MCPHS Guide to

UNDERSTANDING 6th EDITION APA CITATION

Student Support ServicesMassachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Student Support Staff

Liz Smith-FreedmanAssistant Dean for Academic

Support Services508-373-5608elizabeth.smith-freedman@mcphs.edu

Dante GarlandAcademic CounselorPharmacy508-373-5621dante.garland@mcphs.edu

Kyla PachecoAcademic CounselorHealth Sciences508-373-5732kyla.pacheco@mcphs.edu

Statement of Intent

The information contained in this presentation has been specially prepared for the use of

MCPHS students, staff and faculty only. In no way is this presentation or any of its corresponding materials intended for

distribution or use outside of the institution.

Last updated: August 19, 2011

Important Information

• This presentation includes a basic review of APA style. For a complete guide to APA, refer to the items listed on the ‘Additional Resources’ slide of this presentation

• Corresponding page numbers from the APA Style manual are referenced at the lower, left-hand corner of the slide when possible (see below)

[corresponding page numbers will be found here]

Agenda

We will review 6th Edition APA in regards to:

• Style• Format• In-Text Citations• References

STYLEUNDERSTANDING 6th EDITION APA CITATION:

Academic Language

What it is:• Language used in the formal

context of learning• Different from the everyday

English spoken in social interactions

• Emphasizes the specific academic terms and technical language associated with individualized fields of study

What it looks like:• Clear• Concise• Appropriate use of

punctuation• Use of simple, descriptive

adjectives• Minimal to no use of

figurative language • Contains unbiased content

Specific Recommendations

• Agreement of subject and verb:Correct: The data support the initial hypothesis.Incorrect: The data supports the initial hypothesis.

• The use of the active voice rather than the passive voice:Correct: We collected data over a period of four years.Incorrect: The data was collected over a period of four years.

pp. 77-78

Acronyms & Abbreviations

• First, address the item formally, followed by the intended abbreviation:

First reference: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) policy states…

• Following references to the item may be made in abbreviated form

Second reference: MCPHS also requires students to…

pp. 106-107

Using Numbers

• is below 10• begins a sentence, title, or heading• represents a common fraction • has a universally accepted usage (the Twelve Apostles,

etc.)

Use WORDS to express value if the number :

pp. 111-113

Using Numbers

• is 10 and above• directly precedes a measurement• is in an abstract or graph• represents statistical or mathematical functions, fractional

or decimal quantities, ratios, percentiles or quartiles• represents time, dates, ages, scores, points on a scale,

exact sums of money• denotes a specific place in a numbered series, parts of

books and tables

Use NUMERALS to express value if the number:

pp. 111-113

FORMATUNDERSTANDING 6th EDITION APA CITATION:

General Guidelines

• Are typed using 10-12 pt. Times New Roman font (or similar style)

• Are double-spaced• Have 1” margins on all sides• Have appropriate page headers that follow APA

guidelines

Acceptable submitted documents:

Document Header ExamplesTitle Page

Following Pages

Note: Longer document titles may be shortened in headers. The full title should remain the same on the title page.

p. 230

Section Headings

• Establish a hierarchy of information• Effectively organize content • Make writing less complicated• Help readers understand key points

The appropriate use of headings can:

Note: Introduction sections never have a heading.

pp. 62-63

Levels of Heading

p. 62

IN-TEXT CITATIONSUNDERSTANDING 6th EDITION APA CITATION:

Types of Citations

Direct Quotes

• Taken word for word from a source

• Required info: author(s), publication date, page(s)

• Information must be represented accurately

Paraphrased Information• An idea, concept or

information referred to from another work

• Required info: author(s), publication date

• Information must be represented accurately

pp. 170-173

Direct Quotes from Journals/Books

Example A“General practitioners expressed that patients were rarely forthcoming about problems with their asthma, even after being referred for an asthma management review by their pharmacists” (Bereznicki et al., 2011, p. 351).

Example BBereznicki et al. (2011) found that “general practitioners expressed that patients were rarely forthcoming about problems with their asthma, even after being referred for an asthma management review by their pharmacists” (p. 351).

pp. 174-177

Direct Quotes from WebsitesExample A

“People can inherit damaged DNA, but most DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen while the normal cell is reproducing or by something in our environment” (“How cancer starts”, para. 4).

Example BIn “How cancer starts” (2011) it is explained that “people can inherit damaged DNA, but most DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen while the normal cell is reproducing or by something in our environment” (para. 4).

pp. 174-177

Paraphrased Information

You paraphrase something when you are conveying an idea or concept that someone else has written about before (Paraphrase, 2011).

Expressing an idea in your OWN words…

p. 171

Example:

Citing Secondary SourcesReferencing a work within another work

Only use secondary sources if: • The primary source is out of print, not available to you, or not available in English• The information is absolutely critical to your thesis

When citing a secondary source, both works must be referenced in the text (see examples below). The secondary source must also be listed in your references.

Flemming’s report (as cited in Knott & Sampson, 2010)…

OR

Flemming reported, “…” (as cited in Knott & Sampson, 2010, p. 187)

Example(s):

p. 178

secondary author authors of the primary work where the data can be found

Et al.

Use ‘et al.’ in the following circumstances:• (6+ authors) for first in-text citation

Think of et al. as meaning “and others” or “and other people”

(Smith et al., 2011, p.42)

OR

Smith et al. (2011) stated…

For example, if you are citing information from the list of authors below, you would always use et al. in the text of your paper:

p. 177

Authors: ALL in-text citations:

Smith, K.Barney, U.Jackson, A.Gill, C.Douglas, F.Blackwood, S.

‘et al.’ makes the text easier to read while letting the reader know there are other authors responsible for the work

Et al.• (3+ authors) for subsequent in-text citations only

p. 177

For example, if you are citing information from the list of authors below, you would first address all three of the authors when citing the work in the text of you paper.

If you refer to the work of those authors again, you would cite the name of the first author listed followed by ‘et al.’:

Authors:

Harvey, D.Gould, B.Baker, L.

First in-text citation:

(Harvey et al., 2009, p.87)

OR

Harvey et al. (2009) stated…

Any additional in-text citation(s):

(Harvey, Gould, & Baker, 2009, p.9)

OR

Harvey, Gould, and Baker (2009) stated…

‘et al.’ lets the reader know there are other authors responsible for the work

REFERENCESUNDERSTANDING 6th EDITION APA CITATION:

Setting Up Your Reference Page

Remember:• The listing of references begin on the page following your work• This means the reference listings always start on a new page!

• The word “References” is never bolded or underlined• The section is always double-spaced• Works are always listed alphabetically by author• If there is no author, list the work alphabetically by it’s distributor or article title

• For each entry, all lines following the first are indented five spaces• This is called a ‘hanging indent’ (see red arrow above)

p. 181-224

Retrieval Data

One of the following is always required:• Digital Object Identifier (doi) or Database Information• Publisher Information• Web Address

What if there is no author?

Some works do not list authors for a variety of reasons • For shorter works like newspaper and magazine articles or websites, address the source by the specific article title in the text and the references.

How cancer starts. (2010). Retrieved August 12, 2011, from

www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerBasics/what-is-cancer

“People can inherit damaged DNA, but most DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen whilethe normal cell is reproducing or by something in our environment” (“How cancer starts”, para. 4).

In-text citation:

Reference:

the article title and paragraph number provide supplemental data to reference the work appropriately Notice: The article title

is only enclosed in quotations in the text

pp. 205-206

What if there is no author?

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American

Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological

Association

• For works by a corporate author or government reports, address the source by its distributor in the text and references.

“References acknowledge the work of previous scholars and provide a reliable way to locate it. References are used to document statements made about literature, just as data in the manuscript support interpretations and conclusions” (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. 37).

pp. 205-206

the corporate author is used to reference the work appropriately

In-text citation:

Reference:

Journals

• Journal Articles from a Database

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the publication: Subtitle of

the publication. Journal Title, (volume)issue,

pages.

doi:xxx/xxxxpp. 180-192

Books• Basic

Author, A. B. (Year). Title of work: Capitalize first letter

in subtitle only. Location: Publisher

• Editor, No Author(s)

Editor, E.D. (Ed.). (Year). Title of work. Location:

Publisher

• Editor & Author(s)

Author, A. B. (Year). Title of work. Editor, E.D. (Ed.).

Location: Publisherpp. 180-192

Websites

• Web Document or Webpage (Authored)

Author, A. A. (Date of Publication). Title of document. Retrieved

August 12, 2011, from http://www.website.com

• Web Document or Webpage (un-Authored)

How cancer starts. (2011). Retrieved August 12, 2011,

from www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerBasics/what-is- cancer

pp. 180-192

Additional Resources

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed.

APA Style website– (http://www.apastyle.org/)

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)– (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/)

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association

Bereznicki, B. B., Peterson, G. G., Jackson, S. S., Haydn Walters, E., DeBoos, I. I., & Hintz, P. P. (2011). Perceived feasibility of a community pharmacy-based asthma intervention: A qualitative follow-up study. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy & Therapeutics, 36(3), 348-355. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2710.2010.01187.x

Glossary of basic terms in TEFL studies. (2002). Retrieved on August 8, 2011, from http://www.finchpark.com/courses/glossary.htm

How cancer starts. (2010). Retrieved on August 12, 2011, from www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerBasics/what-is-cancer

Kuehn, P. (2003). What is academic language. Retrieved from http://www.academiclanguage.org/Academic_Language.html

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2011). APA style. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/

(The following were utilized to create this presentation)