How To Cite A School Board Policy in APA: Purdue OWL Offers Expert Guidance

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Citing school board policies may seem daunting, but fear not – we’ve got you covered!

In this concise guide, we will explore APA formatting requirements, essential title page guidelines, author note formatting tips, abstract guidelines, and the ever-useful Purdue Owl citation format.

We will also help you navigate the tricky task of citing pages without dates, webpages with different authorship scenarios, and even whether it’s acceptable to cite Wikipedia.

So, grab your APA manual and let’s dive into the world of proper citation formatting – trust us, it’s not as intimidating as it seems!

How To Cite A School Board Policy In Apa Purdue Owl?

To cite a school board policy in APA format according to Purdue Owl, follow these guidelines.

Begin the citation with the name of the author, which is typically the school board.

If the author is not available, use the name of the organization as the author.

Include the year of publication, or “n.d.” if no date is provided.

Next, include the title of the policy in sentence case, followed by the phrase “School Board Policy” in brackets.

Finally, provide the URL or the specific location of the policy within the school’s website.

Remember to use proper capitalization, italics for titles, and to follow APA 7th edition guidelines for formatting.

Key Points:

  • APA format guidelines for citing a school board policy on Purdue Owl
  • Start citation with author’s name (usually the school board)
  • If author is not available, use organization’s name as author
  • Include year of publication or “n.d.” if date is unknown
  • Title of policy in sentence case, followed by “School Board Policy”
  • Provide URL or location of policy on school’s website

Sources
1,2,3,4

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💡 Did You Know?

1. Did you know that the APA (American Psychological Association) style guide, often referenced by Purdue OWL, has a specific format for citing school board policies?
2. The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is a comprehensive online resource created by Purdue University to assist students and writers with various aspects of writing, including citation styles like APA.
3. When citing a school board policy in APA format, include the official name of the policy, the date it was adopted or revised, and the name of the school board or educational institution.
4. If the school board policy does not have an official title, you can use a brief description in square brackets, such as “[School Board Policy 1253: Dress Code].”
5. According to APA guidelines, if you are citing a school board policy from an online source, include the URL or direct link to the policy in your citation to provide readers with easy access to the full document.


Apa Formatting Requirements For Essays

APA (American Psychological Association) style is a widely-used formatting style for academic writing. To adhere to APA formatting requirements for essays, it is important to follow specific guidelines for various sections of the essay, such as the Title Page, Abstract, Main Body, and References sections.

The Title Page serves as the first page of the essay and should include:

  • The title of the paper
  • The author’s name
  • Institutional affiliation
  • Course information
  • Due date

The title should be centered in the middle of the page using title case capitalization. The author’s name and institutional affiliation should also be centered below the title. Course information, including the course name and number, should be aligned to the left, and the due date should be aligned to the right.

The Abstract is a brief summary of the main points of the essay and is typically around 150-250 words in length. It should be placed on a separate page after the Title Page, with the word “Abstract” centered at the top. The content of the Abstract should include:

  • A brief description of the research topic
  • The participants or subjects involved
  • The methodology used
  • Key findings
  • Implications of the research

The Abstract should provide enough information for the reader to understand the main points of the essay without having to read the entire paper.

The Main Body of the essay should follow a clear and logical structure, with headings and subheadings used to organize the content. Headings should be formatted in a hierarchical manner, with main headings (Level 1) centered and in bold, and subsequent subheadings (Level 2, Level 3, etc.) aligned to the left and in italics. In-text citations should be used to attribute any ideas or information that are not original to the writer, and a corresponding reference list should be included at the end of the essay.

The References section is the final part of the essay and should include a list of all sources cited in the paper. The references should be listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name and followed by the year of publication in parentheses. Each entry should include:

  • The author’s last name
  • Initials of their first and middle names (if available)
  • The publication date
  • The title of the source
  • Publication information (e.g., name of the journal or book, page numbers)

Guidelines For Citing School Board Policies In Apa Format

When citing a school board policy in APA format, remember to include the last name of the author and their institutional affiliation. If the policy does not have an identified author, use the name of the school board as the author. The institutional affiliation is usually the name of the school or organization that created the policy.

The citation format for a school board policy follows the general APA format for citing a book, but with some modifications. The basic format is as follows:
Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of policy (Publication No.). Location: Publisher.

For example, if the author of the school board policy is Smith and it was published in 2019 by the ABC School District, the citation would be:
Smith, J. (2019). Title of policy (Publication No. 123). ABC School District.

Please note that not all school board policies have publication numbers. If a publication number is not available, it can be omitted from the citation.

To summarize:

  • Include author’s last name and institutional affiliation
  • Use the school board’s name if no author is identified
  • Follow the general APA format for citing a book
  • Include publication number if available
  • Omit publication number if not available.

Formatting Guidelines For Title Pages And Abstract Pages

The title page is an important element of APA formatting and should include specific information to provide a clear and concise overview of the essay. The title should be centered on the page in title case, using both uppercase and lowercase letters. The author’s name should be centered below the title, followed by the institutional affiliation. The course information, including the course name and number, should be aligned to the left, and the due date should be aligned to the right.

The abstract page should be formatted with the word “Abstract” centered at the top of the page. The abstract itself should be a concise summary of the main points of the essay, typically around 150-250 words in length. It should briefly describe the research topic, participants or subjects, methodology, key findings, and implications of the research. The abstract should be written in complete sentences and should not include abbreviations or references to figures or tables within the essay.

Both the title page and the abstract page should have a page header, which includes a shortened version of the title in all capital letters aligned to the left, and the page number aligned to the right. The page header should be present on every page of the essay, including the title and abstract pages.

Guidelines For Writing An Abstract And Including Keywords

The abstract is a concise summary of the main points of the essay and is typically around 150-250 words in length. It provides a brief overview of the research topic, methodology, key findings, and implications of the research.

  • The abstract should be written in a clear and concise manner, using complete sentences and avoiding unnecessary jargon or technical terms.

When writing the abstract, it is important to include keywords that accurately reflect the content of the essay. These keywords should be relevant to the research topic and can help readers find the essay when searching in academic databases.

  • Keywords should be included in the abstract itself and can also be included in a separate line, labeled “Keywords:” followed by a list of relevant terms.

Including keywords in the abstract can improve the visibility of the essay in academic databases and increase the likelihood of it being accessed by other researchers. It is important to choose keywords that accurately reflect the content of the essay and are commonly used in academic literature on the topic.

Citing The Purdue Owl As A Source In Apa Format

When citing the Purdue Owl as a source in APA format, it is important to follow the general guidelines for citing websites or online content. The citation should include the author (if available), the date of publication or revision (if available), the title of the page or article, and the URL.

If the Purdue Owl page does not have an identified author, the citation should start with the title of the page or article. If the page or article does have an author, the citation should start with the author’s last name and initials. The date of publication or revision should be included in parentheses after the author’s name.

The URL should be included in the citation, starting with “Retrieved from” followed by the full URL. If the page has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), it should be included in the citation instead of the URL.

For example, a citation for a Purdue Owl page on APA formatting guidelines would look like this:

Purdue University Online Writing Lab. (2022). APA formatting and style guide. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/.

It is important to note that the specific format of the citation may vary depending on the requirements of the assignment or publication. It is always best to consult the APA Publication Manual or ask the instructor or editor for guidance on how to cite sources correctly.

Guidelines For Citing Various Types Of Sources

In APA format, different types of sources require different citation formats. The following are guidelines for citing various types of sources commonly used in academic writing:

  • Articles from newspapers: Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper, Page Numbers.

  • Websites: Last Name, First Initial (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage or article. Site Name. Retrieved from URL.

  • Electronic books: Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of book. Retrieved from URL or Database Name.

  • Dissertations/theses: Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of dissertation/thesis (Doctoral dissertation/Master’s thesis). Retrieved from Database Name. (Accession or Order No.)

  • Dictionaries/thesauruses/encyclopedias: Title of Entry. (Year). In Title of Dictionary/Thesaurus/Encyclopedia. Retrieved from URL.

  • Data sets: Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of data set (Version number) [Data file]. Retrieved from URL or Database Name.

  • Graphic data: Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of graph/chart/figure [Type of graphic]. Retrieved from URL.

It is important to consult the APA Publication Manual or other reputable sources for specific guidelines on citing various types of sources. The correct citation format may vary depending on factors such as the presence of an author, publication date, and publication medium.

Emphasizing Relevant Information In Online Source Citations

When citing online sources in APA format, it is important to include relevant information such as the publication date, URL, and retrieval date. This information helps readers locate the source and provides context for the citation.

The general format for citing online sources includes the following elements:

  • Author,
  • Publication date,
  • Title of webpage or article,
  • Site name,
  • URL, and
  • retrieval date.

The author’s name is listed as Last Name, First Initial. If no author is available, the citation should begin with the title of the webpage or article.

The publication date should be in parentheses after the author’s name, using the format Year, Month Day. If no publication date is available, the citation should indicate this by using “n.d.” (no date) in parentheses.

The title of the webpage or article should be in sentence case, with only the first word and proper nouns capitalized. The site name should be in title case, and the URL should be listed in its full form.

The retrieval date is important for online sources that may change or be updated over time. It should be included in the format Month Day, Year, in parentheses after the URL.

Example citation for an online article from a website:

Smith, J. (2022, January 15). Title of article. Site Name. Retrieved from https://www.example.com/article (Accessed January 20, 2022).

Including all relevant information in online source citations ensures that readers have the necessary information to locate and verify the sources used in the essay.

FAQ

How do you cite an organization policy in APA?

When citing an organization policy in APA format, include the essential elements such as the name of the organization or individual author, publication year, policy title, publisher, and DOI/URL if available. Begin the citation with the author’s last name followed by a comma and initials of their first and middle names, if applicable. Then, include the publication year in parentheses. Next, state the title of the policy in sentence case with only the first word capitalized, followed by a period. After that, provide the publisher’s name and end with the DOI/URL if the policy is available online.

For example, a citation for an organization policy would look like this in APA format: Smith, J. D. (2022). Policy title. Publisher name. DOI/URL. Make sure to format the citation according to the specific guidelines provided by your instructor or institution.

How do you cite a policy paper in APA 7?

To cite a policy paper in APA 7, begin with the author’s last name followed by their initials. If the author is a government or corporate entity, use their name as the author. Include the year of publication in parentheses, followed by the title of the report. If the report has a specific number, enclose it in brackets. The publisher information should be omitted if the author and publisher are the same. If available, include the DOI or URL of the report, hyperlinked for easy access.

For example:
Smith, J. D. (2020). Title of Report [Report number]. Publisher. DOI: xxxxxxxx
or
Government Agency. (2019). Title of Report [Report number]. Retrieved from URL

How do you cite a policy report in APA?

When citing a policy report in APA format, the reference entry should include the author’s name, the year of publication, the title of the report, the report number (if applicable), and the publisher. In the in-text citation, the author’s name or the name of the organization responsible for the report should be included, along with the year of publication.

How do you cite a school handbook in APA?

In APA style, citing a school handbook would follow the general format for citing a book. The citation should include the author’s surname or organization name, the year of publication, the book title, and the publisher’s name. For example, if the author of the school handbook is Smith, J., and the handbook was published in 2021, the citation would look like this: Smith, J. (2021). School Handbook. Publisher Name.