Psychology Typing Instructions

Sections of a Paper

1. Title Page Required
    Elements
      Running Head (header) - left-justified, all caps
      Page Number (header) - right-justified
      Title - centered, bolded
      Author Byline - centered, one double-spaced line below title
      Institutional Affiliation - centered
      Author Note
2. Abstract Required
    One paragraph summary of paper; no more than 250 words
    Start on a new page (p. 2)
    Block style (no indent on 1st line)
    Keywords at bottom
3. Body of Paper Required
    Start on a new page (p. 3)
    Repeat title at top of 1st page - centered, bolded
    Section headings and sub-headings properly formatted
4. References Required
    Begin on a new page
    Page heading "Reference" at the top of the page - centered, bolded
    Entries alphabetized by first author last name
    Use hanging indent (first line of each entry left-justified, successive lines indented 0.5")
    List only works cited in-text
5. Supplementary Materials Optional
    Includes: tables, figures, appendices
    All tables/figures assigned a table/figure number, title, and note - appear in numerical order
    All appendices assigned a letter - appear in alphabetical order
    All supplementary materials referenced in-text

Typing Instructions

6. Margins 1 inch; all must be the same size
7. Line Spacing

Double space all text (includes: title page, abstract, headings, references, quotations, figure/table notes)

8. Type Size 11-12 pt.
9. Typeface Acceptable Serif fonts: Calibri (11 pt.), Arial (11 pt.), Lucinda Sans Unicode (10 pt.)
    Acceptable Sans Serif fonts: Times New Roman (12 pt.), Georgia (11 pt.)
10. Paragraph indents Indent 1st line of each paragraph by 0.5" (except abstract and long quotations)
    Keep indent uniform throughout paper
11. Justification All paper left-justified
12. Header Appears on each page
    Running head
      Left-justified
      All caps
      No longer than 50 characters
    Page number
      Right-justified
      Number only (do not include p/pg/pp)
      Begins on title page (p. 1)
13. Headings  
  1st Level Centered
    Boldface
    Title Case (first letter of major words capitalized)
    Text begins on new line, indented
  2nd Level Flush left
    Boldface
    Title Case
    Text begins on new line, indented
  3rd Level Flush left
    Boldface
    Italicized
    Title Case
    Text begins on new line, indented
  4th Level Indented
    Boldface
    Title Case
    Ends with a period
    Text begins on same line as regular paragraph
  5th Level Indented
    Boldface
    Italicized
    Title Case
    Ends with a period
    Text begins on same line as regular paragraph
14. Quotations  
  Short Less than 40 words
    Merge quotation into text
    Must be enclosed by quotation marks (single or double)
    Must include source citation with author name(s), publication date, and page numbers
  Long 40 or more words
    Begin on new line
    Use block quotation formatting (every line indented 0.5" from left margin)
    Double-spaced
    End with a period, followed by source citation with author name(s), publication date, and page numbers (in parentheses)
    Do not use quotation marks

Referencing Material

15. Level of Citation Cite a source for each fact or idea - after every sentence, if necessary
    It is better to over-cite than under-cite
    To avoid over-citation, do not repeat the same citation if source/topic have not changed
16. Paraphrasing Include citation with author name(s) and date of publication
   

Always keep name and date together.  For example:

             Smith (1984) states . . .

             Some argue that . . .  (Smith, 1984).

17. Secondary Sources

When citing an orginal work that is quoted in a secondary source that you have read, use the following format:

             Smith says that . . . (as cited in Jones, 1984, p. 324)

    In the reference list, use the secondary source informatin (the source that you gathered the information from)
18, Multiple Citations If more than one work is cited at a time parenthetically, alphabetize the works by authors' last names and separate the two references by a  semi-colon
   

For example:

             (Jones, 2012; Smith, 1984) 

19. Number of Authors Citation and reference formatting varies depending on the number of authors
  1-2 authors List all authors' names every time source is cited and in the reference list
   

For example:

             Smith and Jones (2002) . . . 

             The researchers found that . . . (Smith & Jones, 2002).

  3+ authors List only the first author's name and et al. on every citation
    List all author names (up to 20) in the reference list
   

For example:

             Smith et al. (2002)

             The researchers determined that . . . (Smith et al., 2002).

20. Reference List Ensure that each reference includes the necessary elements
      Book Book Chapter Journal Article
    a. ALL author names (up to 20) * * *
    b. Name of article     *
    c. Name of book * *  
    d. Name of chapter read   *  
    e. Name of journal     *
    f. Journal volume number     *
    g. Article/chapter page numbers     *
    h. Publisher name * *  
    i. Digital Object Identifiers (DIO) * * *
21.

Order of Elements in the Reference List

 

 

 

 

    Journal Article Author(s), Date, Article title, Journal Name, Volume Number (Issue Nmber), Page Numbers, https://dx.doi.org/XXXXXXXXXX   
    Chapter Author(s), Date Chapter Name, Editor Name(s), Book Name, (Edition, Volume, Page numbers), Publisher Name, https://dx.doi.org/XXXXXXXXXX  
    Book Author Name(s), Date, Book Name, Publisher Name. https://dx.doi.org/XXXXXXXXXX  
22. Capitalization      
  Article and book names, Chapter titles Capitalize first letter of first word only    
  Journal Name Title Case  
23. MLA vs. APA Formatting Differences between MLA and APA in references formatting
    Authors' Names Use only the initial of the first name (and middle initial, if given) and full last name for all authors  
      Order for all authors: Last name first, then first initial and middle initial  
    Article Name No quotes around article or chapter names  
    Book Chapter All editor and page nmber information goes in parentheses  
24.

Ampersand Use

In parenthetical citations and references list, use the "&" symbol instead of "and."  

Punctuation

25. Commas and periods go inside quotation marks.
26. Colons and semi-colons go outside quotation marks.
27. One space between words and other elements in a sentence including after:
 

             Commas

             Semi-colons

             Colons

             Periods

28. The final period goes after the parentheses around a citation.
 

             For example:

             . . . (Jones, 1991).

Correct Use of English

29. Use proper, formal English. This means no slang, colloquialisms, or contractions.
30. Do not start sentences with "so," "because," "but," or "however." All of these words should be  used in the middle of the sentence, after the verb.
31. Use gender-inclusive nouns and pronouns
 

For example:

             "police officer" NOT "policeman"

             "people" NOT "mankind"

             Singular "they" rather than "he/she," "s/he," "(s)he," "he or she," etc. when gender is unknown or irrelevant

32. Know the differences between these word pairs and use appropriately:
 

             Among & Between

             Affect & Effect

             Site & Cite

33. Ensure the word that you want to use is correct to communicate your idea. Look up the word in the dictionary if you don't use it very often.
34. Be succinct. Do not use more words than necessary to convey an idea.
35. Sentences must contain a proper noun phrase (subject) and a verb phrase (predicate).
36. Do not run two sentences together with just a comma between them. This is called a "run-on" sentence.

Proofreading

37. Read your paper aloud slowly and carefully, watching for the things listed above as well as the following mistakes:
 

             Typographical errors (e.g., left-out transposed letters/words)

             Straggly type that is not aligned with the other characters

             Inaccurate/missing reference information

             Nonsensical sentences

             Accuracy of quotations

             Misspelled words

38. If you find any of the above, correct them by changing the mistakes and reprinting the page involved.