APA Documentation Guide for A. R. Johnson Students

A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering High School

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Contents

Formatting the Formal Research Paper …………………………………. 3

Documenting the Formal Research Paper ………………………………. 5

Sample Works Cited List ……………………………………………….. 6

Sample In-text Citations ………………………………………………... 7

Citing and Listing On-line Sources ……………………………………. 9

Editing the Formal Research Paper ……………………………………. 9

Checklist for the APA Research Paper ………………………………… 10

Rules for Note Cards …………………………………………………… 11

Ten Steps in Writing a Research Paper ………………………………… 12

Checklist for the Final Outline ………………………………………… 13

APA Research Paper Layout ………………………………………….. 14

Punctuation Rules …………………………………………………….. 15

The purpose of this documentation guide is to help students complete their formal

research reports successfully. It supplements the material in the Publication Manual of

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the American Psychological Association (5th Edition). Please refer to the APA guide as

needed.

Formatting the Formal Research Paper

The formal research paper should have a title page that includes the title of the

paper, the student’s name, the school’s name, and the date the paper is submitted. The

paper will be submitted in the standard cover chosen by the instructor. Each page of the

report should be double-spaced, with each paragraph indented five spaces. Headings

should be centered and may be in boldface type. Triple spacing before each new heading

could make your paper more attractive.

Set the top, right, and bottom margins of the document for one inch. Set the left

margin for one and one half inches to allow for the report’s cover. Set justification to left

margin, but leave the right margin ragged (or unjustified).

Next comes the table of contents or outline. Label it “Contents.” List your

section heads the way you write them on the page of the report. The table of contents

gives the reader an overview of the report and tells on what page a given section begins.

Use subject matter headings, which tell more about the contents of the report. Do not use

labels like “background,” summary,” and “conclusion.”

The last item on the table of contents will probably be Works Cited. Paginate the

reference list. Pagination means the numbering of the pages. Use Arabic numerals for

the report, beginning with “1” on the title page of the report. Place the numbers in the top

right corner of each page. Do not number the letter of transmittal (if you are asked to

include one). Because prefatory elements traditionally carry small Roman numerals,

paginate the table of contents in that way.

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Although the APA requires running manuscript page headers to keep different

authors’ articles separate during the layout and printing processes, page headers are not

required for this paper. If used, page headers should be only two or three words long

(probably the first tow or three words of the paper’s title). They should be placed in the

upper right corner of each page, above or five spaces to the left of the page number.

Label the abstract section of the report. Its function will be apparent from its

placement and contents. This part of the report should briefly identify the topic and tell

the purpose of the report. The scope narrows the topic to those areas the report actually

covers. The plan of development of the report should also be revealed. The topic,

purpose, scope, and plan of development can usually be covered in two or three

sentences. Also, the introduction may include background or historical information about

the topic.

The body of the report is the argument or text. Present the majority of the

research material here. Write it in your own words, but give credit to authors for their

studies, concepts, and original work. Paraphrase, citing the sources, using the experts’

opinions as support for your ideas. If you use direct quotes, follow the rules on

punctuating and citing direct quotes. An average paragraph should contain at least five

sentences, and an average sentence should be no longer than twenty words. Use

transitions within and between sentences and paragraphs. When beginning a new section,

do not count on the heading as the subject of your sentence. Never start a paragraph with

a pronoun. Repeat the nouns from the section heading before using pronouns.

The conclusion of the report can be a documented summary of your findings or a

conclusion(s) based on the opinions of the “experts” (authors you have cited in the

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discussion). The documented summary and conclusion should support any

recommendation the report makes.

The introduction, argument, and conclusion are the main elements. Main elements

should be documented. Refer to the APA guide for directions on including

supplementary materials.

Documenting the Formal Research Paper

A primary part of the task of producing the formal research paper is to select the

topic well, research it fully, and sort out appropriate from inappropriate material. Logic

and objectivity should prevail in organizing, writing, and documenting.

Documenting is a way of giving credit to the person or people who did original

research, carried out studies, or created concepts. Citing experts’ theories and results

gives support to students’ arguments and lends credibility to the report. Using other

people’s ideas and results without citing them as the originators is committing plagiarism.

Plagiarism is stealing. When in doubt, cite!

Two aspects of documentation are listing and citing. Listing is writing your

alphabetized reference list. This list is called “Works Cited” and is placed as the last

page(s) of your report. All listed sources must be cited. Sources may be cited several

times, but each listed source must be cited at least once.

When conducting research, you may have a long list of potential sources, or

working bibliography. As the scope of the report is limited, many of these sources may

not be used. List only sources cited in the report in your Works Cited. Every recoverable

source is identified an illustrated by an example.

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Sample Works Cited List

This is a sample reference list. Pay special attention to the spacing, capitalization,

order of elements, punctuation and underlining, volume and page numbering, and the

APA style of indicating publishing company and city publication.

Pinter, R., Eisenson, J., & Stanton, M. (1941). The Psychology of the Physically

Disabled. New York: Crofts & Company.

Rosenstein, J. (1961). Perception, Cognition and Language in Deaf Children. Exceptional

Children, 27 (3), 276-284.

The British Association of Teachers of the Deaf. (n.d.). The Professional Association for

Teachers of the Deaf. Retrieved January 6, 2003, from http://www.batod.org.uk.

Trybus, R. J., & Karchmer, M. (1977). School Achievement Scores on Deaf Children.

American Annals of the Deaf, 122, 62-69.

Vernon, M. (1967). Relationship of Language to the Thinking Process. Archives of

Genetic Psychiatry, 16, (3), 325-333.

Yoshinaga-Itano, C., & Downey, D. M. (1997). Analyzing Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

Students' Written Metacognitive Strategies and Story-Grammar Propositions.

Volta Review, 98, (1), 63-64. Allsop and Kyle (1982).

Young, A., Ackerman, J., & Kyle, J. G. (1998). Looking On. Bristol: Policy Press.

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Sample In-text Citations

The APA style of documentation uses in-text parenthetical citations to identify the

source of information. In research paper, the year of publication becomes crucial in

establishing the credibility of the support for your argument. Out-of-date information

may no longer be valid due to advances in your field of research. In addition, support for

our argument is weakened if the author cited is not an expert in the field.

In the following sample, not the use of in-text citations:

Two significant reviews of studies drew together the mounting evidence for the

equality of deaf and hearing persons’ thinking process. One (Rosenstein, 1961) found no

differences between deaf and hearing persons in conceptual performance when the

linguistic elements presented were within the language experience of the deaf learner.

The important conclusion was that abstract thought is not closed to deaf persons.

Another comprehensive review on thirty-one research studies using more than

8,000 deaf children of ages three to nineteen (Vernon, 1967), found that in thirteen

experiments, deaf subjects had superior success to either the test norms or control groups.

In seven studies, the scores were not significantly different, and only in the remaining

studies did deaf subjects perform at an inferior level. The important conclusion was that

deaf youth perform as well as hearing youth in a wild variety of tasks that measure

thinking (Vernon).

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Note that in the first paragraph of the sample, the first time a reference is cited,

both the author and year are included. If the author or year is used in the wording of the

paragraph, however, only the one not stated is put in the parenthetical citation. When

both author and year are used in the text of the paragraph, no parenthetical repetition is

needed.

Citing the same source a second time in the same paragraph requires use of the

author’s name only, unless there are other references that could be confused with the one

you are using. In each new paragraph, cite both the author and year the first time you cite

the reference.

When there are two authors, cite both authors each time. Put their names in the

order in which they appear on the source. Use an ampersand (&) in the reference list and

in the parenthetical citation, but use the word “and” if you cite them in the text of your

paragraph. If there are three to six authors, cite them all the first time, then cite the first

author with “et al.” “Et” is the Latin word for “and,” and “al.” Is the abbreviation for the

Latin word “alia,” meaning “others.”

When using direct quotations from sources, always give the page number.

Passages more than forty words long must be set in block quotation format.

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Citing and Listing On-line Sources

To cite an on-line source in your paper, use an n-text parenthetical citation that

identifies the author and year. If no author is available, give the first few words of the

reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. For listing general online documents,

use the following format: Author, I. I. (date). Full title of work. Retrieved month, day,

year, from source. Electronic sources include such items as databases, online journals,

and Web sites or Web pages. An example of a source (path) would be as follows:

http://www.sonic.net/~joeb/letters.html.

Editing the Formal Research Paper

Before submitting your report, edit it for mechanics, format, and content. Make

sure that the verbs agree with their subjects in number and that the pronouns agree with

their nouns in number, gender, and case. Write in the active voice when possible and use

direct, simple language. Check the entire report for correct punctuation, spelling, word

choice, and parallelism. Check your Work Cited page for capitalization, punctuation,

indentation, and spacing.

Finally, check our report for content. Make sure it makes sense and follows your

proposed plan of development. Expert testimony and examples should support your

discussion. The conclusion should be clearly supported by the body of the report. The

final product should be attractive, thorough, and a source of pride in your

accomplishment.

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Checklist for APA Research Paper

Check your research paper for each of the following. When you are certain that your paper meets the requirement, place a check in the blank. If you are uncertain of the item, please ASK! You will be held accountable for each item on this checklist.

OUTLINE____ Title is on the first line.____ The specific topics and thesis of your paper on included in the outline.____ The entire outline page is double spaced (including the thesis).____ All A’s are followed by B’s; 1’s are followed by 2’s.____ Outline is grammatically consistent.INTRODUCTION____ A definition or an example of the topic is given.____ Interesting facts or statistics are included in your introduction.____ Thesis sentence is the last sentence of your introductory paragraph.____ Thesis reveals the specific organization of your paper.____ Thesis does not begin with a phrase like, “This paper will …”BODY OF PAPER____ A notation follows all quotes and facts (other than those that are common knowledge). Ex. In

the year 1992, there were 6482 traffic fatalities as a result of drunk driving (Smith, 61). ____ Subtopics are completely explained and supported.____ Argument is supported with three strong reasons.____ The body of the paper is logically divided in 3-6 paragraphs (1-2 paragraphs per reason).____ Reasons are completely explained and supported.____ Each paragraph has a topic sentence and is well-developed.CONCLUSION____ The first sentence restates the thesis.____ It contains one sentence for each paragraph of the body of the paper; each sentence summarizes

the paragraph that it references.____ No new ideas are introduced in the conclusion.WORKS CITED PAGE____ Page is headed Works Cited.____ The form is correct for each entry.____ All entries end with a period____ The entire page is double-spaced.____ Entries are alphabetized.____ All required sources have been used.MISCELLANEOUS____ Form for title page is followed.____ Entire paper uses the same verb tense.____ There are no contractions in the paper.____ All paragraphs are indented.____ The paper is double-spaced with no extra spaces between paragraphs.____ No first or second person is used in this paper unless it is a direct quote.____ Computer spell check has been completed.____ Rough draft has been edited for errors in spelling, form, and grammar.____ Paper is the correct length (amount of pages).____ Numbers under 100 and percents are written out.____ Title of the paper reveals the specific topic.____ Your last name and page are typed at the top of each page, including the “Works Cited” page.____ Normal Times New Roman 12 point font is used.____ Abbrevations are used only after they have been identified in your paper.____ Side, top, and bottom margins are one inch.____ All pronouns agree with their antecedents.

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____ All slang terms and informal language have been edited from the paper.Rules for Note Cards

1. Use a separate note card for each idea.2. Write on only one side of each card.3. Use 4 x 6 index cards4. Use only abbreviations that will make sense to you later.5. Every note card includes a number in the top right hand corner to indicate

its source.6. Every not card includes a page reference.7. Each note card includes only one topic.8. Avoid excessive quotations, using them for fewer than twenty percent

(20%) of your notes.9. Use quotation marks every time you use an author’s exact words.10.Summarize only main ideas.11.When paraphrasing, you must be careful to avoid plagiarism.12.Avoid taking too many notes from only one or two sources.13.Use relevant, timely sources for information suitable to your topic.14.Take notes that correspond to your working outline.15.Never throw away a note card. Draw a line from the upper right corner

to the lower left corner if you feel the card is no longer useful. Place this card at the back of your stack.

4 x 6 Note Card

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Topic Source #

NOTES

Page #

Ten Steps in Writing a Research Paper

1. Selecting and limiting the subject.2. Preparing a working bibliography.3. Preparing a preliminary outline.4. Reading and taking notes.5. Assembling notes and writing the final outline.6. Writing the first draft.7. Proofreading and editing the first draft.8. Writing the final draft with notations and a final bibliography.9. Proofreading and editing the final draft and bibliography.10. Writing the final copy of the research paper.

Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the main idea, the controlling statement of your paper. In academic expository writing, readers expect to find a clear explanation of the main idea near the beginning of the essay, frequently at the end of the introduction. The thesis statement is also usually restated in the conclusion. It tells the reader exactly what to expect in the paper. All your paragraphs will be related in some way to the thesis statement. IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN YOUR PAPER! It tells the reader what your subject is and how you view that subject. It focuses the essay and thus serves as a unifying device for everything that follows.

Checklist for a Thesis Statement

____ Conveys your topic, your subtopics, and your interest.____ Narrows the topic to single subject that you want readers to learn about from your essay.____ Provides a concise preview of how you will arrange your information in the paper.

Plagiarism Copying or imitating the language, ideas and/or thoughts of another writer and passing them off as one's own original work is plagiarism. Plagiarism is cheating; if you do it there is a price to pay.

Hints to Avoid Plagiarism1. Introduce the quotation or paraphrase with the name of the author who said it. For

example: Harold Herber stated that … The conclusion drawn by Dr. Von Braun indicate….

2. Enclose all quoted information within double quotation marks.3. Remember that even though you will be interpreting facts and opinions, you must

document the fact or opinion that is being discussed.

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Checklist for the Final Outline

____ Reflects my thesis; the sum of the parts equal the thesis statement.____ Chose an organizational pattern that reflects my purpose and my topic.____ Reveals the logical organizational pattern for my paper.____ Divided topics into relatively equal parts.____ Did not use an A without a B or a 1 without a 2.____ Use logical divisions.____ Avoided 5th and 6th level divisions for which I have nothing more than a sentence or

two to say.____ A’s and B’s support or explain topic designated by I, II, III, etc. and 1’ s and 2’s

support A’s and B’s.____ For each Roman Numeral, write a phrase to summarize ideas.____ Do not write in complete sentences.____ Outline maintains parallel structure.

TitleThesis:

I. (introduction)A.B.

II. (first topic)A.

1.2.

B.

III. (second topic)A.B.

IV. (third topic)A.B.

V. (conclusion)A.B.

(You may have more than three topics and more than A and B under each topic. You may use more than 1 and 2 or none at all for each subtopic.)

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APA Research Paper Layout

Title Page Outline (Contents) Abstract

Title Page

First Page of Paper Works Cited

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Last Name #Title

Thesis:I. A. B.II. A. B.

V. A. B.

Last Name 1

Title

Name

A.R. Johnson

Date

Last Name #

Abstract(summary of your paper)

Last Name #(topic 1)

__________________

_____________________

_____________________

_________________

_____________________

_____________________

__________________

Last Name #

Works Cited

Punctuation Rules Here is a summary of punctuation and capitalization rules, organized to help you organize and remember them

Five End-Mark Rules 1. A statement is followed by a period. 2. A question is followed by a question mark. 3. An exclamation is followed by an exclamation point. 4. An imperative sentence is followed by either a period or an exclamation point. 5. An abbreviation is followed by a period.

Four Rules for Irregular Abbreviations A two-letter state abbreviation, used only before a zip code, has no periods and has both letters of the

abbreviation in upper case (caps). [Bethesda, MD 20816] 1. Abbreviations for government agencies and some other widely used abbreviations again use all

capital letters and no periods. [CIA, NAACP] 2. Abbreviations for metric units of measure customarily use no periods but are lower case. [cc, ml,

km] 3. When an abbreviation with a period ends a sentence, the second period is not necessary, but a

question mark or exclamation point would follow the period required by the abbreviation. [This is Sam, Jr. (but) Is this Sam, Jr.? ]

Seven Capitalization Rules 1. Capitalize the first word in every sentence. 2. Capitalize the pronoun I. 3. Capitalize the interjection O. 4. Capitalize proper nouns.

people's names geographical names special events historical events/periods nationalities, races, religions brand names ships, planets, awards, specific places, things, events

5. Capitalize proper adjectives. 6. Do not capitalize the names of school subjects except languages and course names followed by a

number. 7. Capitalize titles.

title before a name title of high official family relationship when used with or in place of person's name first and all important words of publication titles, movies, songs, works of art words referring to the Deity (other than those of ancient mythology)

Three Colon Rules 1. Use a colon before a list of items, especially after expressions like as follows or the following. A

colon says "note what follows." A colon suggests equality. 2. Use a colon before a statement that expands or clarifies a preceding statement. 3. Use a colon in conventional situations. between hours and minutes in time after the salutation of a

business letter

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Three Rules for Italics/Underlining 1. Use underlining (italics) for titles of books, periodicals, works of art, films, record albums,

television series, trains, ships, aircraft, spacecraft, and so on. (Titles of major works) 2. Use underlining (italics) to indicate words referred to as words, letters referred to as letters,

numerals referred to as numerals. 3. Italicize foreign words.

Four Semicolon Rules 1. Use a semicolon between independent clauses in a sentence if they are not joined by and, but, or,

nor, for, yet. 2. Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by such words as for example, for instance,

that is, besides, accordingly, moreover, nevertheless, furthermore, otherwise, therefore, however, consequently, instead, hence. (In other words, between independent clauses joined by transitional words that are not conjunctions.)

3. Use a semicolon to separate the independent clauses of a compound sentence if either of the independent clauses contains potentially confusing commas.

4. Use semicolons instead of commas to separate a list of items which themselves contain commas. (The "Upgrade Rule")

Four Apostrophe Rules Possessives 1. To form the possessive case of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s. Do not use

apostrophes to form the possessives of the personal pronouns. 2. To form the possessive case of a plural noun ending in s, add only the apostrophe. Contractions 3. Use an apostrophe to show where letters have been omitted in a contraction. 4. Use an apostrophe and s to form the plural of letters, numbers, and signs, and for words referred to

as words. N. B. such letters, numbers, signs, or words as words would be in italics

Four Hyphen Rules 1. Use a hyphen to divide a word at the end of a line. Divide words only between syllables, and make

sure at least two syllables end up on the second line. 2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine. 3. Use a hyphen with fractions used as adjectives. 4. Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, and all- and with the suffix -elect.

Ten Quotation Rules 1. Use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation-a person's exact words. How to punctuate and

capitalize a quotation 2. A direct quotation begins with a capital letter. 3. When a quoted sentence is divided into two parts by an interrupting expression such as he said or

Mother asked, the second part begins [read that as continues] with a small letter. (Split quotation) 4. A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by commas or by a question mark or

exclamation point. Where to place end marks in a quote 5. A period or comma following a quotation should be placed inside the closing quotation marks. 6. A question mark or an exclamation point should be placed inside the closing quotation marks if

the quotation is a question or exclamation. Otherwise it should be placed outside. Special placement of quotes

7. When you write dialogue (two or more persons having a conversation), begin a new paragraph each time you change speakers.

8. When a quotation consists of several sentences, put quotation marks only at the beginning and at the end of the whole quotation, not around each sentence in the quotation.

9. Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation. Conventional uses 10. Use quotation marks to enclose titles of chapters, articles, short stories, poems, songs, and other

parts of books or magazines. (Minor works or parts of works)

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Eight Comma Rules Multiple items (to separate or join)

1. Use commas to separate items in a series. 2. Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives that come before a noun. 3. Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet when it joins independent clauses.

Parenthetical and interrupter words 4. Use commas to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence.

1. non-essential participle phrases or subordinate clauses 2. non-essential appositives or appositive phrases 3. words used in direct address 4. parenthetical expressions

5. Use a comma after yes, no, or any mild exclamation such as well or why at the beginning of a sentence.

6. Use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause. 1. always follow an introductory participle phrase with a comma 2. always follow an introductory adverb clause with a comma 3. put a comma after multiple prepositional phrases that begin a sentence; do not put a

comma after a single introductory prepositional phrase unless to omit the comma would cause confusion

Conventional situations 7. Use commas in certain conventional situations.

1. items in dates and addresses 2. after the salutation of a friendly letter and the closing of any letter

8. Do not use unnecessary commas.

Parentheses & Dashes Rules 1. Use parentheses to enclose material added to a sentence but not of major importance. (An

understated interruption) Place a space outside the parentheses (before the first unless it begins a sentence and after the last unless it ends a sentence), but do not place a space after the opening parenthesis or before the closing parenthesis.

2. Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought or speech. (Use dashes to enclose an overstated interruption?)

1. Do not put a space on either side of an em-dash (the type of dash we are discussing here). 2. To type an em-dash on a Macintosh computer, hold down the Option and Shift keys and

press the Hyphen key. If your typewriter or printer cannot make an em-dash, use two hyphens in a row (without spaces) to indicate an em-dash.

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