Writing a Scholarly Paper as APA

1. Writing a Scholarly Paper as APA

2. First: Using APA in the body of your paper

3. Where do you put the information about your sources in an APA research paper? APA requires information in two places: • In in-text citations, right in the body of your paper. AND • At the end of your paper, on the references page.

4. American Psychological Association (APA) • Also called the “name-and-year” system of documenting sources because these are the two pieces of information you insert into the body of your paper. • Emphasizes how recent the information is. • Used by people writing about the social sciences, business, health sciences, etc.

5. In the following examples of APA in-text citations, the actual source information is in yellow. Notice that where you insert this information can signal the beginning and end of the material you borrowed.

6. Examples of APA in-text citations with quotations: Hobson (2002) argues that college professors are actually “alien invaders from another planet” (p. 18).One authority argues that college professors are actually “alien invaders from another planet” (Hobson, 2002, p. 18).

7. Secondary/Indirect Sources Hobbs notes that although some humans are startled by the sight of little green men and women, the shopaholic aliens “have significantly stimulated the economy” (as cited in Russell, 2008, p. 94).

8. Personal communication, in-text citation ONLY Example: Aliens love to drink motor oil (Allasio, personal communication, February 26, 2010).

9. Rules for in-text citations • Place at the end of borrowed material. • Include the author’s last name and the date of publication. • Include the page number for direct quotations or a specific part (i. e.: paraphrased items) of a paginated source. • Use a comma between elements and the abbreviation “p.” for “page” and “pp.” for “pages.” • APA rarely refers to names of sources within in-text citations – use author(s’) name(s)

10. No author? • If no author is listed, use a short title enclosed in parentheses. Example: (“Cognitive Dissonance”)

11. Two frequently asked questions about in-text citations • Do I need to keep inserting the name of the author of my source over and over again? • If I’m using the same source a lot, how often do I need to insert an in-text citation?

12. Answers • In both cases, you insert the information as often as you think the reader needs it. • Keep asking yourself, “Will the reader know where I found the information in this sentence or paragraph?” and “Whose words/ideas/language am I using?” • It’s better to use too many in-text citations than too few. • You may also consider using less of that specific source.

13. Your in-text citation tells the reader to look at your references page in order to find complete publishing information for that source.

14. In fact, savvy researchers always check the references list to find additional sources that will help with their own research and scholarly writing projects. You might want to try this yourself!

15. Source information in an APA paper is found in… • Footnotes at the bottom of the page and the references page at the end of the paper • In-text citations and the references page 10 Countdown

16. When citing an author, the date of publication goes… 1. Right after the author’s last name 2. In the in-text citation at the end of the sentence. 10 Countdown

17. Which of the following disciplines is most likely to use APA? • Theology • History • Nursing • Psychology • Nos. 3 and 4 10 Countdown

18. Motor-oil-guzzling aliens are most likely to suffer from… • Esophageal erosion • Death • Oil shortage • All of the above 10 Countdown

19. Second: Developing yourreferences page(s)

20. The references page • Is at the end of your paper and begins on a new page. (Tip: Use “hard page break” or “section break” after the end of body.) • It is an alphabetical listing of all of the sources you referred to specifically with an in-text citation in your paper. • It does not include sources that you may have read for background information but did not actually incorporate into the paper.

21. References page, contd. • The title of the page is References, not References Page, Bibliography, or Works Cited. • Subsequent pages do not have a title. • On the first line, center the word References, using the same font as the essay. It is not underlined, italicized, or bold. • The references page is double spaced like the rest of the paper (no single space within entries). • Each entry begins at the left margin (1”) and subsequent lines are indented an additional 5 – 7 spaces or ½ inch using tab key. (This is called a “hanging indent.”)

22. Book format (with two authors) Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2005). Psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Prentice Hall. Note the punctuation! Last name, first initial., & last name, first initial. (date). Title of work. Place of publication meaning City, State (using 2 letter postal abbreviation): Publisher. The format for a book citation shows you the “skeleton” of all APA citations…

23. Format for a work from a collection or anthology Newcomb, T. M. (2004). Attitude development as a function of reference groups: The Bennington study. In E. Maccoby, T. M. Newcomb, & E. L. Hartley (Eds.), Readings in social psychology (pp. 10-12). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Last name, first initials. (date). Name of chapter. In editors’ names (Eds.), Title of complete work (page #s of chapter). City, State of publication: Publisher.

24. Format for an article in a journal paginated by issue Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(3), 5-13. Last name, first initials. (date). Title of article. Title of Journal, vol(issue), pages.

25. Nonperiodical Web Document Archer, Z. (n.d.). Exploring nonverbal communication. Retrieved from http://www.zzyx.uscs.edu/~archer

26. U.S. government report without a date Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). The obesity epidemic and Michigan students. Retrieved from http://www.cdc .gov/HealthyYouthoverweight/facts.htm

27. DOI: Digital Object Identifier • The digital object identifier (DOI) is a string of numbers and letters that “ ... identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet” (p. 189). • In other words, it is a unique marker for an article, and it is permanent (even if the specific electronic location changes).

28. Example of online journal article Tagay, S., Kribben, A., Hohenstein A., Mewes, R., & Senf, W. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder in hemodialysis patients. American Journal of Kidney Disease, 50, 594-601. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2007.06.018

29. Keeping it general:Using Web host names When citing online sources (newspapers, web pages), refer to the web host name (e. g., www.nytimes.com), not to a specific URL (e.g., http://www.nytimes.com/2011/ 08/25/opinion/how-to-fix-our-math-education.html?_r=1). This avoids having outdated links.

30. Integrating web sites into references • Use the host web name. • If necessary, break URL lines before punctuation (ex: http://www.madonna .edu/pages/tutortips.cfm). • Do not use hyphens when breaking URL lines; do not end entry with period (it may be misinterpreted as part of URL).

31. On the APA references page, you must capitalize the first letters of major words in which of the following types of publications: • Journals • Books 10 Countdown

32. DOI stands for… • Digital Object Identifier • Darned Ominous Item • Dangling Omelet Innards 10 Countdown

33. Personal communications are cited on the APA references page • True • False 10 Countdown

34. Why do we include so much information about our sources? • So readers can investigate our topic further • So our professor knows we’re using scholarly materials • So we can stay up past 3 a.m., trying to find a volume number for an article we forgot to earmark. 4. 1 and 2 10 Countdown

35. Third:Using the correct manuscript format

36. Basic format rules • Margins: set to 1” all around (top, bottom, sides). • Double space throughout (text, quotes, references). • When using Word ’07 or later, fix “paragraph spacing” so there are no extra spaces between paragraphs (set “before” and “after” to 0). • Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt • Tabs: set ½ inch or 5-7 spaces from the left margin. • Use tabs to begin paragraphs, not spaces. • Do not justify right margin. • Put two spaces after a period or colon throughout.

37. Title pages : All title pages include: • Running head • Abbreviated title of essay • Typed in all caps • Max 50 characters (letters, punctuation, spacing) • Page number • Title (no more than 12 words) • Author byline • Institutional affiliation (school)

38. Top of the page • Running head is positioned flush left. • Running head: SHORTENED TITLE OF ESSAY • R is capitalized, h is not: ALL OF SHORTENED TITLE IS. • Page number is tabbed to right margin. • The title appears on ALL pages; the words “Running head:” appear only on the first page.

39. Example cover page Running head: MODELS OF LEARNING 1 Models of Learning: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Approaches Charity Mullaly and Marian Gonsior Madonna University

40. Ask your professor! • Certain disciplines, such as nursing, may have different requirements for cover pages. Be sure to ask each instructor first.

41. Example of first page of text. MODELS OF LEARNING 2 Role of Visual Learning Visual learning is xxxxxxx xxx xxxxx xxxxx xxx xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx xx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xx xxxxxx xxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xx

42. What is an abstract? • An abstract is a 100- to 250-word summary of your paper. It provides readers with an overview of your: • Thesis/main idea • Key points • Research applications, or • Implications of your findings

43. Abstracts • Abstracts are optional, but your instructor may require one. • The abstract is on a separate page immediately after the title page. • Center the word Abstract on the first line of the page. • Begin the abstract on the next line (double spaced). • Do not indent the first line.

44. Other formatting • Headings • Initial level-one heading is centered but not bold • Subsequent level-one headings are centered and bold • Level-two headings are flush left and bold. • Tables require titles. • Figures (graphs, charts, maps and drawings) do not require a separate title. Instead, include the figure number and a brief, descriptive caption. (Ex: Figure X. Schematic drawings of a bird’s eye view…)

45. In an APA essay, you need to write: • Your last name and page number on the right hand side • A shortened version of the title on the left; page number on the right

46. An ideal font for an APA paper is • Times New Roman, 12 pt. • Lucinda Handwriting, 30 pt. • Stereofidelic, 18 pt. 10 Countdown

47. Abstracts should be… • 100 to 250 words long • 25 to 75 words long • 3,000 to 50,000 words long 10 Countdown

48. When the Writing Center and my professor are telling me two different things, I should follow… • My heart • My professor • The Writing Center 10 Countdown

49. Final advice: Finding helpful information • APA guidelines: www.apastyle.org • http://owl.english.purdue.edu • Help with any part of the writing process: Visit the Writing Center.