Introduction to Scholarly Writing Part 1

With Heidi Rivers Marshall, MFAMatthew Collins, Ph.D.

Course Objectives

1. Establish your expertise.

2. Narrow or broaden your scope.

3. Take notes.

4. Create your references and citations.

5. Synthesize the literature.

6. Construct a thesis.

7. Create an outline for your paper

Seven Key Steps to Successful Research and Writing

Step 1Establish your Expertise

Make a list of everything you know about your topic off the top of your head:

Expertise List:

What you know/ What you think you know/ What you want to know

Save this list.

Use the list to help you to narrow your research: What information is missing from this list?

Draw from this list while analyzing the literature that you read.

Preparing for Objectivity

When you are objective, you:

• Consider all sides without bias

• Present your information without bias

• Let the research and characteristics of the specific situation (not your opinion!) guide your conclusions

Step 2Narrow or Broaden Your Scope

Understand how much information you can pack into a particular paper length;

Evaluate the second two columns in your Expertise List

-You can’t discuss a complete history of “the War on Terror” in 1,000 word or less

-And a 12 page paper on how to properly peel an apple would be awfully boring

Step 2.5Do preliminary research

The amount of information that is already available on your topic will tell you whether you need to broaden or narrow.

If you find over 50 sources for a 5 page paper, your topic is probably too broad

Likewise, if you find only 5 sources for a 20 page paper, then you have started too narrow

Use the librarians to help you through this step!http://www.library.waldenu.edu

Links to academic databasesInformation on how to obtain and evaluate resources (including websites!)

Step 3

Take Notes on What you Read

While reading, make sure that you're taking notes on what interests you.

*This includes evaluating the work that you are reading

Step 3Five Evaluation Criteria

for scholarly work (including your own!):

Accuracy: Is the information error free?

Authority: Who is supplying the information and are they qualified to do so?

Objectivity: Is the information bias free?

Currency: Is the currency of the information appropriate for your field or topic? Coverage: Are all aspects and details of the subject covered?

Know What You Are Reading• Books (if they are unbiased)• Primary sources (theorists)• Peer-reviewed, refereed journal articles• Questions on other sources—ask faculty or

librarians

• Pay attention to bias, to whether the sources have been subjected to objective review, and to being scrupulously accurate about what sources say

Article Types Differentiate between the three kinds of articles

you’ll read:

– Articles that report research– Articles that synthesize research– Articles that present commentary*

Determine What to UseBooks—read descriptions, read some sources for

ideas, and talk to your mentor…

Articles—read the abstracts in the databases or journals—what do they say about the articles?

• How they might relate to your cluster• What they might tell you about your topic that’s different• How they help you complete your understanding of your

topic and your cluster subtopicsNOTE: There will be multiple opinions shared.

Dissecting Your Sources Books—unbiased or biased at each point• Major points about your topic• Rationale for information presented (framework)• Sources of ideas shared Articles—unbiased• Research question• Research methods• Sample sizes and types • Purpose • Types of results• Implications and conclusions

Dissection

• Problem versus Problem Statement

• Topic versus Purpose

• Theoretical Framework

Problem

• Problem—world, societal, organizational, psychological issue

• Problem statement—identification of a dimension of the problem that hasn’t been examined in the research

• The difference is important—it helps you understand exactly what’s being examined in an article quickly so you know where it fits in your writing.

Topic versus Purpose

• Topic—the issue being discussed in the article; this will be almost the same or the same as the problem

• Purpose—to fill the gap in the research that has been identified

• Important because it helps you understand the slant or focus of the literature

Theoretical Perspective

• Why the authors took the perspective they took about what they researched.

• Gives you strong background and a place to begin understanding and comparing articles and authors

Step 4Track References and Provide Citations

Create your reference list as you go; you can always remove sources that you do not end up citing in the paper

Provide a citation (author, year, page number) for every note that you take.

You don’t want to have to interrupt the writing process to search for a source.

If you really need to save time, consider citation software such asStyleEase PerlaEndNote Etc.

Step 5Synthesize Your Research

Group your notes together by main topic. (Don’t get stuck with a shallow essay by grouping only by

author or theorists; look beyond the people)

What does each individual grouping suggest? Write down a sentence for each.

You'll then want to synthesize again. What is the collective suggestion once you've combined

all the grouped sentences?

Analysis• Analysis of strengths and weaknesses of articles• Normally not include articles that are weak, unless

they are cited in other articles that are important to your study

• Analysis is to determine which articles you’ll use

• You may choose to use some articles that are weak because they introduce a point that is interesting or potentially important…

Questions to ask for analysis:

• Is the article objective?

• Is the article logical, or does it have gaps in logic?

• Is the information used to draw the conclusions current?

• What else?

Comparing and Contrasting

• Discussion of information or ideas in the articles that are common, similar, or agree

• Discussion of information or ideas in the articles that are different, dissimilar, or disagree– Types of studies done and who made up the

sample/how large it was– Framework differences– Conclusion differences

Questions to ask when comparing and contrasting:

• Is the similarity or dissimilarity important to your discussion?

• What do the similarities of the articles’ information tell you about your topic?

• What do the differences in the articles’ information tell you about your topic?

• Are they important to tell your story?

Evaluation

Comparison of the information in the articles with the situation or circumstance you’re examining

Synthesis

Combines your analysis, comparisons, contrasts, and evaluations into a cohesive, holistic picture of your topic.

Lit Review Matrices

Literature

matrices→

Helps avoid

plagiarism,

too!

Compliments of Dr. Gary Burkholder, School of Psychology

Marshall McLuhan

Alvin Alvin TofflerToffler

Everett Rogers

Compare and contrast how theorists think social change

takes place.

Compare how theorists define and explain how social

change takes place in an education system.

Compare how theorists would bring about social change to

integrate technology in educational institutions/schools.

Communication technology as a strategy for social change.

Then, SynthesizeGet authors talking with each other.Be aware of bias, and make sure you can cite

ideas!

Weave their conclusions together by:

1. Comparing and contrasting a common theme.

2. Pointing out strengths and weaknesses among the articles.

Step 6Construct a Thesis

Once you have a good idea of what the literature says (you should have discovered this during the synthesis process), you should be able to construct a thesis, which is essentially an argument that's grounded in literature.

What, exactly, is a thesis?

Thesis: "a position or proposition which a person advances and offers to maintain, or which is actually maintained by argument" (Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, 1998).

Thesis: "a treatise advancing a new point of view resulting from research" (Princeton University, 2006).

Step 6Make Sure That Your Thesis is an Argument that you can advance:

You need to be able to argue for or against the idea. You cannot, for instance, argue that Obama is currently our

President.

You ideas must be capable of advancement (i.e., each point is dependent on the previous point and, in turn, lays the foundation for the next point).

This is where your scope comes in. While saying “Obama’s presidency will be the best the country has seen” is an argument, there is no real room for advancement because there are just too many places you could begin.

If the reader does not have a clear idea of where you will begin the argument, then you won’t convince the reader that you have somewhere to go with the argument.

Keep in mind that this argument must be grounded in research. This is not your opinion so much as it is your assertion based on the evidence that exists. You should construct your paper using your research as support.

Step 6Which one is a thesis?

1.Marshall (2003) insisted that the Super Bowl is responsible for millions of dollars of wasted advertising hours each year. 2.This paper will discuss the positive and negative effects of Super Bowl commercials in the average American consumer. 3.The Super Bowl culture reinforces product consumption in America, and suggests that consumption is not just for necessity, but is something Americans do for entertainment.

Which one is a thesis capable of advancement?

1.The Super Bowl should not have commercials.. 2.There are many reasons to eliminate the commercials during the Super Bowl. 3.The television producers have the right air expensive commercials during the Super Bowl, but a failure to address the issues with endorsing a consumerists culture means that Americans will continue to waste valuable resources.

Step 6Activity!

Write a thesis statement or research question based on research you have recently done.

Or, something that you are interested in doing.

Introduction to Scholarly WritingPart 2

With Heidi Rivers Marshall, MFAMatthew Collins, Ph.D.

Quick Review

– You have now:• Reviewed the literature

• Taken notes

• Synthesized the literature

• Created a thesis

But what you want to do is write your manuscript, right?

Step 7: Get Started!

Create an OutlineAnd

Start Writing!

Before You Write:

• Know the components of the paper ahead of time

• Don’t wait until the last minute to make your reference or title page – these take time!

• Use headings to help you move from one section to the next

• Don’t feel like you have to write the paper chronologically

• Save the introduction for last

The OutlinePersonal preference; on the page or in your head

Your paper will look like this:

Title of Paper Intro Text

Major Heading 1 TextSubheading 1 TextSubheading 2 TextSubheading 3 And so on…

So should your outline!

Broad Topic: Dangers of Pogosticking

First Major Section: The Dismount

Subsection: Landing

Subsection: Uncontrolled stick swing

Subsection: Accidental eye loss

Second Major Section: Pulled Muscles

The OutlineTake a few minutes to write out:

The overall purpose; you need to be sure you know why you are going to write the paper

Your thesis.

Some of the background to the topic and the previous research on the topic

The main points you will make.

Focus on four main components as you put together your outline:

The Outline

1. Parallelism – Write each heading and subheading in a parallel manner (i.e., if the first heading begins with a verb, all headings should begin with a verb.

For example:

Land CorrectlyControl the StickAvoid Injury

Land, Control, and Avoid are all verbs.

The Outline

2. Coordination – The information contained in your main headings should have the same significance as the information contained in all the other main headings, and the same goes for the subheadings (which should be less significant than the headings).

The main headings will be the Level 1 headingsThe subheadings will be the Level 2, 3, and 4 headings

The Outline

3. Subordination – The information in the main headings should be more general than the information in the subheadings ; subheadings identify the specifics of the supporting argument.

The Outline 4. Division – Use a subheading only if you have more than one subdivision under your main heading.

For example:Land Correctly

Angle of Impact

This is not correct because there is only one subdivision.

Land CorrectlyAngle of ImpactBalanceWeight

Technically, there is no limit to the number of subdivisions for your headings (as long as there is more than one); however, if you seem to have a lot, it may be useful to narrow your scope!

From Outline to Paper

Writing well and with confidence

includes:

Smoothness & Economy of Expression

According to APA (2001), “Devices that are often found in creative writing – for example: setting up ambiguity, inserting the unexpected, omitting the expected, and suddenly shifting the topic, tense, or person – can confuse or disturb readers of scientific prose…The author who is frugal with words not only writes a more readable manuscript but also increases the chances that the manuscript will be accepted for publication…You can tighten long papers by eliminating redundancy, wordiness, jargon, evasiveness, overuse of the passive voice, circumlocution, and clumsy prose.”

In other words, write in clear, concise statements and aim for logical communication. The simpler the better.

Follow These Simple Guidelines– Avoid repeating words– Use pronouns discretely– Use transitional words and phrases– Make sure your verb tenses agree– Don’t switch back and forth from first to third person– Avoid clichés and colloquialisms– Avoid adverbs (very, really) and unnecessary

adjectives (descriptive language such as pretty, great, wonderful)

– Don’t embellish, but do be specific

Active VoiceAccording to APA (2001), “use the active rather

than the passive voice” (p. 41).

Essentially, the passive voice is when you turn the object of your sentence into the subject. Using the passive voice puts the emphasis on the object, which is beneficial at times, but too much use of the passive voice can weaken your scholarly voice.

Active VoiceUse lively, active sentences where the subject initiates

an action that affects the direct object. In other words, put the subject of the sentence at the beginning, immediately followed by an action verb.

Flip your sentences around.Avoid linking verbs (“to be” verbs)

Passive Voice: The apple was despised by William Tell.Active Voice: William Tell despised the apple.

Passive Voice: The survey was conducted after school.Active Voice: The researchers conducted the survey after school.

Parts of a SentenceRestrictive clauses.

Use:

That (APA p. 55)Essential to the meaningDefines one in a bunch.

The dip that Sally brought was the best.

Nonrestrictive clauses.

Use:

Which (APA p. 55)Adds more informationSet off with commasFurther describes a lone object.

The dip, which sally bought, was the best.

Parts of a SentenceDependent clauses: a group of words that contains a subject and verb but

does not express a complete thought (not a complete sentence; will help you beef up your sentences though).

Common dependent clause markers: after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whether, and while.

Independent clause: a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought (can stand alone as a complete sentence; will help you write interesting, compound sentences).

Common independent clause markers: also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, and therefore.

Placing the PartsMisplaced clauses: when a subordinate clauses is

embedded in the middle of a sentence

This is awkward:

Use of the Writing Center at Walden, because of recent marketing strategies, is increasing rapidly.

Instead, place the subordinate clause at the beginning or end of the sentence:

Use of the Writing Center at Walden is increasing rapidly because of recent marketing strategies.

Because of recent marketing strategies, use of the Writing Center at Walden is increasing rapidly.

Say it Simply!Circumlocution is basically a roundabout way

of saying what you want to say; using several words to say something simple.

Instead of saying it like this:

“The participants in the study were 6 young people who have completed three years of elementary education and are not living in an urban area.”

Say it like this:

“The study will include 6 fourth grade students from a rural elementary school.”

Quiz Time!• Passive Sentence• The results of the study were summarized by Marshall.

• Active Sentence• Marshall summarized the results of the survey.

• Sentence with a restrictive clause• Marshall summarized the results of the survey that was conducted after school.

• Sentence with a nonrestrictive clause• Marshall summarized the results of the survey, which took 45 minutes for the students to

complete, and concluded it was a waste of time.

• Sentence with a dependent clause• Marshall summarized the results of the survey, even though she did not like it, and

concluded students hate homework.

• Sentence with an independent clause• Marshall summarized the results of the survey, but the survey results were

inconclusive.

Activity!

• Critiquing paragraphs

Student Work 1We live in a world in which change affects all aspects of life, including organizational systems. Change in one system has ripple effects, and before long, change impinges on many other systems. External and internal changes in organizational systems are unavoidable and inescapable. The healthcare fields, too, are faced with major new initiatives and changes. These changes in the healthcare arena have been described as hypeturbulence, a time of revolutionary change within the industry (Scott, Ruef, Madel, & Caronna, 2000). These changes have transformed healthcare into a profession of experimentation and cost awareness, one that is comfortable with addressing risk situations (Leebov & Scott, 1990). Word count = 105

Student Work 1

Student Work 1Change affects all aspects of life, including organizational systems, and a change in one system can impact many other systems. Scott, Ruef, Madel, and Caronna (2000) described unavoidable external and internal changes in the healthcare fields as hypeturbulence, a time of revolutionary change within the industry. These changes have transformed healthcare into a profession of experimentation and cost awareness, one that is comfortable with addressing risk situations (Leebov & Scott, 1990).

Word count = 71

Student Work 2In the current working environment workers must not only deal with their required tasks to do one’s job, but it is also necessary to incorporate those coping behaviors necessary to deal with the known and unknown stressors that workers may face within their working environment (Clark & Watson, 1991; Rahman & Zanzi, 1995). As technology continues to place new demands on workers’ skills and expertise, along with replacing old performance models with new paradigms, the need for research on the impact of technology becomes critical. Research on work performance has considered theoretical models that examine psychological stress and its impact on human behavior. One such model, borne of psychodynamic models of defensive coping behaviors, instrumental or problem solving approaches derived from neobehaviorism, coupled with the role of cognition and specific appraisals processes, has developed and evolved

since the middle 1980s. Word Count = 140

Student Work 2

Student Work 2In the current working environment, employees must complete their required tasks and must incorporate coping behaviors to deal with known and unknown stressors in the work place. Technology places new demands on workers’ skills and expertise and replaces old performance models, and so there is a need for research on how technology impacts workers. Previous research on work performance highlighted a theoretical model based on defensive coping behaviors, problem solving approaches derived from neobehaviorism, and cognition and appraisal processes.

Word count = 79

Student Work 3Sporting events have become an integral part of society, with America’s intercollegiate programs being a major contributor of sport activity (Shulman & Bowen, 2001). The merit of athletics within the world of higher education has been debated (Aries, McCarthy, Salovey, & Banaji, 2004; Ferris, Finster, & McDonald 2004; Robst & Keil, 2000; Umbach, Palmer, Kuh, & Hannah, 2006). Some researchers noted that participation in intercollegiate athletics supported involvement in colleges and universities, which led to increased academic performance and retention (Astin, 1977; Tinto, 1993). However, some studies have indicated that athletes perform poorer in the 2 classroom than their counterparts (Aries et al.). With so many students participating in collegiate athletics and the increasing importance of sport in American society, concerns have risen involving the effects of intercollegiate participation on academic success. This growing concern has prompted many studies and resulted in the implementation of policy (i.e., Proposition 48, Academic Progress Rate) aimed at intercollegiate athletics (Franklin, 2006; Heck, & Takahashi, 2006).

Word count = 162

Student Work 3

Student Work 3America’s intercollegiate programs are a major contributor of sport activity, an integral part of society. Researchers have debated the merit of athletics within higher education. Some researchers (Astin, 1977; Tinto, 1993) noted that participation in intercollegiate athletics supported involvement in colleges and universities, which led to increased academic performance and retention, while others indicated that athletes perform poorer in the classroom than their counterparts (Aries et al.). Administrators at colleges and universities raised concern about the effects of intercollegiate participation on academic success, which prompted studies and implementation of policy (i.e., Proposition 48, Academic Progress Rate) aimed at intercollegiate athletics (Franklin, 2006; Heck, & Takahashi, 2006).

Word count = 106

Student Work 4In a recent report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that over one third of all deaths among adults in the United States are preventable and can be attributed to behavior ("State of Aging and Health of America," 2007). The three highrisk behaviors identified are smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity. These behaviors are risk factors for heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, which are the leading causes of death in the United States and the most costly, prevalent, and preventable of all chronic diseases. Not only has chronic disease reached epidemic proportions, but these problems also impact healthcare and the economy (see Table 1), and will undoubtedly continue to promote higher mortality rates, shorter life expectancy, and lower quality of life (Colagiuri, Colagiuri, Yach, & Pramming, 2006; Newman, Steed, & Mulligan, 2004). Additionally important to consider is that significant personal responsibility is necessary for management of chronic disease (Newman et al., 2004). Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and costs about $400 billion in healthcare spending and lost productivity (direct and indirect cost; Mensah & Brown, 2007), and yet it can be prevented, along with other chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, by reducing physical inactivity and obesity (Colagiuri et al., 2006).

Student Work 4In a recent report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that over one third of all deaths among adults in the United States are preventable and can be attributed to behavior ("State of Aging and Health of America," 2007) 34. The three highrisk behaviors identified are smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity 12. These behaviors are risk factors for heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, which are the leading causes of death in the United States and the most costly, prevalent, and preventable of all chronic diseases 34. Not only has chronic disease reached epidemic proportions, but these problems also impact healthcare and the economy (see Table 1), and will undoubtedly continue to promote higher mortality rates, shorter life expectancy, and lower quality of life (Colagiuri, Colagiuri, Yach, & Pramming, 2006; Newman, Steed, & Mulligan, 2004) 37. Additionally important to consider is that significant personal responsibility is necessary for management of chronic disease (Newman et al.) 16. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, and costs about $400 billion in healthcare spending and lost productivity (direct and indirect cost; Mensah & Brown, 2007), and yet it can be prevented, along with other chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, by reducing physical inactivity and obesity (Colagiuri et al.) 51.

Like Instruments, Writing Takes Practice

Free Writing

Free writing is a technique that requires you to write off the top of your head for a specified period of time without stopping.

Use free writing to help you Remember why it is you are interested in this topic Create back story Write about what interests you about your topic, Write about why your topic is important

The important thing to remember about free writing is not to stop, even if it means you have to write about how you have nothing to write about.

Kick that internal editor to the curb!

Writing Exercise

1. Write your thesis statement from Part 1 of this workshop at the top of a piece of paper.

2. Write a paragraph that you think supports your thesis. You can draw on evidence from literature, draw on personal experience, or explain what you would want to discover with more research.

3. You will be sharing this writing, so keep it professional. But, DO NOT EDIT YOURSELF

Workshop Time!

Giving & Receiving Constructive Feedback

1. Read what you wrote to your group.

2. Close your mouth; open your ears

3. Listen to 1 minute of feedback from each of your peers

Feedback is:

Positive first – what is working?

Constructive – what is not working?

Focused on the writing, not the content

Introduction to Scholarly WritingPart 3

With Heidi Rivers Marshall, MFAMatthew Collins, Ph.D.

Revision– Avoiding repeated words– Not using pronouns– Use of transitional words and phrases– Verb tenses agreement– Not switching back and forth from first to third person– Avoiding clichés and colloquialisms– Avoiding adverbs (very, really) and unnecessary adjectives

(descriptive language such as pretty, great, wonderful)– Avoiding embellishment

First Steps

–Let it rest–Psych yourself up; this is

something all writers have to do–Remind yourself it is not you; it

is your writing

First Steps

–Change the look of things if it helps you

–Edit in small chunks; often, working from the end to the beginning will help you focus on technical errors

–Prioritize your time

Revising For Content

•Identify your main point

•Make sure your thesis matches your paper (and vice versa)

•Scrutinize your argument (recall the evaluation criteria covered in Part 1)

Revising for Writing

• Paragraph organization–Read your first and last

sentence of each paragraph. If they don’t relate, there’s a problem.

–Check your paragraph topics. Do they follow a logical organizational pattern? Are you repeating yourself?

Revising for Writing

• Sentence structure–Read your work out loud and

backwards, sentence by sentence

–Know your weak points, and read for those

–Create a personal editing checklist

Make a List of What you Need to Address Throughout the

PaperThings I need to work on:• Heading levels—Did I capitalize all

major words in heading level 3?• Which/that• Because/Since• No italics or bold!!

Activity!

Revise your paragraph from Part 2.

Reread what you wrote and consider the feedback you received from your peers

Revising for APA

• APA– Take it one sentence at a time– Skim your document backwards

looking for where you have—and where you don’t have—in-text citations

APA

APA Refresher

• Over the next few slides, we will– Review APA citation format– Review how and when to cite a source– Review APA reference format– Review APA style rules– Point out differences between the 5th and 6th

edition in all of the above

Citation Format

There are two ways to cite a source in the text of a sentence:

You can use a parenthetical citation: There are not many changes between the 5th and 6th editions of the APA Publication Manual (Rivers, 2009).

Or, you can use an in-text citation: Rivers (2009) indicated that there are not many changes between the 5th and 6th editions of the APA Publication Manual.

The latter is preferred because it demonstrates a higher level of involvement with the literature

Citation FormatSource with one author

Parenthetical: (Sinatra, 2007)

In-text: Sinatra (2007)

Source with two authors

Parenthetical: (Sinatra & Garland, 2007)

In-text: Sinatra and Garland (2007)

Source with three to five authors

First parenthetical: (Sinatra, Garland, & Fitzgerald, 2007)

Second and subsequent parenthetical: (Sinatra et al., 2007)

First in-text: Sinatra, Garland, and Fitzgerald (2007)

Second and subsequent in-text: Sinatra et al. (2007)

Source with six or more authors

Parenthetical: (Sinatra et al., 2007)

In-text: Sinatra et al. (2007)

.

There is a table (Table 6.1) in the 6th edition manual that demonstrates all variations of citation.

There are some variations on multi-author source citations if you have more than one source by the same authors. Check pp. 208-209 in the 5th edition and pp. 175-176 in the 6th edition.

Citation FormatPersonal communication

Parenthetical: (H. R. Marshall, personal communication, September 17, 2009)

In-text: H. R. Marshall (personal communication, September 17, 2009)

Secondary source material

Parenthetical: (Marshall, as cited in Cook, 2009)

In-Text: Marshall (as cited in Cook, 2009)

Attributing an assertion to multiple sources

Parenthetical: (Paiste, 2004; Sabian, 2005; Zildjian, 2001)

alphabetical (as they appear in reference list) and separated by semicolons

In-text: Paiste (2004), Sabian (2005), and Zildjian (2001)

Multiple sources with same author and year

Parenthetical: (Marshall, 2009a)…(Marshall, 2009b)…(Marshall, 2009c)

In-text: Marshall (2009a)…Marshall (2009b)…Marshall (2009c)

Citation Format

• Notice that we have not yet come across differences between the 5th and 6th edition!

• In other words, you do not have to re-learn how to cite sources in your paper.

• With these few exceptions:

Citation Format: 6th Edition Changes

Per APA (2010), if the first citation in the paragraph is in-text, as it is here, then subsequent in-text citations within this same paragraph do not need to carry a year. However, all parenthetical citations do (APA, 2010). The rule as APA described it is a bit different if the first citation of the paragraph is a parenthetical citation, as is demonstrated on the next slide.

Citation Format: 6th Edition Changes

If the first citation in the paragraph is a parenthetical citation, as it is here, then the first in-text citation must carry a year (APA, 2010). APA (2010) also indicated that all parenthetical citations with a paragraph, regardless of the number of previous citations within that paragraph, must carry a year. There are no exceptions to this rule (APA, 2010). In addition, APA has provided new guidelines for how often to cite a source in a paragraph, as is demonstrated on the next slide.

Citation Format: 6th Edition Changes

Per the 6th edition Publication Manual, referents such as “the authors said” or “the same author indicated” are no longer sufficient ways to cite a source. If the assertion you make does not refer to the author by name, you must provide a parenthetical citation. For example:Marshall (2009) indicated that proper APA enhances a

paper’s scholarly tone. The author also indicated that APA is easy to use if students familiarize themselves with the manual (Marshall, 2009).

Citation Format: 6th Edition Changes

When citing a direct quote, you need to cite the page or paragraph number for where that quote appears in the original source.

Now, APA no longer accepts the use of a paragraph symbol (¶). Instead, use the abbreviation for the word paragraph:

(Jones, 2009, para. 6)

Citation Format: 6th Edition Changes

If citing two different authors with the same surname, use the authors’ first initial:

M. King (2005) and W. King (2007) discovered King is a more common

last name than typically thought.

Reference FormatBook

Marshall, H. (2009). Best book ever. New York, NY: Publisher House.

Chapter in an edited book

Timmerman, B. (2009). Best chapter ever. In H. Marshall (Ed.), Best book ever (pp. 14-27). New York, NY: Publisher House.

Per 6th Edition, include the state abbreviation in ALL

cases, even for well known cities

Reference Format

.

Journal Article

Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things, 6(2), 199-207. doi:10.123456789

If there is no DOI:

The next preferred option is to reference the journal’s homepage:Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things, 6(2), 199- 207. Retrieved from http://www.journalofgoodthings.com

If you cannot locate the journal’s homepage, the last option is to reference the database homepage:Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things, 6(2), 199-207. Retrieved from http://www.ebscomost.com

Reference FormatPer the 6th edition, include the issue

number if the journal is paginated separately by issue. If the journal is not paginated separately by issue, then do not include the issue number:

Marshall, H. (2009). Best article ever composed. Journal of Good Things, 6, 1099-1107. doi:10.123456789

Reference Format

.

A source with seven or more authors

5th edition (up to & including six, abbreviate the rest):

Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., et al. (2009).

6th edition (up to & including seven; if eight or more, include six, insert ellipses, and include last):

Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., & Walsh, L. (2009).

Timmerman, B., Cook, A. Patterson, J., Wold, K., Marshall, H., King, M., … Brown, M. (2009).

Reference FormatOther electronic material

Report from an organization

Cook, A. (2008). The effect of war on graduate students in the military (Report 601). Retrieved from The Organization For World Peace website: http://www...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Treating warts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/...

Reference Format

DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA

Per APA 6th edition, “Do not include retrieval dates unless the source material

may change over time (e.g., Wikis).”

In general, you will only need a retrieval date if you are referencing text from the web page rather than from an archived report or pdf. There are few cases, if any, in which such text would be considered a scholarly source, so reference website text sparingly.