apa style ndsu center for writers 2009. what is apa style? guidelines published by the american...

APA Style APA Style

NDSU Center for Writers

2009

What is APA Style?

• guidelines published by the American Psychological Society for manuscript preparation

• used by journals in social and behavioral sciences, education, and other fields

Center for Writers - http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters

Resources for APA Style• official text = NEW 6th ed.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2009), Washington: APA

• summary of changes in the new edition found online: http://www.apastyle.org/manual/whats-new.aspx


http://www.apastyle.org/manual/whats-new.aspx

http://www.apastyle.org/manual/whats-new.aspx

Resources for APA Style• CFW website has links to online

handbooks and this presentation: http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/index.shtml

• APA website tutorial

http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm


http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/index.shtml

http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/index.shtml



Online Resources

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/





APA Style

• Format (title page, abstract, sections, headings, font, margins, tables, figures, etc.)

• In-text citations

• Reference page


In-Text Citations

• Requirements

–author of the source

–date of publication

–page numbers required for direct quotations but optional for paraphrases


In-Text Citations

• Other information for easy access is optional but courteous for long documents (e.g. chapters, sections, paragraph numbers)


Note• Style manuals are very complex• Do not rely on your memory • ALWAYS refer to a manual for examples • Pay attention to unique aspects

– source type– capitalization & punctuation– author vs. editor– edition/volume/issue/DOI


In-Text Citations

• Walker (2000) compared reaction times.

• A recent study found reaction times vary (Walker, 2000).

• In 2000, Walker compared reaction times.


Direct Quotations

• Lopez (1993) found that “the effect disappeared within minutes” (p. 311).

• The author stated, “The effect disappeared within minutes” (Lopez, 1993, p. 311), but she did not say which effect.


Reference List

• Provide enough information to identify and retrieve each source.

• Exception: do not include personal communications on the list, but cite them in the text:

T. K. Lutes (personal communication,

April 18, 2001) claims that . . .


Reference List

• Arrange entries alphabetically by the author’s last name

• Use a hanging indent • Double-space (entire document)• Use initials for all first names.


Reference List

• Reverse the order of all authors’ names Smith, J.M., Jones, T., & Rogers, L.S.

• Use “&” for ref. list and parenthetical references, but use “and” in the textSmith, Jones, and Rogers (2000)…


Reference List

• Capitalization varies for titles – books & websites: only first word,

proper nouns, and first word after a colon

– periodicals: all important words


Reference List

Reminder—always check the APA guidelines.


Reference Examples

• Book

Tapscott, D. (1988). Growing up digital. New York: McGraw-Hill.


Reference Examples

• Edited Book

Gibbs, J.T., & Huang, L.N. (Eds.). (1991). Children of color: Psychological intervention with minority youth. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.


Reference Examples

• Chapter in Edited Book

Krantz, D. (2000). The ethics of business. In D. L. Smith (Ed.), Ethics in Modern America (pp. 94-120). New York: Smith-Johnson Press.


Reference Examples, cont.

• Journal article [note the volume/issue format]

Johnson, B.A. (2000). Truth or consequences: Parenting children who lie. Modern Family, 126(3), 910-924.



• If available, include the DOI (digital object identifier) instead of the URL

Whitmeyer, J. M. (2000). Power through appointment. Social Science Research, 29(4), 535-555. doi:10.1006/ssre.2000.0680



• Internet-only journal article (no DOI)

Fredrickson, B. L. (2000, March 7). Cultivating positive emotions to optimize health and well-being. Prevention & Treatment, 3, Article 0001a. Retrieved from http:// journals.apa.org/prevention/ volume3/ pre0030001a.html



• Journal article based on print source

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates [Electronic version]. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117- 123.



• Alternative (if you think the article might differ from the original print version)

VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the

selection of resources by psychology undergraduates Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved October 13, 2001, from http://jbr.org/articles.html.


Note

Break a URL after a slash; do not add a hyphen.



• Journal article from an electronic database w/DOI (omit database)

Holliday, R. E., & Hayes, B. K. (2000). Dissociating automatic andintentional processes in children’s eyewitness memory. Journal ofExperimental Child Psychology, 75(1), 1-42. doi:10.1006/jecp.1999.2521



• Journal article from an electronic database w/out DOI (include database and doc number, if applicable)

Howard, K. R. (2007). Childhood overweight: Parental perceptions and readiness for change. The Journal of School Nursing, 23(2), 73-79. Retrieved from PsycINFO database. (2007-05057-003)


Reference Examples, cont.• Multipage Web document created by

private organization, no date

Greater New Milford (Ct) Area Healthy Community 2000, Task Force on Teen and Adolescent Issues. (n.d.). Who has time for a family meal? You do! Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http:// www.familymealtime.org


Reference Examples, cont.• Chapter or section in an Internet document

Benton Foundation. (1998, July 7). Barriers to closing the gap. In Losing ground bit by bit: Low- income communities in the information age (chap. 2). Retrieved August 18, 2001, from http://www.benton.org/Library/low-income/two.html


Reference Examples, cont.• Document available on a university Web site

Chou, L., McClintock, R., Moretti, F., & Nix, D.H. (1993). Technology and education: New wine in new bottles: Choosing pasts and imagining educational futures. Retrieved August 24, 2000, from Columbia University, Institute for

Learning Technologies Web site: http:// ilt.columbia.edu/ publications/papers/ newwine1.html


Special Situations

• Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source

– Find primary sources when possible


Special Situations

If unable to locate the primary source:

• In-Text

Skinner (2000) found no evidence of emotion in rats (as cited in Smith & Jones, 2006).


Special Situations

If unable to locate the primary source:

• On the reference page

Include only the secondary source (the source you read)


Special Situations, cont.• The Center for Writers website includes a handy

guide http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/cfwriters/ index.shtml“Student Resources”

“Documenting Sources”

“Style Guides for MLA, APA, Chicago, and CBE styles.”

“APA Style in a Nutshell”


http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/cfwriters/index.shtml




Author Issues• Two authors: cite both names every

time the work is mentioned.

• Three, four, or five authors

– Cite all names for the first reference.

– Cite the first author and “et al.” in subsequent references.


Multiple Authors

• Six or more authors

– Cite only the name of the first author followed by “et al.” for all references.

– In the reference list, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and then use “et al.”


No Authors

• On the reference page, alphabetize by the first important word in the title and place the year after the title.

The new health-care lexicon. (1993, August/September). Copy Editor, 4, 1-2.


No Authors• In the text and parentheses, use

quotation marks and capitalize the important words in article titles:

– e.g., The article, “The New Health-Care Lexicon,” (1992) discusses the…

– e.g., Experts claim … (“The New Health-Care Lexicon,” 1993)


No Authors

• In the text, parentheses, and reference list, italicize and capitalize book titles, periodical titles, and other major works:

– e.g. ...the book College Bound Seniors (1979).


Block Quotations• Indent/block quotations of 40 or more

words.

• Indent ½” from the margin (5 spaces) and double-space.

• If there are additional paragraphs within the block, indent an additional ½”.


Block Quotations• Generally, direct quotations should be

used sparingly in APA style.

• Studies are summarized and results are paraphrased, except when the author's original words are unique and difficult to put into different words.


Other Considerations• Do not use “this study,” “this

present study” or “the current study” to refer to someone else’s work—use them to refer to your own study.

• Use past tense for results.

• Use present tense for conclusions.


Other Considerations• Avoid using verbs such as feel, think,

believe, stated, wrote, said, confirm, and prove.

• Use words such as find, reason, assess, test, hypothesize, support, investigate, demonstrate, and indicate.


Other Considerations

• Use qualifiers to allow for exceptions to your claims (may, might, possible): – One possible explanation might be…– One interpretation may be…– The data suggest….– The results appear


Other Considerations• Passive verbs are acceptable, but active

verbs are preferred

– The experiment was designed by Smith to = Smith designed the experiment to….

• Do not use contractions.


Other Considerations

• Use transitions:

– Notably, ….

– In contrast,….

– Similarly,…

– First,…. Second,….Third….(avoid using firstly, secondly, thirdly)


Avoiding Plagiarism

• Choose when to give credit to others

• Choose how to incorporate the information

• Choose how to give credit


When to Give Credit

• The term “common knowledge” is tricky—when in doubt, find and cite a source

• Scholarly papers are intended to introduce new information and/or information that is verifiable, so avoid stating the obvious (common knowledge)


When to Give Credit

• When you are using or referring to somebody else’s words or ideas from any source: journals, books, movies, Web pages, advertisements, etc.

• When you use exact words or a "unique phrase”


When to Give Credit

• When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations, charts, or pictures

• When you use information gained through interviewing another person

• When you use ideas that others have given you in conversations or over email


How to Incorporate Information

• Quote

• Paraphrase

• Summarize


Quoting

• Mention the person’s last name either at the beginning of the quote, in the middle, or at the end in parentheses

• Include the year of publication and the page number in parentheses


Quoting

• Put quotation marks around the text that is being quoted

• Indicate added phrases in brackets [ ] and omitted text with ellipses . . .Five participants stated that they “felt uncomfortable answering [question 5] because …”


Paraphrasing

• Mention the person’s name and date in an identifying tag (a.k.a. lead-in) either at the beginning of the information, in the middle, or at the end

Studies have shown, according to Smith (2005), that …


Paraphrasing

• Put the text from the source into your own words—do not simply insert a few synonyms, but restructure the entire sentence.

Smith (2005) found that fewer people were susceptible than previously determined.


Paraphrasing

• Paraphrased material is usually slightly shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.

• Put any unique words or phrases that you cannot change, or do not want to change, in quotation marks, if acceptable in your field.


Summarizing• Begin your summary with a statement

giving credit to the source (lead-in/identifying tag)

• Put the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s)

Smith and Jones (2000) determined that mice were more susceptible than humans to the new strain. Their study examined…


Summarizing

• Summaries are significantly shorter than the original source and take a broad overview of the material

• Put any unique words or phrases that you cannot change, or do not want to change, in quotation marks, if acceptable in your field.


Remember

• Document ALL sources accurately and completely

• Include in-text citations

• Create a reference page


Support Resources

Center for Writers• Location: Room No. 6, Main Library

• Telephone: 701-231-7927

• Email: [email protected]

• Website: http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/


http://www.ndsu.edu/cfwriters/



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