The American Psychological Association (APA)

Created by The Writing CenterOwens Community College

General Principles of Expository Writing

Present ideas in a logical, orderly fashion Introduction Method Background Conclusion

Use punctuation to clarify ideasUse transitions to connect ideasStay focused on one topic, person and verb

tense

Use Economic Expression

Use technical words of your discipline

Be directSay it once clearlySupport with facts

Cite Sources for Support and to:

Avoid PlagiarismGive Credit AppropriatelyAdvance Knowledge BaseMake Research Easier for Future Scholars

When Do I Cite Sources?

Direct Quotation Schrope (2009) reports that subjects in the study

“should have been fully informed of the possible negative effects” (p. 253).

Paraphrase Schrope (2009) further demonstrates the potential

dangers and biases in the elimination of stem cell research (p.254).

Summarize (Author unnamed) In the view of one critic (Schrope, 2009), the subjects

were placed in more danger than is acceptable in this type of experiment.

What is a Direct Quotation?

A direct quotation is a group of words or sentences that you copy word for word and use as a part of your essay.

Example: “The scientific method has well-known and important advantages” (Schrope,2009, p. 24).

What is a Summary?

If your source is unnecessarily detailed, you may put the information entirely in your own words.

Example: Student test scores tend to correlate strongly with amount of time spent studying (Marigold, 2006).

What is a Paraphrase?

A paraphrase is restating a section of text in your own words.

Length and sentence structure will be similar to the original.

In-text Citations

Three Components of In-text CitationsAuthors’ Last Name(s)Year Source was PublishedPage Number (if using direct quotations)

In-text Citations—Examples

Verner (2009) noted that interviews are very common when conducting research.

Verner (2009) noted that “the most common form of interview is the person-to-person encounter” (p. 71).

Consider that “the most common form of interview is the person-to-person encounter” (Verner, 2009, p. 71).

In-text Citations—Examples

Pascarella and Terenzini (2009) report that stress contributes to a variety of disorders.

It is reported that “stress is the number-one contributor to many disorders” (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2007, p. 42).

In-text Citations—Examples

According to one study, “non-monetary rewards often produce greater results than monetary rewards” (“Study finds,” 2006, para. 12).

In-text Citations—Block Format

Miele (1993) found the following: The ‘placebo effect,’ which had been verified in

previous studies, disappeared when behaviors were never exhibited again [italics added] even when reel [sic] drugs were administered. Earlier studies (e.g., Abdullah, 1984; Fox, 1979) were clearly premature in attributing the results to a placebo effect. (p. 276)

In-text Citations—Signal Phrases-blending your sources use active, past tense verbs.

It has been reported that…According to…A recent study suggests…Several researchers note that…Many findings point to the fact that…

Sample title page

[Abreviated title and page number ½ inch from the top]

[Double-spaced Full title centered in the middle of the page]

Effects of Steroids 1

Analysis of the Effects of Steroids on Male Behavior

Sherri WhiteOccupational Technology

Dr. SpohlerFebruary 19, 2009

First page of the APA body

In the header½” from the top

Full title is Centered

1 “ margins and double spaced throughout

Effects of Steroids 2

Analysis of the Effects of Steroids on Male Behavior

In recent years, the need for young males to gain

body mass has risen at an alarming level. Numerous

studies have shown the negative effect of hormones

Reference Page Entries

Book Journal Magazine CD Professional web sites

Newspaper Online Article Personal Communication Other

First, determine the nature of the source you want to cite:

Go to the Library’s Data bases

Before you print, select citation format

Helpful Web Sites

Health / Nursing Resources Health and Medicine: Diseases & Conditions - librarian's Index

NLM (U. S. National Library of Medicine) Databases and Electronic Information Sources - a wide variety of resources related to the biomedical and health sciences, both past and present. The format of these resources varies: searchable databases & databanks, bibliographic citations, full text (when available), archival collections, and images

National Insititues of Health - clinical studies, health and wellness information, research funding information, research resources, news, events and educational activities related to NIH

Helpful Web Sites Nursing Center. Com - online professional nursing journals. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing - a free, peer-reviewed,

international, online publication that addresses pertinent topics affecting nursing practice, research, education and the wider health care sector. Both Medline and CINAHL index the journal

ANA Nursing World - official Web site of the American Nurses Association

Medline - the United States National Library of Medicine is the premier bibliographic database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences

Anatomy & Physiology - tutorials Healthy People 2010 - full text of Healthy People 2010 publications

published in November 2000

Helpful Web Sites

Ohio Department of Health - health resources, programs and statistics in Ohio

The Body - the complete HIV/AIDS resource

NET Wellness: Consumer Health - in-depth information on diseases and health information from faculty at UC, OSU and CWRU

Merck Manual - online medical library with photographs and audio and video material

American Music Therapy Association - publications and career information

Reference Page Entries

Example entry for a book:

Borque, M.J. (2006). Under the lights: A romantic encounter. New York: Walden.

1. Author 4. City of publisher2. Date of publication 5. Publisher3. Title of book

Reference Page Entries

Example entry for a journal article:

Scott, J.H. (2005). The power of peers. Education Weekly, 2(2), 58-69.

1. Author 4. Name of periodical2. Date of publication 5. Volume & issue numbers3. Title of article 6.Page numbers

Reference Page Entries

Example entry for a chapter in an edited book:DiCroce, J.H. (2006). Women and the community

college presidency. In B. K. Townsend (Ed.), New directions for community colleges (pp. 79-89). New York: Penguin.

1. Article author 4. Book author 2. Date of publication 5. Book title3. Title of chapter 6.Page numbers

Reference Page Entries

Example entry for an Internet site:

The endangered human. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2007, from www.ecology.com

1. Title of Internet site2. Date of publication

3. Date YOU accessed site 4. URL

Special Case – Personal communication

Personal communications such as personal interviews DO NOT have entries in the reference list!

Cite in-text an e-mail or other communications by clarifying the person’s name, type of communication and date.

Smith, E., personal interview, June 1, 2007.

Sample Reference Page

Hormones 10

References

Andrews, E.F. (2005, March 6). Improving cattle in the U.S. The Wall Street

Journal, C2.

Clancy, J., Grant, D.E., & Kelson, F. (2004). An analysis of bovine blood

levels. Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 23(9), 25-39.

Sample Reference Page cont. (electronic sources)

The endangered human. (n.d.) Retrieved November 12, 2005, from http://

www.ecology.com

Smithsonian Institution on Animal Husbandry: A special health report.

(2003), [electronic version]. Outdoor World, 3,15-36. Retrieved

November 12,2005 from http://www.epinions.com/mag-

Outdoor_world

Helpful Hints

Check the index or the table of contents of the APA manual or your grammar handbook.

Consult the Owens Writing Center links for resources.

Consult the Online Writing Lab (OWL) of Purdue University at the following URL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Follow the general logic of APA style if you “get stuck.”

Additional Resources

APA Manual (5th ed.) Little, Brown Handbook (APA section) APA website (apa.org)

APA Style Helper Software http://www.apa.org/software/

Owens Community College Writing Center (CH 156D) 567-661-7351

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