APA and Thesis/Project APA and Thesis/Project Writing 101Writing 101

APA and Thesis/Project APA and Thesis/Project Writing 101Writing 101

How to avoid many of the How to avoid many of the common errors in writing!common errors in writing!

APA is Easy!APA is Easy!APA is Easy!APA is Easy!

Just follow the rules!Just follow the rules!

Order of the Manuscript: APA

• Title Page: Separate page, numbered page 1• Abstract: Separate page, numbered page 2

– One block paragraph, 100-200 words

• Text: Start on a separate page, numbered page 3– No “white space”

• References: Start on a separate page• Appendixes: Start each on a separate page• Tables: Start each on a separate page• Figure Captions: List together, starting on a

separate page• Figures: Place each on a separate page

Title Page• Please follow the directions!• There are specifics:

– Title– Running head– Author(s) byline(s)– Institutional affiliation– Author note: Not required for student

papers

Running head: WRITING PAPERS IN APA STYLE 1

Using APA Style to Write Papers at the

University of North Florida

William A. Ahrens and Kathaleen C. Bloom

University of North Florida

Margins• 1” margins all around

– See APA Publication Manual, Section 5.04, pp. 286-287.

NOTE: default in Word is 1.25” margins all round• Change your default!

Line Spacing• Double-space everything

– See APA Publication Manual, Section 8.03, p. 229.

– Do not double-double-space between paragraphs or sections

NOTE: default in Word 2007 is 1.15 with 10 pt spacing after each paragraph Change the default!

Pagination• All pages have a page number,

including the title page• Page number in the upper right,

flush right• Page number is preceded by the

Running head which is flush left

Pagination• Use the “Header” function in your word

processing program.• Do NOT manually type the page

number on each page– Go to View– Click on Header and Footer– Right justify– Type your Running head– Click the # (insert page number)– Click on “Close”

HeadingsMost Papers

Use No More Than

Three levels. Headings can be pretty

tricky, but, once you get the hang of it, it is

pretty simple to get it right.

See APA Publication Manual, Section 3.03, pp. 62-63.

Punctuation• Insert one space after

– Commas, colons, semicolons– Periods that separate parts of a reference

citation– Periods of the initials in personal names– EXCEPTION: Do not insert a space after

internal periods in abbreviations (e.g., a.m., i.e., U.S.)

• Insert two spaces after punctuation marks at the end of the sentence.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Must be spelled out fully the first time they are used

• Once identified, use the abbreviation/ acronym thereafter in the paper

• Use only acceptable abbreviations/ acronyms– i.e., do not make up your own

Numbers• Use numerals to express

– Numbers 10 and above • See APA manual pp. 111-113 for exceptions

– Numbers in the abstract or in a graphical display

– Numbers that immediately precede a unit of measurement

– Numbers that represent math functions– Numbers that represent time, dates, scores

and points on a scale• See APA manual p. 112 for exceptions

Numbers• Use words to express

– Numbers that begin a sentence, title or text heading

– Common fractions• One fifth of the class• Two-thirds majority

– Universally accepted usage• The Twelve Apostles• Five Pillars of Islam

TextTextTextText

Red Flags• Use of passive voice

– The study was done…– PREFER: The authors performed the study…

• Subject/verb disagreement– The person’s name and date of birth is

required.– CORRECT: The person’s name and date of

birth are required.

Red Flags• Pronouns

– Must agree in number (i.e. singular or plural) with the noun it replaces

– Must agree in gender with the noun it replaces

– Use who for human beings– Use that or which for nonhuman animals

and for things

Red Flags• There are many more!• The APA Publication Manual can be a

great help.– See pages 77-86

Citing SourcesCiting SourcesCiting SourcesCiting Sources

Citations in Text• The purpose of the citation in the text is

to– Identify and give credit to the source of

your information– Allow the reader to find the appropriate full

citation on the reference list• Be accurate!

– Every citation in the text must be matched to an entry on the reference list.

– NEVER rearrange the published order of the authors!

Citing while quoting• You need to put the author’s last

name(s) and date, and PAGE NUMBERS or PARAGRAPH NUMBERS (for online sources).

Ex. “the research findings clearly indicate support for the hypotheses” (Douglass, 2006, p. 55).

Handling Quotes in Your Text

Caruth (2006) states that a traumatic response frequently entails a “delayed, uncontrolled repetitive appearance of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena” (p.11).

A traumatic response frequently entails a “delayed, uncontrolled repetitive appearance of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena” (Caruth, 2006, p.11).

NOTE: The date ALWAYS immediately follows the author

Warning• Don’t forget the quotation marks

and page numbers (or paragraph numbers), or you will be guilty of plagiarism!

Citing• List the last names of all authors the

first time you cite them, unless there are more than 5.

• If there are more than five, or you are citing a source with 3 or more authors for a second or more time, list last name of first author, followed by “et al.,” and the date.

ExamplesScott, Williamson, and

Schaffer (2010) reported that…

(FIRST TIME)

Scott et al. (2010) reported that

(EVERY TIME AFTER)

Scott and Williamson (2010) reported that…

(FIRST TIME and EVERY TIME)

6 or more authors, use “et al.,” first time and every time.

Citing• In the body of the paragraph

– Use “and” between the namesEx. Ahrens and Bloom (2008) agree that…Ex. Loriz, Bloom, and Ahrens (2009) presented

evidence that…

• Inside the parentheses– Use “&” between the names

Ex. There is agreement that … (Ahrens & Bloom, 2008).

Ex. The evidence clearly suggests that … (Loriz, Bloom, & Ahrens, 2009).

Citing• Multiple citations for the same

information– Cite them alphabetically within the same

parentheses by first author, separating the citations with a semi-colon

Ex: There are multiple reports of APA errors (Ahrens, 2006; Bloom & Ledbetter, 2010; Loriz et al., 2009).

Text CitationsThere are several common

mistakes made in citations in the body of the paper (Bloom, K., 2006). Here is another common mistake (Bloom, and Bednarzyk, 2006.) Loriz & Radjenovic (2006) really hate this one.

Text CitationsThere are several common

mistakes made in citations in the body of the paper (Bloom, 2006). Here is another common mistake (Bloom & Bednarzyk, 2006). Loriz and Radjenovic (2006) really hate this one.

Text CitationsAnother common mistake has to do with multiple citations for the same information (Bloom, 2008 and Ahrens, Comeaux & Baker-Townsend, 2006 and Robinson, 2007).

Text CitationsAnother common mistake has to do with multiple citations for the same information (Ahrens, Comeaux, & Baker-Townsend, 2006; Bloom, 2008; Robinson, 2007).

Text CitationsAnd then, there’s always the

et al. problem (Bloom, et. al, 2006).

Text CitationsAnd then, there’s always the

et al. problem (Bloom et al., 2006).

Text CitationsThe placement of punctuation and

quotation marks is often in error in student papers. “There is no easy way to say this; but you really need to learn it.” (Bloom, 2006, pp. 42) Faculty are often frustrated by their student’s lack of attention to detail. “Some people just never seem to get it right (Loriz & Bloom, 2006),” while “others are just plain inconsistent in the way they do it” (Robinson & Meires, 2006, page 13).

Text CitationsThe placement of punctuation and

quotation marks is often in error in student papers. “There is no easy way to say this, but you really need to learn it” (Bloom, 2006, p. 42). Faculty are often frustrated by their students’ lack of attention to detail. “Some people just never seem to get it right” (Loriz & Bloom, 2006, p. 565), while “others are just plain inconsistent in the way they do it” (Robinson & Meires, 2006, p. 13).

Reference PageReference PageReference PageReference Page

References

• Required if you cite any sources in your paper

• Every source cited in your paper must appear on the reference list, and every entry in your reference list must be cited in your paper

• Use hanging indents

Hanging Indents

• Please DO NOT manually create these – use your word processor function to do this for you– Type “References at the top of the page

(Centered) – Before you type the first reference,

• Go to “Format”• Click on “Paragraph”• Click on “Special” and “Hanging”• Click on OK

– Type the reference, hit “Enter”• The next reference will automatically be set up to

do a hanging indent!

References

• Straight APA: Double spaced!• For Thesis/Project, single-spaced with

an extra space between citations

Books• Author(s)

– In the order they are presented in the published work

– List all authors

• Year of publication - In parentheses• Title of book – Sentence case, italicized• Location – City and State• Publisher - Only essential information

– Not initials, not Pub. or Co., etc.

Single-authored bookNorwood, S.L. (2010). Research essentials:

Foundations for evidence-based practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Note: Capitals in the title of the book are restricted to the first letter of the first word of the title, the first letter of any proper names, and the first letter of the first word after a semicolon, period, or question mark.

Reissued bookJarvis, C. (2008). Physical

examination & health assessment (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders.

Dual-authored bookBaran, S. J., & Davis, D. K. (1995).

Mass communication theory: Foundations, ferment and future. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Note: when listing authors, use an ampersand (&) in the reference list, not “and.”

Chapter in an Edited Book

Geibert, R.C. (2010). The journey to evidence-based practice: Using technology to support evidence-based practice. In K. Malloch & T. Porter-O’Grady (Eds.), Introduction to evidence-based practice in nursing and health care (2nd ed., pp. 119-148). Salisbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Chapter in a BookPolit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2008). Developing

a theoretical or conceptual framework. In Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (8th ed., pp. 139-166). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Journal Articles• Author(s)• Year of publication - In parentheses• Title of article – Sentence case• Name of Journal – Capitalize all major

words, italicize• Volume # – italicize• Issue # - in parentheses (not italicized)• Inclusive page numbers.

Single-authored articleWinawer, S.J. (2007). Colorectal cancer

screening. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, 21, 1031-1048. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2007.09.004

Note: The first letter of every important word in the title of the journal is capitalized.

Two to Seven AuthorsAll authors are listedStuebe, A.M., & Schwartz, E.B. (2010). The risks

and benefits of infant feeding practices for women and their children. Journal of Perinatology, 20, 155-162. DOI:10.1038/jp.2009.107

NOTE: When a journal is continuously paginated, no issue # is required

More Than Seven Authors

• Cite the first 6 authors followed by elipses followed by the last author– DO NOT use et al. in the reference list!Ex. Loriz, L., Radjenovic, D., Chally, P.,

Bloom, K., Kruger, B., Bednarzyk, M., … Ledbetter, C. (2007). Let’s talk about APA. Blueprint for Success, 27, 567-580. doi: 10.1037/0456-4231.27.4.567

– See APA Publication Manual, p. 198.

If DOI Not Available• If a doi has not been assigned and the

reference was retrieved online, give the URL of the journal homepage [NOT the location of the article!].

Ex. 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 from http://jrb.pub/index

ReferencesWhat’s Wrong With this Picture?

Ledbetter, C. (2010). The plight of the geese. St. Louis, MI: Gosling Press, Inc.

Carroll, T. (2009). Anesthesia Education at the Cutting Edge: New Techniques. In McDonough, J., & Macha, K., Principles and Practice of Anesthesia Education. NY: New Press.

References

Ledbetter, C. (2010). The Plight of the Geese. St. Louis, MO: Gosling Press.

Carroll, T. (2009). Anesthesia education atthe cutting edge: New techniques. In J.McDonough & K. Macha, Principles and Practice of Anesthesia Education. NewYork, NY: New Press.

References

Bloom, Kathaleen C. (2006). An APA primer. It’s not easy being green, 45(6), pp. 192-4.

Bloom, K.C. and Bednarzyk, M.S. (2006). All About Writing. Sailboats USA, 22, 14-29.

ReferencesBloom, K. C. (2006). An APA primer. It’s

Not Easy Being Green, 45, 192-194.

Bloom, K.C., & Bednarzyk, M.S. (2006). All about writing. Sailboats USA, 22, 14-29.

ReferencesBloom, K.C. et al. (2006). We keep

hoping they will get it one day: the aches and pains of writing. You asked for it, 21 (7), 14-24.

ReferencesBloom, K.C., Bednarzyk, M.S., Loriz,

L., Radjenovic, D., Robinson, K., & Meires, J. (2006). We keep hoping they will get it one day: The aches and pains of writing. You Asked For It, 21(7), 14-24.

ReferencesLoriz L, Radjenovic D. The old and

the young. J Scuba Div. 2006 Jan-Feb; 49(3): 1765-72.

Robinson, K., & Meires, J. (2006). Patho is us at unf. Taking charge, 14, 198-214.

ReferencesLoriz, L., & Radjenovic, D. (2006).

The old and the young. Journal of Scuba Diving, 49,1765-1772.

Robinson, K., & Meires, J. (2006). Patho is us at UNF. Taking Charge, 14, 198-214.

Decisions You Must Make

• If you use RefWorks or any APA citation software, you cannot take what they have without making some decisions– The software has no idea if the journal is

continuously paginated or not• i.e. when to use or not use the issue # on the

reference list)

– The software does not know the unique rules about formatting

• front matter• different top margins for the beginning of

chapters

Questions?