Plagiarism, Citation and Academic Honesty: APA 7

An in-text citation must be present at any point at which information from another source is used, regardless if it appears as a quote or paraphrase. In-text citations consist of these elements: 

• Author(s) last name
• Year of publication
• Page number(s) or location description for exact quotations 

The in-text citation can be incorporated in the sentence if the author’s name is used, or it can be contained entirely in a parenthetical. Find examples of each method below:

Lighthouses have long stirred the imagination of many, possibly because of the symbolism of a beacon of light in the darkness or because of the imagery of the solitary caretaker. That very imagery is perhaps why lighthouses have long been the source of stories of the paranormal. In fact, as Frederick Stonehouse (1997) notes, "Ghosts and old lighthouses seem to go hand in hand" (1).

Why would lighthouses so attract ghost activity? It is possible that the very nature of a keeper’s work virtually ensures that the activity continues after death. The climb of the tower to start the light at night and extinguish it at dawn, every day without fail, becomes so ingrained in the very structure of the lighthouse itself that it echoes continuously, long after the keeper is gone (Stonehouse, 1997).

Please note:

The author's name and year always appear together; like lighting and thunder, where one goes, the other must as well.

If there are two authors, list both last names with the & sign in between. 

If there are three or more authors, only list the first author's last name followed by et al, unless there could be confusion between multiple sources. Seek additional guidance if you have multiple authors with the same last name or multiple works written by the same author.

Page numbers are required only for exact quotations.

In a parenthetical citation:

• The name should be followed by a comma
• The word et should not be followed by a period.
• The abbreviation p. is used for one page; pp. for multiple pages.

A references page organized by the first letter(s) of the entries must appear on a new, separate, strictly double-spaced page at the end the paper. Entries should provide the following information, when possible:

Who wrote it?

Most credible sources will have an author/creator. If author/creator is a person(s), list in last name, first initial, middle initial format. Organizations or groups may be authors as well. View a source very skeptically if there is no author, but in that case, move the title into the author spot.

Example: Stonehouse, F.

APA 7 requires that all authors up to twenty are listed. If there are two (2) authors, use the & in between. If there are three (3) to twenty (20) authors, separate them with a comma and use the & between the last two authors. If there are more than twenty, list the first nineteen (19), use elipses (...) and then the last author without an & before the name.

Here are some made up examples:

• Stonehouse, F. & Brickhouse, G.
• Stonehouse, F., Brickhouse, G., & Strawhouse, H.
• Stonehouse, F., Brickhouse, G., Strawhouse, H., [imagine seventeen (16) other names here], … Woodhouse, I.

When was it written?

This is the publication date, which appears in parentheses after the author, and appears in year, month day order. Most credible sources will have a publication date; if it truly does not, use (n.d.).

Example: Stonehouse, F. (1997).

What is it called?

This is the title of the actual source used. For instance, reference the title of a specific webpage used, not the site; or reference the title of the article used, not the journal title.

In most cases, capitalize the first word, proper nouns/names, and first word after a colon (sentence case). Book titles and webpage titles are italicized, article titles are not.

Example: Stonehouse, F. (1997). Haunted lakes: Great Lakes ghost stories, superstitions and sea serpents.

Where did it come from?

This is the publisher information.

• Books come from a publishing house/company. See below for the example we've been building.
• Articles come from a journal or magazine, which have a title, a volume and/or/maybe issue number, and a range of pages where the article appears. An article in digital format will also usually have a DOI which looks like a URL.

If you cannot locate or determine a doi for an article: Provide the URL if it came from a journal’s website. Provide the permalink/stable URL if it came from a database. It is not typically necessary to provide the name of the database, though there are some exceptions to this rule.

The journal title should retain the capitalization structure from the print cover. The title and volume number should be italicized. As an example, this is a fake journal name with other completely made up information:

Phant, O.M. (2020, July). Ghost hunting and documentation: Advice for the new investigator. SPIRITWORLDmonthly, 10(3), 15-23. https://doi.org/52.0333/0000000000.2

• Webpages come from a website which has a site name and URL. In APA 7, only include the words "Retrieved from" if a retrieved date is required.

If the webpage has content that is changed or updated frequently, like a blog or wiki (other than Wikipedia), after the site name, include the retrieved date in month day, year, format along with the URL.

This is an example of a standard webpage with completely made up information:

Phant, O.M. (2020, July 16). Ghosts: The real deal. Paranormal stuff. https://www.paranormalstuff.com/ghosts-real-deal

This is an example of a blog/wiki with completely made up information:

Phant, O.M. (n.d.). Ghost sightings in real time. ParanormalWiki. Retrieved July 16, 2020, from https:www.ParanormalWiki.net/ghost-sighting-log

Note that in APA 7, there are specific rules regarding Wikipedia. Please seek additional assistance if using a Wikipedia article.

Example: Stonehouse, F. (1997). Haunted lakes: Great Lakes ghost stories, superstitions and sea serpents. Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc.

Most citations will go onto more than one line. If this is the case, use a hanging indent (lines after the first are indented). Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to give a good example here of what that looks like.

Personal communication used within the paper does not need to appear on the references page.

Reviewing a sample paper like this one found at the OWL at Purdue may be beneficial.

There are separate formatting guidelines for student and professional papers. Confirm your instructor’s expectations regarding formatting prior to writing your paper. The guidelines below are based on the STUDENT paper.

Papers should be consistently double spaced throughout with 1 inch margins. Extra lines should not be added anywhere for any reason. Use a page break rather than extra lines if something needs to start on a separate page. 

Use the same highly legible font consistently throughout the paper, including page numbers in the header. Several widely available fonts are recommended, including Times New Roman 12 point, Georgia 11 point, Calibri 11 point, and Arial 11 point. 

All APA formatted papers require a cover page, consisting of the following, centered in the top half of the first page: 

• Title of paper  
• Your Name
• Dept or program name (possibly - consult with instructor), Nicolet College (your educational institution)
• Course number: Course name (as it appears on instructional materials)
• Instructor name (as it appears on instructional materials)
• Date (in month day, year format in the US)

Ask your instructor for guidance regarding the cover page as they may have additional requirements. 

A page number should appear flush right in the header, beginning on the title page. Do not include the paper title in the header.

If an abstract is required, it (and only it) should appear on page 2. Confer with your instructor as to whether or not an abstract is actually required for your paper. Do not assume either that your instructor does or doesn't want one. ASK.

The paper title should appear again, centered, above the first line of the body of the paper. If an abstract is required, the title should be centered on the first line of page 3; if an abstract is not required, then this will be on page 2.

Ensure a clear understanding from your instructor of all formatting requirements. Elements such as section headers, graphs, charts, or illustrations may be expected. Properly cite any graphs, charts, pictures, or illustrations used from other sources.

The references page should start on a new page with the word References centered on the first line. Citations should appear in alphabetical order by their first letter(s). Use a hanging indent when entries go onto more than one line.

Other things to note: 

• Use one space after a period, not two.
• Use quotation marks for linguistic examples or to off-set specific words for attention, rather than italics. For an example, see the discussion of use of "they," below (or here, actually).
• It is acceptable to use "they" as a singular and/or gender neutral pronoun. Use the plural appropriate verb form even if "they" is being used as a singular pronoun. 
• Avoid using human language or to describe animals or inanimate objects; use "that" or "which" instead of "who," etc.
• Follow APA7 guidelines for bias-free language and appropriate word choice. Please consult a resource such as the OWL at Purdue or APA Style page regarding bias free language.

Using a template may be helpful, but please note that meeting assignment requirements and APA formatting rules is your responsibility.

This guide does not address every possible citation situation. Please see the library, writing tutor, your instructor, or consult another resource such as the OWL at Purdue if your issue doesn’t seem to fit the scenarios provided.

The OWL at Purdue was consulted often during the creation of this guide. If you need assistance and are not able to connect with the library, writing tutor, or instructor, we recommend visiting the OWL.

Citation for the OWL in APA7 would look something like this:

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). APA Formatting and Style Guide. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style

If you have been using APA 6, there are some changes to be aware of when transitioning to APA 7. The OWL at Purdue summarizes these changes with good examples here: APA 7 changes