APA paper

University Degree Education and Teaching

APA Writing Style

APA Writing Style and Mechanics

University of Phoenix

RAPATH100; GEN101

June 18, 2005

APA Writing Style and Mechanics: A User’s Guide

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Publication Manual) began as an article published in Psychological Bulletin in 1929. That article reported results of a 1928 meeting of scholars "to discuss the form of journal manuscripts and to write instructions for their preparation" (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2001, p. xix). Today the manual is in its fifth edition, and the APA format described in it is a widely recognized standard for scientific writing (i.e., scholarly or professional writing) in the social sciences. Although the stylebook is designed to prepare manuscripts for publication, many school and health care journals have adopted its use as a guide to achieve uniformity and consistency (Cuddy, 2002). Writing in the style prescribed by the

Publication Manual can be a daunting experience for students; however, as with all new skills, “practice makes perfect” (P. Proofreader, personal communication, June 28, 2004). In this paper, a review of APA information and writing tips most often used by the University of Phoenix undergraduate and graduate students are presented. However, this document is no substitute for the Publication Manual itself. While APA formatting software is available from a number of vendors, students are discouraged from purchasing it due to the inconsistency of formatting specific to University of Phoenix papers.

Format Considerations

Some of the more commonly used rules and formats from the Publication Manual are presented and discussed in this section. Please note, however, that some assignments may require unique formatting, and students should consult with faculty for clarification.

Correct Margins

Margins are required to be one inch equally or set at the word processor default. Microsoft Word default for the header and footer are each set at ½ inch. The rule is broken to avoid placing a lone heading on the last line of the page or a single line of text on the top of the next page.

Page Header

The header contains the first two or three words of the title and appears in the header/footer feature of Microsoft Word (See Appendix A for format directions for the header/footer feature). The page number is set at five spaces to the right of the text. The automatic function of a word-processing program should be used to print the headers and page numbers consecutively in the paper, with Arabic numerals beginning on the title page.

Reference Page

The hanging indentation (See Appendix B for format directions for hanging indents) is used for the reference page; that is, the first line of the reference, usually the author’s name, rests against the left margin, and the lines that follow are indented 5 or 7 spaces or ½ inch. The Publication Manual (2001) recommends setting the tab key to ½ inch (word processor default). The reference page is alphabetized by author and contains the date of publication in parentheses, directly after the author’s name. Next, the title, the place of publication, and the name of the publisher are listed. The proliferation ...

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Only those references that have been cited in the paper are listed on the reference page. Personal communications are cited in the text, but not on the reference page. Additional reference examples are available in Appendix C.

In Text Citations

Direct quotations. Direct quotations need to mirror exactly the original source, even if errors are contained in the original. To alert the reader that any errors are part of the original material, the word sic, enclosed in brackets and italicized, should follow the erroneous material. The source of information must be cited. The format of direct quotations may vary with the placement of the quoted material in the sentence. The following is an example of how one might use a direct quote from a website with an author: “Diversity is emerging as one of the most serious issues in the workplace today, yet most employers are not prepared to deal with it” (Copeland, 2003, Erroneous Assumptions, ¶1). The author’s last name, the year of publication, the website title, and the paragraph number are included in the in-text citation when no page number is available. In addition, the following is an example of how one might use a direct quote from a book with one author: Venes (2001) stated, “The types of influenza doctors must prepare for fall into three categories” (p. 106). If the author’s name is given prior to the quote, include the date of publication (in parenthesis) after the author’s name, and follow the quote with the page or paragraph number. See page 121 in the Publication Manual for more information. Appendix C has additional examples of in-text citations when using direct quotes.

Quotations of less than 40 words are enclosed in double quotation marks. “Use single quotation marks within double quotation marks to set off material that in the original source was enclosed in double quotation marks” (APA, 2001, p. 119). Quotations of 40 words or more are set in a block format without quotation marks. The block quote is started on a new line, indented five spaces or 1/2 inch. A sample block quote is contained in this paper.

Paraphrased material. Paraphrasing allows the writer to use the ideas of another, to represent another’s argument, and to give proper credit to the original author or authors (Lawton, Cousineau, & Hillard, 2001). Each time an author is paraphrased, the source must be cited in the text. Page or paragraph numbers are not required for paraphrased material, but the Publication Manual encourages writers to do so (APA, 2001, p. 121). For example, if one were to paraphrase information from an article located in an online database, one would format it in this way: Daniels (2004) included Garden Restaurants on his list of the 50 best companies for minorities. Or, for another example using the same article consider the following: A list of companies has been singled out as best for minority employees (Daniels, 2004). Both examples include the author’s last name and the date of publication. If the author’s name is not provided with the paraphrased text, it must be included in the in-text citation. An additional illustration for paraphrasing information comes from the University of Phoenix rEsource page: Values and ethics are closely related but different (University of Phoenix, 2004). Appendix C has additional examples of in-text citations when paraphrasing.

Plagiarism. Plagiarism constitutes a serious academic concern. According to Lawton, Cousineau, and Hillard (2001), “academic communities demand that writers credit others for their work and that the source of their material clearly be acknowledged” (¶ 6). Internet access has resulted in an increase in plagiarism. As noted by McCabe (as cited in Sterngold, 2004), 41% of students said they engaged in “cut-and-paste” plagiarism from online sources. The words we use must be original, cited, and referenced accordingly. While it may be easier to use someone else’s words, doing so you only discredits the writer. When in doubt, cite.

Other Format Issues

Although the Publication Manual (2001) suggests that an abstract of an article precede the text, an abstract is not used in most papers submitted by University of Phoenix students. Faculty members may require an abstract if students are submitting very lengthy papers or project proposals. In those cases, the direction to submit an abstract will be in the assignment guidelines.

Preferred typefaces in APA style are 12-pt Times New Roman or 12-pt Courier New. Students should avoid using any software settings that reduce spacing between words or letters.

Writing Mechanics

Besides formatting, correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure are essential components of scholarly writing. Strunk (1999) emphasized the importance of being succinct:

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. (¶1)

Grammar

Besides the provision of a standardized format for scientific writing, the Publication Manual emphasizes the importance of proper grammar. In addition to the Publication Manual, students will have another resource with the Gregg Manual. For a thorough review, Chapter 2 in the Publication Manual is particularly helpful for learning good writing mechanics. A few of the rules of grammar will be addressed here.

Subject and verb agreement. A singular noun requires a singular verb, and a plural noun requires a plural verb (APA, 2001). Words that intervene between the noun and verb do not change that basic rule.

Noun and pronoun agreement. When writers use a subject which is singular, they need to use pronouns which are singular. To avoid having to use he/she and him/her, writers may reword the sentence and use a plural subject, thereby eliminating the problem. For example, the sentence “A student applying for a job must carefully proofread his or her application” can be reworded to read, “Students applying for jobs must carefully proofread their applications.” Use of plurals also can help writers reduce sexist bias and avoid stereotypes, as well as keep them from using both singular and plural in the same sentence or paragraph.

Punctuation. Correct punctuation establishes the rhythm and readability of sentences. In APA style, only one space is used after periods, commas, colons, and semicolons. When a hyphen is used, no space appears before or after the hyphen (APA, 2001).

Correct use of commas and semicolons can be challenging for students. Writers are encouraged to proofread their papers to ensure proper use of commas (Proofreading for commas, n.d.).

Capitalization. Capitalization is used to designate a proper noun or trade name, as well as major words in titles and headings. Instances where capitalization is not used include laws, theories, models, or hypotheses, such as ethical decision-making models; names of conditions or groups in an experiment, such as experimental or control groups; or nouns that designate parts of a book, such as chapter 8 (APA, 2001). A common error in capitalization is its use with the name of a specific educational degree versus the general focus of a degree program. An example is Master of Arts degree versus master’s degree in visual arts.

Seriation. Items contained in a list can help to clarify the point being made or components of a subject. APA does not permit the use of bullets. To show seriation of separate paragraphs, number each paragraph with an Arabic numeral, followed by a period but not enclosed in or followed by parentheses. To show seriation within a paragraph or sentence, use lowercase letters (not italicized) in parentheses. An example of these formats is shown in Appendix D.

Numbers. Spell numbers one through nine in the body text. Use Arabic numerals to express numbers 10 and above. However, there are many exceptions to this rule and these can be found on pages 123-128 in the Publication Manual.

Third person versus first person. Writing, “The writer instructed the patients.” when “the writer” refers to yourself is ambiguous and may give the impression that you did not participate. Instead, use a personal pronoun: “I instructed the patients.” However, for the most part, reference to self (first person) is limited to reflection or opinion papers.

Conclusion

Understanding the mechanics, usage requirements, and referencing materials of APA formatting will help you improve and communicate clearly the content of your work. The intent of this paper is to help you begin to understand the different components necessary for development of scholarly papers. However, not all of the content of the Publication Manual is reviewed, and you are encouraged to refer to this excellent resource as well.

References

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Copeland, L. (2003). Managing a multicultural workforce. California Job Journal. Retrieved October 16, 2004, from http://www.jobjournal.com

Cuddy, C.M. (2002). Demystifying APA style. Orthopaedic Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from EBSCOhost database.

Daniels, C. (2004, July 28). 50 Best companies for minorities. Fortune, 149(13), 136-

141. Retrieved October 19, 2004, from ProQuest database.

Lawton. K. A., Cousineau, L., & Hillard, V.E. (2001). Plagiarism: Its nature and consequences. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from Duke University Guide to Library Research Web site: http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/plagarism.htm

Proofreading for commas. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2004, from Purdue University Online Writing Lab Web site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commaproof.html

Sterngold, A. (2004). Confronting plagiarism: How conventional teaching invites cyber-cheating. Change, 36(3), 16+. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from ProQuest database

Strunk, W., Jr. (1999). Omit needless words. In The elements of style (chap. 3). Retrieved June 28, 2004, from http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html#13

University of Phoenix. (2004). Week two overview. Retrieved November 4, 2004,

from University of Phoenix, Week Two, Resource. GEN480—Interdisciplinary

Capstone Course Web site:

Venes, D. (2001). Taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary (19th ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.