APA Documentation Guide for A

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APA Documentation Guide for A. R. Johnson Students

A. R. Johnson Health Science and EngineeringHigh School

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 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.

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 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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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:

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.

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.

____ 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 cards
4. 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

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 Plagiarism

1. 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.

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.