APA & Style Combo

7/27/2019 APA & Style Combo

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Academic Writing(Its not as daunting as you might think.)

James Hayashi, MPW


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ClutterConsider this passage from William Zinssers Clutter (2006):

Fighting clutter is like fighting weedsthe writer is always

slightly behind. New varieties sprout overnight, and by noon

they are part of American speech. John Dean holds the

record. In just one day of testimony on TV during theWatergate hearings he raised the clutter quotient by 400

percent. The next day everyone in America was saying at

this point in time instead of now. (p. 12)


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Types of Clutter A 10-word phrase where three words will suffice

The unneeded prepositionface up to a problemvs face a problem

free up some timevs free some time

RedundancyAfter reviewing the report, my first initial impression was that

Im a little skeptical, and I

felt like it was one of those

disbelieving times.Im a little skeptical, and my

doubt reemerged.


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Fighting ClutterBreak free of the more is better impulse.

Expand your paper with content, not with verbage.

Be ruthless when reading your own workand the work of

your peers. Go through the steps of writing.

Set aside your work for 24 hours before coming back to revise

it.


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Clarity of ExpressionConsider the following examples:

Clause

Researchers have to judge how

valid and reliable the web sites

are.

How the participants progressed

through their academic classes

was tracked by counselors.

Noun Phrase

Researchers have to judge the

validity and reliability of the

web sites.

The participants academic

progress was tracked by

counselors.


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Clarity of Expression (cond)This study clearly demonstrates

that diet strongly influences

toddlers' behavior.

This study clearly demonstrates

diets strong influence on

toddler behavior.


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Clarity of Expression (cond)

1. Locate a clause within your sentence. The easiest way is to

find agroup of words beginning with how, that, which, who,

or whom.2. After the how or that, look for a verb that can be made

into a noun: self-assessed self-assessment

Sometimes instead, youll look for an adjective to be made

into a noun: valid and reliable

validity and reliability3. Rebuild your sentence using these noun words instead.

There was a clear pattern to how

participants self-assessed theirperformance.

Participants self-assessment

showed a clear pattern.


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Passive VoiceActive voice: Emphasizes the subject (the person performing an

action).Passive voice: Emphasizes the object (the thing being acted upon);

often uses the proposition by

ExampleActive: I shot the sheriff, butI did not shoot the deputy.

Passive: The sheriffwas shot by me, butthe deputywas not shot

by me.


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Passive VoiceExample

Active:Alexis left poor Dave at the altar.Passive: Poor Davewas left at the altar by Alexis.

Unless youre intentionally concealing the identity of the subject,

use active voice.


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Passive VoiceTry some on your own! Convert these passive sentences into the

active voice.

1. The group discussion was led by the teacher.

2. The baby dragons were stolen by Pyat Pree.

3. Mr. Bates was convicted of murder by the judge.4. Students will be tested, and any progress will be recorded.

5. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall

be made low.


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Sentence PatternsYou already know a variety of different sentence patterns. Usethem! (Not only ___, but also ___. While X, Y.)

Also dont be afraid to mix up the normal order of your clauses.

For exampleWe need more funding for the project because one donor just

pulled his support.

vs.

Because one donor just pulled his support, we need more funding

for the project.


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Sentence PatternsStart a Commonplace Entries journal of sentence patterns youadmire from your own reading.

Deconstruct each sentence, and make a template version that

you could use for your own writing.

For example: The construction of heroes becomes the

deconstruction of heroism (H.L. Gate, Jr., 1995, p. 7).

Template: The X becomes the OPPOSITE-X.

Imitation: The merit-pay system for teacher salaries leads to the

breakdown of merit in all parts of educational structure.


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Writing AdvisingGroup Advising:

Be sure to attend the other writing seminars

APA Tue, 9/17, 3-4PM (VKC 151)

Intro to Grad Writing, Mon, 10/7, 3-4PM (Leavey Aud.)

Intro to Grad Writing, Tue, 10/8, 3-4PM (VKC 151)Visit our Writing Advising webpage

(http://rossierstudents.usc.edu/student-resources/

Check out the Masters Blog for weekly writing tips
http://rossierstudents.usc.edu/student-resources/http://rossierstudents.usc.edu/student-resources/http://rossierstudents.usc.edu/student-resources/http://rossierstudents.usc.edu/student-resources/


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Writing AdvisingIndividual Advising

By referral only (from an instructor, or from your student

services advisor, ).

Online office hours: TBDEmail questions [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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APA Citations(Pretty much as byzantine as youve heard.)

James Hayashi, MPW


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Quotation Formatting

Always provide three pieces of information for

adirect quotation:

the author the year

the page number of the quote.


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Both the author andyear given parenthetically, at

the end of the quote:

Early onset results in a more persistent and

severe course (Kessler, 2003, p. 137).


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The author written as part of your own sentence,

with theyear provided parenthetically

immediately after the authors name:

Kessler (2003) found that early onset results in

a more persistent and severe course (p. 137).


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Theyear and authors nameboth as part of your

own sentence:

In 2003, Kesslers study of epidemiological

samples showed that early onset results in a

more persistent and severe course (p. 137).


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Note that the author or organization should be cited,not the name of a particular website or study.

Right: (UNICEF, 2011)Wrong: (http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-

field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.html, 2011)

Wrong: (In South Africa, a neonatal care initiative

builds health and saves lives, 2011)

C th f ll i
http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.htmlhttp://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/south-africa-neonatal-care-initiative.html


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Compare the following:

The audiolingual method has been criticized as

being focus[ed] exclusively and excessively on the

manipulation of linguistic structures

(Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 61).

CLT was a principled response to the perceived

failure of the audiolingual method, which was

seen to focus exclusively and excessively on the

manipulation of linguistic structures of the targetlanguage (Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 61).


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If your quote is fewer than 40 words, incorporateit into your own sentence.

Place double quotation marks around it.

Do not punctuate before the closed quotation

mark (unless you are quoting a question, and

your material ends in a question mark). Instead,punctuate AFTER your parenthetical citation:

Although many scholars approved of the Communicative

Approach, it was also ridiculed because it over-generalizes

valid but limited insights until they become virtually

meaningless (Swan, 1985, p. 2).

If i i bl k f


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If your quotation is 40 words or longer, use block formatto set it apart from the paragraph so that your reader can

clearly see where the quotation begins and ends.

Begin the quotation on a new line.

Indent the entire quotation half an inch (the same

indent as a new paragraph) from the left margin.

Keep the block quote double-spaced.

Do NOT use quotation marks around the block

quote.

Cite the source, year, and pg # in parentheses at theend of the quotation.

The problem facing TBLT is how to make sure that


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The problem facing TBLT is how to make sure that

learners focus their attention on grammatical forms

while expressing their intended meaning. Doughty and

Williams (1998) note that a crucial methodologicalchoice

is whether to take a proactive or reactive stance to

focus on form. That is to say, a proactiveapproach would entail selecting in advancean

aspect of the target to focus on, whereas a reactive

stance would require that the teacher notice and

be prepared to handle various learning difficultiesas they arise. (p. 198, italics in original)


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Notice that the block quotation is still wellintegrated into the students own sentence.

(Also note that the entire quote is indented on

the left-hand side, there are no quotation marksused, and the parenthetical citation comes

AFTER the final period.)


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In order to make your quotation fit more smoothly intoyour sentences and to avoid quoting too much text, you

might need to omit or alter particular words. Use an

ellipses surrounded bybracketsto indicate omission:

There are many existing definitions for learning tasks,

but Ellis (2003) provides a particularly functional one: A

task is [] intended to result in language use that bears a

resemblance, direct or indirect, to the way language isused in the real world (p. 16).


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Quoting vs. ParaphrasingIts fine to use a quote, but be sure that your quote serves a PURPOSE

When considering whether to quote or paraphrase, consider thefollowing:

Do I need the exact language here (e.g. to apply a legal definition to

something), or could I paraphrase this information in my own

words? Is there something particularly eloquent about the language in the

quote that I would lose if I tried to paraphrase?

Is this quote from a famous person or well-known authority in

his/her field? If so, using an exact quote from him/her might lend

your paper credibility. If not, you might decide to paraphrase

instead.


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Quoting vs. Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing: Using your own language to discuss someoneelses ideas.

Advantages:

1. Paraphrasing forces writers to understand the topic aboutwhich theyre writing.

2. Paraphrasing demonstrates true understanding of a concept

or theory to a reader (or instructor).

3. Paraphrasing is more aesthetically pleasing, since it avoidsfilling a page with quotation marks.

Paraphrase


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ParaphraseOriginal Text

During the 1980s, CLT became

such a dominant force that itguided the form and function of

almost all conceivable

components of language

pedagogy.A steady stream ofscholarly books appeared with

the label communicative

unfailingly stamped on the

cover.(Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 61).

Plagiarized Version

In the 1980s, CLT grew into a

dominating force that led thestructure and purpose of nearly

all imaginable parts of language

pedagogy. A regular flow of

academic books appeared withthe term communicative on

their covers(Kumaravadivelu,

2006, p. 61).

P h


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ParaphraseOriginal Text

During the 1980s, CLT became

such a dominant force that itguided the form and function of

almost all conceivable

components of language

pedagogy. A steady stream ofscholarly books appeared with

the label communicative

unfailingly stamped on the

cover.(Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 61).

Correctly Cited and

Paraphrased Version

CLT played a critical role in theentire field of language teaching

in the 1980s. So great was its

influence, in fact, that a steady

stream of scholarly books wasproduced with the imprimatur

communicative

(Kumaravadivelu, 2006, p. 61).


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Secondary Sources A primary source is the original source of

information. For example, the first article to publish

the results of a study or survey. It could be the

original article in which a theorist defines her new

learning theory. A secondary source is a source that quotes,

paraphrases, or cites the primary source.


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Secondary Sources Cite primary sources whenever possible. Use

secondary sources when the original source is

not accessible, out of print, or unavailable in

English.

In your reference list, give the secondary source

(that is, the work you actually read).

In your paper, name the original work and

cite the secondary source.


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Secondary SourcesFor example, if you read Kumaravadivelus 2006

article, and his work cited Kubota, you would write

something like this:

According to Kubota(as cited in Kumaravadivelu,

2006), a critical multicultural approach can provide

language learners with a range of ways to learn and

interact with their acquired language.

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APA & Style Combo