Properly formatting your Capstone project in APA style involves organizing the content with headings, using correct in-text citations, and providing a complete reference list.

2.1 Headings

APA style uses a system of five levels of headings to organize your project. Here’s how to format them:

  • Level 1: Centered, boldface, and title case (e.g., Introduction).
  • Level 2: Left-aligned, boldface, and title case (e.g., Research Methods).
  • Level 3: Indented, boldface, sentence case, ending with a period (e.g., Data Collection Procedures. ).
  • Level 4: Indented, boldface, italics, sentence case, ending with a period (e.g., Participant Selection Criteria. ).
  • Level 5: Indented, italics, sentence case, ending with a period (e.g., Ethical Considerations. ).

2.2 In-Text Citations

In APA style, you must cite sources within the text every time you reference someone else's work. The basic formats are:

  • Author-Date Format: Cite the author’s last name and the publication year, for example: (Smith, 2020).
  • Direct Quotes: When quoting directly, include the page number, for example: (Smith, 2020, p. 25).
  • Multiple Authors: For two authors, use an ampersand (&) in parentheses: (Smith & Johnson, 2020). For three or more authors, use the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” (Smith et al., 2020).

2.3 References

At the end of your Capstone project, provide a reference list of all sources cited in your project. Here are some key formatting rules:

  • Books: Lastname, Firstinitial. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.
    • Example: Smith, J. (2020). Business Strategies in the Digital Age. McGraw-Hill.
  • Journal Articles: Lastname, Firstinitial. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume(Issue), page range.
    • Example: Johnson, L. (2019). Leadership styles in corporate settings. Journal of Business Leadership, 45(3), 30-40.
  • Websites: Author. (Year, Month Date). Title of the webpage. Website name. URL.
    • Example: Davis, K. (2021, April 15). How to implement data-driven decisions. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/article