apa style ndsu center for writers 2011. what is apa style? guidelines published by the american...

APA Style APA Style

NDSU Center for Writers

2011

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: 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• Basic APA Style online tutorial:

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

• CFW website links to online handbooks and this presentation:

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


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



Online Resources

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab

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


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

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


APA Style

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

• In-text parenthetical citations (Author, date)

• Reference page


Format example

• Spacing– One space after commas, colons,

semicolons– One space after periods on reference page

(including name initials) – Two spaces after end punctuation in

sentences – See exceptions on p. 88 of the Manual


In-Text Citations

• Requirements

–author of the source

–date of publication

–page numbers required for direct quotations and encouraged for paraphrases


In-Text Citations

• If page numbers are not available, including other information for easy access is encouraged for online or long documents (e.g. sections, paragraph numbers)

(Discussion section, para. 1)


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 and classical works with standardized sections (e.g., Bible, Qur’an) on the list, but cite them in the text:

T. K. Lutes (personal communication,

April 18, 2001) claims that . . .


Reference List

• Arrange entries alphabetically on the page by the first author’s last name (do not rearrange the order of the authors in a document)

• Use a hanging indent • Double-space (entire document)• Use initials for all first names (not just

the first one and a space after periods


Reference List: 1-7 Authors

• Give the last name and initials for 1-7 authors (not just the first one)Smith, J. M., Jones, T., & Rogers, L. S.

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


Reference List: 8+ AuthorsMore than seven authors

– In the reference list, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and then use an ellipses and the final name.

– In-text: cite only the name of the first author followed by “et al.” for all in-text references.


Reference List

• Format varies for titles – books—print and online: use italics,

capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns

– journals and periodicals: use italics, capitalize all important words

– articles: use plain font and capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns


Reference List

Moral of the story:always check the APA guidelines.


Reference Examples

• Book

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


Reference List: Books

WRONG:

Shostak, S. (2002). Becoming immortal: Combining cloning and stem-cell therapy. State University of New York Press.


Reference List: Books

CORRECT:

Shostak, S. (2002). Becoming immortal: Combining cloning and stem-cell therapy. Albany: State University of New York Press.


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

• Subsequent edition of a reference book

Heuristic. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary /heuristic


Reference Examples• NOTE: No longer include retrieval

dates unless the source material may change over time (e.g. Wikis).

. . . Retrieved October 5, 2000, from http:// www…


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

• Journal article [note the volume/issue italics format]

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


Reference Examples

• Electronic journal article with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

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


Note

Break URL and doi before most punctuation (exception is http:// ); do not add a hyphen.

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.). Egoism & the crisis in Western values. Retrieved from

http://www.onlineoriginals.com /showitem.asp?itemID=135


Reference List: JournalsWRONG:Gilbert, D. G., and, . . . Botros, N. (2004). “Effects of

Quitting Smoking on EEG Activation and Attention Last for More Than 32 Days and are More Severe with Stress, Dependence, DRD2 A1 Allele, and Depressive Traits.” Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 6, 249-267. doi:10.1080/14622200410001676305


Reference List: JournalsCORRECT:Gilbert, D. G., McClernon, J. F., Rabinovich, N. E.,

Sugai, C., Plath, L. C., Asgaard, G., . . . Botros, N. (2004). Effects of quitting smoking on EEG activation and attention last for more than 32 days and are more severe with stress, dependence, DRD2 A1 allele, and depressive traits. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 6, 249-267. doi:10.1080 /14622200410001676305


Reference Examples

• Journal article without DOI [NOTE: omit period after URL or DOI and do not include retrieval date]

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


Reference Examples

• Electronic version of print book

[NOTE: Use DOI instead of URL, if possible]

Shotton, M. A. (1989). Computer addiction? A study of computer dependency [DX Reader version]. Retrieved from http:// www.ebookstore.tandf.co.uk/html /index.asp


Reference Examples

• Electronic-only book

O’Keefe, E. (n.d.). Egoism & the crisis in Western values. Retrieved from http://www.onlineoriginals.com /showitem.asp?itemID=135


Reference Examples• Abstract as original source:Woolf, N. J., Young, S. L., Fanselow, M. S., & Butcher, L.

L. (1991). MAP-2 expression in cholinoceptive pyramidal cells of rodent cortex and hippocampus is altered by Pavlovian conditioning [Abstract]. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17, 480.

Lassen, S. R., Steele, M. M., & Sailor, W. (2006). The relationship of school-wide positive behavior support to academic achievement in an urban middle school. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 701-712. Abstract retrieved from http://www.interscience.wiley.com


Reference Examples

• Abstract as secondary source

Hare, L. R., & O’Neill, K. (2000). Effectiveness and efficiency in small academic peer groups.

Small Group Research, 31, 24-53. Abstract retrieved from Sociological Abstracts database.

(Accession No. 200010185)


Reference Examples• Print Reports (similar to book entry):

Author, A., A. (1998). Title of work (Report No. xxx). Location: Publisher.


Reference Examples• Another exception is for online reports: add

publisher (or archive) to retrieval statement--unless the publisher is the author

McDaniel, J. E., & Miskel, C. G. (2002). The effect of groups and individuals on national decisionmaking: Influence and domination in the reading policymaking environment (CIERA Report 3-025). Retrieved from University of Michigan, Center for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement website: http://www.ciera.org/library/reports/inquiry-3/3-025 /3-025.pdf


Special Situations

• Citation of a work discussed in a secondary source

– Find primary sources when possible


Author Issues

• Two authors: – Cite both names on the reference page– Cite both names every time the work is

mentioned in the text.


Author Issues

• Three, four, or five authors

– Cite all names for the first in-text reference and on the reference page.

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

– Cite all names on the reference page.


Author Issues

• Six or seven authors

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

– Cite all names on the reference page.


Multiple Authors• More than seven authors

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

– In the reference list, provide the initials and surnames of the first six authors, and then use an ellipses and the last name.


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 Text• 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 Text

• 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).


Special Situations

If unable to locate the primary source:• In-text citation:

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

• Reference page includes source you read:Smith, J., & Jones, B. (2006). Title. etc.


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 is…– One 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 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


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”


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

According to Smith (2005), studies have shown 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/

Resources• The Center for Writers website includes a handy

guide called “APA Style in a Nutshell”


“Documenting Sources”

“American Psychological Association (APA) for Social Sciences.”

“APA Style in a Nutshell”



Questions?


apa style ndsu center for writers 2011. what is apa style? guidelines published by the american...

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