APA FORMAT What is APA Format? Communicating Research Writing Style Title Abstract Introduction Method Results Discussion

What is APA Format? APA Publication Manual (6th Ed.) Rules for writing research reports Used by many journals Helps readers find information

Communicating Research Write for a reader who understands research methods and statistics but knows nothing about your research. Aim for clarity and simplicity.

Writing Style Use a scholarly voice. – We wanted to see if people did weird stuff on the elevator. – We investigated the tendency of individuals to show unusual behaviors on an elevator.

Writing Style Simpler is better. – The investigative cohort meticulously recorded gustatory behaviors of individuals perambulating within university facilities. – We recorded eating behaviors of students as they walked across campus.

Writing Style Avoid ambiguity. – We observed two groups of people at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. – We observed one group of people at 10:00 am and another group at 2:00 pm.

Writing Style Use appropriate verb tense. – The mean time to finish eating is 8.52 minutes. – The mean time to finish eating was 8.52 minutes.

Writing Style Use research terms with research meanings. – Students ate a significant number of tacos as compared to other food items. – The most commonly consumed food item was tacos.

Writing Style Use cautious wording. – The results disproved our hypothesis. – The results did not support our hypothesis.

Writing Style Use unbiased language. – After each participant signed the consent form, he completed the survey. – After participants signed consent forms, they completed the survey.

Writing Style Use first person active when possible. – Participants were then given the survey. – We then gave the survey to the participants.

Writing Style Avoid anthropomorphizing. – The present research attempted to determine which foods student ate most often. – In the present research, we attempted to determine which foods students ate most often.

Other Points About Writing Style Complete sentences. Correct spelling. One idea per sentence. Use of paragraphs.

Title Should communicate the essence of the research question and/or finding. Keep the title short (12 words maximum). Include names of variables.

Abstract Summary of the entire paper. Should be comprehensible on its own. Short: 250 words maximum.

Introduction Introduce the topic/problem Review the literature Explain the rationale for study State and explain hypothesis

Citing References Any idea, theory, or result must be cited Any claim that is not widely accepted common sense should be supported References can be cited anywhere in the paper, but most often in the Introduction Cite by last name(s) of author and year of publication

Examples of Citing References Previous research has shown that high protein diets decrease activity levels (Wolf & Hood, 1983). Wolf and Hood (1983) showed that high protein diets decrease activity levels.

Use of et al. The first time you cite a reference, list last names of ALL authors, unless there are six or more authors For subsequent citings of articles with three or more authors: – Jones et al. (1995)

Quoting Avoid quoting If you must quote, “use quotation marks and include the page number with the reference” (Kreiner, 2002, p. 35). If the quotation is 40 or more words, use a block indentation with no quotation marks.

Method Participants: how many, how selected, demographics Materials/Equipment Procedure (including design) Just the facts!

Results How scores were tabulated Descriptive statistics Inferential statistics (if needed) Just the facts!

Tables Rows and columns No artwork or vertical lines Identify by number Label units Include informative heading

Figures Use only when necessary. It’s a table unless it has to be a figure (includes artwork). Each figure on a separate page by itself, with no short title or page number. Separate page for Figure Captions.

Discussion Relate results to hypothesis Discuss how well the findings generalize Relate to research literature Discuss limitations (be specific) Describe specific suggestions/implications

Reference Page List a reference for each article cited Do not list references for uncited articles Alphabetical order Hanging indent Be careful about punctuation!