Common APA Errors
1. Citation Period
Students often put the period at the end of the sentence instead of the end of the citation. It may look strange at first, but it is the right way to do it.
incorrect:
...but these claims are have not been substantiated by experts any of these fields. (Heightman, 2003)
correct:
..but these claims are have not been substantiated by experts any of these fields (Heightman, 2003).
2. Indication of No Date
When you cannot find a year for your source, you must write the term "n.d." in its place ("no date").
3. Hanging Indent on References Page
Your references page must have what's a called a hanging indent, where the first line is flush with the margin and the succeed lines are indented half an inch.
4. Capitalization on the References Page
The rules for capitalization in APA are different than in standard English. In article titles, only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word of subtitles are capitalized. Like this:
Love and romance at Hogwarts: A history of Ron and Hermoine's relationship
Longer works, like journals, newspapers, and books, have regular capitalization and are italicized.
Love and romance at Hogwarts: A history of Ron and Hermoine's relationship
Longer works, like journals, newspapers, and books, have regular capitalization and are italicized.
