
HOME	who am I	resources	course notes	FAQ	contact

Seminar: Format Checklist for Your Seminar Paper

The seminar paper requires an extensive literature review. If you pay attention to these stylistic and formatting requirements early in the term, you'll be able to devote more of your precious time later to thinking about the content of your paper. This list is also useful as a checklist before you submit work to the instructor. Some material (in red below) is a variation of the APA format for this course.

See the sample paper in the APA manual, pp. 306-320.

Here's another source: a "crib sheet" on APA formatting prepared by Russ Dewey at Georgia Southern University: http://www.psywww.com/resource/APA%20Research%20Style%20Crib%20Sheet.htm

Overall Formatting

Be sure to follow the APA Publication Manual format. It includes many details that are not included in this relatively brief checklist.

		APA Manual page
	type font: use 12-point	p. 285
	italics (preferred, instead of underlining)	p. 286
	margins: 1 inch all around	pp. 286-287
	order of pages	p. 287
	page numbers and page headers	p. 288
	indenting paragraphs	p. 289

Front Pages

Include a title page and an abstract as the first two pages of your paper.

		APA Manual page
	title page number as page 1 of your paper *add this, on a line (or lines if you prefer) below the affiliation: "Psy403, Spring 2004, Prof. Cloninger"*	pp. 10-12; sample on p. 306
	title of paper	pp. 10-11
	author (your name) and affiliation (The Sage Colleges)	pp. 11-12
	running head	p. 12
	abstract page number as page 2 of your paper center the title "Abstract"	pp. 12-15; (see especially "an abstract for a review ..." on p. 14) p. 298 sample on p. 306

Main Text

The main text of your paper should have a logical organization and should present your understanding of the scholarly literature that you have reviewed for this paper. Be sure to emphasize your own statements (backed up by research, of course!), and do not simply parrot back what you have been reading in the literature.

		APA Manual page
	first page of your actual paper number as page 3 of your paper center your paper title at the top of the page begin the introduction immediately after the paper title; do not include a section title "Introduction"	pp. 15-16 sample on p. 307
	no "Method" section; for a literature review, do not include the "Method," "Results," and "Discussion" sections of the APA manual (which are appropriate, instead, for an empirical study)	pp. 17-27
	use language carefully	pp. 31-76
	use appropriate punctuation	pp. 78-85
	capitalize appropriately (for example, capitalize titles of tests)	pp. 95-100
	use abbreviations only in certain cases	pp. 103-111
	use headings Ordinarily, your paper will have 2 levels of headers, which are Levels 1 & 3 (APA Manual, pp. 113-114). Level 1 is centered, uppercase and lowercase. The subheadings are flush left, italicized, uppercase and lowercase.	pp. 111-115 pp. 289-290
	Quotations must be used appropriately and formatted correctly. For quotations of 40 words or more, use block indent format.	pp. 117-122
	Know when to spell out numbers and when not to. Notice that you should not insert apostrophes to make numbers plural (e.g., when referring to the 1950s).	pp. 122-130 p. 130
	Consider using an appendix for some detailed material. (One example: for detailed diagnostic criteria.)	pp. 205-206 p. 299
	Citing references in the text: include the author and year always include 1 or 2 authors for 3-5 authors, cite all the first time; after, use et al. format for 6 or more authors, use et al. format	pp. 207-214

References

References should be chosen from the scholarly, peer-reviewed psychological literature (as discussed in class). A very few popular sources may be included to make a point (e.g., to show that the public is also concerned with this topic), but they should never substitute for core scholarly empirical and theoretical sources.

		APA Manual page
	title of References section: centered, capital R, no extra spacing after the title	p. 299 sample: p. 313
	hanging indent format (that is, the 2nd and subsequent lines are indented)	p. 299
	double space both within and between references; no extra space between references	p. 299
	All references cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and vice versa.	pp. 215-216
	abbreviations (ed., 2nd ed., and so on); abbreviations for states	pp. 216-217 p. 218
	cities required for publisher	p. 217
	alphabetize	pp. 219-222
	periodicals (journal articles)	pp. 239-247
	Omit the issue number (except in the rare case of noncontinuous pagination of the issues of a journal). Italicize the volume, and the comma that goes after it.	p. 239 p. 240 #2
	author formatting space between initials	pp. 224-225
	date; when to use months; n. d. for "no date"	pp. 225-227
	journal versus magazine format	p. 227
	brochures and other unusual references	p. 228
	chapters within a book	pp. 229-230
	electronic sources Be sure to show retrieval date. For seminar, be sure to keep a copy of the electronic source, since it may no longer be on the web when your instructor grades your paper!	p. 231 pp. 268-281
	For a list of the various types of references and where to find rules and examples, see the APA manual.	pp. 232-239
	If you've only read the abstract and not the full article, use the appropriate citation. (But always try to read the full article.)	p. 245
	The Annual Review of Psychology and other annual reviews are considered "Periodical published annually" (item 19).	p. 246
	Secondary sources (But try to locate and read the original source instead.)	p. 247
	DSM: see special formatting examples, both for the reference list and for citations in your paper	p. 250
	ERIC documents: see example #43	p. 257