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A Nursing Student's Guide to APA Formatting
In nursing school, mastering the BSN Class Help art of academic writing is essential. Whether you are completing a research paper, a case study, or writing about clinical experiences, understanding and applying proper formatting is crucial to ensure your work is clear, credible, and professional. The American Psychological Association (APA) style is widely used in nursing, offering a consistent structure for presenting ideas and research findings.
This guide will walk you through the essentials of APA formatting, helping you navigate the various components of writing in the style and ensuring that you can format your assignments and papers to meet academic standards.
The goal of APA formatting is to make your work easy to read and reference while ensuring that all sources are properly credited to avoid plagiarism. By adhering to these guidelines, you also demonstrate your ability to follow established conventions of scholarly writing.
- Font: Use a clear, readable font such as Times New Roman, 12-point size.
- Spacing: The entire paper should be double-spaced, including the title page, reference list, and any headings or subheadings.
- Margins: Set your margins to 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).
- Page Numbers: Insert page numbers in the top right corner of every page.
- Title Page: The title page is the first page of your paper and includes the paper's title, your name, and your institution. Additionally, a "running head" appears at the top left corner of each page (a shortened version of the title, no more than 50 characters).
- Paper Title: Should be in bold, centered, and written in title case (capitalize the first letter of each major word).
- Your Name: Your full name should appear beneath the title.
- Institution: The name of your school or university.
- Running Head: A shortened version of your paper's title (maximum 50 characters), aligned to the left of the header. The running head appears on every page.
- Page Number: Page numbers are placed in the upper-right corner of each page, starting with page 1 on the title page.
- Purpose: A brief explanation of the paper's research question or focus.
- Methods: A brief description of your research methods, if applicable.
- Results/Findings: A summary of the key findings or conclusions.
- Keywords: Optionally, you can list a few key terms that represent the paper's focus.
The abstract helps readers quickly understand the content of your paper without reading the entire document.
- Level 1 Heading: Centered, boldface, title case.
- Level 2 Heading: Left-aligned, boldface, title case.
- Level 3 Heading: Left-aligned, boldface italic, title case.
- Level 4 Heading: Indented, boldface, title case, ending with a period.
- Level 5 Heading: Indented, boldface italic, title case, ending with a period.
Using headings helps organize nurs fpx 4045 assessment 1 your paper and makes it easier for the reader to navigate.
- Example of paraphrasing: (Smith, 2020).
- Example of a direct quote: (Smith, 2020, p. 15).
If there are two authors, use an ampersand (&) between their names:
- Example: (Smith & Johnson, 2020).
For three or more authors, include the first author's last name followed by "et al.":
- Example: (Smith et al., 2020).
For direct quotes, always include the page number(s) where the quote appears:
- Example: (Smith, 2020, p. 15).
- Books: The format for citing a book includes the author's last name, initials, year of publication, title of the book (in italics), and publisher's name.
- Example: Smith, J. (2020). Nursing practice and theory . Oxford University Press.
- Journal Articles: For journal articles, include the author's last name, initials, year of publication, article title, journal name (italicized), volume number (italicized), issue number (if applicable), page range, and DOI or URL (if available).
- Example: Johnson, R., & Anderson, M. (2020). Nursing interventions in post-operative recovery. Journal of Nursing Studies , 45(3), 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1234/jns.2020.0123456.
- Websites: When citing online sources, include the author (if available), year of publication, title of the webpage, website name, and the URL.
- Example: National Institute of Nursing Research. (2021, March 4). Nursing interventions in patient care . National Institutes of Health. https://www.ninr.nih.gov
- Missing or incorrect page numbers for quotes: Always provide page numbers for direct quotes.
- Incorrect author order: Ensure the order of authors is correct in both in-text citations and reference lists.
- Improper use of commas and periods: Pay attention to punctuation when formatting references. APA has strict rules regarding how punctuation is placed.
- Not alphabetizing the reference list: Ensure your reference list is alphabetized by the last name of the first author.
- Author, AA (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle . Publisher.
- Example: Smith, J. (2020). Clinical nursing: Theory and practice . Oxford University Press.
- Author, AA, Author, BB, & Author, CC (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume (Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxxxx
- Example: Johnson, R., & Anderson, M. (2020). Nursing interventions in post-operative recovery. Journal of Nursing Studies , 45(3), 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1234/jns.2020.0123456
- Author, AA (Year, Month Day). Title of web page. Website Name . URL
- Example: National Institutes of Health. (2021, March 4). Nursing interventions in patient care . https://www.nih.gov/nursing-interventions
By following the guidelines outlined in this guide, you will be well-equipped to tackle your nursing assignments, research projects, and clinical documentation with confidence. As you progress through nursing school, developing a solid understanding of APA formatting will be an invaluable skill that will continue to serve you well in your academic and professional journey.