Transcript Major Points of Confusion in APA

Current, Recoverable
Investigation
An Introduction to American
Psychological Association (APA)
Documentation Style
UNO Writing Center Workshop
Carol Dillon
Amanda Linder
Updated Sept. 2009 by Carol Dillon
Disciplines
• Social Sciences: Psychology, Sociology,
Anthropology
• Humanities: Education, Art
• Interdisciplinary studies: Technical
Communication, Composition
APA Philosophy
“Research is complete only when the
results are shared with the scientific
community. Although such sharing is
accomplished in various ways, both
formal and informal, the traditional
medium for communicating research is
the scientific journal” (Publication Manual
of the APA, 2009, p. 9).
APA Values Currency
• Assessment of Relevance
• Accumulated Knowledge
• Timeliness vs. Timelessness
APA Values Authorship
• Downplays gender and ethnicity by presenting
authors / researchers using their surname and
first initial: Dillon, C.
• Acknowledges that many research studies are
conducted by groups of researchers, who are all
considered authors/investigators (up to seven
authors in reference list citation)
• Orders authors within a multiple-author
reference entry by extent of contribution (uses
same order as original source)
APA Values
Recoverable Data
• Preferences access and verifiability
• Preferences recoverable electronic
resources:
If recoverable (websites, archived discussions),
cite in document and in reference list.
If non-recoverable (email, non-archived
discussions, chat logs), cite in the text but not
in the reference list.
Applying APA
Major Changes in the 7th ed.
• “Space twice after punctuation marks at the end
of a sentence”--exclamation points, question
marks and periods (APA, 2009, p. 88)
• DOI system (pp. 188-91)
• Title page format (p. 41)
• Abstract contents (pp. 25-27)
Major Points of Confusion in APA
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Title page
Abstract
Heading levels
Parenthetical references
Secondary sources (APA, p. 178)
Personal communications (APA, p. 179)
• Reference list
Title Page
• Insert a header (top of first page)
The page number at the right margin
The title all in caps at the left margin
• The title (again) centered—use two lines for a
longer title
• The author’s name, centered
• The institution (in academic papers, the
instructor and date on separate lines),
centered
(All of these elements should appear in the top half of the page.)
Abstract--Theoretical Paper
• “How the theory or model works and/or the
principles on which it is based and
• What phenomena the theory or model accounts
for and linkages to empirical results” (APA,
2009, p. 27).
Heading Levels
(APA, p. 62)
• Level 1: Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Heading
Level One
• Level 2: Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and
Lowercase Heading
Level Two
Levels for Headings (cont.)
• Level 3: Indented, boldface, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period
Level three.
• Level 4: Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period
Level four.
Levels for Headings (cont.)
• Level 5: Indented, italicized, lowercase
paragraph heading ending with a period.
Level five.
Using the Five Heading Levels
• If your paper needs only 1 level, use #1
Level One
• If your paper needs 2 levels, use # 1 and #2
Level One
Level Two
• Note: The heading formats have changed
(Publication Manual for APA, 2009, pp. 62-63).
More Headings
• If your paper needs 3 levels, use levels #1,
#2 and # 3
Level One
Level Two
Level three.
Headings for a Long Paper
• If your paper needs 4 levels, use levels #1,
#2, #3, and #4
Level One
Level Two
Level three.
Level four.
• Very few papers would need Level #5
Level five.
Parenthetical Citations
• “Cite [reference] the work of those
individuals whose ideas, theories, or
research have directly influenced your
work” (APA, 2009, p. 169).
Secondary Sources
• “Use secondary sources sparingly” (APA, p.
178)
• If your source quotes another source, use
double quotation marks--“blah, blah, blah”--and
give credit to both sources in your parenthetical
citation: (Rogers as cited in Ker, 2004, p.1).
Ker is the source you used in your paper (will appear on your
Reference page) and is quoting another (secondary) source, Rogers.
APA Handbook, p. 178
Personal Communications and . . .
Interviews, emails, letters, etc.
• Cite information in a parenthetical:
(R. J. Ahl, personal communication,
May 2, 2005)
• Do not list the source on the reference list
References
The last page of a paper using APA style
documentation consists of a list of sources
used within the paper (most of those in your
parenthetical citations at the end of a quote,
summary or paraphrased section).
Examples—APA Handbook, pp. 49-51
Specific entry formats--APA Handbook, pp. 193-224
References (cont.)
The Reference List
• arranges entries alphabetically
• uses hanging indentation
• is double-spaced throughout, no extra spaces
between entries
Resources
• Official APA website
http://www.apastyle.org
• CQResearcher
http://library2.cqpress.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/
cqresearcher
• Purdue Online Writing Lab’s Guide to APA
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/0
1/
This PowerPoint presentation was
created by consultants at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Writing Center.
http://www.unomaha.edu/writingcenter/
workshops.php