1. Researching Like a Scientist
Using APA Style

2. What is APA Style?
APA (American Psychological Association) Style originated in 1929, when a group of scientists convened to create a set of procedures, or style rules, that would make reading/writing scientific papers easier.

3. Who Uses APA Style? All science classes
Other fields are adopting APA style

4. Why Use APA Format? Provides consistent format
Allows readers to easily find & verify your sources
Gives you credibility as a writer
Protects you from plagiarism

5. Avoiding Plagiarism What is plagiarism?
using someone else’s words or ideas as if they were your own
stealing

6. Avoiding Plagiarism Consequences of plagiarism:
Fail a paper/project
Fail a course
Expulsion from school
Lawsuits
Fines
Jail time
Proper citation of your sources in APA style can help you avoid plagiarism

7. Selecting Sources Good sources are: Scholarly Peer-reviewed Credible
author works in field they write about
Author is respected in their field
Author cites sources
Peer-reviewed
The source is vetted by other scientists in the field
Credible
Is there an obvious slant to the information?
Does it have an author’s name & citations?
Age sensitive
sources are generally no more than 5 years old for scientific research

8. What are good sources? GALILEO is the best source!
Peer-reviewed scientific journals
Current library books
Magazines & newspapers (sometimes)
GALILEO is the best source!
For home access:
Password: puddle

9. General Rules for APA Style
1” margins on all sides
12 pt. font
Times New Roman font or Courier font
Double-space
Indent the first line of each paragraph
Include page number & running head on all pages

10. Main Parts of an APA Paper
Title page
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
References
Makes up the BODY of your paper

11. Title Page Title page counts as page 1!
Include the paper’s full title, your name & school’s name centered on top half of page.
Your teacher may require additional info on the title page such as date or class period.
The running head should appear on each page of your paper--even page 1—and it includes short version of title (ALL CAPS) & page number
NOTE: on page 1 only the shortened title is preceded by “Running head:”

12. Title Page

13. Abstract A brief summary of the paper
Quickly shows reader the main points of your paper
Summarizing each section of your paper is an easy way to create your abstract
Don’t indent the beginning of the abstract paragraph
Page is titled “Abstract” & title is centered

14. Abstract

15. Introduction
Begins on page 3 of your paper & begins the body of your paper
Type the full title of your paper (centered) on the first line & begin your intro on the next line
Usually the first few paragraphs of your paper
Presents the problem and main ideas that the paper addresses
State your hypothesis here
Give background info on your topic

16. Introduction

17. Method Detailed explanation of HOW you did your research
Usually contains the following subsections:
Participants: who or what is in your study?
Research Design: variables, controls, blind studies?
Measures: tests or instruments you used to collect data
Procedures: describe each step of your experiment in great detail

18. Results
This is the area where you describe the results of your research
Don’t interpret results here, just give the facts
You should state whether your hypothesis was supported by the research—just don’t try to explain why in this section

19. Discussion
This is where you explain why your hypothesis was/wasn’t supported by the research
Were the results what you predicted?
How do your results compare to the rest of the research on this topic?

20. Method, Results & Discussion
Headings for these sections are bold and centered
Method
Headings for any sub-sections (participants, research design, measures & procedure) are bold and left justified
Participants

21. Method, Results & Discussion

22. References A list of ALL sources that you get information from.
Provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any sources cited in your paper.
Sources are alphabetical by author’s last name
Page is titled “References” and title is centered
Use hanging indent for each new source

23. References

24. References: Some Examples
Book
Coleman, L. (2010). Researching like a pro: apa style. Atlanta, Ga: Rampage Publications.
Article from database
Goffman, E. (2010). Running on algae. E - The Environmental Magazine, 21(1), Retrieved from Environment Complete database.
Article from print journal
Jacoby, W. G. (1994). Public attitudes toward GMOs. American Journal of Science, 38(2),
Examples: This slide provides examples of a few commonly used citation formats. The facilitator should note that titles of books, magazines, journals, and newspapers should be italicized or underlined.

25. Citation Creation Resources
Citation Machine
ww.citationmachine.net
EasyBib
School subscription allows extra features like APA style, digital notecards, and more!

26. Parenthetical Citations
In-text citation
Crediting your sources where you use their info in the body of your paper
Used when you paraphrase or quote another person in your paper

27. Parenthetical Citations
Paraphrasing a source.
To use an idea from another source but put it in your own words.
Quoting a source.
To repeat another source word for word using quotation marks.

28. Quote vs. Paraphrase
“The study clearly shows that National Football League physicians adopted a more conservative approach to concussion management in the second six-year period of the study’s 12 year examination of concussions of NFL players.”
NFL doctors were more cautious in their treatment of concussed NFL players in the second half of the study.

29. Parenthetical Citation Examples
Author’s last name and publication year must appear in the parenthetical citation.
Kessler (2003) found that among epidemiological samples…
Researchers found that early onset results in a more persistent and severe case (Kessler, 2003).
In 2003, Kessler’s study of epidemiological samples showed that…

30. Parenthetical Citation - Quotes
When QUOTING you must include the page number, as well as the author’s name and publication year .
Rogers (1961) once wrote that two important elements of a helping relationship are “genuineness and transparency” (p. 37).
Punctuation is always outside the parenthesis.

31. Block Quotes
If your quote is more than 40 words, you should create a block quote
Quote begins on new line
Place a colon at the end of your regular text and begin the block quote on the next line
Entire quote is offset 1 tab
No quotation marks
Parenthetical citation goes OUTSIDE the closing punctuation mark

32. Block Quotes

33. Where can you go for additional help with the APA style?
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th ed.
Official APA website:
Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab)
Mrs. Coleman in the Learning Commons

34. Galileo www.galileo.usg.edu
Password: puddle (Check Canvas for updates)

35. My Sources
American Psychological Association. (2010, February). Basics of the apa style tutorial. Retrieved from
Jeffrey Kahn. (2009). Sample apa paper for students interested in learning apa style 6th edition. Retrieved from
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2008). Apa formatting and style guide. Retrieved from
Larrimore, A. (2016, August 18). APA Style [Telephone interview].