Style Guide 1

7/29/2019 Style Guide 1

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August 2007 COBE Styles Guide - 1 -

Boise State University

College of Business & Economics

Writing Styles GuideVersion Date: August 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTSControl + Left click to jump to page

PREFACE....................................................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................3

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING.................................................................................................................................4

THE THREE-STEP WRITING PROCESS: PLAN,DRAFT,REVISE! .................................................................................4AN A VERSUS A CPAPER.....................................................................................................................................6GRAMMARFUNDAMENTALS......................................................................................................................................7

GUIDELINES FOR REPORTS...............................................................................................................................15

CORE SECTIONS OF A REPORT .................................................................................................................................15MAJORFORMATTING ELEMENTS.............................................................................................................................15REPORT STYLE ........................................................................................................................................................18THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................19TABLES,FIGURES, AND EQUATIONS ........................................................................................................................21RECOGNIZING AND AVOIDING PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................27CITATIONS AND REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................34

COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES ....................................................................................................................43

EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS ....................................................................................................................................43

PREPARING THE SLIDES ...........................................................................................................................................44E-MAIL ETIQUETTE..................................................................................................................................................46TELEPHONE AND VOICEMAIL ETIQUETTE ................................................................................................................47BUSINESS LETTERFORMATS ...................................................................................................................................48MEMO FORMATS .....................................................................................................................................................50

REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................................................................51

APPENDIX A: BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................................52

INDEX........................................................................................................................................................................54


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PREFACE

YOURE HIRED!

A Message from the 2005 College of Business and Economics Advisory Council

(An external advisory group composed of business and community leaders)

Congratulations on your decision to pursue your educational dreams at Boise State Universitys College of Businessand Economics. As you progress toward your degree, you will have many opportunities to distinguish yourselfthrough your efforts in the classroom. One of the most important skills to develop during your academic career isthe ability to express your thoughts and ideas in an organized, compelling manner in writing.

Youre hired! Since 1999, communications skillsboth written and oralhave topped employers wish lists forjob candidates. However, asJob Outlook 2005 points out, Ironically, the number one skill that employers say theywant candidates to havecommunications skillsis the very skill they most often say candidates lack (NACEResearch, 2004, p. 16).

Strong written communication skills are a vital component to a successful business career. Without the ability toexpress your thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely in written form, you may compromise your chances for

advancement to higher levels of management.So study hard, have fun, and remember to work on improving your writing skillsyour efforts will pay dividendsthroughout your life.

Steve AhrensPresidentIdaho Association of Commerce and Industry

Gregg AlgerPresidentFishers

Matt BellDirector, Support ServicesSt. Lukes Regional Medical Center

Deborah Brown

PresidentCapital Matrix

Dave CooperPartnerCooper Norman

Ross ElyVice President, Corporate Marketing. &Public RelationsMPC Computers

Frank FinlaysonSenior Vice President, Project DevelopmentWashington Group International, Inc.

Debbie FlandroCurrent Business & Technical MarketingManagerHewlett-Packard

Steve FussStore ManagerJC Penny Company, Inc.

Ric GaleVice President, Regulatory AffairsIdaho Power Company

John GrizzaffiPresident

Stein Distributing Co., Inc.

Kregg HansonPresident & COOBanfield, The Pet Hospital

Bill IlettPresident

TransCorp. Inc.

Louann KruegerRetiredWells Fargo

Karl KurtzDirectorIdaho Department of Health & Welfare

Mike MersFounderMers Financial Advisors

Jim MowbrayChief Executive OfficerFireweed Ventures, Inc.

Doug OppenheimerPresidentOppenheimer Companies, Inc.

Rob PerezSenior Vice PresidentU.S. Bank

Mike SimplotPresident

S-Sixteen Limited Partnership

Dale WillmanPartnerDeloitte

[Back to Table of Contents]


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INTRODUCTION

The goal of the College of Business & Economics (COBE) Writing Styles Guide is to present astandardized tool to help all COBE students become skilled writers. Skilled writers effectivelyconsider context, audience, purpose, tone, style and form, and understand the process of writing.With guidance, practice, and constructive critiques, all students can improve and master effectivewriting skills.

This handbook is not all-inclusive of the intricacies of English grammar and composition. Manyof the components of this handbook were compiled as a result of the annual outcomesassessment project and feedback from our business community about what they see asshortcomings in Boise State University (BSU) graduates. Thus, we have concentrated on theareas that will most benefit our graduates in successfully integrating into the workforce. This

handbook follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)2001, fifth edition, the accepted convention for business courses. The APA manual is availablefor reference at Albertsons Library and the Writing Center. It can be purchased at the BSUBookstore.

As BSU Technical Writing professor Mike Markel (1999, p. 19-21) shares with us:

[Business people] are writers, whether they want to be and whether they are trained to be. Everyimportant idea, proposal, or project has to be described in words and graphics. Most of the time,however, writing is not merely a thing, an artifact at the end of some process. It is the process itself,the means by which people work in an organization. Writing is the way people create their ideas, testthem, and communicate them to other people.

With this handbook, we acknowledge that writing is an integral part of all of our disciplines.Additionally, there are different types of writing, for different audiences, and for differentpurposes. Whether writing a business memo, a short report, a case analysis, or a longer researchdocument, the process and formats will differ. Please note these differences as you work throughthis guide.

For business courses, this guide will provide a standard for the form and style of writing. Theseare guidelines that you can apply from class to class as you prepare reports, presentations andother communications. It is important to note, however, that all standards have exceptions.Instructions from the instructor regarding a specific assignment or class will always takeprecedence.

-- Writing Style Task Force

September, 2004


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GUIDELINES FOR WRITING

The Three-Step Writing Process: Plan, Draft, Revise!

Writing is a process. It can be improved by experience and technique. This section providessome best practice techniques to improve your writing. These tips are organized around each ofthe three basic steps you will follow to develop any kind of document: 1) plan, 2)draft, and 3)revise. These steps comprise an iterative process, building to the final document.

Step 1: Planning

Many writers like to get started right away. Stop! Dont start writing. Start thinking about what

you are trying to do. A good portion of the total time you devote to the documentperhaps a

quarter or a thirdshould be devoted to thinking about the direction the document should take.Here are six suggestions for planning the document:

1. Analyze your audience. Think about who they are, what they already know about thetopic, what they already think about it, how they are going to read the document, and soforth. Your audience always includes your professor. Pay close attention to allguidelines and recommendations he or she provides.

2. Analyze your purpose. Consider two types of purposes: 1) what theprojectis intendedto accomplish, and 2) what the documentis intended to accomplish.

3. Conduct your research and gather materials. Use the library, online databases,professional magazines and journals. Write down, right away, the full reference for anyuseful source you find to include in your List of References.

4. Figure out what youre going to say before you start making sentences andparagraphs. Brainstorm the topic, listing or outlining, as quickly as you can, ideas thatmight belong in the document. By ideas we mean mere phrases. Dont censor yourself--just write it down. Organize your ideas around a central theme, and state it early in thedocument; support and analyze throughout, and recap how the central theme has beenaddressed again in the conclusion section.

5. Arrange the material. Group related material by linking related topics in yourbrainstormed list, and determine the best sequence based on your audience and purpose.Now, compose an outline for these sequenced topics.

6. Run it past someone else. Finally, check your plan against the assignment instructions,and perhaps even your instructor. Are you addressing all the questions? Are you

accomplishing the spirit or intent of the assignment? Be sure to make the effort toincorporate specific suggestions or guidance in your final document.

Step 2: Drafting

Write the first draft quickly to capture the general idea of the points you are trying to get across.Support those ideas and points with properly cited evidence, examples, or data. Leave thepolishing until later.



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There are two main reasons to draft quickly. The first is to stay focused on the big picture.Second, the sentences will mesh better, the rhythms will be more conversational, and your wordchoice will be more natural. You will have less editing to do later.

How do you draft quickly? Here are three suggestions:

Draft for a certain period of time, without stopping. About an hour or two is thelongest most people can stand.

Dont start at the beginning. Instead, begin with a section you know well, and draft itquickly. Move your cursor around from spot to spot on the outline.

Use abbreviations. Later, use search and replace. If you are writing aboutpotentiometers, instead type something like p*. In the final document, be sure thatabbreviations are clarified, as well as acronyms. Show the complete terminology inparentheses for the first use with the acronym or abbreviation you will use going forward.

Step 3: Revising

It is a mistake to think that you can read the draft once and do a thorough job revising. To reviseeffectively, you have to budget a lot of timemaybe a third of the total time you devote to thedocument.

Here are some suggestions to make your revising more effective.

Let it sit. At least overnight.

Get help. If possible, have someone read through the draft, then talk to that person aboutit. The campus Writing Center is an excellent resource available for you to use.

Look for different kinds of problems as you revise. Go through the document severaltimes. Start with the bigger issues.

Revise sentences. Try to write sentences so that the subject the object, person or ideathat you are talking about comes at the start and the main action is in a clear, simpleverb.

Read for content. Ensure that your ideas flow logically, and that conclusions oranalyses are supported by specific examples.

Be careful with style and spell checkers. They are no substitute for your reading andcomprehending each word and sentence.


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An A versus a C Paper

As you are reading and rereading your paper during revision, there are a few things to check thattend to separate the A from the C grades:

Use headings.

Use bulleted and numbered lists appropriately.

Create topic sentences for paragraphs.

Create focused paragraphs.

Choose the simplest and most common word. Instead of writing It is necessary thatstate-of-the-art communication modalities be utilized, write, We need to use state-of-the-art communication tools.

Avoid words that do not add meaning. For example, instead of writing It should benoted that caffeine is a stimulant, write, Caffeine is a stimulant.


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Grammar Fundamentals

If you put a jewel of an idea in a brown paper bag,

to others you have a brown paper bag. (Source unknown)

As the quotation above demonstrates, tremendous ideas in a grammatically-challenged paperwill look to the reader like a poorly-written paper. This section is based upon a poll of yourreadersthe business faculty here at BSU. This section talks about what they see as the top tengrammatical mistakes made by students. Paying attention to a few simple rules could go a longway to helping you show off that jewel of an idea!

The COBE Top Ten Grammar Mistakes

1. Using commas incorrectly.

2. Using colons incorrectly.

3. Using semi-colons incorrectly.

4. Using possessive forms rather than plural forms of nouns.

5. Using incomplete sentences.

6. Using pronouns that do not agree with their nouns.

7. Using verbs that do not agree with their nouns.

8. Using nonparallel structure especially when listing bullets inpapers or on presentation slides.

9. Misusing common words like its and its.

10. Failing to use spell check and proofread assignments orrelying solely on spell check and missing errors such as formbeing mistyped for from.

Rules

Use of the rules on the following pages may help reduce or eliminate the COBE Top TenGrammar Mistakes. The rules below are adopted from the American PsychologicalAssociation Publication Manual (APA, 2001) or compiled by BSU faculty.



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Table 1

Commas

(APA 2001, sect. 3.02)

After an introductory word or phrase At noon, we wi l l begi n t he meet i ng.

After a dependent clause to separate itfrom an independent clause

I f he f i ni shes t he cl ass, he wi l lgraduat e.

To separate parts of a list (can bewords, phrases, or clauses)

For t he pi cni c, we need paper pl ates,f or ks, spoons, kni ves, and napki ns.

Your j ob i s t o wr i t e t he r epor t , proofi t , and del i ver i t t o t he pr esi dent .

Before a coordinating conjunction(and, but, for, or, nor) in a compoundsentence

He i s l ect ur i ng, and she i s sl eepi ng.

To separate reversible adjectives Look f or t he l ar ge, whi t e house.

Look f or t he whi t e, l ar ge house.

Between a name and a title when thename appears before the title

J ohn Smi t h, Pr esi dent

No comma needed f or : Presi dent J ohnSmi t h

Always put the comma or periodinside a quotation mark. (This is theU.S. style and differs from other

countries.)

The ad says t hat t hi s product i s t her eal McCoy.

Table 2

Colons(APA 2001, sect. 3.04)

Before any vertical list of itemsHe has al l t he gear heneeds: bi nocul ar s sun scr een camer a

Gi ve t hi s memot o: J ohn Pet er Mar y

Before a horizontal list only if thecolon follows a noun or completethought

He has al l t he gear he needs: bi nocul ar s,sunscr een, mosqui t o repel l ant , and acamer a.

Do not use a colon when a horizontallist follows a verb or a preposition

The new members ar e Bob, Car ol , Ted, andAl i ce.

We need t o send t hi s memo t o Geor ge,Fr ed, and Karen.



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Table 3

Semicolons

(APA 2001, sect. 3.03)

To link two independent clauses which are not

connected by a conjunction

Br ad l i kes cl assi cal musi c; Susan

l i kes count r y musi c.

To link two independent clauses which areconnected by a conjunctive adverb

He was l ate; t heref ore, we assumehe over sl ept .

To separate items in a list when the itemscontain commas

The peopl e at t endi ng t he meet i ngwer e J oe Bl ow, pr esi dent ; J aneDoe, vi ce pr esi dent ; and J ackPr at t , secret ar y.

Before a conjunction that joins two clauseswhen one of the clauses contains a comma

He t ook al gebr a, cal cul us, andphysi cs; but he was not pr epared

f or such a chal l engi ng j ob.

Table 4

Apostrophes

Compiled by BSU Faculty

Indicates possession J ohn s assi gnment , wi t nessest est i moni es, men s spor t s,act ress s r ol e

Indicates omission of letters in a contraction i t s , di dn t , can t , o cl ock ( of t he cl ock)

Generally, apostrophes are not used for yearsunless possessive

J ohn was nost al gi c about t he 1960s.

We remember t he 1960 s t urmoi l .

Its, its

its: it is, it hasits: possessive

Hint: possessive pronouns dont have apostrophes

theirs, ours, hers, his, yours, its, whose.

Its t i me t o l eave.

The dog wagged its t ai l .



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Table 5

Complete vs. Incomplete Sentences

Compiled by BSU Faculty

Sentences are clauses, but not all clauses are sentences.

Clauses: Groups of words that contain both a subject and a verb.

Independent Clause: a clause that can stand alone as a sentence. Example: She was tired.

Dependent Clause (Cliff hangers): A clause which must rely on other words for its meaning.

Example:Because she worked on t he report al l ni ght . This example leavesus hanging: what happened because she worked on the report all night?

Dependent clauses contain words which indicate a condition such as because, when, by, for,since, although, before, which, after, unless, though

To make a dependent clause a complete sentence, add the results of the condition. Example:Because she wor ked on t he r epor t al l ni ght , she was t i r ed.

Table 6

Pronouns(APA, 2001, sec. 2.08)

If a sentence starts out singular, it should stay singular. (If it starts out plural, it should

stay plural.)

Incorrect: A st udent shoul d t ake car e t hat t hei r paper uses goodgr ammar .

Correct: St udent s shoul d t ake car e that t hei r paper s use goodgr ammar .

Correct: A st udent shoul d t ake car e t hat hi s or her paper usesgood gr ammar .

Incorrect: The company pai d t hei r st ockhol der s a di vi dend.

Correct: The company pai d its st ockhol der s a di vi dend.

What do you do with singular words that include both genders?

Incorrect: I d l i ke ever yone t o t ake t hei r seat s.

Possiblesolution:

I d l i ke ever yone t o t ake hi s orher seat . (singular)

Possiblesolution:

I d l i ke t he commi t t ee members t o t ake thei r seat s. (plural)

Possiblesolution: I d l i ke you t o t ake yourseats. (plural, 2ndperson)


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Table 6

Pronouns(continued)

How do you handle subjective versus objective pronouns?

I, you, he, she, it, we, andthey are subjectiveand generally appear at the beginning of asentence.

J oe and he ar e goi ng t o the bal lgame.

To test whether to use he or him, deleteJoe from the sentence.

He i s goi ng t o t he bal l game. VersusJ oe and he ar e goi ng t o the bal lgame.

Me, you, him, her, it, us, them are objectiveand generally appear at the end of a sentence.

He gave the gi f t t o Sarah and me. To test whether to use me or I, delete

Sarah from the sentence.

He gave t he gi f t t o me. Versus He gave

t he gi f t t o Sar ah and me.Table 7

Noun/Verb Agreement(APA. 2001, sec. 2.07)

General rule: use singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural

subjects. Below are situations that can cause confusion.

Use a plural verb when two subjects arejoined with an and.

John and Susan are i n t he of f i ce.

The CEO and the stockholders agr ee.

Use a singular verb with these words:

each, every, another, either, neither, one,

anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone,

nobody, nothing.

Neitherappl i cant is qual i f i ed.

Each member i s qual i f i ed t o vot e.

If the words listed above are followed by aprepositional phrase, use a singular verb.

Each of the subjects is r el evant .

Anot her of the members want s t or esi gn.

If the phrase contains who, which, orthatand

a plural noun, use a plural verb.

He i s one of those people who are

t al kat i ve.

Use plural verbs with these words: both, few,many, others, and several.

Both pl ayer s were ki cked out of t hegame.

Several st udent s were seen at t heevent


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Table 7

Noun/Verb Agreement(continued)

If a fraction refers to a single unit, use asingular verb.

Two-thirds of t he committeer esi gned.

If a fraction refers to more than one unit, usea plural verb.

Halfof t heprofits ar e f r omyest er day s sal es.

Ifany, all, some, most, more, none modify asingle noun, use a single verb

Any employee is el i gi bl e t o appl yf or t he j ob.

Ifany, all, some, most, more, none modify aplural noun, use a plural verb.

Any of t he employees are el i gi bl e.

Table 8Using Parallel Structure(See also APA, 2001, sec. 2.11)

Most problems arise when trying to construct a list. Keep the grammar structure similar for eachitem. Items can be nouns, verbs, phrases, or clauses.

Nonparallel example: For t he of f i ce, J enny has r equest ed: a case of penci l s f our t oner car t r i dges t he of f i ce needs a new r ug

Two items are nouns (a case of pencils and four toner cartridges). The third item is a clause. Tomake this list parallel, items should be either all nouns or all clauses.

Parallel example: For t he of f i ce, J enny has r equest ed: a case of penci l s f our t oner car t r i dges a r ug

Nonparallel: St eve i s i nt el l i gent , r esour cef ul , and has an out goi ngper sonal i t y.

Look at each element in the list of Steve's attributes: intelligent(an adjective), resourceful (an

adjective), has an outgoing personality (a verb phrase).Parallel: St eve i s i nt el l i gent , r esour cef ul , and out goi ng.

Now all elements of the list are adjectives.


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Table 9

Commonly Misused WordsCompiled by BSU Faculty

Accept, except

accept: to receive

except: related to exception

Pl ease accept t hi s gi f t as our t hanks.

Ever yone except J ane knows t hepasswor d.

Affect, effect

affect (verb): to do something to

affect (noun): feeling or emotion

effect (noun): result

effect (verb): cause

The l ong commut e affectedhi sdi sposi t i on.

Psychol ogi st s cont i nue t o st udy t hestrong affects of t en associ at ed wi t hweapons

Thei r deci si on wi l l have no effect onus.

The demonst r at or s hope t o ef f ectsoci al change.

Amount, number

amount: cant be counted, can beadded

number: can be counted.

He had a l ar ge amount of cash i n hi spocket .

A numberof appl i cant s ar e wai t i ng i nt he hal l .

Between, among

between: when 2 are involved

among: when more than 2 are involved

The di sagreement was between J ohn andFr ed.

Di sagreement arose amongf i ve of t hepanel i st s.

Capitol, capital

capitol: name of a building

capital: all other uses

The capitol buildingi s i n Boi se.

You need capital t o i nvest .

Do not use al l capital l et ters .

He commi t t ed a capital of f ense.

Boi se i s t he capital of I daho

Compliment, complement

compliment: praise, freecomplement: go with or complete

The t i cket was complimentary.

That was qui t e a compliment he pai dyou.

That t i e complements your j acket .

Do, due

do: an actiondue: why something happensdue: when something must occur

Don t j ust st and t her e, do somet hi ng.

We wer e l at e due t o t he heavy tr af f i c

Your ass i gnment i s due t omor r ow.


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Table 9

Commonly Misused Words(continued)

Moral, morale

moral: ethics, correct behavior

morale: spirit

The count r y needs mor e moral peopl e.

We need t o i ncr ease depar t ment morale.

Principal, principle

principal: person in charge of a schoolor main part of something.

principle: basic truth or belief

He was cal l ed i nt o t heprincipalsof f i ce.

He met t heprincipal cr i t er i a.

A mor t gage i ncl udesprincipal andi nt er est .

The pr i nci pal s pr i nci pal principle i sget t o school !

There, their, theyre

there: place

their: possessivetheyre: they are

Whos, whose

whos: who iswhose: possessive

We eat there every day.

We saw theirper f ormance on Sat urday.

Theyre cal l i ng us t omorr ow.

Whos goi ng t o cover t he next shi f t ?

Whose t ur n i s i t next ?


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GUIDELINES FOR REPORTS

Core Sections of a Report

The information below serves as a basic guideline. However, your instructor may have additionalor different formatting requirements to add to or replace these. For more information see APA,2001, sections 1.06-1.15.

Core sections of a report include:

Title page: The title page often includes a descriptive title (not just Report), authorsname, class and section numbers, and date of submission. Check with the instructor for

particular format or information required.

Table of Contents*

List of Illustrations*

Executive Summary*

Introduction

Body (e.g., method, findings, research, results)

Conclusions

References: This list includes only the sources cited in the text. If you want to includeother, non-cited sources, then call this section Bibliography.

Appendices

* On shorter reports--under five pages--these parts might not be required.

A sample research paper is available online at:

http://cobe.boisestate.edu under the Writing Style Guide link.

Major Formatting Elements

There are several options for formats. Some are listed here; see your instructor for his/herpreference.

Font

Most Common Times New Roman 12-point fontLine Spacing

Most Common Double-space text

Alternative Single-space text



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Margins

Most common One-inch margins all around

Alternativeif the report is to be

enclosed in a binder

Increase the left side margin to 1 or 2 inches so that thetight binding will not make it difficult to read

Paragraph Format

Most Common Indent paragraphs one-half inch

Alternative Insert a blank line between paragraphs, and then do notindent the paragraphs

Page Numbers

APA Style Use Arabic numerals in the upper right hand cornerwith a running head (the first two or three words of thereport) above or five spaces to the left of the page number

Common Use Arabic numerals, starting with the first page,centering the number in the page footer, about one-halfinch from the bottom of the page

Alternative Number the prefatory pages (Table of contents, Preface,etc.) with lower case Roman numerals centered in thepage footer about one-half inch from the bottom of thepage

Headings

Most Common Use section headings with appropriate heading levels. Atypical section will be from one to three or fourparagraphs in length. Thus, on a double-spacedmanuscript, one or two section headings will appear oneach page.

Headings must be consistent in format and parallel ingrammatical structure

The APA style offers five levels of headings (APA, 2001, sect. 3.30). Most papers will onlyrequire two or three levels of headings. Table 10 illustrates one sample Headings format.


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Table 10

Sample Heading Format

Heading Uses Heading Characteristics

Use for the main title CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING

Centered, Italicized, Uppercase

and Lowercase HeadingUse to divide the majorsections of the report

Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading

Flush Left, Non-Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase HeadingUse for subheadings withinthe major sections of thereport

Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with

a period. Text follows on same line.

Use headings to clarify for your readers the organization and structure of the parts of the report.In this respect, headings resemble an outline of the report.

REPORT TITLE

Introduction

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.

Descriptive Title for Section 1


Descriptive Title for Sub-Section 1.1


Descriptive Title for Section 2




Descriptive Title forSub-Sub-Section 2.1.a [NOT ITALICS]Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.



Conclusion


References


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Report Style

Reports generally employ a more formal, professional style than do many letters, memos, or e-mails. The formal, professional style adds power to the report by emphasizing analysis and facts.

To accomplish a formal, professional style:

Avoid informal words and phrases. Such words and phrases include jargon, colloquialexpressions, contractions, slang, and casual language.

Use the active voice whenever possible and appropriate.

Explain abbreviations and acronyms at their first appearance.

Avoid using personal pronouns, especially first person pronouns (I, me, we, our)and second person pronouns (you).

Avoid using excessive adverbs and adjectives.

Table 11 presents two comparative samples of the formal, professional and informal styles.

Table 11

Formal vs. Informal Styles

Formal Style Informal StyleThi s r epor t wi l l det ai lt he advant ages t hecompany wi l l see f r om t hei mpl ement at i on of cer t ai n

management r ef or ms.These r ef or ms wi l l notadver sel y af f ect cur r entpol i ci es and pr ocedur es.

I n t hi s r epor t , I l lexpl ai n t he si gni f i cantadvant ages t hat we canaccompl i sh by r ampi ng up

a coupl e of managementr ef orms. These r ef ormswon t r equi r e us t o makemaj or changes i n t he waywe cur r ent l y oper at e.

The aut hor s of t hi sr epor t suggest t hat t hef i r m nar r ow i t s mar ket i ngf ocus.

We thi nk t hat youshoul dn t have yourmar ket i ng pr ogr am be al lover t he boar d.



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The Executive Summary

Most professional business reports use an executive summary rather than an abstract orintroduction. The executive summary has the advantage that it can be skimmed very quickly by

a busy manager to get the critical information.The differences between an executive summary, an abstract, and an introduction can bedescribed as follows:

An executive summary is a brief overview of a report designed to give readers a quickrestatement of the reports main points. The reader or audience is usually someone whomakes funding, personnel, or policy decisions and needs information quickly andefficiently. The purpose of the executive summary is to consolidate the principal pointsof a document in one place. Using the summary, the audience should understand themain points you are making and your evidence for those points without having to readevery part of your report in full.

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of an article; it allowsreaders to survey the contents of an article quickly. It is typically a highly condensedoverview of 250 words or less.

Introductions differ from executive summaries in that they present the specific problemunder study and essential background information needed to better understand thedetailed information to follow. They announce the purpose, why the topic is important,scope of coverage, and methodology used. However, an introduction usually does notsay what the actual conclusions are or what evidence is used to reach those conclusions.

Guidelines for Writing Executive Summaries

An effective executive summary will be able to stand alone, because decisions may be made

based upon the strength of the executive summary alone. Thus, the summary must capture theessential meaning of the full report.

Other things to keep in mind include:

Do not introduce new information that is not in the report.

Write the executive summary last, after you have completed the report and decided onyour recommendations.

Make the length of the summary proportional to the full report it summarizes,typically 10-15 percent. Most executive summaries are one to two pages.

Write the summary at the lowest level of technicality, translating specialized terms

and complex data into plain English. Avoid personal comments such as this report was very interesting or the author

seems to think that.

Organize the summary according to the sequence of information presented in thefull report.

End the summary with a one- or two-line recommendation for action along with thejustification for the proposed action using terms the audience will consider important.



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The best strategy for writing the executive summary is to organize it according to the sequenceof information presented in the full report. Look at first and last sentences of paragraphs to beginto outline your summary. Find key words and use those words to organize a draft of yoursummary; look for words that enumerate (first, next, finally); words that express causation(therefore, consequently); words that signal essentials (basically, central, leading, principal,

major) and contrast (however, similarly, more than, less likely).Figure 1 presents the following example of an executive summary from the Colorado StateUniversity online Writing Studio.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Susie's Cookies began as a small business in Cleveland, Ohio, which has expanded to include 45stores throughout the Midwest. Plans have already been instituted to expand sales nationwide, using

the same "mall-concept" marketing strategy, which has proven successful in the Midwest. Despitethese plans, Susie's Cookies may be in danger of bankruptcy.

Advertising Costs

Susie's quadrupled its sales in the last two quarters, realizing a profit of $750,000 in the current year,an increase of $250,000 over the previous year, due to its increase in advertising. To realizeequivalent sale figures nationwide, however, it is projected that advertising costs will increase by200% for the first two years of the national expansions.

Expansion Costs

Further, construction costs for the new stores are estimated to be 20 million dollars. The result ofincreased advertising and construction costs will put a substantial debt burden on Susie's cookies, anestimated $750,000 to 1 million a year. Given that sales did not reach current levels in the Midwestuntil the 45 stores had been operating for five years, projected sales nationally will not cover

expansion costs. As a result, Susie's Cookies is likely to show a loss of almost $2 million for at leastthe next five years.

Recommendation

Due to the high advertisement and development costs of national expansion, Susie's Cookies maynot be able to continue doing business in the future. Therefore, we recommend that Mrs. Field's doesnot participate in the hostile takeover under consideration because the threat of competition will notbe realized.

Figure 1. Sample Executive Summary.Note: From Colorado State University


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Tables, Figures, and Equations

A report can be enhanced significantly by the use of appropriate tables and figures. Use them tosummarize or group data or information that is further discussed in the paragraphs immediatelybefore and after.

Tables show data in rows and columns. Figures include graphs, charts, drawings, pictures andillustrations. Tables and figures are used to make it easier to interpret the information containedin them.

Some general rules for all tables, figures and equations:

Identify each element of the figure or table and make sure the units of measurement areidentified (e.g., dollars, euros, units, pounds, percentages, etc.).

When the data or information is taken from other sources, you MUST include anappropriate citation. (See Citations and References, p. 34.)

Try not to split tables and figures across pages.

Add notes below the table or figure to explain the contents. Any symbol, acronym orabbreviation should be defined if not widely used; general notes or footnotes in a table orfigure are labeled a, b, and c.

The table or figure should be closely integrated into the text or body of the report. Here aresome things to remember to make that integration clear for the reader:

Always mention and discuss the table or figure in the text.

Place the table or figure close to where it is first mentioned in the text, or on separatepages at the end of the document if they are extensive.

Capitalize the word Table 1 or Figure 1 in the text when referring to it. Refrain from

using the table below, or the table on page 17. Use the same font as used in the paper.



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Tables

Keep your tables as simple as possible.

Keep all comparable tables in the document consistent in presentation.

Make sure each row or column in the table has a heading.

Number each table sequentially throughout the document.

Add a brief explanatory title underneath or to the right of the table number.

Tables Containing Numbers or Statistics

Do not change the number of significant digits or units of measurement within a column.

If a number is less that 1, place a 0 before the decimal unless the number cannot begreater than 1, such as a coefficient of correlation or coefficient of determination.

Single-space text or numbers within a table, regardless of whether the report overall issingle- or double-spaced. (Follow your instructors directions.)

Identify all probability level values with asterisks attached to the appropriate tableentries. Use the same number of asterisks for a given probability level in all tables in thesame report. Generally, the largest probability receives the fewest asterisks.

Put the notes in the following order: general note, specific note, and probability note.

See APA, 2001, sections 3.62-3.74 for more on tables.

Tables 12 14 offer examples of numerical tables.

Table 12Sample Table 1

Table 1National Income Data for a Small Nonexistent Country

Year GDPa

National Incomeb

2000 $400 $300

2001 $600 $400

2002 $700 $650

a

Millionsb Millions

Note: From Article Title/Book Title, by Author, Publication Date,Journal Title,Vol. #, p. #/Book Place of Publication: Publisher.

This example used the Table Autoformat feature in Word. This is Simple 1 format in APAstyle.


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Table 2

Sample Table 2Column 1 Headera Col. 2 b Col. 3 Col. 4 Col. 5

Row 1 Data Data Data Data

Row 2 123 123 123 123a Explanatory note

b Explanatory note

Note: From Article Title/Book Title, by Author, Publication Date,JournalTitle, Vol. #, p. #/Book Place of Publication: Publisher.



Column 1 Headera Col. 2 b

Row 1 DataRow 2 123a Explanatory note

bExplanatory note

Note: From Article Title/Book Title, by Author, Publication Date,JournalTitle, Vol. #, p. #/Book Place of Publication: Publisher.

Word TablesMany tables simply contain text. There are few formatting rule for these. The main thing is forthe table to be clear and easily understood. The basic rules about tables still apply, such askeeping a consistent font, sequentially numbering the tables, providing a descriptive title, andreferring to the table in the text of the report. Table 15 offers an example of a word table.

Table 15.Sample Table 4

Table 4

Sample Heading Format

Heading Uses Heading Characteristics

Use for the maintitle

CENTERED UPPERCASE HEADING

Centered, Italicized, Uppercase

and Lowercase Heading

Use to divide themajor sections ofthe report Flush Left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading


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Figures

Figures include graphs, charts, maps, drawings, illustrations, or photographs. A good figure cangreatly improve the readers understanding of a concept. Make sure that your figures (APA,2001, p. 177):

convey essential facts;

omit details that are not relevant to the point you are making;

are easy to read, understand;

are prepared in the same style as other figures in the same article; that is, the lettering isof the same size and typeface, lines are of the same weight and so forth;

are sequentially numbered with an explanatory title placed consistently either above orbelow the figure; and

have clearly labeled axes and elements.

Figures 2, 3, and 4 provide examples of how to format different types of figures.

CapitalInput(machinehours)

Labor Input (hours)

Figure 2. Least Cost Solution for Cobb Douglas Production Function.

LA

KAA

Note: From Article Title/Book Title, by Author, Publication Date,Journal Title, Vol. #, p. #/Book Place of Publication: Publisher.



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EquationsPlace short, simple equations in the line of text.

To display an equation, place it on a separate line, indented, with extra space above andbelow. If the equation does not fit on a single line, separate it before an operational or

relational symbol. There is no need to use punctuation at the end of an equation.

Insert a space on either side of the operators +, -, = except in subscripts or superscripts.

Number all equations sequentially, (1), (2), etc., and enclosed in parentheses. The numbershould be placed on the same line as the equation near the right margin of the page.

( )max ,t is iss t i

E u c z

=

(1)

( )s is s s s si

c a w z + = + (2)

For more on equations see APA, 2001, sections 3.56-3.61.



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Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism

It is good to use ideas and information from others to support and strengthen your arguments oranalyses. That is what research is all aboutfinding out what is already known, assembling it in

a new way with other ideas, and then adding your own new insights. Knowledge is a pyramidthat many people build over time, building upon the ideas of one another. If we did not borrowand build on one anothers ideas, science would never advance nor would a company. On theother hand, dont overuse the work of others. We are interested in how you view the topic, assupported by others. Your paper should be more than a collection of quotes and paraphrases.

It is as important to identify or cite the source for information you use as it is to use theinformation. There are a few reasons to cite your sources.

For the reader, the source lends credibility--how credible depends on the strength of thesource. Thus the citation allows the reader to evaluate the quality of information you areusing to build your arguments. It also allows the reader to look up the original works to

learn more. For the authors, it is giving creditfor the work they have done--or their intellectual

property.

For you, it is honesty. Information has value like moneyif you take someones moneywithout permission, it is called theft. It is called plagiarism when you steal or usesomeone elses ideasusing anothers ideas or words without acknowledging them.Penalties for stealing someones ideas, on purpose or by accident, are failing theassignment or course, or dismissal from the university. We take it seriously!

This section will help you recognize when you have committed plagiarism in your writing. Italso includes some ways to avoid plagiarism. Finally, there are some concrete examples of

plagiarized and non-plagiarized writing to help you.

Defining Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using someone elses ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing

as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness.

Ideas or phrasing includes written, spoken, or electronic materialfrom whole papers andparagraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrasesbut it also includes statistics, lab results, andartwork.

Someone else can mean a professional source, such as a published writer or critic in a book,magazine, encyclopedia, or journal; an electronic resource such as material we discover on

the World Wide Web; another student at our school or anywhere else; or a paper-writingservice (online or otherwise) which offers to sell written papers.



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Recognizing Plagiarism

Figure 5 illustrates plagiaristic actions arrayed from deliberate, on the left side, to possiblyaccidental, on the right. You should understand, however, that plagiarism is plagiarism whetherit is deliberate or accidental.

Figure 5. Actions that might be seen as plagiarism.Note: From Avoiding Plagiarism (1995-2002)

Avoiding Plagiarizing

The heart of avoiding plagiarism is to make sure you give credit where it is due. This may becredit for something somebody said, wrote, e-mailed, drew, or implied. Table 16 clearlyseparates when you need to cite the source of some information, and when you do not. Table 17suggests actions you can take during your researching and writing processes to avoid plagiarism.Please remember: even if its an accident, its still plagiarizing!



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Table 16

Choosing When to Cite the Source

Need to Cite Source Do Not Need to Cite Source

When you use or refer to someone elses words orideas from a magazine, book, newspaper, Webpage, computer program, or any other medium.

When you use information gained throughinterviewing another person.

When you copy the exact words or a unique phrasefrom somewhere. In this instance, use quotationmarks in addition to the citation.

When you reprint any diagrams, illustrations,charts, and pictures.

When you use ideas that others have given you inconversations or over e-mail.

When you are writing your ownexperiences, your ownobservations, insights, thoughts, orconclusions about a subject, orexperimental results.

Note: FromAvoiding Plagiarism (1995-2002)

Table 17

Making Sure You Are Safe

Action during the writing process Appearance on the finished product

When researching, note-taking, and interviewing

Mark everything that is someone elseswords with a big Q (for quote) or withbig quotation marks.

Indicate in your notes which ideas aretaken from sources (S) and which areyour own insights (ME).

Record all of the relevant documentationinformation, including page numbers, inyour notes.

Proofread and check with your notes (orphotocopies of sources) to make sure thatanything taken from your notes isacknowledged in some combination of thefollowing ways: In-text citation, quotationmarks, footnotes, indirect quotations, andbibliography.



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Table 17

Making Sure You Are Safe (continued)


When paraphrasing and summarizing

Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. Summarizing issimilar, but it includes only the main point(s). A paraphrase or a summary must be attributed to the originalsource.

First, write your paraphrase andsummary without looking at theoriginal text, so you rely only onyour memory.

Next, check your version withthe original for content, accuracy,and mistakenly borrowed

phrases.

Begin your summary with a statement giving credit

to the source: Accor di ng t o J onat hanKozol ( 1999, p. 23) , . . . orKozol ( 1999, p. 23) st at es, . . . or As Kozol ( 1999, p. 23) poi nt sout , . . . Avoid repetitive phrasing.

Put any unique words or phrases that you cannotchange, or do not want to change, in quotation

marks: ... "savage i nequal i t i es" exi stt hr oughout our educat i onal syst em( Kozol , 1999, p. 23) .

When quoting directly

Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match thesource document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.

Keep the persons name near thequote in your notes, and in your

paper. Select direct quotes that make the

most impact in your paper -- toomany direct quotes lessen yourcredibility.

Mention the persons name either at thebeginning, middle, or end of the quote.

Put quotation marks around the quoted text.

Indicate your added phrases in brackets ([ ]) andomitted text with ellipses (. . .).

When quoting indirectly (paraphrasing)

Keep the persons name near thetext in your notes, and in yourpaper.

Rewrite the key ideas usingdifferent words and sentencestructures than the original text.

Mention the persons name either at the beginningof the information, or in the middle, or at the end.

Double check to make sure that your words and

sentence structures are different than the originaltext.



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Table 17

Making Sure You Are Safe (continued)


When quoting Web sources

Beware of Web sources that do notcontain an author and date. Withoutknowing the origin and time frame, youcannot be sure of the accuracy of theinformation.

Do not cut and paste from sources on theWeb. In addition to concern about theaccuracy of the content, it is too easy toforget to cite the source, leaving you inplagiarism mode.

Note: FromAvoiding Plagiarism (1995-2002)

If You Are Still Not Sure

The following four examples have been adapted from Capital Community College HumanitiesDepartment and the Arthur C. Banks Jr. Library (2004) A Statement on Plagiarism.

Below are four samples of writing, using original text from Elaine Tyler Mays Myths andRealities of the American Family." As you read each version, try to decide if it is a legitimateuse of Mays text or a plagiarism. Mays original text follows:

Because women' s wages of t en cont i nue t o ref l ect t he f i ct i on t hat menear n t he f ami l y wage, si ngl e mothers r arel y ear n enough t o supportt hemsel ves and t hei r chi l dr en adequat el y. And because wor k i s st i l lorgani zed ar ound t he assumpt i on t hat mot her s s t ay home wi t hchi l dr en, even t hough f ew mot her s can af f or d t o do so, chi l d- car ef aci l i t i es i n t he Uni t ed St at es r emai n woef ul l y i nadequat e.

Version A:

Si nce women' s wages of t en cont i nue t o ref l ect t he mi st aken not i ont hat men are the mai n wage earner s i n t he f ami l y, si ngl e mother sr arel y make enough t o suppor t t hemsel ves and thei r chi l dr en ver ywel l . Al so, because wor k i s st i l l based on t he assumpt i on t hatmot her s st ay home wi t h chi l dr en, f aci l i t i es f or chi l dcar e r emai nwoef ul l y i nadequat e i n t he Uni t ed St at es.

Verdict: Plagiarism.In Version A there is too much direct borrowing in sentence

structure and wording. The writer changes some words, drops one phrase,and adds some new language, but the overall text closely resembles May's.

Even with a citation, the writer is still plagiarizing because the lack of

quotation marks indicates that Version A is a paraphrase, and should thus be

in the writer's own language.



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Version B:

As May ( 1989) poi nts out , "women' s wages of t en cont i nue t o r ef l ectt he f i ct i on t hat men earn t he f ami l y wage" ( p. 588) . Thus manysi ngl e mothers cannot suppor t t hemsel ves and t hei r chi l dr en

adequat el y. Fur t her more, si nce work i s based on t he assumpt i on t hatmot her s st ay home wi t h chi l dr en, f aci l i t i es f or day car e i n t hi scount r y ar e st i l l "woef ul l y i nadequat e. " ( p. 589) .

Verdict: Plagiarism. In Version B the writer now cites May, so we're closer to telling

the truth about our text's relationship to the source, but this text continues to

borrow too much language without using quotation marks.

Version C:

By and l arge, our economy st i l l oper ates on t he mi st aken not i on thatmen are the mai n breadwi nners i n t he f ami l y. Thus, women cont i nue toear n l ower wages t han men. Thi s means, i n ef f ect , t hat many si ngl emother s cannot ear n a decent l i vi ng. Fur t her more, adequat e day carei s not avai l abl e i n t he Uni t ed St at es because of t he mi st akenassumpt i on t hat mother s r emai n at home wi t h t hei r chi l dr en.

Verdict: Plagiarism. Version C shows good paraphrasing of wording and sentence

structure, but May's original ideas are not acknowledged. Some of May's

points are common knowledge (women earn less than men, many single

mothers live in poverty), but May uses this common knowledge to make a

specific and original point and her original conception of this idea is not

acknowledged.

Version D:Women t oday st i l l ear n l ess t han men so much l ess t hat manysi ngl e mot her s and t hei r chi l dr en l i ve near or bel ow t hepover t y l i ne. May (1989) ar gues t hat t hi s si t uat i on st ems i npar t f r om "t he f i ct i on t hat men ear n t he f ami l y wage" ( p.588) . May f ur t her suggest s t hat t he Amer i can wor kpl ace st i l loperat es on t he assumpt i on t hat mot her s wi t h chi l dr en st ayhome t o car e f or t hem ( p. 589) . Thi s assumpt i on, i n myopi ni on, does not have t he f or ce i t once di d. Mor e and mor ebusi nesses of f er i n- house day- car e f aci l i t i es. . . .

Verdict: No Plagiarism. In version D the writer makes use of the common knowledge

in May's work, but acknowledges May's original conclusion and does not tryto pass it off as his or her own. The quotation is properly cited, as is a later

paraphrase of another of May's ideas. (Capital Community College, 2004)



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Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism is one type of academic dishonesty. This is a serious offense at Boise State, as it is atany university in the country.

The official policy may be found at the University website:http://www2.boisestate.edu/studentconduct/.

Boise State University Policy on Academic Dishonesty

Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. The University functions to promote thecognitive and psychosocial development of all students. Therefore, all work submitted by astudent must represent her/his own ideas, concepts, and current understanding. Academicdishonesty also includes submitting substantial portions of the same academic course work tomore than one course for credit without prior permission of the instructor(s). Possible examplesmay be as follows:

Buying or in any way using a term paper or other project that was not composed by thestudent turning it in.

Copying from another exam paper before, during or after the exam.

Using crib notes or retrieval of information stored in a computer/calculator outside examroom.

Having someone else take an exam or taking an exam for someone else.

Collaboration on take-home exams where it has been forbidden.

Direct copying of a term paper.

Failure to give proper credit to sources.

In a proven case of cheating, the student will be dismissed from the class and a failing gradeissued. If the chair and instructor feel it is necessary, additional action may be taken asexplained in the Boise State University website.

We recommend that you examine the issue in more depth in the APA sources. For more onplagiarism see APA, 2001 sect. 8.05.



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Citations and References

Using external sources without citing them is considered plagiarism. Authors must provideenough information so that readers can go to the original sources and review them. This involves

two things: Citations and References.

Citationsbriefly identify the source of borrowed information, quotes, and figures in thetext. The citation must be placed at the beginning, middle or end of the borrowedinformation. It must be crystal clear what information is borrowed and where it comesfrom, including page references whenever possible. The brief citation matches the firstword(s) in an entry in the reference list; the author(s) or title serves as a main entry in thereference list.

Thereference listcontains the full descriptions ofonly those sources that are citedin thepaper. It enables the reader to find any source cited in the paper. The references areplaced in alphabetical order at the end of the paper.

Citing Borrowed Material

Citations include the authors last name, the year of publication, and a page number if available.If an author is not available, use the title of the work. Some examples follow in Table 18. This isby no means an all-inclusive list. The APA style manual (2001, sections 3.94-3.103) providesmore examples of citation style.

Table 18

Citation Placement in Text

Descriptions of Citations Example Citations in Text

One author

referred to in the middle of a sentenceORwithout mentioning the author in thesentence

Accor di ng t o Hawk ( 1999, p.

137) , t hese behavi or s . . .These behavi or s have been l i nkedt o gender soci al i zat i on ( Hawk,1999, pp. 143- 144) and t o . . .

Two authors Smi t h and J ones ( 1999, p. 456)assume . . .I t i s suggest ed ( Smi t h & J ones,1999, p. 456) t hat . . .

Three or more authorsCite all the authors the first time the work is

mentioned. After that use only the surname of

the first author followed by et al.

Wasser st ei n, J ones, & Sander s( 1994, p. 346) f ound . . .I t has been f ound ( Wasser st ei n

et al . , 1994, p. 346) . . .

Multiple sources cited for the same piece ofinformation. Order sources alphabetically asthey are in the reference list.

( Hawk, 1999, p. 134; Pi ece,1999, p. 56; Smi t h, 1980, p.234)

A direct quotation. Behavi or has been ref err ed t o asbl ah bl ah ( Br adl ey, 1998, p.276) .



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Table 18

Examples of Citations (continued)

Descriptions of Citations Example Citations in Text

Secondary sourcesRefer to both sources in the text, but only putthe one source you used in the References list.

In this case, one author, Feist, includes a quote

from another author, Bandura, that you wish to

borrow.

Bandur a ( 1989, as ci t ed i nFei st , 1998) def i ned sel f -ef f i cacy as "peopl e' s bel i ef sabout t hei r capabi l i t i es t oexer ci se cont r ol over event st hat af f ect t hei r l i ves" ( p.1175) .

No authorUse the title of the article, or part of the title,

and the year. Make sure that the title or title

part corresponds to the name in the Reference

list. This often occurs with daily newspaper

articles.

I t was r ecent l y r epor t ed t hat anew dr ug appears t o cut t he r i skof hear t f ai l ur e (New Dr ug, 1993) .

Personal communicationsThese include e-mails or private interviews andconversations

T. K. Lut es ( personalcommuni cat i on, Apr i l 18, 2001) ,pr of essor of Account i ng at Ohi oSt at e Uni ver si t y, r ecal l ed . . .

Electronic Sources

For electronic sources that do not provide pagenumbers, use the paragraph number, ifavailable, proceeded by the paragraph symbol() or the abbreviationpara.

If neither paragraph nor page numbers arevisible, cite the heading and the number of theparagraph following it to direct the reader to thelocation of the material.

As Myer s ( 2000, 5) apt l yphr ased i t , posi t i ve emot i onsar e bot h an end . . .

The cur r ent syst em of managedcar e and the cur r ent appr oach t odef i ni ng empi r i cal l y suppor t edt r eat ment s are shor t si ght ed( Beut l er , 2000, Concl usi onsect i on, par a 1) .

When there is no author for a web page, the textcitation would then just cite a few words of thetitle.

ar e most at r i sk of cont r act i ngt he di sease ( "New Chi l d, " 2001) .

When discussingbut not citingan entireweb site (but not a specific document on thatsite), it is sufficient to give the address of thesite in just the text (no entry in the reference listis needed).

Ki dspsych, whi ch can be f ound atht t p: / / www. ki dspsych. or g, i s awonder f ul i nt er act i ve web si t ef or chi l dr en.


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References

References and a bibliography are not the same.

In References, you list only the items you have actually cited.

In aBibliography, you list all of the material you have consulted in preparing your essaywhether or not you have actually cited the work.

Most BSU College of Business & Economics disciplines use the references page to list thesources within the text of the report from which information was obtained.

Each citation in the text must correspond to an item in the reference list.

Each entry in references must be cited in the text in the proper way to easily lead the reader tothe reference in the list (see APA, 2001, Chapter 4 for an extensive discussion).

On the references page, arrange entries:

In alphabetical order by surname of first author. (If no author is given, alphabetize byfirst word of title.)

In order of date, with earliest first, for references by the same author.

With hanging indents.

In all reference entries, certain pieces of information need to be included if at all possible. Theseinclude things like author(s), year of publication, title and pages. However, some specific piecesof information vary for different types of references. Use Table 19 to find the requiredinformation items and sequence.

Basic components and formats include the following:

Article: Authors last name, First & Middle (if available) initials. (Publicationdate). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number (Issuenumber), start page-end page.

Book: Authors last name, First & Middle (if available) initials. (Copyright date).Book title. Publishers city: Publishers name.

NOTE: APA does not use the words Volume, Vol., or Issue in reference list entries, justthe appropriate numbers.

If no publication date is available, use ( n. d. ) to indicate that there is no publication date.

NOTE: The paragraph format for reference entries is a Hanging Indent where the first line isleft flush and subsequent lines are indented. In MS WORD, use the FORMAT > PARAGRAPH> INDENTS & SPACING > INDENTATION > SPECIAL > HANGING style menu.


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Table 19Sample Citations and Reference List Entries

General ResourcesResource Text Citation Reference Entry

Journal article, oneauthor:

Cor nel l ( 1986, p.197) has f ound.

Cornel l , B. ( 1986) . I nf l at i onmeasur ement s, i nf l at i onr i sk, and t he pr i ci ng oft r easur y bi l l s: Anal ysi sand comment ar y. Journal ofFinancial Research, 9(2) ,193- 202.

Reference Entry Format and Components:Note carefully the use of italics

and punctuation.

Authors last name, and initial(s). (Publicationdate). Article title using capital lettersfor the first word of the title andsubtitle and for any proper nouns, notin italics. Journal Title in italics using

capital letters, 9 = Volume number initalics (2), = Issue number if available,not italics, 193-202.= beginning andend page numbers of the article.

Journal article, twoauthors:

Cornell and Smith (1987, p.

67) assert.

Cor nel l , B. , & Smi t h, A.( 1987) . I nf l at i on ef f ect s.Journal of Financial

Research, 10, 56- 97.

Journal article,more than twoauthor:

[1st citation:] Ker ni s,Cor nel l , Sun, Ger r y,and Har l ow ( 1993)st at e.

[Subsequent citations:]Ker ni s et al .( 1993) .

Ker ni s, M. H. , Cor nel l , D. P. ,Sun, C. R. , Ger r y, A. , &Har l ow, T. ( 1993) . Thei mpor t ance of st abi l i t y of

sel f - est eem. Journal ofSocial Psychology, 38,1190- 1204.

Book: Cal f ee and Val enci a( 1991, p. 34) asser t.

Cal f ee, R. C. , & Val enci a, R.( 1991) . APA guide to

preparing manuscripts for

journal publication.Washi ngt on, DC: Amer i canPsychol ogi cal Associ at i on.

Reference Entry Format and Components:Note carefully the use of italics

and punctuation.

Authors last name and initial(s). (Publicationdate).Book title in italics and usingcapital letters for the first word of the

title and subtitle and for any propernouns. City, state of publication:Publisher.

Edited book: as i s ment i oned byAl t man andSubr ahmanyam ( 1985,p. 78) .

Al t man, E. I & Subr ahmanyam, M.G. ( Eds. ) . ( 1985) . Recentadvances in corporate

finance. Homewood, I L:Ri char d D. I r wi n.


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Table 19Sample Citations and Reference List Entries (continued)

Resource Text Citation Reference Entry

Book, revised or

2nd+ edition:

As Cal f ee and

Val enci a ( 1991)gener al l y observethator

The APA Guide toPreparing Manuscripts( Cal f ee & Val enci a,1991) st ates, ( p.56) .

Cal f ee, R. C. , & Val enci a, R.

R. ( 1991) .APA guide to

preparing manuscripts for

journal publication (3rded. ) . Washi ngt on, DC:Amer i can Psychol ogi calAssoci at i on.

Or ( Rev. ed. )

Book, groupauthor(government

agency) aspublisher:

Accor di ng t o t heAust r al i an Bur eau ofSt at i st i cs ( 1991) ,t he popul at i on has.

Aust r al i an Bur eau ofSt at i st i cs. ( 1991) .Estimated resident

population by age and sex,

New South Wales, June

1990. Canber r a, Aust r al i anCapi t al Ter r i t or y: Aut hor .

Note use of Author as publisher when theauthor and the publisher are the same.

Book, no author oreditor:

Merriam-Websters

Collegiate Thesaurus( 1988, p. 237) l i st smany synonyms f or .

Mer r i am- Webst er s col l egi at et hesaur us. ( 1988) .Spr i ngf i el d, MA: Mer r i am-Webst er .

Article or chapterin an edited book:

Bj ork (1989, p. 326)has wr i t t en t hat .

Bj or k, R. A. ( 1989) . Ret r i evali nhi bi t i on as an adapt i vemechani sm i n human memor y.

I n H. L. Roedi ger I I I & F.I . M. Cr ai k ( Eds. ) ,Varieties of memory &

consciousness ( pp. 309-330) . Hi l l sdal e, NJ :Er l baum.

Note use of pp. to indicate start and end pageof the article in this instance.

Newspaper articlewith author:

Schwart z ( 1993, p.A1) f ur t her r epor t s.

Schwart z, J . ( 1993, Sept ember30) . Obesi t y af f ect seconomi c, soci al st at us.The Washington Post, pp.A1, A4.

Note the discontinuous pagination. The articlebegins on page A1 and jumps to A4. If thepages were continuous, pp. A1-A4 would beused.


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Newspaper article

without author:

t hat hear t f ai l ur es

have decl i ned ( Newdr ug, 1993) .

New dr ug appear s t o cut r i sk of

deat h f r om hear t f ai l ur e.( 1993, J ul y 15) . TheWashington Post, p. A12.

Annual report:Accor di ng t o t hef i gur es r epor t ed i nBoi se Cascade s 1994Annual Report, .

Boi se Cascade Corporat i on.( 1994) . 1994 AnnualReport. Boi se, I D: Aut hor .

Brochure,corporate author:

The Boi se St at eUni ver si t y Car eerCent er ( n. d. )r ecommends.orTips for New

Graduates ( Boi seSt at e Uni ver si t yCar eer Cent er , n. d. )r ecommends.

Boi se St at e Uni ver si t y Car eerCent er . ( n. d. ) Tips fornew graduates [ Br ochur e] .Boi se, I D: Aut hor .

Lecture or speech:

For more than onespeaker,see thecitation styleconventions for abook.

Kr use (2000) expl ai nst hat .

As not ed by Fl eenor( 1993) .

Kr use, G. ( 2000, Febr uary 24) .Using parallel computers

for fluid flow simulation.J uni at a Col l ege,Mat hemat i cs Col l oqui um.Hunt i ngdon, PA.

Fl eenor , J . E. ( 1993, Mar ch

26) . Illinois women:Quilt-making--history-

making. I l l i noi s,Begi nni ng wi t h Woman . . .Hi st or i es [ Conf er ence] .Ur bana- Champai gn.

Citation of a workdiscussed in asecondary source:

Sei denber g andMcCl el l and s st udy( as ci t ed i nCol t hear t , Cur t i s,At ki ns, & Hal l er ,1993, p. 600) .

Col t hear t , M. , Cur t i s , B. , &Hal l er , M. ( 1993) . Model sof r eadi ng: Dual - r out e anddi st r i but ed- pr ocessi ngapproaches. PsychologicalReview, 100, 589- 608.

Motion picture: As You Can Count onMe ( Scorsese, 2000)depi ct s.

Scor sese, M. ( Pr oducer ) , &Loner gr an, K.( Wr i t er / Di r ector ) .( 2000) . You can count onme [ Mot i on pi ct ur e] .Uni t ed St ates: Par amountPi ctur es.


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Electronic/Web ResourcesResource Text Citation Reference Entry

Article on a Website:

Vol z ( 2000) , a not edaut hor i t y on agi ng,has wr i t t en

Vol z, J . ( 2000, J anuar y) .Successf ul agi ng: Thesecond 50. APA Monitor31( 1) . Ret r i eved J anuar y11, 2000, f r omht t p: / / www. apa. or g/ moni t or/ j an00/ cs. ht ml

Article in anInternet-onlyjournal:

I n her ar t i c l e onBaggot , Del l asega( 2001) st at es .

Del l asega, C. ( 2001, Oct ober-November) . Mot hers whowr i t e: J ul i ana Baggot t .Writers Write, 5(9) .Ret r i eved J anuar y 3, 2002,

f romht t p: / / www. wr i t er swr i t e. com/ j our nal / nov01/baggot t . ht m

Article or abstractfrom an electroniclibrarydatabase/index:

Bel si e ( 1999)observes t hat .

Bel si e, L. ( 1999) . Pr ogr ess orper i l : A r epor t f r om a New

York proj ect . ChristianScience Monitor, 91( 85) ,15. Ret r i eved Sept ember15, 1999, f r om Busi nessSource Premi er dat abase.

Daily newspaper

article, electronicversion availableby search:

New York Timesr epor t er Phi l i p Smi t h( 1998) descr i bed.

Smi t h, P. J . ( 1998, Febr uar y16) . Busi ness grows outwest . New York Times.Ret r i eved J une 3, 2005,f romht t p: / / www. nyt i mes. com

Paper presented ata symposium orother event,abstract retrievedfrom universityWeb site:

I n her paper onl anguage devel opment ,Smal e ( 2001) poi ntsout t hat .

Smal e, S. ( 2001, November 7) .Learning and the evolution

of language. Paperpr esent ed at Br ai ns andMachi nes Semi nar Ser i es.Abst r act r et r i evedNovember 23, 2001, f r omht t p: / / www. ai . mi t . edu/ even

t s/ t al ks/ br ai nsmachi nes/abst r act s/f 2001/ 200111071700_st ephensmal e. sht ml


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Other non-

periodical on-linedocument:

as descr i bed by

Stephen Boyl es( 2001) .

Boyl es, S. ( 2001, November 14) .World diabetes day has

people pondering their

risk. Ret r i eved Nov. 16,2001, f r omht t p: / / my. webmd. com/cont ent / ar t i cl e/ 1667. 51328

U.S. governmentreport available ongovernmentagency Web site,no publication dateindicated:

The U. S. Sent enci ngCommi ssi on s 1997Sourcebook r epor t s.

Uni t ed St ates Sent enci ngCommi ssi on. ( n. d. ) . 1997sourcebook of federal

sentencing statistics.Ret r i eved J une 4, 2003,f romht t p: / / www. ussc. gov/ annr pt/ 1997/ sbtoc97ht m

Report from auniversity,available on aprivateorganization Website:

A st udy of chr oni ccar e i l l ustr at escl ear l y( Uni ver si t yof Cal i f or ni a, 1996) .

Uni ver si t y of Cal i f or ni a, SanFr anci sco, I nst i t ut e f orHeal t h and Agi ng. ( 1996,November ) . Chronic care inAmerica: A 21st century

challenge. Ret r i evedSept ember 9, 2000, f r omt he Rober t Wood J ohnsonFoundat i on Web si t e:ht t p: / / rwj f . org. l i brary/ chrcare/

According to APA, When the author of adocument is markedly different from theprovider (e.g., the host organization), explicitlyidentify the latter in the retrieval statement(APA, 2001, p. 275).

Web page with noauthor; title movesto the firstposition:

are most at r i sk ofcont r act i ng thedi sease ( "New Chi l d, "2001) .

New chi l d vacci ne get s f undi ngboost . ( 2001) . Ret r i evedMarch 21, 2001, f r omht t p: / / news. ni nemsn. com. au/ heal t h/ st or y_13178. asp

Stand-alonedocument, no

author identified,no date

as i dent i f i ed i nGeor gi a Tech s

r esear ch ( GVU s, n. d. ) .

GVU s 8t h WWW user sur vey( n. d. ) . Ret r i eved August

8, 2000, f r omht t p: / / www. cc. gat ech. edu/ gvu/ user surveys/ survey1997-10/


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Personal Communication ResourcesAPA (2001, p. 214) states that Personal communications such as letters, memos, some

electronic communications (e.g., e-mail), personal interviews, telephone conversationsshould not be included in a reference list, but should be cited in the text.Be certain to identifyeither job title or the relationship with the writerthe source of thecommunication.If your instructor requires personal communications to be included in the reference list, thefollowing format may be used:


Personal interview B. T. J ohnson( personalcommuni cat i on,Apr i l 18, 2001) ,

di r ector of HumanRel at i ons at 3MCompany, hasobser ved.

J ohnson, B. T. , di r ect or ofhuman r el at i ons, 3MCompany. ( 2001, Apr i l18) . Per sonal

communi cat i on ( per sonali nt er vi ew) .

NOTE: The parenthetical descriptor of thepersonal communication (personalinterview in the sample above) shoulddescribe the nature of the communication,which may include telephoneconversations, e-mails, letters, or memos.

For more on citations and reference entries, see APA (2001), Chapters 3 and 4.

APA (2001) is available in the BSU Albertsons Library atBF 76.7 .P83 2001at the Reference Desk and in the open stacks.


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COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES

Effective Presentations

One skill that employers look for in students is their ability to present in front of a group. Thismethod of communication is a way for a new hire to become known in the organization. This ishow you prove your professionalism and knowledge. Here are a few Dos and Donts ofpresenting.

Do

Know your material. If you are well prepared, you will be able to talkwith, not read to,your audience. Use the key words on your slides to prompt you as to what you want tosay next. If using Power Point, use speakers notes.

Look professional. Dress appropriately, comb your hair, remove your hat, and check tosee that everything is in its place.

Face the audience not your visual aid. If using transparencies, refer to the transparencyas it sits on the overhead. If using PowerPoint, refer to the computer console.Dont turnyour back to the audience and read from the screen on the wall.

Prepare for questions. Your audience is there for a reason and there probably will bepeople who want to know more about your presentation than you presented. Thinkbeforehand about what these questions may be and how you can respond to them.

Repeat or restate the question. Repeat or restate the question to confirm yourunderstanding of the question and so that everyone in the audience hears the question.

Maintain eye contact. Look at the people in the audience. Look at an individual for just

a second before looking at another. Eye contact will generate audience interest, promote aconversational style, encourage natural delivery, and instill confidence.

Dont

Dont read a script or the slides to the audience. Talk with them; dont read to them.A quote here or there is fine, as is reading a point word for word to emphasize it. Asidefrom that, talkwith your audience.

Dont create distractions. If you tend to jangle coins in your pocket, empty your pocketsbefore presenting. If you click your pen, use a pencil or a non-clicking pen.

Dont stand in front of what you are showing. Make sure you are not in the light beam

of the projector. If using posters or other visual aids, make sure you stand to the side sopeople can see them.

Dont chew gum.



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Preparing the Slides

An important aspect of delivering effective presentations is creating clear, succinct, audience-

friendly slides. Consider that you are telling a story, and be very intentional about the order ofpresenting your information. Then, keep the slides themselves simple and visually pleasing sothey help your listeners stay focused and interested. It is all about planning and designing.

When planning your presentation, keep in mind the following:

Start by considering the audience. Use vocabulary appropriate to the education level ofthe group. Make sure you avoid or define jargon and technical terms.

Organize your presentation. Start with an introduction of the topic; continue with thebody which includes findings, data, application, and examples; and then end with aconclusion or summary.

Minimize the number of slides you use. Use one slide to convey one idea. Each slide should illustrate only one idea and its

supporting points.

Use only keywords or phrases. Slides should not contain every word of yourpresentation. Think of your slides as an outline that you use to prompt yourself to speakextemporaneously. They also act as visual signals for the audience to help them focus inon what you aresaying.

When designing your slide layout, there are numerous design rules to consider. Here are a fewof the most important:

Use the 6 x 6 Rule: Keep the number of lines per slide to six or less and the number ofwords per line to six or less.

Use font size 24 points or larger; line thickness should be at least 2 points. Use fontsof 48-54 for main titles, 36-44 for slide titles, and 24-36 for text.

Use contrasting colors with either a very light background and very dark lettering, orvery dark background with very light lettering. Dark colors to use include black, darkbrown, navy blue, and dark purple. Light colors that contrast well with these are whiteand yellow.

Give your slides variety. All-text presentations are boring. Use relevant graphs, photos,

and clip art when appropriate. Avoid unnecessary sound effects, slow transitions, andmoving graphics. Use visuals such as flow charts, tables, or figures where appropriate toengage your audience in the topic, or explain complex processes.

Dont overdo it. Stick with simple backgrounds and templates, and avoid the razzle-dazzle colors and patterns. Also, use lots of white space.

Use a consistent, professional format.

DONT YELL AT YOUR AUDIENCE! Do not capitalize every word in the slide.



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When using bullets.

1. use the same type of bullets for all slides

2. try not to break the text across the line

3. do not put a period or comma at the end of bullets

4. keep bullets grammatically parallel. If the first bullet starts with a verb, all bulletsshould start with verbs. If the first bullet is a noun, all bullets should be nouns.

Add a slide title in the same place for each slide. In PowerPoint, put the presentationtitle and author on the Slide Master (On the View menu) so that it automatically will beplaced on all slides. Adding a page number there is also a good idea.

Use spell-check and proofread!


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E-mail Etiquette

The popularity of e-mail in todays society makes it an active form of communication. As such,we have now come to think of it as a standard business tool. Many of the same rules of writing

apply, along with the following guidelines to increase the efficiency of this tool. Check your e-mail regularly, especially when working with other students on projects.

Reply promptly with the original message attached or included.

Dont reply if you are angry. Give yourself time to calm down before sending e-mail.

Dont expect an immediate reply. If something is urgent, use the phone.

Dont Reply to All when answering e-mail unless it is approved and appropriate.

Dont send or forward obscene, offensive, threatening, or defamatory e-mails.

Virus check your attachments before sending them.

The key point to remember is this: people form an opinion of you from your writing. Whether itis formal or informal communication, it should never be sloppy or disrespectful unless that ishow you really want people to know you. The saying, What goes around, comes around wasprobably referring to a careless e-mail message. Figure 6 presents additional suggestions.

Only copy a message to those who must know about it.Blind copy is for sending e-mail to a long list of

addressees without the addresses showing in themessage.

Your name, not just a

cute e-mail address

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