Transcript Advanced APA Rules:

APA Overview
Amber Cook
Senior Writing Specialist
Walden University Writing Center
What to Expect
• Time
• Questions/Answers
• Technical issues? Go to
http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoT
oTraining
Session Overview
 APA citations
 APA references
 APA formatting rules
 Academic writing tips
 APA style
Citations
Citation Format
There are three ways to cite a source:
1. Reference entries
Reference List
2. Parenthetical citation
Body of the paper
Example: There are few changes between the fifth and sixth editions of
the APA Publication Manual (Rivers, 2009).
3. In-text citation
Body of the paper
Example: Rivers (2009) indicated that there are few changes between
the fifth and sixth editions of the APA Publication Manual.
Not (Rivers, 2009) indicated…
Citation Format
Numbers of Authors
Parenthetical
In-text
1
(Sinatra, 2007)
Sinatra (2007)
2
(Sinatra & Garland, 2007)
Sinatra and Garland (2007)
3-5 (first time in the text)
(Sinatra, Garland, &
Fitzgerald, 2007)
Sinatra, Garland, and
Fitzgerald (2007)
3-5 (second and subsequent
times in the text)
(Sinatra et al., 2007)
Sinatra et al. (2007)
6+
(Sinatra et al., 2007)
Sinatra et al. (2007)
These examples are based on
Table 6.1, p. 177 in the APA
manual. You can also take a
look at our website.
There are some variations on multi-author
source citations of more than one source by
the same authors. Check pp.175-176 of the
APA manual.
Citation Format
Personal communication
Parenthetical: (H. R. Marshall, personal communication, September 17, 2009)
In-text: H. R. Marshall (personal communication, September 17, 2009)
Secondary source material
Parenthetical: (Marshall, as cited in Cook, 2009)
In-Text: Marshall (as cited in Cook, 2009)
Attributing an assertion to multiple sources
Parenthetical: (Paiste, 2004; Sabian, 2005; Zildjian, 2001)
In-text: Paiste (2004), Sabian (2005), and Zildjian (2001)
Note that these sources are in
alphabetical order, the same
order they appear on the
reference list.
Multiple sources with same author and year
Parenthetical: (Marshall, 2009a)…(Marshall, 2009b)…(Marshall, 2009c)
or (Marshall, 2009a, 2009b).
In-text: Marshall (2009a)…Marshall (2009b)…Marshall (2009c)
Citation Format
Per APA (2010), if the first citation in the
paragraph is in-text, as it is here, then subsequent
in-text citations within this same paragraph do
not need to carry a year. However, all
parenthetical citations need to include a year
(APA, 2010), regardless of where they appear.
The rule as APA described can be a bit
confusing, so you might want to review our blog
post.
Citation Format
When citing a direct quote, cite the page or
paragraph number (if no page number exists)
for where that quote appears in the original
source.
• According to one employee of the writing center, “APA is
the most fun part of academic writing”(Marshall, 2010, p.
14).
• One source claimed that “punctuation is very important
when using quotation marks”(Jones, 2009, para. 6).
Citation Format
If citing two different authors with the same
surname, use the authors’ first initials:
M. King (2010) and W. King (2012)
discovered King is a more common last
name than typically thought.
References
Reference Format
Book
Marshall, H. (2009). Best book ever. New York, NY:
Publisher House.
Chapter in an edited book
Timmerman, B. (2009). Best chapter ever. In H.
Marshall (Ed.), Best book ever (pp. 14-27). New
York, NY: Publisher House.
Reference Format
Journal Article
Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed.
Journal of Good Things, 6(2), 199-207.
doi:10.123456789
.
Reference Format
If there is no DOI:
The next preferred option is to reference the journal’s
homepage:
Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things,
6(2), 199-207. Retrieved from http://www.journalofgoodthings.com
If you cannot locate the journal’s homepage, the last option is
to reference the database homepage:
Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things,
6(2), 199-207. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com
DOI/URL Flowchart
Reference Format
A source with seven or more authors:
Seven authors: Include all seven.
Eight or more: include six, insert ellipses, and
include last:
Seven authors: Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J.,
Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., & Walsh, L. (2009).
More than seven authors: Timmerman, B., Cook, A.
Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., … Brown, M.
(2009).
Reference Format
Electronic material
Report from an organization
Cook, A. (2008). The effect of war on graduate students in the military
(Report 601). Retrieved from The Organization For World Peace
website: http://www...
Web article from an organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Updates on treating
warts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/treatingwarts.htm
Check out our website for more information on how to cite electronic
sources.
Reference Format
Per APA 6th edition, “Do not include retrieval dates
unless the source material may change over time
(e.g., Wikis).”
In general, you will only need a retrieval date if you
are referencing text from the web page rather than
from an archived report or pdf. There are few cases
in which such text would be considered a scholarly
source, so reference website text sparingly.
Word to the wise: Avoid citing Wikipedia
Formatting
APA : Past Tense
• Past tense: use the past tense when discussing
the literature that you read:
– Percy (1935) found…
– Mathieu (1955) argued…
– Korrapati (2009) wrote…
– Lynch (2012) discussed…
Commas
• Use commas to
– Separate elements in a series of three or
more (serial comma)
• Lions, tigers, and bears
– Set off nonessential information
• the girl, who had red hair, ate all of my cookies
– Separate two independent clauses joined by a
conjunction
• Jamie went to the grocery store, and she bought
dinner.
FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
Abbreviations
Write out the full name the first time it appears in your paper,
followed by the abbreviation in parentheses:
Example: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
there were….The CDC went on to say…
Another common abbreviation is et al.. (Note that it is not
italicized.) The period comes after the al.
Example: Jacobs et al. (2009) studied the effect of abbreviations on audience
comprehension.
Hyphenation
• In general, words with prefixes such as non,
semi, pre, post, anti, multi, and inter are not
hyphenated:
– pretest, posttest, antibiotic, antisocial, nonprofit,
semipro, multiphased, subsample
• All “self” compounds are hyphenated: selfesteem, self-efficacy
• Hyphenate words that work together to modify
another word
– evidence-based practice, peer-reviewed research
Italics and Quotations
• Use italics in reference entries and for
describing words.
Some scholars use the word edutainment to describe
instructional tools that are also entertaining.
• Use quotations marks to indicate direct
quotations.
According to Cook (2012), “APA is the most fun part of
academic writing” (p. 202).
Single Quotation Marks
Single quotations are ONLY used “within
double quotation marks” (APA, 2010, p.
92)—in other words, a quotation within a
quotation.
Example: Harrison (2011) said, “According
to Freedman’s (1987) research, ‘Time
spent exercising correlates directly with
stress level’” (p. 99).
Spacing
APA: 4.01, 4.40
• Use consistent spacing after the end of
sentences.
• Use just one space after each punctuation
mark in the reference list.
• Double space your entire manuscript
–
–
–
–
the cover page
A tutorial on how to double-space your paper.
the abstract
body of the paper, including block quotes
the reference list
Capitalization
• Do not capitalize
– The names of models or theories (theory of
learned behavior).
– The names of disorders or diseases (bipolar
disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder
[PTSD], multiple sclerosis)
• Do capitalize Internet
Numbers
• Express numbers 10 and above as numerals,
numbers nine and lower as words: 10, but nine
Plenty of exceptions…
• Use numerals for all:
– Statistics, population size, scores, points on a scale: 4
out of 5; 7 points
– Percentages, money: 90%; $5
– Exact amounts of time, dates: 3 years old; 2 weeks
ago; 1 hour and 12 minutes; day 5; July 5
• Use words for all approximations: about three years
old; about an hour; about six days ago; about three
participants
Academic Writing Tips
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing can be tricky, but it is necessary to the art of
academic writing.
Let’s take a look at what paraphrasing is and how to do it.
A successful paraphrase is your own explanation or
interpretation of another person's ideas.
1. Avoid switching out or changing around of a few words in
an author's sentence(s) for use in your paper.
2. Be sure to acknowledge (through an in-text citation or
direct quotes) the source from which you obtained your
information or ideas.
Ineffective Paraphrasing
Acknowledging the author in an in-text citation but failing to
include quotation marks around any terms or phrasing
that you have borrowed from the author.
Note that any of the unsuccessful elements of
paraphrasing are considered plagiarism, even if
these paraphrasing missteps are unintentional.
See here for more advice on paraphrasing effectively.
Style
Reducing Bias
APA (2010) is “committed both to science and to the fair
treatment of individuals and groups, and this policy
requires that authors. . .avoid perpetuating demeaning
attitudes and biased assumptions about people in their
writing” (pp. 70-71).
These include references to the following:
•
•
•
•
Gender (APA 3.12)
Racial and Ethnic Identity (APA 3.14)
Disabilities (APA 3.15)
Age (APA 3.16)
Economy of Expression
Say only what needs to be said.
It is that simple.
Avoid framing assertions in terms of how you feel or what you believe.
I feel that students learn best when…
I think the best solution to the problem is…
I believe the students will…
Be authoritative!
Point of View
APA considers the use of the general we, our, or us to be informal. By
using these, you may be making assumptions that the reader is in
the same group as you.
Example: We know it is best for lacrosse athletes to lift weights, but we
find it hard to convince high school girls of this.
Better: Lacrosse coaches know it is best for athletes to lift weights, but
some find it hard to convince high school girls of this (Davis, 2009).
Point of View
Avoid the second person (you/your)
-Almost universally discouraged in scholarly writing.
-Threatens the assumed distance between the author
and the reader
-Too conversational
-Example: You know you have done a good job teaching
when your students pass the test.
-Better: Teachers can assess their own performance by
evaluating their students’ grades.
Use of First Person
• To avoid referring to yourself as “the researcher” or
“the author”
– Example: The author will describe the after-school program. → I will
describe the after-school program.
• To avoid anthropomorphism
– Example: This section will explore… → In this section, I will explore…
• To avoid the passive voice
…but not to inject yourself into a discussion where you
don’t belong.
Active Voice
According to APA 3.18 (2010), “use the active rather than the passive
voice” (p. 77).
But what does that mean?
•Flip your sentences around.
•Avoid linking verbs (“to be” verbs)
•Make your subject do the action directly.
Passive Voice: The apple was despised by William Tell.
Active Voice: William Tell despised the apple.
Passive Voice: The survey was conducted after school.
Active Voice: The researchers conducted the survey after school.
Resources
Writing Center website
Library Website
APA or writing questions?
[email protected]
Webinar questions?
[email protected]
THE END! 