2012 Feb 16 Patty Martinez – Instructor Liz Dobson - Librarian APA Style

Documenting your sources APA style (American Psychological Association rules)

Your work (essay, letter, report, pamphlet, etc Your work (essay, letter, report, pamphlet, etc.) normally includes 3 types of material… Your ideas Your summaries of others’ ideas and facts Quotations from your sources (MLA Handbook, 2009)

Your use of others’ ideas and words… “Researchers do not claim the words and ideas of another as their own; they give credit where credit is due.” Source: APA Ethics Code Standard 8.11, Plagiarism. (2010). In Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: APA, p.15). “ “So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” - Jack Layton (2011)

Why give credit to others whose work you use? . Why give credit to others whose work you use?

Why acknowledge your sources? You demonstrate that you, the writer, are a genuine researcher who has done the considerable work of investigating authorities on your topic. You acknowledge your indebtedness to others. You add weight to your statements & arguments by citing authorities that support you views. You enable your readers to pursue the topic further, &/or evaluate your use of others’ work. - Canadian Writers Handbook. 4th ed., p. 77

When you don’t acknowledge your sources… Plagiarism

From: Centennial College Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Policy

Sample title page in APA style

Sample page 2 in APA style

Sample References list (last page(s) of essay) in APA style

Sample text page: examples of in-text citations in APA style

Example of quotation fewer than 40 words (See rule in APA Manual, p Interpreting these results, Roberts suggested that “the information gathered in this study cannot predict an outcome with certainty” (2003, p. 540), thus lending real doubt regarding the future.

Example of quotation 40 or more words (See rule in APA Manual, p Example of quotation 40 or more words (See rule in APA Manual, p. 171) (Rule is to use double spacing: single spacing is used here for presentation purposes only.) Others have contradicted this view: Co-presence does not ensure intimate interaction among all group members. Consider large –scale social gatherings in which hundreds or thousands of people gather in a location to perform a ritual or celebrate an event. In these instance, participants are able to see the visible manifestation of the group, the physical gathering, yet their ability to make direct, intimate connections with those around them is limited by the sheer magnitude of the assembly. (Purcell, 1997, pp. 111-112)

“References …listed alphabetically at the end of your paper. Each reference you cite in-text must appear in the References list, and each entry in the References list must be cited in-text. (APA Manual, p. 174)

When might you NOT have to cite? (When in doubt, cite it.) As a general rule, you should cite all ideas, facts and quotations from others that you use in your work – unless the idea or fact is “commonly accepted” “Commonly accepted” facts and beliefs: The Government of Ontario provides social services Many scholars and members of the general public are concerned about global warming

Help with APA: APA Style Guide on Library website

Help with APA: Most library databases provide APA help…Print, email, or save (Email option here displayed)

[Microsoft Word 2010 doc] APA help: “References” tab provides help with APA style – references and in-text citations