• References Page
• Appendices (optional)
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Certain elements, such as an abstract or appendices, may be a requirement of
your paper—check with your instructor and assignment guidelines to determine if
these elements are needed in your paper.
TITLE PAGE REQUIREMENTS
The first page of your paper is the Title Page and must contain the following
information:
• A header, justified right, containing the page number
• All other elements are centered on the page and double-spaced
• The title of your paper 3 - 4 lines down from the top of the title
page, bolded and separated by one double-spaced blank line between the
paper title and author name
• Author name, aka your name
• The author affiliation, or the name of the academic department followed by
the college name
• The course number and name
• Instructor name
• Assignment due date
Figure 1: Sample Title Page in APA Format
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BEFORE WRITING YOUR PAPER
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas without giving credit to the original source.
Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity and is against JCCC’s Student Code of
Conduct. To avoid plagiarism, cite your sources; use in-text citations, quotations,
paraphrasing, and/or summarizing to support your own original ideas.
Example:
Original text from Michael Agar’s book,
Language Shock
:
The following sentence is plagiarism, because it uses Agar’s term
“languaculture” without crediting him:
The following sentence is not plagiarism, because it credits Agar:
There are other ways to plagiarize, such as:
• Self-plagiarizing, which is using your own ideas in something else you have produced,
without citing that previous work
• Paraphrasing too closely to the original source without proper citation
• Summarizing the original source without proper citation
PARAPHRASING
Paraphrasing means putting a source’s ideas into your own words
and
creating new
sentences, stating ideas in an original way. Cite anything you have paraphrased.
Example:
Original text:
“Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be.” (Didion,
2007, p. 26).
Plagiarized paraphrase:
When grief comes, it is not what we expect it to be. (Didion.
2007, p. 26).
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Correctly paraphrased version—not plagiarized:
Most, if not all, individuals are sideswiped by the expressions of
grief; they have trouble anticipating what grief will feel like
(Didion, 2007, p. 26).
SUMMARIZING
Summarizing is not paraphrasing. Paraphrasing restates a smaller passage of the reading in
the author’s own words. Summarizing gives a broader view, providing the main points of a
larger portion of the work. If you are summarizing from a source, you still need to cite the
original source.
For additional information on avoiding plagiarism, visit JCCC’s guide on academic
integrity.
WRITING YOUR PAPER
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
In-text citations are short markers in your paper that refer the reader to the full citation on
the References page. Citations can be incorporated into your paper in two different formats:
narrative or parenthetical citations. Typically, both forms of citations are found in collegiate-
level writing.
• Narrative citations incorporate the author's name within the sentence. The
publication date and page number goes in parentheses at the end of the sentence. Do
not repeat the author's name in the parentheses.
• Parenthetical citations capture the author’s name, publication date, and the page
number—or article title, organization name, or other necessary location marker—in
parentheses at the end of the sentence in which the quote, paraphrase or summary
occurs.
o When citing a source with two authors, use an ampersand (&) between the
author’s last names (Jones & Smith, 1991)
o When citing a source with three or more authors, include the last name of the
first author listed followed by “et al.” (Martin et al., 2020)
o When page numbers are available and you are using a quote or an idea from a
specific page, include a page number in your narrative or parenthetical citation
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Examples:
CITATION IN PROSE: Naomi Baron broke new ground on the subject
(2013, p. 197).
PARENTHETICAL CITATION: At least one researcher has broken new
ground on the subject (Baron, 2013, p. 197).
FULL CITATION ON THE REFERENCES PAGE:
Baron, N. (2013). Redefining Reading: The Impact of Digital
Communication Media.
PMLA
,
128
(1), 193-200. Retrieved July
14, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23489277
If the author’s name is not available, use the first significant word of the title of the
source.
Example:
The 1995 BBC film adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice,
which is perhaps
the most faithful retelling, has been the catalyst for a renewed
fascination with the novel and a surge in adaptations of Jane Austen’s
pinnacle work. (By the Book, 2019)
DIRECT QUOTATIONS
Incorporating direct quotes into your paper conveys important points exactly as the author of
the source intended and can strengthen the argument you are making in your paper.
When using source material that you want to quote exactly:
• Introduce and incorporate the quote as a grammatically correct sentence
• Quotes cannot stand alone in a paper—do not insert a direct quote without explaining
how it pertains to your paper
• If you use more than one quote in a sentence, place the parenthetical citation as close
to the relevant quote as possible
• Place all the words from the original source inside quotation marks
• Follow the quotation with a parenthetical citation
o When citing information contained on one page, use a ‘p.’
o When citing information from more than one page, use ‘pp.’, with a dash
between numbers
o If the pages are not continuous, use a comma between the page numbers
o When quoting from a source that does not have page numbers, include a
heading or section name, as an indicator to the reader where to find the
quotation
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Example:
(Smith, 1998, Gunnery section); (Rossel, 2014, Introduction)
The full citation, including the author’s name and all necessary publication information,
goes on the References page at the end of the paper
Examples:
QUOTATION AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE:
Joseph Conrad writes of the company manager in
Heart of Darkness
, “He
was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect” (1899,
p. 87).
QUOTATION DIVIDED BY YOUR OWN WORDS:
“He was obeyed,” writes Joseph Conrad of the company manager in
Heart
of Darkness
, “yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect”
(1889, p. 87).
MULTIPLE QUOTATIONS IN A SENTENCE:
Canada’s literacy history has been described as “a fractured discourse”
(Howells & Kröller, 2009, p. 2), an idea echoed by a Jewish Canadian
novelist who writes in French and feels she occupies a position “neither
fully within nor fully without” (Robin, 1989, p. 182).
BLOCK QUOTES
Quotations that run longer than 40 words become block quotes. Block quotes should be used
sparingly—the point of writing a paper is for your voice and ideas to be articulated, rather
than that of other authors. The quote should support your thesis; you then discuss it’s
importance.
• Do not use quotation marks
• Introduce the block quote on a new line
• Indent the entire quote 1 inch or 12-16 spaces
• Double space the entire block quote
• Include the page number at the end of your block quote, outside of the ending
punctuation
• Specify the source in the introduction phrase or sentence, which ends in a colon
• If the block quote appears in the middle of a paragraph, do not indent the next line of
your writing
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Example:
At the conclusion of
Lord of the Flies
, Ralph, realizing the horror of his
actions, is overcome by emotion, and:
sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time
on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to
wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before
the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion,
the other little boys began to shake and sob too. (1954, p. 186)
While horror captures the boy’s emotions, the imagery connotes . . .
COMMON KNOWLEDGE
Information is considered common knowledge if it can be found in many different places, if
it is a noncontroversial fact, and if the average person knows the information without having
to look it up. Common knowledge is dependent upon context and can vary between cultures
and disciplines.
Examples:
INFORMATION KNOWN BY MOST PEOPLE: The sky is blue, grass is green.
INFORMATION KNOWN BY A SPECIFIC CULTURAL GROUP: Someone born
in America would know that there are 50 states in the U.S.
INFORMATION KNOWN BY SOMEONE IN A SPECIFIC DISCIPLINE: An
English major would know Jane Austen wrote
Pride and Prejudice.
A
Chemistry major would know an atom is made up of protons, electrons,
and neutrons
Check with your instructor when working on an assignment to know what they consider to be
common knowledge and whether or not it needs to be cited. When in doubt, it is always best
practice to cite the information!
CHANGES TO A QUOTE: ELLIPSES, EMPHASIS, AND ERRORS
In order to enhance clarity, it is sometimes necessary to change a direct quote. When
changing a direct quote, APA specifies the following:
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• To indicate the omission of material from the original quote, use ellipses.
o To indicate the omission of material within a sentence, use three spaced
ellipsis points (. . .)
o To indicate an omission between two sentences, use four spaced ellipsis
points (. . . .). The first point is the period at the end of the first sentence
quoted, and the three spaced ellipsis points follow
• Do not use an ellipsis at the beginning or end of any quotation, unless it will help
prevent misinterpretation
• To add material to a direct quotation, insert the addition in brackets
• To emphasize a word, use italics, followed by “[emphasis added]”
• To indicate an error in the quote, do not correct it. Leave it and add “[sic]”
immediately after the error
Example:
According to a recent work (Horner, Lu, Royster & Trimbur, 2011), “The
translingual
[emphasis added] approach [in adults] encourages reading
with patience, respect for perceived language differences . . . and an
attitude of deliberative inqury [sic]” (p. 304).
THE REFERENCES PAGE
The References page is a list of all the sources you cited in your paper.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
• The References page is the last section of the paper
• It begins on a new page
• The word “References” is centered at the top of the page, bolded
• Pagination is continuous with your paper
• Alphabetize the sources by the author's or editor’s last name, or the first key
word, such as in the name of the article, book, or website
• Double-space all entries
• Introduce each reference with a hanging indent. In a hanging indent, the first
line is flush left and subsequent lines are indented
DOI and URL
The digital object identifier (DOI) is a set of characters which is assigned to a specific online
document to make it easier to find. The DOI is similar to a URL, but more reliable, because
the DOI is assigned only to that particular original source. Unlike URLs, it never changes.
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• If a publisher specifies a DOI, include it in the citation entry instead of the URL
• If the DOI is not preceded by http:// or https://, precede it with https://doi.org
Example:
https://doi.org:10.1177/0269881118806297
Note: DOIs and URLs can be complex. Shortened versions of either is acceptable.
• To create unique, short DOIs, go to: http://shortdoi.org/
• If using a shortened-URL service, make sure the link goes to the proper location
REFERENCE PAGE EXAMPLES
Each example below contains an in-text citation and a corresponding References page entry.
Notes:
• One significant difference between APA and other citation styles is that titles are
written in sentence case. Even if the title of the original source has the proper nouns
capitalized, only the first word of the title is capitalized in an APA Citation
Example:
SOURCE TITLE:
Data and Experience Design: Negotiating Community-Oriented Digital
Research with Service-Learning
APA CITATION:
Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design: Negotiating
community-oriented digital research with service-learning.
Purdue
Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 6
(1), 11-
16. https://doi.org/10.5703.1288284316979
• Check with your instructor to determine if they have preferences for citing sources
that may differ from the examples below
• These examples are not exhaustive—for additional citation information, including
examples of extraordinary citation situations, visit https://apastyle.apa.org/
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Figure 2: Sample References Page in APA Format
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ONLINE SOURCES
Note: Include a “Retrieved” date for an online source only if:
• It does not have a publication date
• It appears to have been altered or removed since you first accessed it
• It is regularly updated (Breaking news, weather forecasts, stock market reports, etc.)
Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Webpage with an Author
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month
Date).
Webpage Title
. Website Name. url
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Martin Lillie, C. M. (2016, December 29).
Be kind to yourself:
How self-compassion can improve your resiliency.
Mayo
Clinic. https://www.mayo.clinic.org/healthy-
lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/self-compassion-can-
improve-your-resiliency/art-202667193
(Martin Lillie, 2019)
Webpage without an Author
Webpage Title
. (Publication Year, Month Date). Website Name.
Retrieved Month Date, Year, from url
(Shortened webpage Title,
y
ear)
Tuscan white bean pasta.
(2018, February 25). Budgetbytes.
Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://www.budget
bytes. com/tuscan-white-bean-pasta/
(
Tuscan
, 2018)
Webpage without a Date
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (n.d.)
Webpage Title
.
Website Name. url
(Author’s Last Name, n.d.)
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.).
Mental health
conditions
. https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-
Heatlh-Conditions
(National Alliance on Mental
Health,
n.d.)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Webpage on a News Website
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month
Date).
Webpage Title
. Website Name. url
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Avranova, N. (2019, January 3). The secret to a long and happy
life? Think age-positive
.
CNN
. https://www.cnn.com
/2019/010/03/ health/respect/index.html
(Avranova, 2019)
Online Newspaper Article
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month
Date). Article Title. Publication Title. url
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Strom, S. (2014, October 9). Farmers gain weapon against
devastating pig virus. The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/
(Strom, 2014)
SCHOLARLY JOURNALS
GENERAL FORMAT FOR JOURNAL REFERENCES
Author, F. I. & Author, B. (Year of publication). Title of article in sentence
case. Title of Periodical with All Major Words Capitalized, volume
number (issue number), xx-xx. doi or url
Note: When using a quote or idea from a specific page, add a page number in the
parenthetical citation.
Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Online Journal Article
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Article
Title. Journal Title, Volume Number(Issue Number), Page
Numbers. doi
(Author’s Last Name, year)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Baniya, S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and experience design:
Negotiating community-oriented digital research with
service-learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and
International Engagement, 6(1), 11-16. https://doi.org
/10.5703.1288284316979
(Baniya and Weech, 2019,
p. 16)
Journal Article from a Database
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Article
Title.
Journal Title, Volume Number
(Issue Number), Page
Numbers. doi or stable url
Note: If there is no available DOI or stable URL, the database
name is not required.
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Denny, H., Nordlof, J., & Salem, L. (2018). "Tell me exactly
what it was that I was doing that was so bad":
Understanding the needs and expectations of working-
class students in writing centers.
Writing Center Journal,
37
(1), 67-98. htttps://www.jostor.org/stable/26537363
(Denny et al., 2018, p. 42)
BOOKS
Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Book with an Author
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of Publication).
Book
Title
(edition). Publisher.
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Sapolsky, R. M. (2017).
Behave: The biology of humans at our
best and worst
. Penguin Books.
(Sapolsky, 2017)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Book with Multiple Authors (Two to 20)
Last Name, First and Middle Initial, . . . [up to 19 additional
authors], Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of
Publication).
Book Title
(edition). Publisher.
Note: Include up to 20 authors by listing their last name, first
and middle initial, followed by a comma. Before the final author,
use an ampersand (&) before the author's name.
(First Author’s Last Name et
al., year)
Rivano, N. S., Hoson, A., & Stallings, B. (2001).
Regional
integration and economic development
. Palgrave.
(Rivano et al., 2017)
Book with Multiple Authors (21 or More)
Last Name, First and Middle Initial, . . . [up to 19 additional
authors], Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of
Publication).
Book Title
(edition). Publisher.
Note: Include up to 19 authors by listing their last name, first
and middle initial, followed by a comma. After the 19th author,
include an ellipsis and then the final author's name.
(First Author’s Last Name et
al., year)
Crocco, F., de Barros, B., McCaffery, B., Croop, P., Aldrich, L.,
Abeyta, M., Smith, J., Sands, C., Pearson, B., McCage, J.,
Jackson, C., Walker-Williams, H., Sekera, L., Lee, N.,
DiCamillo, K., silver, J., Dvorak, A., Thoreau, H., . . .
Healy, A. (2017)
Creativity and design
. Abbeville Press.
(Crocco et al., 2017)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Book Published as an E-Book or Audiobook
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of Publication).
Book
Title
. Publisher. doi or url
Note: Only cite a book as an E-Book or audiobook if the content
differs from the print version. If the content is different from
the print version (2
nd
Ed., abridged, etc.), add that in
parentheses after the title.
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Brown, L. S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American
Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/92-000
(Brown, 2018)
Nelson, M. R. (2011). Heroes & dreams. In
Inside the mind of a
child
(abridged).http://www.bookrix.com
(Nelson, 2011)
Edited Book
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Year of Publication).
Book
Title
(Editor First Initial. Last Name, Ed.). Publisher.
(Original work published Date)
(Author’s Last Name, year)
Malory, T. (2017).
Le morte darthur
(P. J. C. Field, Ed.). D. S.
Brewer. (Original work published 1469-70)
(Malory, 2017)
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AUDIOVISUAL WORKS
Instead of authors, audiovisual works are cited with directors, producers, composers, etc.
Use the following table to determine which term to use:
Media Type
Function
Film
Director
TV Series
Executive producer(s)
TV series episode
Writer or director of episode
Podcast
Host or executive producer
Podcast episode
Host of episode
Webinar
Instructor
Classical music album or song
Composer
Modern music album or song
Recording artist
Artwork
Artist
Online streaming video
Person or group who uploaded the video
Photograph
Photographer
Adapted from Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7
th
Ed.
Note: If the source’s creator’s name includes a handle, include it in brackets immediately
after the creator’s First Name, Initial.
Examples:
(Fogarty, M. [Grammar Girl].
White, B. [@BettyMWhite].
Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
YouTube Video
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month
Date).
Video Title
[Video]. YouTube. url
(Uploader’s Last Name,
Year)
Ezekiel, S. (2012, March 21). MIT understanding laser and
fiberoptics: Fiberoptics fundamentals [Video]. YouTube,
http://www.youtube.come/watch?v=0DCrlAxEv_Y
(Ezekiel, 2012)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
TED Talk
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year, Month
Date).
Video Title
[Video]. Streaming Site. url
(Presenter’s Last Name,
Year)
Cuddy, A. (2012, June).
Your body language may shape who
you are
[Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/
amy_cuddy_your_body _language_shapes_who_you_are
(Cuddy, 2012)
Film
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Function). (Publication Year,
Month Date).
Film Title
[Film]. Studio
(Director’s Last Name,
Year)
Coen, J. & Coen, E. (Directors). (1996).
Fargo
[Film]. Gramercy
Pictures
(Coen and Coen, 1996)
TV Episode
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Function). (Original air
Date). Episode Title (season number, Episode number)
[TV series episode]. In First and Middle Initial Last Name
(Executive Producer),
Series Title
. Production Company.
(Director’s Last Name,
Year)
Sherman-Palladino, A. (Writer & Director). (2018, December 5).
All alone (Season 2, Episode 10) [TV series episode]. In
A. Sherman-Palladino, D. Palladino, D. Gilbert, M.
Shapiro, S. Carino, & S. Lawrence (Executive
Producers),
The marvelous Mrs. Maisel
. Dorothy Park
Drank Here Productions; Picrow; Amazon Studios.
(Sherman-Palladino, 2018)
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Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Social Media
Last Name, First and Middle Initial or Name of Group.
[@username]. (Year, Month Day).
Content of the post up
to the first 20 words
[Description of audiovisuals] [Source
type]. Site Name. url
(Uploader’s Last Name,
Year)
Cook, P. [@chemteacherphil]. (2019, November 19).
Alkali salts
get lit. #chemistry #chemteacherphil #science
experiments#for you#jobforme#trend #featurethis
#science #vbecheck
[Video]. TikTok. https: //vm.tiktok,
com/xP1r1m
(Cook, 2019)
NASA. [@NASA]. (2020, January 5).
A team of astronomers
have found EGS77--the farthest galaxy group known to
date!
[Video attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com
/NASAUniverse/status/1225744352661504
(NASA, 2020)
News From Science. (2019, June 21).
Are you a fan of
astronomy? Enjoy reading about what scientists have
discovered in our solar system—and beyond? This
[Image
attached] [Status Update]. Facebook.https://www.
facebook.com /ScienceNOW /photos/a.117532185107/
68057260108/?type=3&theater
(News from Science, 2019)
Podcast
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Function). (Publication Year,
Month Date). Episode Title (No. episode number) [Audio
or video podcast episode]. In
Title of the series
. url
(Host’s Last Name, Year)
WRITING CENTER
American Psychological
Association (APA)
Documentation
Last edited: 08/01/2021 DRR 20
Full Citation on the Works Cited Page
Parenthetical Citation
Garber, J. (Host). (2019, November 22). The grazing revolution:
A radical plan to save the Earth (no. 638) [Audio podcast
episode]. In
The farming podcast
. https://www.the
farmingpodcast.com/2019/11/
(Garber, 2019)
Data Sets
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Date).
Data Set
Title
(Numerical Identifier; Version Number) [Data set].
Publisher. doi
(Author’s Last Name, Year)
O'Donohue, W. (2017).
Content analysis of undergraduate
psychology textbooks
(ICPSR 21600; Version V1) [Data
set] ICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36966.v1
(O'Donohue, 2017)
Photograph
Last Name, First and Middle Initial. (Publication Year). Title of
photograph [Photograph]. Source. url
(Photographer’s Last Name,
Year)
Ryan, S. (2019). [Sea smoke on Lake Michigan] [Photograph].
New York Times.
https://www.nytimes. com/ interactive/
2019/world/year-in-pcitures.html
(Ryan, 2019)
Song
Composer or Artist. (Year). Song Title. [Song]. On
Album Title
.
Label
(Artist’s Last Name, Year)
Childish Gambino. (2016). Zombies [Song]. On
Awaken my
love.
Glassnote.
(Childish Gambino, 2016)
WRITING CENTER
American Psychological
Association (APA)
Documentation
Last edited: 08/01/2021 DRR 21
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Your instructor may ask for an Annotated Bibliography during the writing process. While
similar to a References page, an Annotated Bibliography serves as a tool for evaluating
and/or describing sources. To create an annotated bibliography:
1. Set up a References page according to APA guidelines
2. Change the title of the document to “Annotated Bibliography” or “Annotated List of
References”
3. Indent an inch from the start of each citation entry
4. Write a description of the source
5. Keep the description succinct—no longer than a paragraph
An annotated bibliography helps you remember what is contained within each source and
gives your instructor an idea of the sources you intend to use in your paper.
Example:
FULL CITATION ON THE “ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY” PAGE, THEN
FOLLOWED BY A SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Moore, Nicole.
The Censor’s Library: Uncovering the Lost History of
Australia’s Banned Books
. U of Queensland P, 2012.
The book provides a comprehensive history of Australian print
censorship and discusses its implications in regard to questions
of transnationalism.
Smith 1
SAMPLE STUDENT PAPER
Metacognition and Learning Preferences in College Students
Alex Smith
English Department, Johnson County Community College
WCTR 100: Introduction to Writing
Dr. Moore
June 30, 2021
Smith 2
College students face any number of challenges in their adjustment to college life:
choosing a major, finding a sense of belonging, social, emotional, and financial burdens, but
perhaps the greatest challenge is adjusting to and meeting the rigorous standards of college
academics. Many first-time college students believe the study habits they learned in high school
or past educational experiences are good enough to get them through their college coursework;
this is often not the case. According to an article about improving classroom performance:
Most entering students are not adequately prepared either academically or in terms of
study skills for college level work. [They] arrive at college with highly overlearned study
skills developed in high school that are now ineffective … One of the major challenges
students face in the transition to college is changing their entrenched but
counterproductive study skills … The transition to college is not just about learning new
study strategies, but also about overcoming old ones. (Chew, 2010)
In order to overcome these “entrenched but counterproductive study skills” (Chew, 2010),
students must first take ownership of their learning experiences through developing stronger
metacognition skills. Once students acknowledge their active role in the learning process, they
can then determine their learning preferences. When students have better metacognition and
harness their learning preferences, they can begin to enter into the collegiate learning experience.
Metacognition
Before students can effectively succeed in college coursework, they need to develop
proper metacognition. Metacognition “is being aware of our thinking as we perform specific
tasks and then using this awareness to control what we are doing” (Packet #1, 2019). In other
words, students need to understand how they learn (Chew, 2010). When students practice
metacognition, they can more effectively evaluate their methods for learning, adapt them as
Smith 3
necessary, and perform better. Much of metacognition involves self-regulation, a quality which
is often developed and strengthened during the time in which traditionally aged college students
are working through their degrees. According to Education Endowment Foundation,
“[m]etacognitive regulation is about planning how to undertake a task, working on it while
monitoring the strategy to check progress, then evaluating the overall success” (EEF, 2021).
Metacognition is like a bridge for students—if they can develop this skill, they are then primed
to have a growth mindset, which is vital in succeeding in college courses. When students have
conscious awareness of the study process, they can determine what tools and techniques work
best for them, refine those skills, and harness them to their advantage (Tierney, 2021).
Learning Preferences
Students can practice metacognition and more fully enter into the study process through
identifying their primary learning preference. There are four generally agreed upon learning
preferences: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic, or collectively referred to through the
acronym VARK. This inventory which was originally developed by Neil Fleming in 1987 helps
students determine their learning preference through taking the VARK questionnaire (VARK
Learn Limited, 2021). Originally described as “a communication questionnaire” (varklearn,
2011), VARK is designed to identify the modality through which individuals prefer to learn.
The VARK questionnaire identifies four main ways through which students prefer to
present and process information (Boatman et al., 2008). Visual learners prefer intaking
information through maps, graphs, charts, and diagrams; focusing on infographics in textbooks
would be beneficial for this type of learner. Auditory learners need to hear or talk through
information; lectures, listening to the audio version of a textbook, talking through concepts with
someone else are all tools for auditory learners. Those who learn best by reading information and
Smith 4
then regurgitating it through written word fall within the read/write category. Finally, kinesthetic
learners are considered hands on learners—they need to experience something or have it related
through real-life circumstances in order to comprehend the information. Case studies, practical
experiences, and demonstrations are all ways in which kinesthetic learners best retain material.
While the VARK questionnaire may indicate a student has a stronger preference towards one
learning style, it is likely that most students are multimodal, meaning that a combination of two
preferences more accurately represents the ways in which students learn (VARK Learn Limited,
2021).
Once students identify their learning preferences, they can adapt both their study habits
and even their potential degree track to best compliment the ways in which they most effectively
learn. Take for instance four students in a biology class, learning about mitosis and meiosis. A
visual learner would best learn these concepts through drawing out the different phases of each
cycle, whereas an auditory learner would need to listen to lecture or perhaps a podcast and then
explain the concepts to a friend. A student with a read/write preference would need to read the
textbook and write out key phases and definitions. Finally, a kinesthetic learner would need real-
life examples of mitosis and meiosis happening in nature. Employing learning preferences
expands beyond learning a single concept. For example, auditory learners can choose classes
with lecture and discussion components and kinesthetic learners can take classes with labs or
practical experiences (VARK Learn Limited, 2021). Similarly, students can choose majors and
career paths that will allow them to harness their learning styles to their advantage. When
students “work to understand their individual learning preferences” they will “become more
efficient learners” (Sills et al., 2009) and can thereby transform their collegiate experience.
Smith 5
Learning References Research
Research has been conducted in a variety of disciplines to determine the efficacy of
learning preferences. During the 2005/2006 academic year at Saint Mary’s College of California,
researchers focused on introductory economic courses and sought out to answer the question of
“[d]oes learning style preference significantly impact student performance in introductory
economics courses and, if so, how?” (Boatman et al., 2008). The research showed that students
with visual learning preferences tended to perform better in the economics course, which largely
relies on graphs and tables to convey information. The study also suggested that teaching
strategies can be adapted to better involve kinesthetic and auditory learners (Boatman et al.,
2008). Other studies have been conducted, many with nursing and medical students, to assess
students’ learning preferences and suggesting adjustments in teaching strategies to accommodate
different learners.
Though learning preferences are disputed by some researchers, evidence does show that
individuals find the information useful. Between May and August 2020, 237,537 people took the
VARK Questionnaire. Of that group, 34% of respondents had single preferences, with the
majority showing a preference for kinesthetic, and 66% of respondents were multimodal
learners. Of the 237,537 respondents, 29,082 filled out additional research questions. From this
data, it was determined that there was a higher preference among individuals, despite gender or
age, towards a kinesthetic learning preference. Additionally, 74% of respondents agreed that the
learning preference they were assigned matched their perceptions of how they best learn (VARK
Learn Limited, 2021). This data is a clear indication that individuals find the VARK model a
useful tool for how they best learn.
Smith 6
If students develop metacognition and apply it to tasks like determining their learning
preference, they are well on their way to becoming more effective learners. However, these two
traits alone are not enough to provide true change:
Knowing one’s VARK preference for learning is not enough to change study behaviors.
Each learner has to make their own changes and that requires effort, recognition and
metacognition. If those are not present the learner will remain with his/her strategies
unchanged and that may mean no change in academic success or the same levels of
success as previously. (VARK Learn Limited, 2021)
Metacognition and learning preferences are only the beginning of the learning process. Students
must take these tools and use them to establish a growth mindset, develop study techniques that
are beneficial to them and their coursework, maintain motivation, create useful time and stress
management techniques, and refine executive functioning skills. If students harness these tools of
metacognition and learning preferences appropriately and actively participate in their learning
journey, they are sure to find success in college coursework.
Smith 7
References
Boatman, K., Courtney, R., & Lee, W. (2008). “See how they learn”: The impact of faculty and
student learning styles on student performance in introductory economics. The American
Economist, 52(1), 39 – 48. www.jstor.org/stable/40657694.
Chew, S. L. (2010, April 1). improving classroom performance by challenging student
misconceptions about learning. Association for Psychological Science – APSI.
psychologicalscience.org/observer/improving-classroom-performance-by-challenging-
student-misconceptions-about-learning.
EEF [@EducEndowFoundn]. (2021, July 4). Metacognition and self-regulation. [Photograph].
Twitter. twitter.com/EducEndowFoundn/status/1411736071315075075.
Tierney, K. (Host). (2021, June 25). Live with Ben Blood: metacognition—The bridge to student
success (no. 13) [Audio podcast episode]. In Faculty Focus Live. https://open.spotify.com
/episode/5CpzjuCWwksHRl4baTCt9B?si=_T0qq_a-SoSlqxII9AjlHw
Packet #1. (2019). In V. Mann (ed.), Coll 176: Strategic learning system. Johnson County
Community College.
Sills, J., Hoffmann, R., & McGuire, S. Y. (2009). Teaching and learning strategies that work.
Science, 325(5945), 1203-1204. www.jstor.org/stable/40301712.
varklearn. (2011, September 19). The origins of VARK [Video]. YouTube.
youtube.com/watch?v= UcysYN6jeRM&t=197s
VARK Learn Limited. (2021). VARK a guide to learning preferences. vark-learn.com