Melissa Edmondson Smith, Ph.D. Assistant Professor [email protected] Writing and APA Style 1

Types of Papers you might write: Research Papers: SOWK 670- Research Proposal SOWK 600- Policy Analysis Clinical Notes: SOWK 630- Practice I: Client Assessment SOWK 631-Practice III: Organizational Analysis Field Instruction: Case notes, process recordings Personal Reflections

Steps to Writing a GREAT Paper 1.Read the instructions 2.Choose a Topic 3.Make an Outline 4.Find information 5.Digest available research 6.Tell a story 7.Use APA Style 8.Take advantage of Writing Resources

Step 1: Read the Instructions Read & clarify questions about the assignment. APA style is usually required HOWEVER check the course syllabi for specific requirements for each class. Every instructor is different. Every assignment is different.

Step 2: Choose a topic What is the purpose of the paper? Describe Compare Review Develop What questions are you trying to answer?

Step 3: Make an Outline Introduction Body of Paper Use assignment guidelines to determine headings Discussion/Conclusion References (if applicable)

Step 4: Find Information UMB libraries* HS/HSL Library Marshall Law Library Journals Books Newspapers Internet Professional organizations Governmental agencies On-line journals Experts Sources of Information * See library resources at the end of this powerpoint

A note on peer-reviewed journals Professors may ask you to cite peer-reviewed journals only. Peer-reviewed (or refereed or scholarly) journals include articles that are submitted by an author and are accepted for publication only after reviewed by experts in the given field. Examples: Social Work Research, Social Work, Research on Social Work Practice, Child Welfare, The Gerontologist, Psychiatric Services NOT Peer-reviewed: People, Us, Baltimore Sun, Jet, GQ, Glamour, Time, Newsweek, etc. What about wikipedia?!?

Step 5: Digest available research

Turning stacks of books and articles into coherent paragraphs Always keep focused on the purpose/ key question! How does this book/article contribute to my understanding or answering the key question? Does it inform the background? Does it define a term? Does it describe the problem? Does it offer a solution? With which outline point(s) does this source fit?

Step 6: Tell a story Writing a paper is like telling a story* You need a beginning (Introduction), middle, & end (Discussion/Conclusion) that all flow smoothly together Consider your audience- are they researchers? Practitioners? Clients? Lawmakers? Streamline- only include the relevant details Clear language is better than unnecessary big words. * except you cant make things up that arent true

How a scientist tells a story Avoid first person DONT SAY: I believe X works. I think X should work. I used X once with a client and it seemed to work. I have a friend who knows someone who says X changed her life. Use evidence from other research to form argument: SAY: Barth (2002) found that X works. Further, in a study with a sample of 5,000 people, Smith (2004) concluded that X works. Based on evidence from several studies, X appears to be a promising treatment for Y.

Step 7: Use APA Style The APA Manual Detailed information about citations and other paper organizational topics are available in the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Each student needs to have access to this book for all papers. The APA website is inadequate for this purpose.

APA Structure & Format of a Research Paper Title page Abstract (not always required) Introduction- Purpose statement Literature Review Methods/Measures Results Discussion References These or other headings and subheadings are encouraged in APA format.

Elements of the Title Page (p. 23) 15 Running head: SHORTENED TITLE Full Title Author Name (byline) Institutional Affiliation

APA Headings (p. 62) FIVE LEVELS OF HEADINGS POSSIBLE Level 1 is Centered, Bold, Upper and Lowercase Heading Level 2 Flush Left, Bold, Upper & Lowercase Heading Level 3 is indented, bold, lowercase paragraph heading with a period. Level 4 is indented, bold, italicized lowercase paragraph heading with period. Level 5 is indented italicized lowercase with a period.

Example of Headings Heading Style 1 Heading Style 2 Heading Style 3 Most papers will have 1- 3 headings

Quoting & Citing in Text 18 APA Format for short quotations APA Format for long quotations

References Examples (pp. 193-224) 19 Book written by Editor Journal Article with DOI (Digital Object Identifier

Finally! Step 8: Take advantage of resources Instructors Web Resources UMB Writing Center UMB HS/HSL Library Refworks 20

Instructors & syllabi are there to help you! Read your syllabus. Ask questions. Ask questions in class, go to office hours, send an email, post a question through Blackboard! Be wary of advice from peers who are taking the same class from a different instructor. If you are confused, it is your responsibility to get help! 21

Writing Resources ABOUND! Books on Writing: Zinsser, W.K. On Writing Well (~$10) Strunk & White, The Elements of Style (~$10) Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves (~$5) Punctuation Websites http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/citing_apa.html http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/citing_apa.html Podcasts Grammar Girls Quick & Dirty Tips on Writing: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ Popular topics: 22

UMB Writing Center http://www.umaryland.edu/writing/ 23 Tip: Call in advance for appointments: wait time can be at least 1 week!

UMB HS/HSL Library System http://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/socialwork TIPS: Check out the library guide for social work Attend classes on database searches & library orientations Gail Betz, the HS/HSL SSW Liaison is a great library resource. Watch the Daily Bulletin for her Ask The Librarian Open Office Hours at SSW (usually near the 4 th floor CyberLounge)

All students have online access to a FREE resource for managing references for papers. HS/HSL has on-line video tutorials that will walk you through each step of use (videos are provided on the website provided above) Investing a few hours now in learning RefWorks will save lots of time over the next 2 years. 25 http://guides.hshsl.umaryland.edu/refworks

Thanks for your attention! Wishing you great success in writing and learning as MSW students! 26

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Melissa Edmondson Smith, Ph.D. Assistant Professor [email protected] Writing and APA Style 1