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Writing Guide

APA Formatting Explained

A complete guide to APA 7th edition — in-text citations, reference lists, paper formatting, and common mistakes to avoid.

What Is APA Style?

APA (American Psychological Association) style is the citation and formatting standard used across the social sciences, education, nursing, and communication research — including our project. It provides a consistent system for crediting sources and formatting documents so that readers can easily locate the information you cite.

We are using APA 7th Edition (published 2019), the most current version. If you have an older APA guide (6th edition), some rules differ — so use only 7th edition resources.

APA is used for two things in our paper:

  • In-text citations — brief references within the body of the paper
  • Reference list — full bibliographic entries at the end of the paper

In-Text Citations

An in-text citation appears in the body of your paper whenever you reference, quote, or paraphrase someone else's idea. It tells the reader: "This idea came from somewhere — here is where to find it."

APA in-text citations use the Author-Date format: (Author, Year)

1

Paraphrase (most common)

When you restate someone's idea in your own words — no page number needed.

Narrative citation

Smith (2020) found that disabled workers frequently encounter attitudinal barriers in addition to physical ones.

Parenthetical citation

Attitudinal barriers are often as significant as physical ones for disabled workers (Smith, 2020).
2

Direct Quote

When you use the author's exact words — always include a page or paragraph number.

Short quote (under 40 words)

According to Brown (2021), "universal design in organizational contexts must extend beyond physical space to include communicative and procedural norms" (p. 45).

Long quote (40+ words)

Block quotes are indented 0.5 inches from the left margin. The citation goes after the closing punctuation: (Brown, 2021, p. 45).
3

Two Authors

List both names every time.

Example

(Howe & Martel, 2019) or Howe and Martel (2019) argue...
4

Three or More Authors

Use "et al." from the first citation.

Example

(Narenthiran et al., 2022) — even on first use in APA 7th edition.
5

No Author (e.g., government website)

Use the organization name or a shortened title.

Example

(ADA National Network, 2021) or (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990)
6

Multiple Sources in One Citation

List alphabetically, separated by semicolons.

Example

(Brown, 2021; Howe & Martel, 2019; Smith, 2020)

The Reference List

The reference list appears on a new page at the end of your paper, titled simply "References" (centered, bold). Every source cited in the paper must appear here — and everything here must be cited in the paper.

Formatting rules for the reference list:

  • Alphabetical order by first author's last name
  • Double-spaced throughout (no extra space between entries)
  • Hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches
  • Include a DOI or URL for online sources when available
  • Italicize the title of the book, journal, or website — not the article title

Reference formats by source type:

Journal Article

Format

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Example

Smith, J. A., & Jones, M. (2020). Disability disclosure in organizational settings. Journal of Disability Studies, 14(2), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123

Book

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter for subtitle. Publisher.

Example

Brown, R. T. (2021). Universal design and the workplace: Organizational approaches to accessibility. Academic Press.

Book Chapter (edited book)

Format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Example

Howe, I., & Martel, S. (2019). Universal design in the workplace. In K. Green (Ed.), Designing for inclusion (pp. 112–134). Sage.

Website / Government Source

Format

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Example

ADA National Network. (2021). Reasonable accommodations in the workplace. https://adata.org/factsheet/reasonable-accommodations

Report / PDF Document

Format

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of report. Publisher/Organization. URL

Example

Narenthiran, A., Torero, J., & Woodrow, C. (2022). Inclusive design of workspaces: A mixed-methods approach to understanding users. University College London. https://media.base44.com/...

Paper Formatting (APA 7th Ed.)

Beyond citations, APA 7th edition specifies how the overall document should be formatted. Here are the key rules for our paper:

Font

12-point Times New Roman, Calibri 11pt, or Arial 11pt

Margins

1 inch on all sides

Spacing

Double-spaced throughout (including references)

Paragraph indent

0.5 inches for first line of each paragraph

Page numbers

Top right header of every page

Title page

Title, authors, institution, course, instructor, date (student paper format)

Abstract

Optional for student papers — check with faculty

Headings

Use APA heading levels (see below)

APA Heading Levels (for organizing our paper):

Level 1Centered, Bold, Title CaseFindings
Level 2Left-aligned, Bold, Title CaseWorkplace Accessibility Barriers
Level 3Left-aligned, Bold Italic, Title CasePhysical vs. Attitudinal Barriers
Level 4Indented, Bold, Title Case, ends with period.TikTok Narratives.
Level 5Indented, Bold Italic, Title Case, ends with period.Short-Form Video Content.

Common APA Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake: Forgetting the "&" vs. "and" rule

Fix: Use "&" inside parentheses — (Smith & Jones, 2020) — and "and" in running text — "Smith and Jones (2020) found..."

Mistake: Adding page numbers to paraphrases

Fix: Page numbers are only required for direct quotes, not paraphrases. However, you may include them to help readers locate passages.

Mistake: Italicizing the article title instead of the journal

Fix: The journal/book title is italicized, not the article title. Article titles appear in plain text with only the first word capitalized.

Mistake: Inconsistent capitalization in titles

Fix: In reference lists, article/chapter titles use sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns). Journal and book titles use title case.

Mistake: Missing DOI or URL

Fix: Always include a DOI (preferred) or stable URL for online sources. Format DOIs as active hyperlinks: https://doi.org/...

Mistake: Listing sources not cited in the paper

Fix: Your reference list should only include works you actually cited. Do not add sources you read but did not cite.

Mistake: Using "et al." for two authors

Fix: In APA 7th, "et al." is used for three or more authors. Always spell out both names for two-author works.

Mistake: Wrong heading hierarchy

Fix: You must use Level 1 before Level 2, Level 2 before Level 3, etc. Do not skip heading levels.

Citing Executive Orders — DEI & DEIA Examples

Executive Orders are official directives from the President of the United States published in the Federal Register. In APA 7th edition, they are cited as government/legal documents. This is especially relevant to our study, as recent executive orders have directly shaped the landscape of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) in the federal workplace.

General APA Format for Executive Orders

President's Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of executive order. Exec. Order No. [number], [volume] C.F.R. [page or section]. URL

If the executive order is retrieved directly from the Federal Register or a government website, include the URL. The C.F.R. (Code of Federal Regulations) information can be included when available but is not always required for student papers.

Biden Administration — DEI / DEIA Executive Orders

Exec. Order 13985 — Advancing Racial Equity (January 20, 2021)

Signed on Biden's first day in office, EO 13985 directed federal agencies to assess and address systemic racial inequities in their programs and policies.

In-Text Citation

(Exec. Order No. 13985, 2021) or Biden (2021) signed Executive Order 13985 directing federal agencies to assess racial equity...

Reference List Entry

Biden, J. (2021, January 20). Advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government. Exec. Order No. 13985, 86 Fed. Reg. 7009. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753

Exec. Order 14035 — Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce (June 25, 2021)

EO 14035 formally introduced "Accessibility" into the federal government's diversity framework (DEIA), requiring agencies to develop strategic DEIA plans and address barriers to inclusion for employees with disabilities.

In-Text Citation

(Exec. Order No. 14035, 2021) or Executive Order 14035 (2021) required federal agencies to develop strategic plans for improving DEIA...

Reference List Entry

Biden, J. (2021, June 25). Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the federal workforce. Exec. Order No. 14035, 86 Fed. Reg. 34593. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/06/30/2021-14127
Why this matters to our study: EO 14035 is the foundational federal policy that defines DEIA inclusive of disability — making it directly relevant to our research on inclusive workplace design.

Exec. Order 13164 — Requiring Federal Agencies to Establish Procedures to Facilitate the Provision of Reasonable Accommodations (July 26, 2000)

Signed by President Clinton, EO 13164 required all federal executive branch agencies to establish written reasonable accommodation procedures for employees with disabilities. It remains active law and is frequently cited in DEIA policy discussions.

In-Text Citation

(Exec. Order No. 13164, 2000)

Reference List Entry

Clinton, W. J. (2000, July 26). Requiring federal agencies to establish procedures to facilitate the provision of reasonable accommodation. Exec. Order No. 13164, 65 Fed. Reg. 46565. https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/executive-order-13164-requiring-federal-agencies-establish-procedures-facilitate

Trump Administration — DEIA Rollback Executive Orders (2025)

Exec. Order 14173 — Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (January 20, 2025)

Signed on Trump's first day of his second term, EO 14173 revoked Biden's EO 13985 and EO 14035, directing all federal agencies to terminate DEI/DEIA offices, programs, positions, and equity action plans. It also directed agencies to pressure private-sector contractors to end DEI programs.

In-Text Citation

(Exec. Order No. 14173, 2025) or Trump's (2025) Executive Order 14173 revoked federal DEIA mandates and directed the elimination of DEI offices across the executive branch...

Reference List Entry

Trump, D. J. (2025, January 20). Ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity. Exec. Order No. 14173, 90 Fed. Reg. 8633. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/23/2025-01998

Exec. Order 14151 — Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (January 20, 2025)

Also signed on January 20, 2025, EO 14151 directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to eliminate diversity-focused hiring, training, and contracting practices across the federal government, framing DEI programs as unlawful "preferencing."

In-Text Citation

(Exec. Order No. 14151, 2025)

Reference List Entry

Trump, D. J. (2025, January 20). Ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing. Exec. Order No. 14151, 90 Fed. Reg. 8339. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/23/2025-01953

How to Use These in Our Paper

"Federal DEIA policy has shifted dramatically between administrations. While Executive Order 14035 (Biden, 2021) established a government-wide framework explicitly inclusive of disability, Executive Order 14173 (Trump, 2025) revoked these mandates and eliminated federal DEI and DEIA offices — creating significant uncertainty for disabled federal workers and contractors who had relied on these protections."

↑ This example synthesizes both executive orders into a single argumentative sentence — the kind of synthesis your literature review should model.

Note on legal citations: APA treats executive orders similarly to statutes. If you are citing an executive order that has been revoked, you may note that in your text (e.g., "Biden's EO 14035 (2021), later revoked by Trump's EO 14173 (2025)..."). This is important for accuracy in policy-related research.

Our Project Sources — APA Formatted

Below are APA 7th edition references for the key sources in our project, ready to copy into your reference list.

ADA National Network. (2021). Reasonable accommodations in the workplace. https://adata.org/

Government/org website

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-336, 104 Stat. 328. https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regulations/title-i/

Federal statute

Association of Internet Researchers. (2019). Internet research: Ethical guidelines 3.0. https://aoir.org/ethics/

Organization report

Howe, I., & Martel, S. (n.d.). Universal design in the workplace. [PDF]. https://media.base44.com/files/public/69caf918995e3f0a7fc71be7/1d8c3f00c_Universal-design-workplace-Imogen-Howe.pdf

PDF document — use "n.d." if no date is given

Narenthiran, A., Torero, J., & Woodrow, C. (2022). Inclusive design of workspaces: A mixed-methods approach to understanding users. [PDF]. https://media.base44.com/files/public/69caf918995e3f0a7fc71be7/047331187_InclusiveDesignofWorkspaces-MixedMethodsApproachtoUnderstandingUsers.pdf

Report/PDF — 3 authors, use et al. in in-text: (Narenthiran et al., 2022)

Tip: Use Zotero (free) or the Purdue OWL citation builder to generate and manage your APA references automatically. Always double-check auto-generated citations against APA 7th edition rules.

APA Resources

Purdue OWL — APA 7th Edition Guide

The most comprehensive free APA guide available

APA Style Official Website

Official APA 7th edition resources and blog

Citation Machine (APA)

Auto-generate APA references — always double-check output

Zotero (Free Citation Manager)

Recommended tool for managing and formatting references

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