Proper Nouns
Capitalize proper nouns in APA Style.
- Proper nouns include the specific names of people, places, and things.
- Names of racial and ethnic groups are treated as proper nouns, which means they are capitalized (e.g., African American, Asian American, Black, European American, First Nations, Hispanic, Native American, Latinx, White).
- Capitalize trade names (e.g., brand names of medications). However, do not capitalize general names or generic brands. Likewise, capitalize a job title or position when the title precedes a name, but not when the title is used alone or after a name.
The following examples illustrate these capitalization principles in action. For more information and examples, see the Publication Manual.
Proper nouns and the capitalization of job titles and positions are covered in Sections 6.14 and 6.15 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition
This guidance is the same as in the 6th edition.
|
Capitalize |
Do not capitalize |
|---|---|
|
University of Florida |
a university |
|
Science of Nursing Practice |
a nursing course |
|
Department of Psychology, Department of English |
a psychology department, an English department |
|
Prozac, Humalog |
fluoxetine, insulin lispro |
|
President Washington |
president, vice president, chief executive officer, executive director, manager |
|
Dr. Iyengar |
psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, social worker |
|
Dr. Kellogg |
physician, doctor |
|
Nurse Freeman |
nurse, registered nurse, advanced practice nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant |