American Psychological Association (APA) Writing and Documentation Style Orientation

apastyle.org website Info about the APA (2006) manual is found at http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html

See links to

 About APA Style  Style Tips  What's New

• • •

12 point black font (Times Roman, Courier) 1” margin on all sides Major Sections Title Page Abstract ( optional, consult faculty and/or assignment requirements) Body of Paper or Text References Appendices Tables Figures NOTE: Sections such as appendices, tables, and figures may not be appropriate for all papers

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases

(See chapter 2 in APA Manual)

Maintain continuity between words, themes, and sections.

 Use punctuation marks to show relationships.

 Use transitional words, phrases, and paragraphs.

Say only what needs to be said.

 Avoid jargon, redundancy, and wordiness.

 Use direct, declarative sentences of various lengths that are logically composed.

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

Precision and Clarity  Avoid colloquial expressions such as “

write up”

for

report.

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

Grammar  Use active rather than passive verbs whenever possible.

  Use past tense to express action that occurred at a specific time in the past.

Use the present tense to express past action that did not occur at a specific time or action that began in the past and continues to the present.

 Subject and verb must agree in number (singular vs. plural).

 Noun and pronoun must agree in number.

See Section 2.06-2.08 for more details.

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

Level of Specificity  Gender is a cultural term used to refer to men and women as social groups.

 Sex is used when a biological distinction is preferred.

Use of Labels  Use adjectives to describe people (elderly people) or put the person first (people who are elderly) rather than saying “the elderly.”

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

Gender   Do not use masculine nouns (man) and pronouns (he) to refer to both sexes.

Do not assume a discipline is one gender (use she for all nurses).

Sexual Orientation  “Lesbians and gay men” are preferable to “homosexuals.” Racial and Ethnic Identity  Use capitalized proper nouns (White, Black).

 Negro, Afro-American, Caucasian are dated and discouraged.

Refer to tables 2.1 (chapter 2) for more examples

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

Disabilities   Do not equate people with a condition (“schizophrenics” or “the disabled”).

The words “challenged” and “special” should be used only with permission.

Age     Be specific in providing age ranges.

Avoid open ended descriptors such as “over 65.” Use “boy” and “girl” when referring to high school age and younger.

Use “men” and “women” for those aged 18 and older.

Expressing Ideas and Reducing Biases cont.

The first time a term to be abbreviated is used, write it out completely and follow it by its abbreviation in parentheses. The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) standards ……(2001).

When referring to the same term later in the paper, the abbreviation can be used. The ANA (2001)……..

Contains 5 Elements:

Page Header and Page Number Running Head for Publication Title of the Manuscript Byline or the Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation

An abbreviated title Never exceeds 50 characters including punctuation and spaces Typed flush left at the top of the page below the page header Typed in all upper case letters

Contains 10-12 words – (capitalize all verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns, both words of a hyphenated word, and first word after a colon or dash) Stands alone and is easily compressible to form the words making up the running head Centered between the left and right margins Positioned in the upper half of the paper Double spaced if it has more than one line

The Title Page

Your faculty person may ask you to include a date of paper submission on the title page.

THIS IS NOT AN APA GUIDELINE.

• • • • •

Abstract summarizes the entire paper to no more than one paragraph in length.

Abstract is dense with information but also brief, self contained, and non-evaluative.

It is typed, double spaced, as a block of no more than 120 words (without indentation).

It follows the title page.

It begins with ‘Abstract’ typed at top center of the page

Introduction: Contents & Characteristics

Type title of manuscript at top center.

Capitalize first letter of all verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and first letter of the first word after a colon or dash as well as both words of a hyphenated word Exception: In titles of books and articles in reference lists, capitalize the first word, all proper nouns, the first word after a colon or hyphen, and only the first word of a hyphenated compound.

Introduction: Contents & Characteristics cont.

Opens the body of the paper as a summarization of relevant arguments, data, and information Is 1-2 paragraphs in length Presents the specific problem under study Describes the research statement Is never labeled because it is clearly identified by its position in the paper

Organizes elements of the statement, concept or idea Clarifies the sequence or relationship between elements Indicated when elements are lengthy or complex Used to facilitate reader comprehension

Within a sentence or paragraph

Identify each element with a small letter enclosed in parentheses.

Separate paragraphs in a series

Identify each element with a number.

EXAMPLE WITH COMMAS:

The nursing process contains five steps including (a) assessment, (b) diagnosis, (c) planning, (d) implementation, and (e) evaluation.

EXAMPLE WITH COLONS:

Bonnie Wesorick’s (1986) research identified three dimensions of professional practice: (a) independent, which is least reported by hospital nurses; (b) interdependent, which is reported more frequently than independent and involves many different disciplines; and (c) dependent, which is reported most frequently by hospital nurses.

Number paragraphs to itemize conclusions or steps in a procedure.

Each paragraph of the series is numbered.

The number is followed by a period.

The number IS NOT enclosed in parentheses.

EXAMPLE OF A PARAGRAPH IN A SERIES

The literature on Oppressed Behavior indicates nurses exhibit a variety of behaviors in the workplace: 1. Silence and a lack of voice (paragraph cont.) 2. Inability to organize and form coalitions (paragraph cont.) 3. Horizontal violence among and between colleagues (paragraph cont.)

ONE HEADING: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 1) TWO HEADINGS: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 1)

Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading (Level 3)

THREE HEADINGS: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 1)

Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase, and Side Heading (Level 3) Lowercase Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. (Level 4)

FOUR HEADINGS: Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

(Level 1)

Centered, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading (Level 2) Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading (Level 3) Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. (Level 4)

FIVE HEADINGS: CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING

(Level 5)

Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

(Level 1)

Centered, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

(Level 2)

Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side Heading

(Level 3)

Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.

(Level 4)

Constructing Tables

Type the word ‘Table’ and its arabic numeral flush left at the top of the table.

Double space and begin the table title flush left, capitalizing the initial letters of the principal words; italicize the title.

Double space the title if more than one line.

Center column heads and subheads over the appropriate columns within the table; capitalize only the initial letter of the first word of the heading.

Constructing Tables cont.

Allow at least three spaces between columns.

Double space all lines.

Separate the table title from the headings and the headings from the body with a line.

Table 1

The Nurses’ Activity Scale

Measure and variable Score Mean SD Variable 1 8 3 1.0

Variable 2 5 8 .5

Variable 3 7 5 2.5

Variable 4 6 6 0 Variable 5 9 4 1.5

Begin each appendix on a new page.

Type the word ‘Appendix’ and the identifying capital letter (A, B, C, etc) at the top of the page centered; The letters are used in the order the appendix is mentioned in the text).

If there is only one appendix, type ‘Appendix’ at the top of the page, centered.

Double space all lines.

Paraphrasing versus Quoting

It is preferable to paraphrase, rather than quote, the ideas of others unless the wording is so wonderful that a quote is warranted.

How could you paraphrase the above sentence?

Paraphrasing

Original wording It is preferable to paraphrase, rather than quote, the ideas of others unless the wording is so wonderful that a quote is warranted.

Paraphrased wording It is generally better to use your own words to describe someone else’s ideas instead of restating someone else’s words verbatim.

Key Points to Remember

Quotations (words and phrases not developed by the author) and paraphrasing (ideas not developed by the author but in the author’s own words) must be properly cited. There may be more than one citation in a paragraph.

Key Points to Remember cont.

 Citations should follow every sentence where the words and ideas are not original unless it is clear from the context that multiple sentences came from the same source.

Two Types of Quotations

Short Quotations

are less than 40 words. Incorporate into the text and enclose with double quotation marks (“ ”).

Long Quotations

are more than 40 words Display in a double spaced block, indented five spaces from the left, with no quotation marks.

Rules for all Quotations

Anything that is directly quoted from someone else’s work must be encased in quotation marks and properly cited or with ellipsis points.

Use 3 ellipsis points (…) to indicate that material has been omitted

within

a sentence.

Use 4 ellipsis points (….) to indicate material has been omitted

between

sentences (the first point indicates the period at the end of the first sentence quoted).

Rules for all Quotations cont.

Provide the author, year of publication, and specific page number of quote.

Include a complete reference for all quotations in the reference list.

Secondary Sources

Cite the secondary source in the reference list.

In text, name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source.

Text Citation:

Block’s study (as cited in Kubsch & Gallagher-Lepak, 2004) …..

Reference List Entry:

Kubsch, M., & Gallagher-Lepak, S. (2004). Nursing models for the postmodern era.

Advances in Green Bay Nursing Chronicle, 22,

446-450.

ONE WORK BY ONE AUTHOR

Author surname and year of publication • Kubsch (2003) compared nurse staffing patterns………… • In a recent study of nurse staffing patterns, it was found that …..(Kubsch, 2003).

ONE WORK BY TWO AUTHORS

  Always cite both names every time the reference appears Connect the last names of a multiple author work with an ampersand (Smith & Smith, 2004).

ONE WORK BY THREE, FOUR, or FIVE AUTHORS

• • Cite all authors the first time the reference occurs.

All further references, include only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year in parentheses.

(first citation) Block, Kubsch, and Gallagher Lepak, (2003) found…..

(second citation) These authors found that …. (Block et al., 2003). OR Block and colleagues (2003) found that…….

ONE WORK BY SIX OR MORE AUTHORS

• Cite only the surname of the first author followed by et al. and the year for the first and all subsequent citations • In the reference list, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and shorten any remaining authors to et al.

WORKS WITH NO KNOWN AUTHOR(S)

• Cite the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year.

• Use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter.

• Italicize the title of a periodical, book, brochure, or report.

• When the work is designated as “Anonymous”, cite the word followed by a comma and the date.

TWO OR MORE WORKS WITHIN THE SAME PARENTHESES

• Cite the works in the same order they appear in the reference list.

• Separate the citations with semicolons.

PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS

• • • Includes letters, memos, e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, personal interviews, telephone conversations, etc.

Are

cited only in the text but not included in the reference list

because information is not recoverable Give initials and surname of the communicator and the exact date of the communication

M. J. DeVillers (personal communication, April 6, 2001) found…..

Scholars do not always view nursing as a profession (M. J. Devillers, personal communication, April 6, 2001).

Indicate the page, chapter, figure, table, or equation at the appropriate point in the text Always give page numbers for quotations (see section 3.34) The words “page” and “chapter” are abbreviated (Collins, 2000, p. 232) (Katz, 1989, chap. 3)

If the electronic source does not provide page numbers, use the paragraph number preceded by the paragraph symbol ¶ or the abbreviation “para” If the paragraph and page number are not visible, cite the heading and the number of the paragraph following it to direct the reader to the location of the material (see section 3.39) (Wilson, 2000, ¶ 5) (Spender, 2000, Conclusion section, para. 1)

Citing Electronic References in Text: No Author Listed

If you cannot find an author, cite the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title and year).

The homepage of UW Green Bay’s Professional Program in Nursing (2003) has a PowerPoint presentation about APA format (American Psychological Association Writing, 2003).

Start the reference list on a new page Type the word ‘References’ center top of page Double space ALL LINES between and within entries Use a hanging indent format Arrange alphabetically If same first author – arrange by year of publication

Table 1

Acceptable Abbreviations for Reference List Entries

Abbreviation chap.

ed.

Rev. ed.

2 nd ed.

Ed. (Eds.) Trans.

n.d.

p. (pp.) Vol.

vols.

No.

Pt.

Tech Rep.

Suppl.

Reference list entry chapter edition revised edition Second edition Editor (Editors Translator(s) no date page (pages) Volume (as in Vol. 4) volumes (as in 4 vol.) Number Part Technical Report Supplement

Periodical (includes journals and scholarly newsletters):

Author, A. A., Author, B., B., & Author, C. C. (2003). Title of article.

Title of Periodical, vol.(

issue), page numbers.

Nonperiodical (includes books, reports, manuals, and AV media):

Author, A. A. (2003).

Title of book.

Location: Publisher.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2003). Title of chapter. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.),

Title of book

(pp. ).

Location: Publisher.

•

One Author:

Brookfield, S. (1993). On impostorship, cultural suicide, and other dangers: How nurses learn critical thinking.

Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 24,

197-205.

•

Two Authors:

Kane, D., & Thomas, B. (2000). Nursing and the “F” word. N

ursing Forum, 35

(2), 17-24.

Three to Six Authors:

Ossana, S. M., Helms, J. E., & Leonard, M. R. (1992). Do “womanist” identify attitudes influence college women’s self –esteem and perceptions of environmental bias?

Journal of Counseling and Development, 70

, 402 408 .

More than Six Authors:

Sherr, M., Maddox, J. E., Mercandante, B., Prentice-Dunn, S. I., Jacobs, B., Rogers, R. W., Katz, M., et al. (1982). The self efficacy scale: Construction and validation.

Psychological Reports, 81

, 663-671.

Give the name of the publisher as briefly as possible Write out the names of associations, corporations, and university presses Omit superfluous terms such as Publishers, Co., or Inc.

Retain words such as

Books

and

Press

Table 2

Cities Not Needing State, Territory Code, or Country Name in the Reference List

American cities Other cities Baltimore Boston Chicago Los Angeles New York Philadelphia San Francisco Amsterdam Jerusalem London Milan Moscow Paris Rome Stockholm Tokyo Vienna

Table 3

Use Post Office Abbreviations for States and Territories

Location AbbreviationLocation Abbreviation Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas AL AK AS Missouri Montana Nebraska NE AZ Nevada AR New Hampshire MO MT NV NH California Canal Zone CA CZ New Jersey NJ New Mexico Colorado CO New York NM NY Connecticut CT North Carolina NC Delaware DE North Dakota ND District of Columbia DC Ohio OH Florida FL Oklahoma OK Georgia GA Oregon OR

Table 3 cont.

Abbreviations for States and Territories

Location Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Abbreviation GU HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS Location Abbreviation Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Virgin Islands Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA VI WA WV WI WY

Vaill, P.B. (1996).

Learning as a way of being

. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hayes, E., & Flannery, D. (2000).

Women as learners

. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

With an Edition:

hooks, b. (2000).

Feminist theory: From margin to center

(2 nd ed.). Cambridge: South End Press.

NOTE: bell hooks, a Black feminist does not capitalize her name in any publication, therefore, she is cited appropriately.

With an Organization as Author, Edition, and Capitalization of Proper Nouns:

The American Nurses’ Association (2003).

Nursing’s Social Policy Statement (

2 nd ed.).

Washington DC: Author.

Edited Book:

Belenky, M. F., Clinchy, B. M., Goldberger, N. R., & Tarule, J. M. (Eds.). (1997).

Women’s ways of knowing

. New York: Basic Books.

No Author or Editor:

Roget’s II: The new thesaurus

(3

rd

ed.). (1995). New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Chapter in a Book with an Unknown Editor:

Jarvis, P. (1992). Learning practice knowledge. In

Professional’s ways of knowing: New findings on how to improve professional education

(pp. 89 95). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Hofstader, R., & Munger, P. D. (1990). Education in the workplace: An integral part of the development of professionals. In R. M. Cervero & J. F. Azzaretto (Eds.),

Vision for the future of continuing professional education

(pp. 79-109). Athens: The University of Georgia.

Published: Martin, L. (1992). Structural Racism: Maintaining hegemony in a white society.

Dissertation Abstracts International, 54

(01), 296A. (UMI No.2643857) Unpublished: Alfred, M. (2001).

The maintenance of an underclass with manmade language and institutionalized patriarchy

. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Direct readers as closely as possible to the information being cited; reference specific documents rather than home or menu pages.

Provide addresses (URLs) that work.

Authors name whenever possible (may be the web cite name; go back to the home page or navigate around the site to find it) If you cannot, find an author, cite the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year Document title or description Date of publication, update, or the date of retrieval An Internet address or Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

•

Copy the URL directly from the address window in the browser and paste it into the paper.

•

Do not insert a hyphen if the URL needs to be broken..

•

Always break a URL after a slash or before a period.

•

Test the URL regularly.

•

If the document cited has moved, update the URL.

•

If the document is no longer available, substitute another source or drop it from the paper.

Online periodical:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (2003). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume, page numbers. Retrieved month, day, year, from URL.

Online document:

Author, A. A. (2003). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year, from source.

1. Articles are duplicates of print versions, therefore, the same basic primary journal reference is used 2. Make a note of “electronic version” Goldberger, N. (1997). Ways of knowing: Does gender matter? [Electronic Version]. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 5, 117-123.

Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7).

Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being.

Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved November 20, 2000, from http://journals.apa.org/prevention volume3/pre0030001a.html

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (2000). The Green Bay idea. Retrieved July 10, 2001, from UWGB website: http://www.uwgb.edu/idea/uwgb-idea3.htm

NOTE: If the author is not identified, begin the reference with the title of the document

Roberts, S.J. (2000). Development of a positive professional identity: Liberating oneself from the oppressor within.

Advances in Nursing Science, 22

(4), 71-82. Retrieved July 20, 2000, from CINAHL.

Remember that this PowerPoint presentation does not replace the APA manual.