Welcome to Unit 4

There is no Seminar in Unit 5But, don’t relax…

Keep researching for your Final Project

a quick review

A thesis statement is a statement of one or two sentences that explains a

paper's argument, focus, or purpose. It is usually found in the paper's

introduction.

A formal persuasive research presents research to change minds, inspire readers to action, or to argue for a solution to a problem.

Example of a thesis statement:

Menu items offered in fast-food restaurants offer limited healthy food choices; however, three healthy fast-food restaurants that are offering healthy alternatives for good nutrition are Subway, Arby’s and Taco Bell.

From there, you can ‘picture’ what the essay will be about.Paragraph - IntroductionParagraph(s) - SubwayParagraph (s) - Arby’sParagraph (s) - Taco BellParagraph - Conclusion

Gangs are a growing problem in the United States, yet through identifying the types of gangs, recognizing why they join and having access to rehabilitation

and prevention programs; these youth have a chance for a gang-free childhood.

From there, you can ‘picture’ what the essay will be about…

Paragraph - IntroductionParagraph(s) –Types of GangsParagraph (s) – Why They JoinParagraph (s) – Prevention ProgramsParagraph - Conclusion

GETTING EXCITED ABOUT WRITING

What is Standard American English?

Formal Writing: written in Standard Written American English, and free of slang and contractions. Note: this is not an exact definition, but simply a description of the characteristics many associate with formal writing.

Informal Writing: written using features of any variety of spoken English, slang, and contractions. Note: this is not an exact definition, but simply a description of the characteristics many associate with informal writing.

Image courtesy-FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BABY STEPS TO GATHER DATA…very cool…Do Not Write the Intro and Conclusion Paragraph Yet

Directly quoting: This refers to using a source without altering it in any way; the work is used word-for-word. It is critical that all directly quoted passages are enclosed in quotation marks. You must also identify the origin/author of the quote.

2. Paraphrasing: You can also use a source by placing it in your own words. Paraphrasing simplifies or restates the main ideas of an author and is generally the same length as the original. You still need to identify the origin/author of the paraphrased passage.

3. Summarizing: Like paraphrasing, you can summarize a source by placing it in your own words. The difference is that it is a shortened version of the original; the author’s main ideas are abbreviated for the sake of length. Once again, you still need to identify the origin/author of the summarized passage.

APA OverviewIn addition to the attacks on the children, “a

Maryland father, disappointed that his son

had been left off the all-star team, knocked

down and kicked a coach” (Lord, 2001,

p.52).

APA OverviewReference Page

Where can I find the original?Caffeine is one of the fastest acting drugs known to man. When we drink it, almost every cell in the body, including the brain, absorbs it within minutes….Caffeine intercepts adenosine, turning [its] "I’m tired" message into "I’m wide awake." The result is an invigorating buzz coffee drinkers crave (Sunday Morning, 2002).

*should be (Caffeine nation, 2002).

.

References

Brain, M. (2007). Caffeine. Retrieved September 2, 2007, from How Stuff Works Web site: http://health.howstuffworks.com/caffeine.htm

Caffeine nation. (2002, November 14). Retrieved September 2, 2007, from Sunday Morning Web site: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/14/Sunday/main529388.shtml

Owen, D. (2006). Coffee and caffeine FAQs. Retrieved September 2, 2007, from http://coffeefaq.com/site/node/25

The parenthetical citation and reference list entry for a source should be the first thing you see

(“Caffeine

Plea bargains are legally wrong. Lynch, T. (2003) states “Plea bargaining rests on the constitutional fiction that our government does not retaliate against individuals who wish to exercise their right to trial by jury.” What that means is that government should not and cannot punish those who decide that they want to invoke the rights given to them by the U.S. Constitution. That is what plea bargaining does. In essence, the criminal is told if they do not take the deal and waive their right to a jury trial then the government is going to go after them to the full extent of the law. After being told that, most become afraid and take whatever deal the state or federal government dictates to them. “Approximately 65% of the plea bargaining tactic is used to regulate the judicial process” (Thomas, 2004). Therefore, plea bargains are questionable aspect of Criminal Justice, as the Constitution is violated and fear tactics are instigated.

Plea bargains are legally wrong. Lynch, T. (2003) states “Plea bargaining rests on the constitutional fiction that our government does not retaliate against individuals who wish to exercise their right to trial by jury.” What that means is that government should not and cannot punish those who decide that they want to invoke the rights given to them by the U.S. Constitution. That is what plea bargaining does. In essence, the criminal is told if they do not take the deal and waive their right to a jury trial then the government is going to go after them to the full extent of the law. After being told that, most become afraid and take whatever deal the state or federal government dictates to them. “Approximately 65% of the plea bargaining tactic is used to regulate the judicial process” (Thomas, 2004). Therefore, plea bargains are questionable aspect of Criminal Justice, as the Constitution is violated and fear tactics are instigated.

Where did this come from?Most editors of psychology journals (63%) reported that they check APA format as part of their article review process

ReferencesBrewer, B. W,. Scherzer, C. B., Van

Raalte, J. L, Petitpas, A. J., & Anderson, M. B. (2001, March). American Psychologist, 56(3), 266–267.

(Brewer, Scherzer,Van Raalte, Petitpas, & Anderson, p. 266).

uncredited statisticcredited statistic

Integrating Sources

Link the in-text citationto a corresponding entryon the Reference pageand:

• Use “hanging indentations”

• Alphabetize entries• Double space

STEP 3b: CITE THE SOURCE--REFERENCE PAGE

In-text

…numbers of rowdy children off the streets and to teach them values (Nack &

Munson, 2000). The American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Sports

Medicine and Committee on School Health (2001) are concerned for the

preadolescent children who participate in sports and have outlined “[...]

important objectives for parents, coaches and officials” (p. 583). Corresponding Reference Page Entries

KUWC_APA v12008

Integrating Sources

Lead into sourcematerial with a phrase or sentence that signals to the reader whose ideas or words willfollow next.

STEP 1: THE SIGNAL PHRASE

According to Weston (1996), children from one-parent homes read at “a significantly lower level than those from two parent homes” (p. 58).

Moore (2003) argues that if we hope to remain a prosperous democracy, “citizens must understand, appreciate, and take part in the political process” (p. 33).

Echoing the opinions of other Europeans at the time, Freud (1961) had a poor view of

Americans:

The Americans are really too bad….Competition is much more pungent with them, not succeeding means civil death to every one, and they have no private resources apart from their profession, no hobby, games, love or other interests of a cultured person. And success means money. (p. 86)

Personal Communication- This will NOT be in the References page

(M. Singer, personal communication, March 3, 2008)

(V.G. Nguyen, personal communication, September 28, 1998)

More Formatting….

17

Quotation Examples (Under 40 words)

• Waitley (1993) stated, “Conformity is a change in behavior caused by a desire to follow the norms of a group” (p. 371).

• Psychologists and researchers generally agree that “conformity is a change in behavior caused by a desire to follow the norms of a group” (Waitley, 1993, p. 371).

Sec. 3.34 (p 117-119) and 5.12 ( p. 292-293) 18

Quotations• Avoid too many direct quotations in your text. Ask

yourself if a quotation is truly necessary over paraphrasing or summarizing the material.

• Quotations are formatted according to the number of words quoted. – Quotations under 40 words are formatted as part of

the sentence, with quotations marks, and punctuation after the page number.

– Quotations over 40 words are formatted part as a block, with a 5-space left indent, no quotation marks, double-spaced, and punctuation before the page number.

Single-spaced for Graduate School

Formatting

APA Body Page

Block Quote

How many spaces? Except for the title page, everything is double-spaced.

ReferencesAxelrod, R. B., & Cooper, C. C. (2001). The St. Martin’s guide to

writing (6th Ed.). New York: Bedford/St. Martins.Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1983). Does learning to write

have to be so difficult? In A. Freedman, I. Pringle, & J. Yalden (Eds.), Learning to Write: First Language/Second Language (20–33). New York: Longman.

Block, P. (2000). Flawless consulting: A guide to getting your expertise used (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

double-space

Wondering whether alligators lurk in New York’s sewers? Snopes (http://www.snopes.com) is a great site for debunking urban legends.

What if I discuss a Web site? When is it correct to give a URL in an intext citation?

C. Only when referring to an entire site

What about those caps? For book and magazine titles in the reference list,

use sentence case.

ReferencesKruse, K. (n.d.). Born at the YMCA: Malcolm Knowles and the birth of andragogy.

Retrieved September 2, 2007, from http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art3_2.htm

Capitalize only the first word of the title (andsubtitle) and any proper nouns.

Sentence case is used only in the reference list.

Keeping it R.E.A.L.

As an NOPD intern, you will not be writing an entire report; you are responsible for the narrative found

near the end. A “trick” you can use to assist you in this process is to remember R.E.A.L. or real:

Recognize sources: In other words, be sure to give credit to the evidence’s original source.

Exclude the irrelevant: The facts should speak for themselves; everything else is unnecessary.

Accurately report: You need to observe the evidence and be very precise in what you write about it.

Length appropriate: A narrative should be a summary of events rather than a novel or book. The overall event

must be compressed or condensed for the sake of brevity.

Sec. 3.95 (p. 208-209) 24

Et al.• A citation with three, four, or five authors

– First in-text citation included ALL authors– Subsequent in-text citations include the first author

and et al.• A citation with six or more authors

– First and subsequent citations include the first author and et al.

• Citations that shorten to the same author and year– Cite surnames of as many of the authors as necessary

to distinguish between the references– Example: Jones, Lee, Garcia et al. (2005) and Jones,

Lee, Wong, et al. (2005)

Note the period after “al”

Sec. 3.42-3.49 (p. 122-130) 25

Numbers

• Guidelines for expressing numbers in figures or in words

• General rule: Numbers above 10 expressed in figures

• Some exceptions

26

Numbers Expressed in Figures• Numbers 10 and above• Numbers below 10 grouped for comparison with numbers 10 and

above (in the same paragraph, and in the same categories of items)– In 8 of the 20 studies– Scores improved for 3 students at Site A and for 15 students at Site B.

• Percentages, dates, ages, samples/subsamples, scores and points on a scale– Of the 8 particpants, ages 2 to 4, 30% were…– A 7-point scale was used

• Numbers in a numbered series– Grade 5 (but would be “fifth grade science class…”)– Table 6 in chapter 4

27

Numbers Expressed in Words

• Any number that begins a sentence, title, or heading– Fifteen students reported… – Results indicated that 15 students…)

• Numbers below 10 not grouped for comparison with numbers above 10

• Fractions– Results show that one-third of all respondents…

Source Integration Techniques

Always introduce a paragraph with an original thought/sentence.

Introduce and comment on every quotation, paraphrase, and summary.

Surround the material with interpretation or opinion.

Explain where the material is from, and why it is interesting (in other words, tell readers why the source is relevant to your paper).

Avoid ending any paragraph, section, or paper with a quotation.

Make Paragraphs CoherentWhen sentences and paragraphs flow from one to another without discernible bumps, gaps, or shifts, they are said to be coherent. Coherence can be improved by strengthening the ties between old information and new. A number of techniques for strengthening those ties are detailed in this section

*Make sure you do the ‘Intern Task Checklist’ before submitting your project

So…how can we do this in writing?

Logical / sequential order Firstly, secondly, thirdly etc Next, last, finally In addition Furthermore Also At present / presently  

Order of importance Most / more importantly Most significantly Above all Primarily It is essential / essentially

ContrastHowever On the other hand On the contrary By (in) comparison In contrast

ResultAs a result As a consequence Therefore Thus Consequently Hence

ComparisonSimilarly Likewise Also

ReasonThe cause of The reason for

Sentence Connectors

Sentence connectors are used to link ideas from one sentence to the next and to give paragraphs coherence. Sentence connectors perform different functions and are placed at the beginning of a sentence. They are used to introduce, order, contrast, sequence ideas, theory, data etc. The following table lists useful connectors.

What’s the reward?

The editors of Mastering APA Style say:

The more you use APA style, the more mastery you will achieve. When you achieve mastery, you will have internalized good writing skills as well as the basic style rules. Thus in any subsequent writing you do, you will need to consult the Publication Manual less and less often and will approach any writing task with greater confidence and competence. (Gelfland & Walker, 2002, p. 5)

Professional credibility Greater “confidence and competence” in writing

The Body of the Paper

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

Your voice is the most important one in the essay!

Let the information and opinions of others support, not dominate, your own ideas.

Ever notice that the root of the word authority is author? Be the author and the authority in your essay.