Using APA

An excellent source of APA information can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

But, for formatting of headings in the paper see

http://www.svsu.edu/fileadmin/websites/writingcenter/APA_Headings.pdf

 

An authoritative source for APA 6th edition can be found at http://library.nmu.edu/guides/userguides/style_apa.htm

What is APA and Why Do We Have to Use It?

APA, which stands for the American Psychological Association, is one of the styles of scholarly writing that provide a format for for quotes, citations, and references in scholarly papers. Most nursing schools and many journals have selected the APA style for use in scholarly papers. Citations are necessary because in scholarly writing you are creating new knowledge by synthesizing the published ideas of others and adding your interpretations, either to add new knowledge, persuade or inform others, or to provide support for a given position. To avoid plagiarizing, unless an idea is well known in your discipline, you must always give credit for ideas that originated in other sources.

Become familiar with the APA manual. In both the table of contents and the index the 5th edition APA manual lists topics both by pages and section numbers. The manual provides a textual explanation and an example for each type of reference. These guidelines only contain examples of some of the more common ones.

Some like to purchase an APA program for use with a word processor. A more economical purchase is a reference program such as End Note or Reference Manager which permits you to store references from an electronic bibliographic index and provides references for a paper in any desired format including APA. Many colleges have contracts with one of the above reference managers enabling you to purchase one at a reduced rate. They are worth their weight in gold!!! The 2 to 3 hours required to learn to use one is returned 100 fold! Plus, your references will be correct.

The APA style of reference and paper format is not difficult to learn.IOne thing that you must remember is the list of references. You can only include in the reference list items that have been cited in the text itself. Should you want to include others that may have guided your thinking, or would provide more information for a reader, they must be listed on a separate page under the title "Bibliography."

Examples of all pages in an APA paper can be found in the APA manual on pages 306 to page 320.

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Title Page

The title should summarize the main ideas of the paper in a simple, concise terminology. (See page 10 in the 5th APA manual.) The title page is numbered page one. It contains a header that contains a brief description of the paper, a running head not to exceed 50 characters and identifying information. See page 306 for a sample (the ovals on these example pages give sections where more information can be found about a given part of the example) and page 296 for more formatting instructions.
Title page example.

Header Information

The header (Create an automatic one), which is placed on every page contains a brief (one to five words) description of the paper all in upper case letters and the page number. The text may be the same as the running head on the title page or different. Right justify the header text and separate it from the page number by five spaces. (See pages 310+ for examples.)

Identifying Information

This is the author's (or authors') name(s) with no letter credentials (e.g. not RN, BSN etc.), and the institutional affiliation, each on a separate line. This information should be centered top to bottom on the page. (Instructions for creating a vertically centered page.)

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Abstract

The abstract is well described on page 12 and 298 in the APA manual. Readers often decide whether to read an article based on the abstract, and, some only read an abstract (A dangerous precedent if you are using it for a citation.). In some cases, as a student you may not need to include an abstract for a formal paper. However, unless told otherwise assume that one is needed.

The Document

The document begins on page 3 with the title centered (See page 307 5th edition APA manual for an example.)

Headings

A well developed document contains sections that are marked off with headings. A good heading can save many words by eliminating the need for elaborate transitions, or linkages between topics so readers can follow your train of thought. Creating and using an outline of what you intend to write provides great headings. The outline will probably change as you develop the paper, but it will still provide ideas for headings.

Headings are formatted differently depending on the number of levels in the paper. In the APA 5th edition manual see pages 113 - 115 and 289 to 290 for information on the format. Or see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/parts/headings.html

Citations

Text citations are an important part of the document. A citation is a quick and dirty reference in the text of a document that the reader can use to locate the full reference on the reference page. They are used to credit others with ideas that they have published which provide support for what you write, as well as to enable your readers to follow up on ideas about which you have written. The information in a citation is usually a paraphrase of what an author has written, not a quote. Quotations are cited differently.

A citation provides the authors' last name and the date the document was written.

Unless one is using a quote, one is not required to include a page number in the citation. It does, however, lend even more support to your writing. Also, it provides you with specific help for locating the information when you want to be sure that you have cited correctly, or when you need to further explore the topic. In general, it is a good habit to develop. Interestingly, in the 5th edition APA manual it says "When paraphrasing or referring to an idea contained in another work, authors are not required [but] are encouraged to do so, [include page numbers in a citation] especially when it would help an interested reader locate the relevant passage in a long text." (APA 5th edition, p. 121) In other words, it is never wrong, and is a good habit. (This is a quote and a page number is required.)

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Secondary Sources

Citations should be primary sources, that is, the citation should be from a reading that you personally have read and have in hand, or have read on the Web. Occasionally, it is necessary to use what is called a secondary source, such as when the source is difficult to find (i.e. it is in a foreign language, very old, or proceedings of a conference).

For example, if you read in an article by Greene published in the American Journal of Nursing in 2002, the text, "Graves and Corcoran (1989) state that etc." and you use the information without looking at the original, you are using a secondary source. You would cite this as (Graves and Corcoran as cited in Greene, 2002). Secondary sources are frown on, the primary source is often inaccurate in the interpretation. Do not use unless absolutely necessary!

Page 247 in the 5th edition APA manual provides more information about secondary sources. In the reference list you would only include the primary source, that is, the Graves and Corcoran article would be listed, but not the Greene (unless of course used in other places). For examples see http://cesp.utoledo.edu/npiazza/course_info/2ndSource.htm

Contents of a citation

In the APA style, a text citation contains the author's last name, but no initials, and year of publication from which the idea or fact that was stated originated. If more than one author has written the same thought, both sources are noted, separated by a semicolon. If there is no author, a few words from the title are used to allow the reader to find it in the reference list.

Citation for an author when the author's name is not used in the text.

Regulatory barriers in Europe are generally lower than those in the U.S. (Barnett, 2009)

Citation for an author when you use the authors name in the text

Barnett (2009) writes that regulatory barriers in Europe are generally lower than those in the U.S.

Citations differ depending on how many authors the source has.

For one or two authors: Cite the authors every time you use the reference.

(Graves & Corcoran, 1989)

If there are three to five authors, cite all authors the first time and in subsequent citations cite the first author followed by et al., not underlined and with a period after the al, followed by the year. (APA, 1994)

Example of subsequent citation:

Smith, et al, 2009

If there are 6 or more authors, in text citations,always use the first author and "et al." In the reference list you must include ALL the authors.

For no author. Cite the first few words of the title in the reference list and the year. (This may occur with Web page citations.)

The House Committee(Healthcare Begins, 2009).

Citation of a chapter in an edited book.

When the source is a chapter in an edited book, or a chapter in a book in which the primary author is not the author of the chapter that you are citing, cite the authors' of the chapter and the date of publication of the book using the format above. In the reference list, cite the author of the chapter and the book.

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Placement of citation

Text citations are placed in the document at the place where the idea from another source appears. Place the citation at the end of the first sentence that uses information from the source.

Same Citation in a Paragraph

There are times when you use the same source in a paragraph. In this case, cite it the first time you use it, then you do not need to cite it again unless you intersperse it with a different citation. Cite again in new paragraphs.

When to Cite

Citing sources is especially important if the thoughts are "new." For example, we all know that informatics is changing health care. If you use an idea which is fairly well known, you do not need to cite it, but when you find information or ideas that are new such as, "Informatics is going to involve using Web 2.0." You should cite the source. When in doubt cite! BUT be sure they are accurate - don't cite a source that has not been used. Reviewers and professors find these red flags.

Knowing the purposes that citations serve should help you decide when to cite. The purposes of citations are:

  1. To preserve intellectual property rights, that is, writers who generate ideas and text are given appropriate credit.
  2. To provide credibility for your statements. When a reader sees a citation in your text the reader know that this information is not only stated by you, but that another shares the same thought. It helps tie your paper into the literature.
  3. To serve as a reference for those interested in more information about the topic. This is especially true if the topic is one that is not widely disseminated. You may already be aware of this because when writing a paper you have probably used references in an article for more information. This writer often finds that these sources do not turn up in any bibliographic search, yet are rich sources of information.
  4. When the ideas of another are used in a paper, it is plagiarism if credit is not given to the originator of the idea
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Quotes

When you use the exact wording of another writer for more than one or two words you are using a quote. Not citing the quote is plagiarism. Do not place anything between the end of the quote and the citation. (See the APA manual p. 292.) A citation for a quote should look like this:

(Graves & Corcoran, 1989, p. 227)

It is usually better to paraphrase (put in your own worlds) and cite the source than to quote. Use quotations sparingly.

If you are quoting something that is not a complete sentence, use ellipsis (...) to show that material has been omitted. Or, if you omit sentences in a quote, use the ellipsis to indicate the missing material. In any case be sure that what remains of the quote both makes sense and fits the point you were illustrating with the quote.

If you have used a quotation in any document that will be published anywhere, it is necessary to get the written permission of the owner of the copyright. For journals and books , this is generally the publisher. For Web pages look for a contact. Today it is assumed that anything that is published anywhere, including on the Web (Including this document) is copyrighted. Do not hesitate to ask for permission, in 99% of the cases, the publisher is delighted to give permission because it is publicity for the work.

Electronic Sources

Electronic sources present interesting dilemmas when using them in scholarly papers. One recurring situation is that Web sources are often not permanent, or they change URLs (addresses). To protect yourself, it is recommended that when you use an online source, you print and save it. The printed source should contain both the date it was printed and the URL from which it was retrieved. Then you can defend yourself that indeed it was an accurate citation.(Use good document evaluation techniques and be sure that your source is reliable.)

Another option is to download it to your computer. The drawback to this is that the URL will is usually not on the page itself, nor will the date that you retrieved the document be there, so note these things somewhere. If you print the document, print it from its original site, otherwise the URL will not be available.

With experience one learns which resources will most likely be temporary. Any site whose home page features many different links probably changes the information frequently. This includes ezines (these are different from online journals) and newspapers. In general, any reference from a page that presents current events will probably be available only briefly.

Using electronic sources requires different approaches in both citations and references. See http://www.apastyle.org/elecmedia.html for current citation information. When you need to place the URL (Web address) in the paper, it is best to copy and paste the URL (Web page location from the Web page)

Finding a date on a Web page

Too few Web page creators include a date of either updating or creation. Before giving up hope that there is no date, scroll to the bottom of the page. Often a date is there. You may also find a copyright date, too often of the "2004-2010" variety. This seldom means that the last date is the real date of creation, but it at least indicates that the page and site are still active. Or try this suggestion.

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Reference List

The reference list starts on a separate page headed by the centered word "References." Use a forced page (Called a hard page.) to be sure that the references remain on a separate page after you edit the document. The list must be alphabetized by author, or if their is no author, the title. For more information (See pages 235+ in the 5th edition APA Manual).

Contents

Only include resources that are cited in the text. If you have used other items as indirect sources,but not cited them, or you wish to provide a further reading list, create a separate list, on a separate page called "Bibliography."

Format

Each paragraph should be a hanging paragraph, that is the first line is outdented 5 spaces to the left margin of the other lines. (Create a hanging paragraph.)

Italics and Case

All titles of journals or books, not articles or chapter names, should be in italics. Book and article titles only have the first word of the title capitalized (exception is the first word after a colon.) Journal names are always capitalized. Volume numbers are in italics, but the issue number is not. Unless each issue in a volume starts with page 1, the issue number is not necessary.

Example of a reference for a journal article. The number 21 is the volume number (in italics along with article title) and the number 2 is the issued number. 49-52 are the page numbers.

Journal:

Journal citation

Example of a reference for a book. Notice that the word after the colon is capitalized.

Book:

Book citation

Example of a reference for a chapter in an edited book. Note that for editors, initials are placed before the last name. If the reference is only a chapter in a book that is otherwise written by the authors, omit the letters "Ed."

Chapter in Book not written by authors listed on cover:

Boiok chapter citation

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Web References

The format for an electronic reference is essentially the same as for print. If the document is a reprint from a print source, be sure to cite the original source and you should also add [Electronic Version].

Example of a reference for an article in an online journal that is accessible by anyone anywhere in the world.

Electronic journal reference

Example of a reference for the electronic version of a print article that is only available through a library. In this case you add [Electronic Version]

Electronic print journal

Example of a Web page reference.

Web page citation

See the 5th edition APA manual page 268+ for more information about electronic resources. The new 6th edition has more information.

Tutorials for learning APA can be found at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/

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Plagiarism

The 4th edition of the APA manual stated: "...there are basic ethical principles that underlie all formal writing. These long-standing ethical principles are designed to achieve two goals.

  1. To ensure the accuracy of scientific and formal writing and
  2. To protect intellectual property rights.
    (APA, 1994, p. 292.)

For a discussion of this topic, see page 349 of the 5th edition APA manual. Suffice it to say that plagiarism often results in disciplinary action.

For more plagiarism resources

Acronyms

The first time that an acronym is used in a document proper, write it out in full and put the acronym in parentheses after the full name. e.g.

American Nurses Association (ANA)

 

 

 

Created May 12, 2009

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