APA Overview

with The Walden University

Writing Center Staff

Session Overview

– APA citations– APA references– APA style and formatting rules– APA rules for writing clearly and concisely– APA rules for tables and figures

Citations

Citation Format

There are three ways to cite a source in the text of a sentence:

1. On your reference list you will have reference citations.

In the body of your paper you will use:

2. A parenthetical citation: There are not many changes between the 5th and 6th editions of the APA Publication Manual (Rivers, 2009).

3. Or, an in-text citation: Rivers (2009) indicated that there are not many changes between the 5th and 6th editions of the APA Publication Manual.

The latter is preferred because it demonstrates a higher level of involvement with the literature

Citation FormatSource with one author

Parenthetical: (Sinatra, 2007)

In-text: Sinatra (2007)

Source with two authors

Parenthetical: (Sinatra & Garland, 2007)

In-text: Sinatra and Garland (2007)

Source with three to five authors

First parenthetical: (Sinatra, Garland, & Fitzgerald, 2007)

Second and subsequent parenthetical: (Sinatra et al., 2007)

First in-text: Sinatra, Garland, and Fitzgerald (2007)

Second and subsequent in-text: Sinatra et al. (2007)

Source with six or more authors

Parenthetical: (Sinatra et al., 2007)

In-text: Sinatra et al. (2007)

.

There is a table (Table 6.1) in the 6th edition manual that demonstrates all variations of citation.

There are some variations on multi-author source citations if you have more than one source by the same authors. Check pp. 208-209 in the 5th edition and pp. 175-176 in the 6th edition.

Citation FormatPersonal 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)

alphabetical (as they appear in reference list) and separated by semicolons

In-text: Paiste (2004), Sabian (2005), and Zildjian (2001)

Multiple sources with same author and year

Parenthetical: (Marshall, 2009a)…(Marshall, 2009b)…(Marshall, 2009c)

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 do (APA, 2010). The rule as APA described it is a bit different if the first citation of the paragraph is a parenthetical citation, as is demonstrated on the next slide.

Citation Format

If the first citation in the paragraph is a parenthetical citation, as it is here, then the first in-text citation must carry a year (APA, 2010). APA (2010) also indicated that all parenthetical citations with a paragraph, regardless of the number of previous citations within that paragraph, must carry a year. There are no exceptions to this rule (APA, 2010). In addition, APA has provided guidelines for how often to cite a source in a paragraph, as is demonstrated on the next slide.

Citation Format

Referents such as “the authors said” or “the same author indicated” are not sufficient ways to cite a source.

If the assertion you make does not refer to the author by name, you must provide a parenthetical citation. For example:Marshall (2009) indicated that proper APA enhances a

paper’s scholarly tone. The author also indicated that APA is easy to use if students familiarize themselves with the manual (Marshall, 2009).

Citation Format

When citing a direct quote, you need to cite the page or paragraph number for where that quote appears in the original source.

(Marshall, 2010, p. 14)

(Jones, 2009, para. 6)

Citation Format

If citing two different authors with the same surname, use the authors’ first initial:

M. King (2005) and W. King (2007) discovered King is a more common

last name than typically thought.

References

Reference FormatBook

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

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.ebscomost.com

Reference Format

.

A source with seven or more authors

Include all seven if there are seven.

If there are eight or more, include six, insert ellipses, and include last:

Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., & Walsh, L. (2009).

Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., … Brown, M. (2009).

Reference FormatOther 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...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Treating warts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/treatingwarts.htm

Reference Format

DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA

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, if any, in which such text would be considered a scholarly source, so reference website text sparingly.

Style & Formatting

Abbreviations

APA 6th: 4.22-4.30

According to APA (2010), “APA prefers that authors use abbreviations sparingly. Although abbreviations are sometimes useful for long, technical terms in scientific writing, communication is usually garbled rather than clarified if, for example, an abbreviation is unfamiliar to the reader” (p. X).

But what does that mean?

Know your audience.

Use abbreviations for long, familiar terms.

AbbreviationsCommon abbreviation usage:

Italicize statistical abbreviations: N, n, etc.Use etc., e.g., and i.e. only inside parentheses

e.g., means: for example,i.e., means: that is, , etc. means: , and so forth

Another common abbreviation:

et al. The period comes after the “al.”

Write out the full name the first time it appears in your paper, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were….The CDC went on to say

Italics & Quotation Marks

APA 6th: 4.21

No underlines, bold font*, or quotation marks without citing allowed.

*Per the 6th edition APA manual, use boldface for Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 headings.

Italics

• “titles of books, periodicals, and microfilm publications”• “genera, species, and varieties”• “introduction of new, technical, or key term or label (after a terms

has been used once, do not italicize it”• “letter, word, or phrase cited as a linguistic example”• “words that could be misread”• “letters used as statistical symbols or algebraic variables…some

test scales…periodical volume numbers in reference lists…anchors of a scale”

Italics

The Great Gatsby

We are homo sapiens

I will label these students super-fantastic scholars. The super-fantastic scholars are also those students who…

The students pronounced the letters a and o

Quotation Marks

• “for material quoted directly from a source”• “to introduce a word or phrase used as an

ironic comment, slang, or as an invented or coined expression”

• “to set off the title of an article or chapter” when mentioned in the text.

• “to reproduce material from a test item or verbatim instructions to participants”

Quotation Marks

• That is it!

• Do not use quotation marks for any other reason!

• Not even if you think it would be “right” to do so.

Spacing

APA 6th: 4.01, 4.40

• Double space after the end of sentence

• But, use just one space after each punctuation mark in the reference list.

• Double space your entire manuscript

Spacing

• Double space the cover page

• Double space the abstract

• Double space the body of the paper including block quotes

• Double space the reference list

Ellipsis Points

Ellipsis Points (APA 6th ed. 6.08 p. 172-173)

You will not use ellipsis points before or after direct quotes.

– Use three spaced ellipsis points (…) within a sentence to indicate you have omitted material.

– Use four spaced ellipsis points (….) to indicate you have omitted material between sentences.

Ellipsis Points

Patterson said that “…citing is super good fun” (2009, p. 23).

Patterson said that “citing is…fun” (2009, p. 23).

Patterson said that “citing is super good fun….although it might be an acquired joy” (2009, p. 23).

Parentheses

Someone stated that it was too much information (TMI) (Rivers, 2009).

Someone stated that it was too much information (TMI; Rivers, 2009).

Can I cite myself? Self-Plagiarism (APA 6th ed. 6.02 p. 170)

• Although students may be writing for a second, third, or fourth time on a topic, their writing at Walden is expected to reflect new approaches and insights into a topic to demonstrate their intellectual growth.

• When using their own scholarly work in subsequent research, students should cite themselves as primary author and their own previous coursework or KAM demonstrations as unpublished papers, as shown in the APA publication manual.

– Marshall, H. (2011). Paper I wrote last year. Unpublished manuscript.

Smoothness of Expression

Smoothness of Expression (APA 3.05)

According to APA (2010), “Devices that are often found in creative writing – for example, setting up ambiguity; inserting the unexpected; omitting the expected; and suddenly shifting the topic, tense, or person – can confuse or disturb readers of scientific prose” (p. 65).

But what does that mean?

Write in clear, concise statements and aim for logical communication. The simpler the better.

Smoothness of Expression

– Avoid repeating words– Use pronouns discretely– Use transitional words and phrases– Make sure your verb tenses agree– Don’t switch back and forth from first to third

person

Economy of Expression

Economy of Expression (APA 3.08) According to APA (2010), “The author who is frugal with words not only

writes a more readable manuscript but also increases the chances that the manuscript will be accepted for publication…You can tighten long papers by eliminating redundancy, wordiness, jargon, evasiveness, overuse of the passive voice, circumlocution, and clumsy prose” (p. 67)

But what does that mean?Short words and short, simple sentences are best. Leave out irrelevant

observations, your opinion, and embellishments.*This does not mean you can shorten technical terms.

Economy of Expression

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).

Reducing Bias

Gender (APA 3.12)

• Gender is cultural and refers to role, not biological sex.

• Sex is biological.

• Do not use a masculine pronoun (he) to refer to both sexes.

• Do not use masculine or feminine pronouns to define roles by sex (for example, always referring to nurses as she).

• Transgender is an adjective used to refer to a person whose gender identity or expression is different from his or her sex at birth.

• Do not use transgender as a noun.

• For more information, see page p. 73-75 in APA 6th edition.

Reducing Bias

Racial and Ethnic Identity (APA 3.14)

• When using the word minority, use a modifier such as ethnic or racial to avoid association with meaning of being less than or oppressed.

• Avoid describing groups differently. For example, Black Americans refers to color while Asian Americans refers to cultural heritage. Have parallel designations.

• Racial and ethnic terms change often. Consult Guidelines for Unbiased Language at www.apastyle.org or 3.14 in the 6th edition of the APA manual for appropriate language and terminology.

Reducing Bias

Disabilities (APA 3.15)

• Use language that maintains the integrity of all human beings. Avoid objectification and slurs.

• In writing, use people-first language rather than focusing on disability. For example, say person with autism rather than an autistic or an autistic person.

• Avoid offensive, condescending euphemisms when describing people with disabilities, such as special or physically challenged.

Reducing Bias

Age (APA 3.16)

• The terms girl and boy should be used for individuals under 12 years of age.

• The terms young man and young woman are appropriate for individuals aged 13 to 17 years of age.

• The terms man and woman are used for anyone aged 18 years or more.

• Do not use senior and elderly as nouns.

• For more information on appropriate language concerning age, please see page 76 in APA 6th edition.

Precision

Precision and Clarity (APA 3.09)

It is important that your writing is precise and clear.

According to APA (2010), as a writer, you should “make certain that every word means exactly what you intend it to mean” (p. 68).

Precision

Editorial we (APA 3.09)

According to APA (2010), “restrict your use of we to refer only to yourself and your coauthors…Broader uses of we leave your readers to determine to whom you are referring” (p. 69).

But what does that mean?Do not direct your writing at the reader, and do not assume

universality. Your reader may not want to be included in your assumptions.

Avoid the second person!

Precision

Avoid the Second Person

Use the third personal plural (a noun) instead.

This is awkward for any reader who is not a lacrosse coach: We coaches know it is best for lacrosse athletes to lift weights, but we

find it hard to convince high school girls of this.

This is better:

Lacrosse coaches know it is best for athletes to lift weights, but some

find it hard to convince high school girls of this.

Precision

- Avoid colloquial expressions in academic writing

- Make pronouns clear; vague pronouns can cause confusion

- Avoid using jargon

- Do not use anthropomorphism

Use of First Person

• Walden students may use first person, as appropriate, in all Walden work. You will still want to check with your instructor. Some faculty members may be disinclined to allow first person in student writing.

• The APA manual (5th ed.), in sections 2.04, 2.06, and 2.08, and APA manual (6th ed.), in section 3.09, offer examples of appropriate use of first person including in quantitative expository writing.

Use of First Person

• This will free you from writing statements about "this researcher" or "this writer" that can present ambiguity in your writing.

• With this first-person rule, you now might also feel compelled to share first-person opinions and experiences, but you must avoid doing so because statements that convey your opinion will

discredit your academic work.  

Active Voice

According to APA 3.18 (2010), “use the active rather than the passive voice” (p. 77).

But what does that mean?

The passive voice is when the object receives the action of the verb or, in other words, you turn the object of your sentence into the subject. Using the passive voice puts the emphasis on the object, which is beneficial at times, but too much use of the passive voice can weaken your scholarly voice.

Active Voice

Use lively, active sentences where the subject initiates an action that affects the direct object. In other words, put the subject of the sentence at the beginning immediately followed by an action verb.

Flip your sentences around.Avoid linking verbs (“to be” verbs)

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.

Tables and Figures

Tables and Figures

APA 6th: 5.07-5.30 • In the body of your paper, information that does not

appear in textual form must be formatted and labeled as either a table or figure. The Sixth Edition APA Publication Manual does not allow for the words graph, illustration, or chart. Refer to them as either a table or a figure.

• Number tables and figures consecutively,

that is, Table 1, Table 2, Figure 1, Figure 2.

Tables

• Place the word Table and the table number above the table, flush left. Place the title of the table (in title case), double-spaced, under the table number, flush left in italics. Double-, triple-, or quadruple-space before and after the table—be consistent.

• Information regarding abbreviations or symbols used in a table, copyright information, and probability must be located in a Note below the table. See the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5.16 for formatting information.

Tables

Variable Height Weight

Boys (n=61) 5 ft 1 in 104 lb

Girls (n=60) 5 ft 2 in 98 lb

Table 4Comparison of Boys and Girls by Height and Weight____________________________________________

Note. From “Analysis of Seventh Graders’ Hormones,” by W. Steeves, 2008, Journal of Despair, 98, p. 11. Copyright 2008 from the American Psychological Association.

Figures

• Place the word Figure and the figure number under the figure, flush left in italics. The title of the figure goes next to the number in sentence case. In dissertations, do not type captions on a separate page.

Figures

Pressure fromPressure from

HomeHome

Pressure from Pressure from

WorkWork

Dangerous Levels of MedicationsDangerous Levels of Medications

Figure 13. Causes of stress and its effects among graduate students. Adapted from…

THE END