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Social Policy and Politics - HMNS 207 - Gutshall-Seidman
APA Basics
APA style is an editorial style commonly used by writers and students in the Business, Nursing, and Behavioral and Social Sciences (including Education, Psychology, Sociology, Economics, and Criminology) disciplines.
Links on this page refer to guidelines from the most recent APA Style Guide, 7th edition. Please confirm with your instructor which edition to use.
Resources for APA
Complete style guide with formatting guidelines and works cited entry formats:
- Excelsior Online Writing Lab - APA StyleDefault is 7th edition. Select 6th edition tab if you are using 6th edition formatting.
- APA Style and Grammar GuidelinesOfficial website from the American Psychological Association
For how to cite specific types of sources:
- Textbook - APA References ListCheck if your textbook has a single (or a couple of) authors, or if there is an editor and each chapter has its own author. If there is an editor, use the "Edited" option for the entire textbook. Use the "Chapter or Article in an Edited Book" format if you are only using specific chapters.
Print a one-page APA Citation Guide
- APA Quick Reference GuideDownload a one page, double-sided guide to APA style
Formatting Your Paper
The video below will walk you through how to format your APA style paper.
Formatting a Running Head
This video demonstrates how to format a running head and page numbers for APA format.
NoodleTools
Use Noodletools to save your sources, take notes, and generate a works cited page.
- NoodleTools (Citation Generator) This link opens in a new window This resource is a useful tool to use while writing research papers to help with recording sources, organizing your ideas and building citations. Users may sign in using their G# but must have their Office 365 account open first. Once signing into Office 365, users can sign in to Noodle Tools under 'Access via G Suite' and connect using the 'Sign in with Office 365' button. If you're struggling with access to Noodle Tools, we have an answer that may be helpful in our FAQ.
At the Sign in screen, select the option to Sign in / Register using Microsoft 365.
If you are not already logged in to Lion's Den or the library's databases, you will be prompted to enter your RVCC email or G# and password. Follow the prompts to log in using your RVCC password.
How to create a new project in NoodleTools
In order to import citations from the library databases, you must have a project set up in your NoodleTools account.
This video walks through the steps of starting a new project.
Be sure to select Advanced for citation level when you start your own projects.
More tips on using NoodleTools
- How to create a sourceLearn how to save the information about your sources in NoodleTools.
- How to Create NotecardsYou can add notecards to the sources that you save in NoodleTools, which is helpful for paraphrasing the source in your own words or recording quotations that you may want to include in your paper.
- How to Use Quick CiteQuick cite lets you copy and paste a pre-formatted source reference from a website or online database
- How to Export Your Works Cited / References ListYour sources can be exported to Word or GoogleDocs in a formatted Works Cited or References list.
- Exporting Citation Data from Ebsco Directly to NoodleToolsYou can export a citation directly from Ebsco databases into NoodleTools. Note: If you would like to save your citations to your NoodleTools account, ensure you are signed in to your account before beginning to export citations.