stfx master of education academic writing and apa style: an introduction july 2013 1 faculty of...

StFXMaster of Education

Academic

Writing and

APA Style:

An

Introduction

July 2013

1Faculty of Education, July 2013

Faculty of Education, July 2013 2

Academic Writing StyleThe

6 Cs

Concise

Complete

Consistent

Clear

Coherent

Correct

APA Style

APA 6th Edition (2010)See www.apa.org

MEd Student HandbookAvailable online (Blackboard & C&DE)


What do

I use?

Other sources may have different guidelines; please use our recommended resources

http://www.apa.org/

http://www.apa.org/

http://www.mystfx.ca/resources/writingcentre/

http://www.mystfx.ca/resources/writingcentre/


The Mechanics

Page margins = 1in (2.54cm). Check your defaults. Font is Times New Roman, 12pt Double-space the document (including quotations 40 words or

more and the References pages) Long quotations are paragraph indented 0.5in (1.27cm) One space after colons (:) semi-colons (;), and after a period at

the end of a sentence Use serial commas (… government officials, school administrators, and

classroom teachers attended … ) References are hanging indented 0.5in (Do not use the TAB key

or spacebar) See Slide 11 for heading level examples in a “paper”

Thefussybits


How do I present an author’s name?

No author first name (i.e., gender-neutral)

In your text:Although the text is dated, Dryden’s (1995) contention that educational reform tends to reflect the needs of the children “who are doing just adequately or worse” (p. 279) holds true today. The author’s rationale for…

In your references:Dryden, K. (1995). In school: Our kids, our teachers, our

classrooms. Toronto, Canada: McClelland & Stewart.

General

information


How do I present an author’s name?

No author first name (i.e., gender-neutral)

Mix it up a bit!Brown (2006) argued that the growing prevalence of community-based activism is a response to…

In 2006, Brown argued that the growing prevalence of community-based activism is a response to …

The growing prevalence of community-based activism is a response to … (Brown, 2006).

In your references:Brown, C. (2006). The rise of activism. The Journal of Communities,

75(4), 33−45.


Tense?

Be consistent in use of tense. In a literature review and description of procedures, use either: Past tense

Smith and Renquist (2005) showed …

Present perfect tense

Smith and Renquist (2005) have shown…

APA

(2010,

pp. 77-78)


Still tense?

When presenting results use past tense:In three interviews, participants mentioned …

When discussing results and presenting conclusions use present tense

The results from an analysis of participant conversations indicate an underlying theme of…Based on the findings, it is evident a disconnect exists between …

APA

(2010,

pp. 77-78)


What about spelling and grammar?

Canadian spelling (exception to the APA-preferred American spelling):

Examples: behaviours neighbourhood analyze centre

Active voice, not passive voice: Passive: The interview was conducted in a public space. Active: I conducted the interview in a public space.

YES… you can use “I” and “we”

No contractions, unless contained in a direct quotation:

it’s = it is don’t = do not

APA

(2010,

pp. 96, 77)


APA

(2010,

pp. 62-63)Heading Levels

11Faculty of Education, July 2013


How do I write numbers?

There are many rules, depending on how the number is used Below 10

In the literature, seven authors …

10 and above: use digits12 items In the 1990s, many…

BUT … and there are LOTS of buts … Comparisons: 3 of 21 analyzes

Dates, time, sample size, specific numbers of participants: Each class lasted 1 hour and 15 minutesApproximately three years ago

6 participants Chapter 2

APA

(2010, pp.

111−114)


How do I include a direct quotation?APA

(2010,

pp. 172-

173)

Direct quotation, reference in text, ellipses:

Miele (1993) noted, “The ‘placebo effect’ . . . disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner” (p. 276), but does not clarify which behaviours were studied.

Note the following: Commas Quotation marks Ellipsis points Page reference Verb tense


Citing an Interview or Personal Communications

An interview or a conversation is not considered recoverable data, so no reference to it is provided in the reference list. You may, however, cite the material within the text as a personal communication.

Examples:(J. Smith, personal communication, April 15, 2010)

In an interview, J. Smith mentioned the prevalence of …. (personal communication, April 15, 2010)

APA

(2010,

p. 179)


How do I cite someone else’s information from the document I have?

APA

(2010,

p. 178)

Tough’s studies of self-directed learning projects reveal that “it is common for adults to spend 700 hours per year engaged in learning projects” (as cited in Brown & Baxter, 1975, p. 129).

Only Brown and Baxter’s (1975) work appears in your References.Limit secondary sources.Find the original.


How do I reference:APA

(2010,

pp. 202-

205)

Entire book, two authors, an edition?

Mitchell, T. R., & Larson, J. R. (1987). People in organizations: An introduction to organizational behavior (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Note the following: Spaces between initials Use of italics Capitalization No superscript on ordinals



(2010,

pp. 202-

205)

A chapter in an edited book?

Huber, J., Graham, D., Murray-Orr, A., & Reid, N. (2010). Literature conversations for inquiring into the influence of family stories on teacher identities. In M. M. Marsh & T. T. Vorbeck (Eds.), (Mis) Understanding families: Learning from real families in our schools (pp. 79–94). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Note the following:

Use of “In” Position of editor initials Comma Page range using en dash


How do I reference:

New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education (Jossey-Bass Series)?

Wilson, A. L. (2000b). Professional practice in the modern world. In V. W. Mott & B. J. Daley (Eds.), Charting a course for continuing professional education: Reframing professional practice (pp. 71–79). New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 86. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Note the following: Use of “b”(You have used another reference from Wilson, also published in 2000)

Use of italics



(2010, p.

212)

An ERIC document?

Bangser, M. (2008). Preparing high school students for successful transitions to postsecondary education and employment. Issue brief. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED502596)

Note the following: Punctuation A journal article from ERIC does not need the EJ portion of the reference

Skelton, C. (2009). Failing to get men into primary teaching: A feminist critique. Journal of Education Policy, 24(1), 39–54.



(2010,

pp. 206-

207)

Published conference proceedings, available online?

Proulx, J. (2008, June). Secondary mathematics teacher education: Seeing school mathematics as a key to the rejuvenation of teachers’ professional ways of knowing and practicing mathematics. Proceedings of the CSSE Congress 2008. Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia. Retrieved from http://ocs.sfu.ca/fedcan/index.php/csse/csse2008 /schedConf/presentations

Note the following: URL (hyperlink removed)



(2010,

pp. 206-

207)

Paper presented at a conference, available online?

Young, D. C., Kraglund-Gauthier, W. L., & Foran, A. (2009, October). Legal literacy in teacher education programs: Conceptualizing relevance and constructing pedagogy. Paper presented at EDGE 2009: Inspiration and Innovation in Teaching and Teacher Education. Annual International Conference, St. John’s, NF. Retrieved from www.mun.ca/edge2009/displaypapers.php?id=44



(2010,

p. 199)

Journal article, two authors, without a DOI?

Meyer, M. J., & Mitchell, C. (2011). Contested practices of social justice. Journal of Educational Administration and Foundations, 21(1), 1–22.

Note the following: Comma En dash for page range



(2010,

p. 198)

A journal article with a DOI?

Kraglund-Gauthier, W. L., Folinsbee, S., Quigley, B. A., & Grégoire, H. (2009). Re-conceptualizing health and learning in terms of community resilience and enterprise. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 3(4), 405–414. doi: 10.1108/17506200910999147

DOIs refer only to electronic sources; some may not have DOIs. DOIs are not the same as Document ID numbers (i.e., from ProQuest). Do not use document IDs.



(2010,

p. 199)

Journal article found online without a DOI?

Kearns, L.-L. (2011). High-stakes standardized testing and marginalized youth: An examination of the impact on those who fail. Canadian Journal of Education, 34(2), 112–130. Retrieved from http://ojs.vre.upei.ca/index.php/cje-rce

Note the following: No retrieval date (stable link)

URL (open access site)

You have the option to include the web address if it will ease the reader’s retrieval of the document (i.e., available openly on the Internet rather than in a subscriber-only database)



(2010, pp.

203-204)

An electronic book?

Montgomery, L. M. (1908/2008). Anne of Green Gables. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45/45-h/45-h.htm

Note the following:Original date + Electronic dateURL (open access site)



(2010,

p. 208)

A Master’s thesis retrieved from a database?

Campbell-Higgins, C. (2000). The educative process as a contributor to self-efficacy in adult education graduate students (Master’s thesis). Available from Library and Archives Canada. (AMICUS No. 25078157)

Note the following: “Available from” signifies a jump-off point where the document can be obtained


How do I reference:

A corporate website?

Nova Scotia Teachers Union. (2011). US attack on teacher rights. Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.nstu.ca /default.asp?mn=1.56.190.192&sfield=content.id&search=148

APA

(2010,

p. 208)


How do I reference:

A government document written and published by the same?

Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2009). Department of Education response to Report and Recommendations of the Education Professional Development Committee. Halifax, Canada: Author. Note the following:

The word “Author” is used when the author and the publisher is the same.

APA

(2010,

pp. 205-

206)


How do I reference:

A curriculum document, available online?

Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2001). Physical education safety guidelines: Grades primary–12. Halifax, Canada: Author. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from http://www.ednet.ns.ca /pdfdocs/curriculum/Physed-Safety-Web.pdf

Note the following:If there is no date on the document, use (n.d.) in the Year spot

APA

(2010,

pp. 205-

206)


How do I reference:

A technical or research report, available online?

Rose, D. H., Gravel, J. W., & Domings, Y. M. (2010). UDL unplugged: The role of technology in UDL. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files /notech_final2.pdf

APA

(2010,

pp. 205-

206)


Blogs, VBlogs, discussion groups, and electronic mailing lists

Blog (Weblog)Molland, J. (2011, May 3). Who’s to blame? Parents, or kids [Web log message]? Retrieved

June 2, 2011, from http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/whos-to-blame-parents-or-kids/

Video Blog PostTEDtalksDirector. (2007, January 6). Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity [Video

file]? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Discussion Group PostRampersad, T. (2005, June 8). Re: Traditional knowledge and traditional cultural

expressions [online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int /roller/comments/ipisforum/Weblog/theme_eight_how_can_cultural#comments

Electronic Mailing ListSmith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message].

Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group /ForensicNetwork/message/670

APA

(2010, pp.

214-215)


What is a wiki andwhat do I do with it?

A wiki is a website in which the content uploading and editing is done by its own users.

Please note wikis (like Wikipedia, for example) are collaborative projects which cannot guarantee the verifiability or expertise of their entries. A wiki site may be an effective place to start thinking about an idea and understanding concepts, but it should not be considered an academic source.


Deep Cleansing Breaths!APA

Learning APA takes time.

Start now, “dog-ear” your APA manual,

learn from your errors, and

do not let the tiny details consume you!

Remember you can also access the services of the

StFX Writing Centre. See their website at

http://www.sites.stfx.ca/writingcentre/




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