Using APA Style for Academic Writing & Avoiding Plagiarism Prepared By: Carla Levesque, Faculty Librarian Miami Dade College Medical Center Campus

Table of Contents Introduction to APA Style APA Style Manual To go to a particular section, click on that heading or click on the arrow at the bottom of the page to move through the slides sequentially. This button will return you to the Table of Contents. Introduction to APA Style APA Style Manual Format of an APA Paper Major Sections of Paper Title Page In-Text Citation Paraphrasing Direct Quotations Print Sources Electronic Sources Long Quotations Personal Communications References Page Avoiding Plagiarism What is Plagiarism Penalties for Plagiarism Turnitin.com Additional Help Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Introduction to APA Style American Psychological Association (APA) Style is an editorial method commonly used in the social & behavioral science disciplines. The style consists of rules & guidelines for writing a paper. References are cited in text with an author-date citation system & are listed alphabetically on the References page.                       Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library APA Style Manual APA’s style rules & guidelines are set out in a book called The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This manual is available in the reference collection at each of the Miami Dade College Libraries or a copy may be purchased from one of the campus bookstores. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Format of an APA Paper Double-space. Use 1” margins. Number pages in upper right-hand corner, beginning with the title page. Before the page number, use an abbreviated form of the title as a header. 12-pt Times Roman or Courier are preferred typefaces. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Major Sections of Paper Title Page Text of Paper References Page Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Title Page Include a “running head,” an abbreviated title, in ALL CAPS flush left at the top of the page. Center the paper’s full title (lower & upper case). Center the author’s name & affiliation below the title. View Sample Title Page: Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library In Text Citation Provide parenthetical citations when: Paraphrasing or using ideas from a source Quoting directly from a source Referring to personal communications Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Paraphrasing Provide the author(s)* & copyright date in parentheses. Example: As the sixty-five-and-older age group continues to grow, there is a greater demand for health care workers (Snook & D'Orazio, 1998). *If a source has no known author, then use an abbreviated version of the title. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Direct Quotations: Print Sources Provide the author(s), copyright date & page number in parentheses. Examples:  "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in health care should grow 47 percent overall by the year 2010" (Snook & D'Orazio, 1998, p. 1). OR According to Snook & D'Orazio (1998), "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in health care should grow 47 percent overall by the year 2010" (p. 1). Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Direct Quotations: Electronic Sources Many electronic sources do not include page numbers. If paragraph numbers are given, use them in place of page numbers, preceded by the ¶ symbol or the abbreviation para. Example: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “the health care industry is predicted to grow at a rate of 28 percent between 2002 and 2012, adding 3.5 million new jobs” (2004, ¶ 5). Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Long Quotations Quotations of 40 or more words are formatted differently: Start on a new line Block Indent the full quote 5 spaces from the left margin Omit quotation marks Double-space See Example of Long Quotation Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Long Quotations Example: According to Solovy & Towne (2003): Over five million new health care workers will be needed by 2010. Roughly 60 percent of those positions, or 3.1 million workers, will represent new jobs; the other 2.2 million workers are replacements for retirees and others leaving health care. (¶ 1) Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Personal Communications Personal communications include: Letters Memos E-mails Personal Interviews Telephone Conversations See Example of Personal Communication Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Personal Communications Cite only within the text. They are not included in the reference list. Example: (J. D. Smith, personal communication, Feb. 3, 2005). Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library References Page Start on a separate page. Center the word “References” in upper & lowercase letters at the top of the page. Arrange references alphabetically by author’s last name. Use hanging indentation: first line is set flush left & subsequent lines are indented. View Examples of References in APA Style. View Sample References Page. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Avoiding Plagiarism Proper citation of your sources in APA style can help you avoid plagiarism. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

What Is Plagiarism Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without giving proper credit. Examples of plagiarism include: Buying a paper. Turning in a paper that a friend or classmate wrote. Copying/Paraphrasing from a source without citing. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Penalties for Plagiarism Miami Dade College's Procedure for Dealing with Academic Dishonesty (www.mdc.edu/procedures/Chapter4/ 4074.pdf) outlines possible sanctions against a student suspected of plagiarism. Possible sanctions include: a grade of zero on the assignment in question a grade of F for the course removal from the course disciplinary probation suspension or dismissal from the college Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library Turnitin.Com Faculty at Miami Dade College now have access to Turnitin.com, a software program that analyzes papers to determine whether or not they are plagiarized. Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library

Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library For Additional Help APA Style.org Landmark Citation Machine Microsoft Word Template Ask-A-Librarian Miami Dade College, Medical Center Campus Library