RTM 510: Trends & Issues in Tourism, Hospitality, and Recreation

View the APA Style website for additional style and grammar guidelines.

Basic APA Formatting Guidelines 

• Reference list entries are alphabetized by author’s last name or equivalent.
• Reference lists are doubled spaced with a hanging indent after the first line of each entry
• References (in bold) should appear at the top center of the page.
• When referring to books, chapters, articles, or webpage titles, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns
• Cite up to the first 20 authors. Separate the authors name with a comma, and place the & symbol prior to the last name. 
  • Example: Last, F. M., Last, F. M., & Last, F. M.
• In-text citations are placed directly after the quote or paraphrase. Information needed: (Author's Last Name, Year, page number). 
  • Parenthetical citation: “Direct quote” (Furlong, 2015, p.25).
  • Narrative citation, if the author is mentioned in the sentence, place the year after the last name and the page number after the quote. Example: Furlong (2015) found that “direct quote” (p. 25)
• More guidelines can be found in the PDF Style Guide, citing in APA 7th edition. 

Attributing the creator is necessary anytime you use an image.  Whether you had to obtain permission or it was freely available to use, it is necessary to give credit to the creator or copyright holder.  Make sure to read the usage rights statements on websites to understand if there is specific wording that needs to be used. 

There are potentially three places you will need to cite.

• In-Text Citation
• Image Caption
• References

• All visual illustrations/images should be labeled Figure, and then numbered consecutively in italics.  (ex. Figure 1).
• When referring the figure (in-text), make sure to capitalize Figure.  Do not refer to the image as “the figure below” or “the figure above.”
• Image should be centered in the paper.
• Image captions include title of image and a brief explanation.  Also provide source and copyright information.
•  Do not put a period after the URL

You will need to provide as much information as possible.

• Name of creator/creator/username of the image.
• Role of the creator in parenthesis such as artist, sculptor, etc.
• Year of creation in parenthesis. If there is no date available put (n.d.)
• Title of image (in italics). If there is no title, create a description of the work.
• Type of work (ex. illustration, map, cartoon, photograph, etc)
• Retrieved from URL or database name

Last-name, first-name initial. (Role of the creator). (Year of creation). Title of image or description of work. [Type of work]. Retrieved from URL/database

Example:

The aurora borealis (see Figure 1) is a natural multicolor light display produced by solar wind particles seem in high latitude regions

Image Caption

Figure 1. Aurora Over Calgary and Spokane. This figure illustrates the aurora borealis aboard the International Space Station.  Image credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center via Flickr.

References

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. (2012) Aurora Over Calgary and Spokane. [Digital Image].  Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/14743833915/

• Citation engages you in a scholarly conversation. By citing work, you're able to support it, show where's it's wrong, or expand it.  Properly formatted citations allow your readers to follow up on the work you've used so they can participate, too.
• Citation bolsters your authority. Citation makes your arguments more credible and persuasive.
• Citation gives credit to the original authors for their work. Scholars aren't paid for their contributions to peer-reviewed journals.  The credit that accrues to them when they're cited is the only way they can be rewarded for their efforts.

1. Cite as you go. Keep a rough draft of your References list, using the pre-formatted citations from OneSearch or the databases, as you find sources.  As you read and take notes, make sure to include a parenthetical reference to the source.
2. Stay focused on your own, original thesis.  Your research paper should make an original argument that you personally develop, although it is grounded in the literature and supported by evidence.  While the early stages of your research process might involve mostly notes on sources, by your final draft the focus should be on your own argument in your own words.
3. To that end, use direct quotations sparingly.  No more than 10% of your final draft should be direct quotations.
4. If a direct quotation is over 40 words long, start it on a new line, indented an extra half inch, with no quotation marks. See an example of this type of block quotation here.
5. When in doubt, cite.