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APA Style, 7th edition - Citing Sources

  • Getting Started
  • Formatting the Paper

Dissertation & SPP Format Pieces

Creating a toc in apa, dnp spp toc examples, edd toc examples, important: signature page, the abstract & keywords.

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  • Want Your Paper Reviewed for APA?

If you are on this tab, you have probably been asked to format a dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project paper using APA format. Use the below information to help you format the different pieces of your paper.  Please check with your academic department to see if they have an official dissertation/SPP format template for your program.

A note on Table of Contents: Most APA papers do not require a Table of Contents (TOC). If you are writing a Dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project, you may be asked to include one. Please note: the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association does not have an official stance on formatting a Table of Contents page .

Below, you will find some general information and examples of Table of Contents (TOC), Abstracts and Keywords, and the Signature page that you may find helpful.

  • Scribbr Creating an APA-style Table of Contents This tutorial from Scribbr is extremely helpful in formatting your APA Table of Contents.

Scribbr APA Table of Contents

Use the below examples as a reference point for forming your Table of Contents. These should be used as a baseline for formatting-- yours will be more specific to your headings and subject-matter.

  • DNP SPP TOC Example 1
  • DNP SPP TOC Example 2
  • EdD Dissertation TOC Example 1
  • EdD Dissertation TOC Example 2

Your signature page is one of the most important pieces of your final product. It proves that you completed the dissertation!  Below is an example of what your signature page should look like (names blanked out for privacy).

If you have any questions about the signature page or how to get it signed, please contact your program director.

apa 7th dissertation headings

ABSTRACT : An abstract is required for your Dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project and must be included before submitting your final copy to Proquest.  An abstract is a brief, comprehensive overview of your paper. Generally, it should not exceed 250 words.

KEYWORDS : You should also include keywords. Keywords are descriptive terms that encompass the themes of your paper. Think about what terms you used when searching for your topic in the databases. This is what researchers will use to find your paper!

  • APA Style Abstract and Keywords Handout For more information on creating an Abstract and Keywords, please use this handout from the APA Style site.
  • Professional Paper sample with Abstract Example See page one of this document for an example of an Abstract and Keywords, with annotations on where to find more information in APA Manual. From the APA Style site.
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  • Last Updated: May 16, 2024 1:31 PM
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APA Style 7th Edition: Citing Your Sources

  • Basics of APA Formatting
  • In Text Quick View
  • Block Quotes
  • Books & eBooks
  • Thesis/Dissertation

Standard Format

Formatting rules, various examples.

  • Audiovisual
  • Conference Presentations
  • Social Media
  • Legal References
  • Reports and Gray Literature
  • Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
  • Additional Resources
  • Reference Page

Adapted from American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Formatting:

  • Italicize the title
  • Identify whether source is doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title

See Ch. 10 pp. 313-352 of APA Manual for more examples and formatting rules

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Dissertation & Doctoral Project Formatting & Clearance: APA Style 7th Ed.

  • Submitting to the Library
  • Formatting Manual & Forms
  • APA Style 7th Ed.
  • Submitting to ProQuest ETD

SPRING 2024 CHANGES TO THE DISSERTATION CLEARANCE PROCESS

In order to streamline the dissertation clearance process, the following changes have been made, effective 3-1-2024 .

1. The Dissertation Cataloging Form is no longer necessary.

2. The Dissertation Clearance Form is now initiated directly by the student, and only through Adobe Sign - Signed PDFs and scanned forms have been replaced by Adobe Sign.

3. Students completing dissertation clearance are no longer required to schedule a meeting with their DCR (Dissertation Clearance Representative). If they have questions about what to do, they are welcome to schedule a DCR appointment, but it is not required.

If you have questions about these changes or other aspects of the process, contact [email protected] and we will be happy to assist.

Finding It @ Your Library

apa 7th dissertation headings

General APA Style Guidelines

WRITING STYLE

Verb tense. APA style papers should be written in past or present perfect tense:

Avoid: Mojit and Novian's (2013) experiment shows that...

Allowed: Mojit and Novian's (2013) experiment showed  that...

Allowed: Mojit and Novian's (2013) experiment has shown that...

Be concise and clear

  • Avoid vague statements
  • Present information clearly
  • Eliminate unnecessary words

Style matters

  • Write objectively
  • Avoid poetic or flowery language

AVOIDING BIAS

Be sensitive to labels

  • Avoid identifying groups by a disorder Avoid: schizophrenics Allowed: people diagnosed with schizophrenia
  • Avoid outdated or inappropriate labels
  • When you must label a group, try to use a term that group prefers

Gender pronouns

  • Gender refers to a social role
  • Sex refers to biological characteristics

What is the APA 7th Edition Publication Manual?

The 7th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association was created by the American Psychological Assocation (APA), and contains the complete guidelines on how to format material for publication and cite your research .  It is a set of style rules that codifies the components of scientific writing in order to deliver concise and bias free information to the reader. 

This guide provides some of the basics to keep in mind, but it doesn't replace owning or borrowing the actual Publication Manual itself. It should be on your desk by your side throughout your writing process.

APA style, 7th edition requires specific heading formatting.

For Levels 1-3, the paragraph text begins on a new line. For Levels 4-5, the paragraph text begins on the same line and continues as a paragraph.

In Section 4.2 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), APA (2020) states that you should use verb tenses consistently throughout your work. See a chart of when and how to use past tense (Rodriguez found) and present perfect tense (Researchers have shown) at the APA Style website .

In-Text Citation Basics

Author/Date Citation Method

APA publications use the author/date in text citation system to briefly identify sources to readers.  Each in-text citation is listed alphabetically in the reference list.  All in-text citations referenced in the body of work musr appear in the reference list and vice versa.

  • The author-date method includes the author's surname and the the publication year.  Do not include suffixes such as Jr., Esq., etc. Example : (Jones, 2009)
  • The author/date method is also used with direct quotes.  Another component is added in this format: (Jones, 2009, p.19)
  • When multiple pages are referenced, use pp. (Jones, 2009, pp.19-21)

Variations of author/date within a sentence Here are some examples of how the author/date citation method are formatted within different parts of a sentence. Please note the author, publication date, and study are entirely fictional.

  • Beginning of a sentence: Jones (2009) completed a study on the effects of dark chocolate on heart disease.
  • Middle of a sentence: In 2009, Jones's study on the effects of dark chocolate and heart disease revealed...
  • End of a sentence: The study revealed that participants who ate dark chocolate bars every day did not develop heart disease (Jones, 2009).

Citing works with more than one author

  • One author: Jones (2009) // (Jones, 2009)
  • Two authors: Ahmed and Jones (2010) // (Ahmed & Jones, 2010)
  • Three or more authors: Tsai et al. (2011) // (Tsai et al., 2011)
  • Group/organization author that can be abbreviated: 1st mention: National Institutes of Health (NIH, 2012) // subsequent mentions: NIH (2012)

Sample References

Journal articles

Sharifian, N., & Grühn, D. (2019). The differential impact of social participation and social support on psychological well-being: Evidence from  the Wisconsin longitudinal study. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development , 88 (2), 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415018757213

Shiraev, E. (2017). Personality theories: A global view. SAGE.

Chapter from a book

Ochs, E., & Schieffelin , B. B. (1984). Language acquisition and socialization: Three developmental stories and their implications. In R. A. Shweder & R. A. LeVine (Eds.), Culture theory: Essays on mind, self, and emotion (pp. 276 320). Cambridge University Press.

Webpage from a website

World Health Organization. (2020, June 15) . Elder abuse . https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/elder-abuse

View many more examples in the APA Style Manual or on the APA Style website .

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APA 7th referencing style

  • About APA 7th
  • Printing this guide
  • In-text references
  • Direct quotations
  • Reference list
  • Author information
  • Additional referencing information

Tips on using headings

Five levels of headings.

  • Book chapter
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  • Conferences
  • Dictionary or encyclopaedia
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  • Lecture notes and slides
  • Legal sources
  • Newspaper or magazine article
  • Other web sources
  • Patents and standards
  • Personal communication
  • Press (media) release
  • Secondary source (indirect citation)
  • Social media
  • Software and mobile apps
  • Specialised health information
  • Television program
  • Works in non-English languages
  • Works in non-English scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese
  • There are five levels of headings
  • All headings work from the top level down, regardless of how many subheadings in the section
  • Each section begins with the top level heading, regardless of how many subheadings are used within the section
  • Do not use numbers or letters as labels in headings 
  • Do not use Introduction as your first heading
  • Place the title at the top of the first page
  • Use regular font in title case (all words except words like and, to, a, the are capitalised. These words are capitalised if first word in title).
  • Bold and centre the title.

Outcome of Parenting Intervention

Group Support

Large Groups

Small Groups.

Children Aged 3-5.

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APA Formatting and Style (7th ed.) for Student Papers

  • What's New in the 7th ed.?
  • Principles of Plagiarism: An Overview
  • Basic Paper Formatting
  • Basic Paper Elements
  • Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Apostrophes, Numbers, Plurals
  • Tables and Figures
  • Powerpoint Presentations
  • Reference Page Format
  • Periodicals (Journals, Magazines, Newspapers)
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  • Company Information & SWOT Analyses
  • Dissertations or Theses
  • ChatGPT and other AI Large Language Models
  • Online Images
  • Online Video
  • Computer Software and Mobile Apps
  • Missing Information
  • Two Authors
  • Three or More Authors
  • Group Authors
  • Missing Author
  • Chat GPT and other AI Large Language Models
  • Secondary Sources
  • Block Quotations
  • Fillable Template and Sample Paper
  • Government Documents and Legal Materials
  • APA Style 7th ed. Tutorials
  • Additional APA 7th Resources
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APA 7th ed. Fillable Word Template and Sample Paper

  • APA 7th ed. Template Download this Word document, fill out the title page and get writing!
  • Sample Paper APA 7th ed. Our APA sample paper shows you how to format the main parts of a basic research paper.
  • APA 7th Sample Papers from Purdue Owl
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IMAGES

  1. Guidelines

    apa 7th dissertation headings

  2. 7th Edition APA Style: How to Use APA Headings in Your Paper

    apa 7th dissertation headings

  3. APA Referencing 7th Edition: Essential Rules and Guidelines

    apa 7th dissertation headings

  4. APA Headings and Subheadings

    apa 7th dissertation headings

  5. Headings and Subheadings Tutorial: APA 7th Edition Format

    apa 7th dissertation headings

  6. APA Headings and Subheadings

    apa 7th dissertation headings

VIDEO

  1. APA Formatting & Citing with Laura

  2. APA headings using the APA format template

  3. Transitioning Your Dissertation Manuscript from APA 6th to 7th Edition

  4. APA Editing: How to Avoid Common Mistakes

  5. Referencing A Chapter From An Edited Book Using APA 7

  6. How to Write References in Your Article/Thesis According to APA 7th

COMMENTS

  1. APA Headings and Subheadings

    Headings and subheadings provide structure to a document. They signal what each section. is about and allow for easy navigation of the document. APA headings have five possible levels. Each heading level is formatted differently. Note: Title case simply means that you should capitalize the first word, words with four or more letters, and all ...

  2. Headings

    Center, Bold, Title Case Heading. Text begins as a new paragraph. 2: Flush Left, Bold, Title Case Heading Text beings as a new paragraph. 3: Flush Left, Bold Italic, Title Case Heading Text begins as a new paragraph. 4 Indented, Bold, Title Case Heading, Ending With a Period. Text begins on the same line and continues as a regular paragraph. 5

  3. PDF APA Style Dissertation Guidelines: Formatting Your Dissertation

    tutorials under the "Resources for Writing Your Dissertation" tab. APA Style, 7 th Edition: A Brief Overview This section provides a very brief overview of APA Style formatting. For more thorough information about APA Style, 7 th edition, please refer to Appendix A (on page 11) of this guide for additional APA resources. Headings

  4. Dissertation & SPP Formatting

    ABSTRACT: An abstract is required for your Dissertation or Scholarly Practice Project and must be included before submitting your final copy to Proquest.An abstract is a brief, comprehensive overview of your paper. Generally, it should not exceed 250 words. KEYWORDS: You should also include keywords.Keywords are descriptive terms that encompass the themes of your paper.

  5. Thesis/Dissertation

    Thesis, from a commercial database. Lope, M. D. (2014). Perceptions of global mindedness in the international baccalaureate middle years programme: The relationship to student academic performance and teacher characteristics (Order No. 3682837) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland].ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

  6. Changes in the 7th Edition

    The seventh edition changes only level three, four, and five headings. All headings are now written in title case (important words capitalized) and boldface. Headings are distinguished only by the use of italics, indentation, and periods. Sixth Edition (3.03)

  7. APA Headings and Seriation

    Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading. There are 5 heading levels in APA. Regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1.

  8. Headings

    There are five levels of heading in APA Style. Level 1 is the highest or main level of heading, Level 2 is a subheading of Level 1, Level 3 is a subheading of Level 2, and so on through Levels 4 and 5. The number of headings to use in a paper depends on the length and complexity of the work. If only one level of heading is needed, use Level 1.

  9. APA Style 7th Ed.

    The 7th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association was created by the American Psychological Assocation (APA), and contains the complete guidelines on how to format material for publication and cite your research.It is a set of style rules that codifies the components of scientific writing in order to deliver concise and bias free information to the reader.

  10. Library Guides: APA 7th referencing style: Using headings

    2. Left aligned, Bold, Upper Case and Lower Case Heading (Title Case) 3. Left aligned, Bold, Italicised, Upper Case and Lower Case Heading (Title Case) 4. Indented, Bold, Upper Case and Lower Case Heading (Title Case), ending with a full stop. Text begins on same line and continues as normal paragraph. 5.

  11. PDF How to Prepare your Dissertation in APA Style Style Manual Spacing Margins

    In APA Style, you can use up to five . levels of headings, each with its own formatting style. In the table of contents, you should include all level 1 and 2 headings, left-aligned and formatted as plain text. Level 2 headings are indented. Including lower-level headings in the table of contents is optional. Add an additional indent for each level.

  12. APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

    Basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper Author/Authors Rules for handling works by a single author or multiple authors that apply to all APA-style references in your reference list, regardless of the type of work (book, article, electronic resource, etc.)

  13. PDF Heading Levels Template: Student Paper, APA Style 7th Edition

    Title of Paper. Begin your paper with the paper title at the top of the first page of text. The paper title acts as a de facto Level 1 heading: It is centered and in bold title case font. Do not use the heading "Introduction"; text at the beginning of the paper is assumed to be the introduction. APA Style headings have five possible levels.

  14. How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Style

    To cite an unpublished dissertation (one you got directly from the author or university in print form), add "Unpublished" to the bracketed description, and list the university at the end of the reference, outside the square brackets. APA format. Author last name, Initials. ( Year ).

  15. PDF Student Paper Setup Guide, APA Style 7th Edition

    Indent the first line of every paragraph of text 0.5 in. using the tab key or the paragraph-formatting function of your word-processing program. Page numbers: Put a page number in the top right corner of every page, including the title page or cover page, which is page 1. Student papers do not require a running head on any page.

  16. PDF Sample APA Paper: Professional Format for Graduate/Doctoral Students

    SAMPLE APA-7 PAPER FOR GRADUATE/DOCTORAL STUDENTS 1 Created by Christy Owen of Liberty University's Online Writing Center [email protected]; last date modified: January 30, 2024

  17. Sample papers

    These sample papers demonstrate APA Style formatting standards for different student paper types. Students may write the same types of papers as professional authors (e.g., quantitative studies, literature reviews) or other types of papers for course assignments (e.g., reaction or response papers, discussion posts), dissertations, and theses.

  18. APA Sample Paper

    Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader. Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication).

  19. APA Formatting and Style (7th ed.) for Student Papers

    What's New in the 7th ed.? Principles of Plagiarism: An Overview; APA 7th Formatting Basics Toggle Dropdown. Basic Paper Formatting ; Basic Paper Elements ; Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Apostrophes, Numbers, Plurals ; Tables and Figures ; Powerpoint Presentations ; Reference Page Examples Toggle Dropdown. Reference Page Format

  20. PDF APA 7 Student Sample Paper

    papers (a change from APA 6). Page numbers begin on the first page and follow on every subsequent page without interruption. No other information (e.g., authors' last names) is required. Note: your instructor may ask for a running head or your last name before the page number. You can look at the APA professional sample paper for guidelines on ...

  21. PDF APA 6 Dissertation Template

    limit the abstract to one typed page; (b) maintain the scholarly language used throughout the. dissertation; (c) keep the abstract concise, accurate, and readable; (d) use correct English; (e) ensure each sentence adds value to the reader's understanding of the research; and (f) use the full.

  22. PDF 7th edition Common Reference Examples Guide

    This guide contains examples of common types of APA Style references. Section numbers indicate where to find the examples in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). More information on references and reference examples are in Chapters 9 and 10 of the Publication Manual as well as the Concise Guide to APA ...