Organization of the APA Manual           

Open the APA Manual to the Table of Contents. The most useful chapters for students are:
            Chapter 3: APA Editorial Style 
            Chapter 4: Reference List
            Chapter 6: Material Other Than Journal Articles 

Take a look, for example, at Chapter 3, “APA Editorial Style,” which is the longest chapter in the book. Within each chapter sections are numbered using a decimal numbering system. The numbered sections are grouped thematically. These thematic headings and section numbers are used throughout the book. Among the thematic topics covered in Chapter 3 are: Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations, Quotations, Numbers, Tables, and Reference Citations in Text. Finally, in the Index at the back of the book, each topic listed is indexed to the section number (in bold) as well as to the page number.

“STICKY TABS” Make the Manual User-Friendly

An excellent way to quickly find specific information is by using small sticky notes as tabs on pages where there is information you may refer to frequently. As you work through this section of the VIRC, make sticky tabs to help you find the information again at a later time. 

One issue that students frequently have questions about is capitalization, specifically capitalizing words in titles. Follow these steps:

1.   Using the Table of Contents, turn to the page where the section on “Capitalization in Titles” begins (page 95).
2.   Write CAPITALIZATION on the side of a sticky note and affix it to this page of the APA Manual.

As you peruse this section on pages 95 and 96, note that it contains the following information: 

• Rules
• Examples after each rule, printed in a different type font
• Exceptions to the rules follow the examples

Now do the same thing for the section of the book on NUMBERS. Notice that there is a “general rule” at the beginning, followed by subsections on “Numbers Expressed in Figures” and “Numbers Expressed in Words”. Like the section on “Capitalization in Titles,” these sections also contain rules, examples, and exceptions.

Read through the Table of Contents for Chapter 3 and identify some other sections you expect to use frequently, such as: 

            ABBREVIATIONS
            HEADINGS
            QUOTATIONS 

After reading through the information in these sections, create some more sticky tabs as needed.

Get organized!

Citations

The last topic covered in Chapter 3 of the APA Manual is “Reference Citations in Text.” Here is very detailed information about how to format the citations that appear in parentheses in your paper. Most of the information relates to variations in format relating to naming authors, with rules and examples.  

Take particular note of how to cite specific parts of a work, such as pages, chapters, or paragraphs on pages 213 to 214. It is a good idea to create a sticky tab for these pages.

References

Chapter 4 of the APA Manual is entitled “Reference List.” The chapter begins with a few sections of general explanation, but the most useful part of the chapter is where the examples are given, section 4.16. By studying the examples, you can see exactly how to format different types of entries in your list of references. Here is an orientation for using this section of Chapter 4.

Organized with a handy directory

Beginning on page 232, there is a listing of different types of publications that serves as a convenient directory for the examples that follow. Skim through this directory and notice first that it is organized in sections with bold headings. Then notice that, for each specific type of publication under each heading, one or more numbers are given. These numbers match the number of the examples shown on subsequent pages. Create a sticky tab to mark this directory.

For example, if you are trying to prepare a reference listing for a newsletter article, you will see the number 7, which indicates the numbered example showing how to format a reference listing for a newsletter article. The numbered examples begin on page 240, and number 7 appears on page 242.