Introduction to the APA Style

APA Chapter 1

FSE 200

Writing for Publication• Before committing a report to manuscript

form, critically review the quality of research. Is it flawed?

• Familiarize yourself with the standards editors and reviewers use to evaluate manuscripts.

• Evaluate the content. • Establish authorship early on in a research

project.

Types of Articles• Reports of empirical studies– Contain Introduction, Method, Results and

Discussion sections.• Review Articles– Critical evaluations of material that has already been

published. • Theoretical Articles– Papers in which the author draws on existing

research literature to advance theory in an area of psychology.

• Case Studies– Author describes case material obtained while

working with an individual/organization to illustrate a problem or to shed light on needed research.

Length, Heading, Tone• Length– Keep in mind typical length of articles in the journal you

are writing for. – Stay on topic, do not ramble. Long manuscripts are

often improved by condensing. • Headings– Clear headings help readers grasp the articles

organization.• Tone– Present ideas directly, but in an interesting and

compelling manner.– Differences should be presented in a professional,

noncombative manner.

Parts of a Manuscript• Title Page

– Title• A title should summarize the main idea of the paper simply

and should be fully explanatory when standing alone. • Recommended length is 10-12 words

– Author’s name (byline) and institutional affiliation• Preferred form of name is First, Middle Initial, Last Name.

Omit all titles and degrees.• The affiliation identifies the location where the author

conducted the investigation. Include no more than 2. – Running Head for Publication

• This is an abbreviated title that is printed at the top of the pages of a published article to identify the article for readers.

• Maximum of 50 characters.

Parts of a Manuscript, cont.

• Abstract– A brief, comprehensive summary of the

contents of an article. – Can be most important paragraph in your

article. – Needs to be accurate, self-contained, concise

and specific. • Define all abbreviations, use digits for numbers,

be brief (do not exceed 120 words), report rather than evaluate, use clear prose.

Parts of a Manuscript, cont.

• Introduction– Presents the specific problem under study and

describes the research strategy. – Summarizes the relevant arguments and the

data. – Include a brief scholarly review of earlier work on

the current subject.– End introduction with your approach to solving

the problem.

Parts of a Manuscript, cont.• Literature Review

Parts of a Manuscript, cont.• Method– Describes in detail how the study was

conducted. • If paper is an update of an ongoing/earlier study,

refer reader to that source and simply give a brief synopsis.

– Divide methods section into subsections• Description of Participants• Apparatus• Procedure

Parts of a Manuscript, cont.

• Results– Summarizes the data collected and the statistical

treatment used. – Report data in sufficient detail to justify the

conclusions.– Tables/Figures• Provide exact values, help present complex data

– Statistical Presentation• Report inferential/descriptive statistics

Parts of Manuscript, cont.• Discussion– Emphasize any theoretical consequences of the

results and the validity of your conclusion. – Open discussion with a clear statement of

support or nonsupport for your initial hypothesis. – Help reader’s understanding of the problem– End discussion with commentary on the

importance of the findings.

Parts of Manuscript, cont.• References– All citations in the manuscript must appear in the

reference list and all references must be cited in the text. – Cite references accurately.

• Appendix– Helpful if the detailed description of certain material is

distracting in the body of the paper.

• Author Note– Identifies the departmental affiliation of each author,

identifies sources of financial report, etc

Writing Smoothly• Use punctuation to help reader follow your

ideas• Use transitional words (next, while, therefore,

consequently, moreover, furthermore, conversely, however, nevertheless)

• Watch your tenses

Economy of Expression• Say only what needs to be said• Short words and sentences are easier to

comprehend than long words and sentences• Avoid jargon (continuous use of a technical

vocabulary)• Avoid wordiness• Avoid redundancy

Precision and Clarity• Every word should mean what you want it to

mean (feel v. think; we)• Avoid colloquial expressions• Avoid approximations• Be careful with pronouns (these, them, those)• Use careful word structure when making

comparisons• Do not write in third person (but check with

professor for class assignments)• Do not use anthropomorphisms- a paper can’t do

anything but lie there

Grammar• Use active verbs rather than passive ones (we

collected data v. data were collected)• Use past tense if you are discussing action that

happened at a specific time in the past• Use the present perfect tense to express past

action that did not occur at a specific time (since that time, researchers have examined…)

Grammar (cont.)• Subjects and verbs must agree in number• Collective nouns can refer either to single

units or several individuals (faculty)• A pronoun must agree in number with the

noun it replaces

Grammar (cont.)• Use who or whom for people and that or

which for objects and animals• If you can substitute he or she, who is correct;

if you can substitute him or her, whom is correct.

• Avoid misplaced modifiers• Avoid which for nonrestrictive clauses only

(set off with commas)

Grammar (cont.)• Use while to link events occurring

simultaneously and although, whereas, and, or but every other time.

• Use since to refer to specific times; use because or as in every other situation.

• Neither and nor are always linked; either and or are always linked

• Elements in a series need to be parallel in form

Reducing Bias• Gender is cultural; sex is biological• Avoid labels• Acknowledge participation (don’t use subjects

in experiments; use participants)• Avoid sexist bias• Use sexual orientation, not sexual preference

Reducing Bias• Use Black or African American• Use White, not white• Use Hispanic, Latino, or Chicano• Use American Indian or Native American• Use older person, not elderly

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATIONAPA Publication Manual

General Instructions• Use either 12-pt Times New Roman or 12-pt Courier New.

• Double space document• Leave uniform margins of at least 1 inch at the

top, bottom, left and right of every page. • Do not justify lines, use the flush-left style,

leaving the right margin uneven.

Order of Manuscript Pages

• Title page (separate page, numbered 1)• Abstract (separate page, numbered 2)• Text (start on separate page, numbered 3)• References (start on separate page)• Appendixes (start each on separate page)• Author note (start on a separate page)• Footnotes (list together, start on sep. page)• Tables (start each on separate page)

Page numbers and Page headers• Page numbers– After the pages are in the correct order, number

them consecutively, beginning with the title page. Number all pages, except artwork for figures in the upper right hand corner.

• Manuscript page headers– Because pages are sometimes separated during the

editorial process, identify each manuscript page with the first two or three words from the title in the upper right hand corner a few spaces to the left of the page number.

Headings

• APA articles use 1-5 levels of headings. For most articles, 3-4 levels of heading are sufficient.

• Three levels:– Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading– Flush left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase Side

Heading– Indented, Italicized, lowercase paragraph

heading ending with a period.

Headings cont…

• Four Levels:– Centered Uppercase and Lowercase Heading– Centered, Italicized, Uppercase and

Lowercase Side Heading– Flush left, Italicized, Uppercase and Lowercase

Side Heading– Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph

heading ending with a period.

Quotations• Short Quotations

– Quotes of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated in the text and enclosed by double quotation marks (“ “).

• Long Quotations– Display quotes of 40 or more words in a double spaced block of

typed lines with no quotation marks. Indent 5-7 spaces or ½ in from the left margin without the usual opening paragraph indent.

• Ellipsis Points/Brackets– Use ellipses to indicated that you have omitted material from a

quotation.– Use brackets, not parentheses, to enclose material inserted in a

quotation by some person other than the original writer.

Instructions for Typing Parts of a Manuscript• Title Page– Running Head – Type flush left at top of title page. Do not exceed 50

characters.

– Title – Type and center between left and right margins. Position in upper half of the page.

– Byline and Institutional Affiliation – Type the names of the authors in order of their contributions, centered between margins, one double spaced line below the title. • Example: Jane Doe

West State College

John Doe East State College

Instructions for Typing Parts of a Manuscript• Abstract

– Begin on new page. Identify with page header and page number 2 in upper right hand corner. Type in single paragraph, centered, in block format (i.e., without paragraph indention). Do not exceed 120 words.

• Text– Begin text on new page. Identify the first text page with the page

header and page number 3. Type title of the paper centered at the top of the page, double-space and then type text. Sections of text should follow each other without a break. Each text page should include page header and appropriate number.

Instructions for Typing the parts of a Manuscript• References– Start on a new page. Type word “References”,

centered at the top of the page. Double space all reference entries. Use hanging indent format (first line of each reference is set flush left and subsequent lines are indented).

• Appendixes– Double space the appendixes and begin each one

on a separate page. Type word “Appendix” and the identifying capital letters (A,B, ect. in order they are mentioned in text) centered at the top of the page.

Instructions for Typing the Parts of a Manuscript• Footnotes and Notes– Center label “Footnotes” at top of a new page.

Type footnotes consecutively in the order they appear in the article, using superscript numbers.

• Tables– Type “Table” and its number flush left at top of

the table. Double space and begin the table title flush left. Regardless of length, always begin each new table on a new page.

Extra Information• Always spell/grammar check!• When submitting a manuscript to a journal

editor, included several copies of your manuscript, along with a cover sheet including specific details about the manuscript along with any additional information.

• See pages 306 – 320 for examples of all the information noted in this presentation.

AcknowledgementThanks to Dr. David May for much of the

contents of this presentation.