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Running Head: HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK
Help Guide to Giving Feedback on Student Writing
Theresa Bell, Writing Centre Manager
Royal Roads University Writing Centre, December 2017
This guide is a tool for instructors who would like information and examples to assist them with giving feedback on student writing. The items are presented in alphabetical order within
the categories, and the document should be used as a reference guide for instructors versus an instructional tool. If students need information on any of the issues addressed within the
document, please invite them to contact the Writing Centre via WriteAnswers or direct them to the Writing Centre website. This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of
all elements of writing that could be addressed in feedback; rather, it presents information on common mistakes made by students. Please note that the information provided may not
reflect professor- or program-specific expectations; instructors should check with their respective program offices to determine if there are program-specific requirements for student
writing. Finally, the sample comments provided are suggestions of a starting point for feedback and aren’t intended to be exclusionary of an instructor’s approach and development of the
comments with more information.
Please feel welcome to contact the Writing Centre if you have any questions on the contents of this guide.
© Royal Roads University
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 2
Table of Contents
Grammar.........................................................................................................................................4
Capitalization................................................................................................................................4
Personal versus objective pronouns..............................................................................................4
Pronoun agreement.......................................................................................................................4
Pronoun point-of-view..................................................................................................................4
Vague pronouns............................................................................................................................5
Sentences..........................................................................................................................................5
Active versus passive voice..........................................................................................................5
Incomplete sentence/sentence fragment.......................................................................................6
Sentence length.............................................................................................................................6
Subject-verb agreement................................................................................................................6
Run-on sentences..........................................................................................................................7
Punctuation......................................................................................................................................7
Dash..............................................................................................................................................7
Semicolons....................................................................................................................................7
Serial comma................................................................................................................................7
Spacing after sentences.................................................................................................................8
Structure..........................................................................................................................................8
Paragraph conclusion sentences....................................................................................................8
Paragraph topic sentences.............................................................................................................8
Thesis statement............................................................................................................................8
Readability.......................................................................................................................................8
Abbreviations................................................................................................................................8
Consistent logic and direction throughout the paper....................................................................9
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 3
Transitions.....................................................................................................................................9
Use of the first person point-of-view (e.g., I, my)......................................................................10
APA Style: Formatting.................................................................................................................10
Alignment...................................................................................................................................10
Introduction heading...................................................................................................................10
Fonts............................................................................................................................................11
Line spacing................................................................................................................................11
Margins.......................................................................................................................................11
Page numbers..............................................................................................................................11
Running head..............................................................................................................................11
Section headings.........................................................................................................................12
APA Style: In-text citations..........................................................................................................13
Anonymous as author.................................................................................................................13
Corporate or group author...........................................................................................................13
No date available.........................................................................................................................13
No listed author...........................................................................................................................14
Paraphrased text..........................................................................................................................14
Past or present perfect tense when quoting or paraphrasing material.........................................14
Personal communication.............................................................................................................15
Placement of citation...................................................................................................................15
Quotations...................................................................................................................................15
Resources with the same author and publication years in in-text citations and references........16
Secondary source citations..........................................................................................................16
Year of publication.....................................................................................................................17
APA Style: References..................................................................................................................17
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 4
Alphabetical order.......................................................................................................................17
Anonymous author......................................................................................................................18
Distinguishing between resources with the same author and publication years.........................18
Hanging indent............................................................................................................................19
No listed author...........................................................................................................................19
No publication or copyright date available.................................................................................19
Ordering multiple resources with same author, published in different year...............................19
Ordering resources with the same author and publication years................................................19
Organizational names..................................................................................................................20
References line spacing...............................................................................................................20
References page title...................................................................................................................20
APA Style: Reference examples...................................................................................................20
Blog posting................................................................................................................................21
Ebook chapter.............................................................................................................................21
Ebook (no DOI)..........................................................................................................................21
Ebook with DOI..........................................................................................................................21
Journal article, retrieved from an electronic database (no DOI).................................................22
Journal article, retrieved from an electronic database, with DOI...............................................23
Online newspaper article.............................................................................................................23
Online video (e.g., YouTube video)...........................................................................................23
Print book....................................................................................................................................23
Print book chapter.......................................................................................................................23
Report from a private organization, retrieved from the organization’s website.........................24
Specific section of a website (e.g., web page)............................................................................24
References...................................................................................................................................25
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HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 6
Item Rule Example Sample feedback More informationGrammar
Capitalization Capitalize: I Proper nouns (specific
people, places, or things) Titles that precede a
person’s name The first word of a
sentence
Incorrect: I learned about Canada’s Prime Ministers in school today.
Correct: I learned about Canada’s prime ministers in school today.Correct: I learned about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in school today.
Incorrect capitalization
Capitalization
Personal versus objective pronouns
Use the personal pronoun “who” to refer to people; use the relative pronoun “that” to refer to objects or animals.
Incorrect: I interviewed the scientist that conducted the research.
Correct: I interviewed the scientist who conducted the research.
Missing personal pronoun
“That or which? Who or whom? ”
Pronoun agreement A singular pronoun must be used to replace/refer back to a singular noun; similarly, a plural pronoun must be used for a plural noun.
Example: The student will submit their paper by the due date.
Problem: “Student” is singular, so the singular “his or her” pronoun is necessary to have number agreement and avoid any sexist bias in the language by using only “his” or “her”. “Their” is a plural pronoun, not a neutral singular pronoun.
Solution: The student will submit his or her paper by the due date, or the students will submit their papers by the due date.
“Students”, “their” and “papers” are all plural, maintaining the plural form of the subject, verb, and object within the sentence.
Pronoun number disagreement
Number agreement and Noun and pronoun consistency
Pronoun point-of-view
There are three possible points-of-view, and the points-of-view should be kept consistent
Example: When planning a response to an emergency, people should plan to be without food or water for three days. You can expect that there may also be power
Pronoun point-of-view disagreement
Agreement in person (point-of-view)
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 7
within sentences: First person: I, me Second person: you Third person: he, she, they.
outages. They may also need to leave their homes.
Problem: “They” is the third-person pronoun that refers to “people”. “You” uses the second-person voice.
Solution: When planning a response to an emergency, people should plan to be without food or water for three days. They can expect that there may also be power outages. People may also need to leave their homes.
Vague pronouns A pronoun takes the place of a noun (person, place, or thing) or refers back to a noun. A vague pronoun is ambiguous as to which noun it refers.
Example: Scientists determined that the three primary factors that influenced development were age, intelligence, and location. This was a surprise as no one had previously connected it to the problem.
Problem: It isn’t clear what is referred to by “this”, or which factor is referred to by “it”.
Solution: Scientists determined that the three primary factors that influenced development were age, intelligence, and location. Location was a surprise as no one had previously connected it to the problem.
Vague pronoun “Avoid vague pronouns ”
SentencesActive versus passive voice
In the active voice, the noun does the action described by the verb to the subject of the sentence. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon, and usually the agent of the action isn’t named. Active voice tends to be clearer, less wordy, and has the action of the sentence expressed at the beginning of the sentence. According to the American Psychological Association
Example: The paper was submitted, graded, and then returned.
Problem: The sentence is in passive voice and doesn’t name who did the submitting, grading, and returning.
Solution in active voice: The student submitted the paper, and then the professor graded it and returned it.
Passive voice “Active versus passive voice ” and Passive versus active verbs
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 8
(APA) (2010) authors should use the active voice whenever possible (p. 77).
Incomplete sentence/sentence fragment
The sentence has a subject and a verb, but is missing the rest of the sentence in order to make sense. Usually authors created sentence fragments by placing a period where a comma is actually required.
Incorrect: Making up her mind quickly. Sarah decided to buy the red car.
Correct: Making up her mind quickly, Sarah decided to buy the red car.
Sentence fragment ORIncomplete sentence
Sentence fragment
Sentence length A general guideline for sentence length is that one sentence shouldn’t exceed 25 words. Sentences that are longer than 25 words tend to be hard to follow because there are too many subjects for one sentence.
Example: When you write a sentence, it is important to keep in mind that your reader must be able to remember what you said at the beginning of the sentence or else they won’t be able to remember what you wanted them to be thinking about from the beginning through to the end of the sentence, which means that they probably won’t be able understand the key message of the sentence (71 words).
Problem: The sentence, though punctuated correctly, is too long.
Solution: If a sentence is too long, readers will not remember the point of the message (15 words).
Watch sentence length – keep to approx. 25 words maximum
Run-on sentences
Subject-verb agreement
If the subject of the sentence is singular/plural, the verb must match in number. Therefore, a plural subject needs to be matched with a plural verb.
Incorrect: The results (plural) demonstrates (singular) the effectiveness of the study.
Correct: The results (plural) demonstrate (plural) the effectiveness of the study.
Incorrect: Everyone (singular because it’s a group noun) are (plural) leaving now.
Correct: Everyone (singular) is (singular) leaving now.
Subject-verb disagreement
Subject-verb agreement
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Run-on sentences A run-on sentence isn’t just a sentence that has gone on for too long. The term refers to a specific grammatical mistake. A run-on sentence is a sentence created by incorrectly joining two independent clauses.
Run-on sentence: My dog is a Golden Retriever, she is friendly.Correct versions:
My dog is a Golden Retriever, and she is friendly. My dog is a Golden Retriever; she is friendly. My dog is a Golden Retriever. She is friendly.
Run-on sentence Run-on sentences
PunctuationDash “Use a dash to indicate only a
sudden interruption in the continuity of a sentence. Over-use weakens the flow of material” (American Psychological Association (APA), 2010, p. 90).
Authors most often use dashes when they are unsure of the correct wording or punctuation. In general, dashes should be avoided in formal academic writing because they’re usually used incorrectly.
Incorrect: The researchers contacted 100 participants – 30 of whom were in British Columbia – but only 20 replied.
Correct: The researchers contacted 100 participants, 30 of whom were in British Columbia, but only 20 replied.
Avoid dashes in formal writing
See “Commas, semicolons, and colons” video via Punctuation.
Semicolons Semicolons have two functions:1. To join 2 independent
clauses without using a conjunction (APA, 2010, p. 89).
2. To separate list items when the items have commas within them (p. 90).
Incorrect: The researchers presented their paper at the conference; and the paper was also published in a book.
Correct: The researchers presented their paper at a conference; the paper was also published in a book.
Incorrect: Some cities in Canada are Victoria, British Columbia, Calgary, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Montreal, Quebec.
Correct: Some of the provincial capital cities in Canada are Victoria, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Toronto, Ontario.
Incorrect semi-colon “Back to basics with semicolons ” and/or “Semicolons” (1:52 section of “Commas, semicolons, and colons”)
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 10
Serial comma As per APA rules, “use a comma . . . between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items” (APA, 2010, p. 88).
Incorrect: The study measured participants’ ability to recognize colours, sounds and shapes.
Correct: The study measured participants’ ability to recognize colours, sounds, and shapes.
Missing serial comma “What is the serial comma in APA style?” and “Back to basics with commas ”
Spacing after sentences
Either one or two spaces. Watch spacing between sentences
“Spaces after a period? ”
StructureParagraph conclusion sentences
Each paragraph should have a conclusion that wraps up the contents of the paragraph and reminds the reader of how the paragraph topic connects to the thesis statement.
Example: Therefore, considering that leaders are responsible for promoting excellence in their employees, it is important that they are first able to address their own strengths and challenges before they provide guidance to others in an effort to improve productivity and the effectiveness of the unit.
Missing/unclear conclusion
See “Writing an Academic Paragraph” video via Paragraphs.
Paragraph topic sentences
Since each paragraph focuses on one topic, every paragraph should have a topic sentence that identifies the focus for the rest of the paragraph. A common error in academic writing is that the topic sentence doesn’t reflect the rest of the paragraph.
Example: Self-awareness is essential to skilled leadership because a self-aware individual can identify his or her strengths and challenges and address them appropriately.
The rest of the paragraph should define self-awareness and explain why being able to identify and address strengths and challenges is important in the development of a skilled leader.
Missing/unclear topic sentence
See “Writing an Academic Paragraph” video via Paragraphs.
Thesis statement The thesis statement, which appears in the introduction, should be one or two sentences that present an overview of the topic to be addressed within the paper. For novice authors, an easy way to start a thesis statement is “In this paper, I will…”.
Poor: After reading the introduction, the reader can’t identify the focus of the paper.
Better: In this paper, I will examine the three primary qualities required for good leadership.
Better still: To increase the efficiency and efficacy of their organizations, leaders within the field of health care management must possess self-awareness, empathy, and excellent communication skills.
Missing/unclear thesis statement
Thesis statements/Research questions
Readability
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 11
Abbreviations Authors should "use abbreviations sparingly. Although abbreviations are sometimes useful for long, technical terms in scientific writing, communication is usually garbled rather than clarified if, for example, an abbreviation is unfamiliar to the reader" (APA, 2010, p. 106).
Abbreviations should be used because they make understanding the text easier for the reader, versus to save the author from having to type out the full text every time:
Unnecessary abbreviation
Search WriteAnswers for “abbreviation” or see pages 106-107 in the APA Style manual.
Consistent logic and direction throughout the paper
The information in the paper should connect easily from one focus to the next. If the reader has to stop at any point to try to figure out what the author is saying, the flow of the paper will be broken. Usually, problems with flow and logic are a result of the author not planning the direction and details of the paper before starting to write.
Break in flow Planning the paper and “Improving logic”.
Transitions Transitions serve to connect sentences and paragraphs so that it’s easy for the reader to
Poor: Apples are a versatile fruit. Applesauce can be a low-fat alternative in baking. Apples complement the flavour of pork. A popular use for the fruit is in apple pie,
Missing transitional expression. How do these sentences/ideas
“Writing an Academic Paragraph” and the resources on transitional expressions in Paragraphs .
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 12
understand how the author is moving from one to the next. When an author doesn’t use transitions, the logic and/or flow of the essay suffers and usually results in a choppy reading experience.
which is a delicious dessert.
Better: Apples are a versatile fruit. Not only are they a healthy and delicious snack, they can be used in a variety of other ways. For example, applesauce can be used as a low-fat alternative to butter in baking. Also, cooked apples complement the flavour of pork. Finally, a popular use for the fruit is in apple pie, which is a delicious dessert.
connect?
Missing transitional sentence. What is the connection between this paragraph and the following paragraph?
Use of the first person point-of-view (e.g., I, my)
Unless directed otherwise by the professor/program, the APA encourages authors to use the first person singular pronoun “I”, rather than a third person construction (APA, 2010, p. 69).
Incorrect: The researcher (referring to the author) completed the study.
Correct: I completed the study.
Use the first-person voice
See “First person pronouns (I, me)”.
APA Style: FormattingSee:
Formatting (3:04 section of the “Introduction to APA Style” video; also available via APA Style) Pages 7-11 in the APA Help Guide APA formatting rules on the Writing Centre website Search WriteAnswers by keyword
Alignment All body text should be left-aligned, including block quotations and references, with a ragged right edge (APA, 2010, p. 229).
Incorrect:Centred
Justified text that spreads equally across the lineRight-aligned
Correct: Left-aligned
Incorrect alignment Search WriteAnswers for “alignment”, or see #7 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or page 7 in the APA Help Guide.
Introduction heading
The introduction isn’t labelled because it’s assumed that the first paragraph/section of a paper is the introduction (APA,
APA style doesn’t label the introduction because it’s assumed that the first
Search WriteAnswers for “introduction”, or see #4 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or page 27 in the APA Style manual.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 13
2010, p. 27). paragraph/section of a paper is the introduction.
Fonts Unless permitted to do otherwise by the instructor, authors should use serif fonts, and the preferred APA typeface is Times New Roman, 12 pt. (APA, 2010, p. 228). All text should be in black and the same typeface should be used throughout the document.
Incorrect: Arial, Verdana, CalibriCorrect: Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Font Search WriteAnswers for “font” or see page 7 in the APA Help Guide.
Line spacing All text, including block quotations and the references, should be double-spaced (APA, 2010, p. 229). Only the table of contents and any table/figure text are single-spaced (p. 229).
Incorrect line-spacing Search WriteAnswers for “line spacing”, or see #5 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or page 9 in the APA Help Guide.
Margins At least 1”/2.5 cm margins on all sides (APA, 2010, p. 229). The academic convention at RRU is that margins should be 1”/2.5 cms on all sides unless otherwise stated by the instructor.
Incorrect margins Search WriteAnswers for “margins”, or see #6 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or page 9 in the APA Help Guide.
Page numbers Page number appears in the top right corner of each page of the text (see examples on p. 41 of the APA Style manual). The academic convention is that the title page is included in the overall page count but doesn’t show a page number.
Incorrect: page numbers appearing anywhere other than the top right corner. The page number should be just the number, versus “Page 2”, “Page 2 of 8”, etc.
Correct: Top right corner: 2
Page numbering Search WriteAnswers for “page numbers”, or see #2 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or page 9 in the APA Help Guide. Also, see “Aligning the running head and page numbers ” .
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 14
Running head “The running head is an abbreviated title that is printed at the top of the pages of a manuscript or published article to identify the article for the readers” (APA, 2010, p. 229).
The running head appears in the heading in the top left corner of every page, must not exceed 50 characters (including spaces), and appears in all capital letters.
See page 1 in http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf to see how the running head should appear on the title page and then on subsequent pages. Also see the title page and subsequent pages of this document and of the APA Help Guide.
Example of running head on title page:
Running head: TITLE OF DOCUMENT
* “Running head” must appear as the identifier of the text on the title page
Example of running head on second and subsequent pages:
TITLE OF DOCUMENT
Incorrect running head format
Search WriteAnswers for “running head”, or see #1 in the “APA Style formatting checklist ” or see page 9 in the APA Help Guide. Also, see “Aligning the running head and page numbers ” .
Section headings Heading 1 formatting (usually used for section headings): Centred, bolded, uppercase and lowercase heading (APA, 2010, p. 62).
Heading 2 formatting (usually used for subsections): Left-aligned, bolded, uppercase and lowercase heading (p. 62)
Examples:
Heading 1 Formatting
Heading 2 Formatting
Heading 3 formatting. The paragraph text continues on the same line as the heading.
Incorrect section heading formatting
Search WriteAnswers for “section headings” or see pages 8 and 9 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 15
Heading 3 formatting (usually used for a paragraph-level heading): Indented 1 tab space, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending in a period. The text that follows the paragraph heading should start on the same line after the period that ends the heading (p. 62).
Headings should not be numbered (p. 63).
APA Style: In-text citations
A citation must be provided for each instance of quoted material (i.e., authors can’t cite an entire paragraph) (APA, 2010, pp. 15).
Example: The researchers demonstrated that, “quoted material” (Johnson, 2010, p. 4). Furthermore, Johnson (2010) noted that, “quoted material” (p. 4).
See: In-text citations (6:01 section of the “Introduction to APA Style” video; also available via APA Style) Pages 13-19 in the APA Help Guide Search WriteAnswers by keyword Creating in-text citations/reference list entries on the Writing Centre website Pages 174-179 in the APA Style manual
Anonymous as author
Use the usual format for an in-text citation but use “Anonymous” instead of a last name (APA, 2010, p. 177).
Example: (Anonymous, 2010, p. X) Use Anonymous as the author
Search WriteAnswers for “anonymous” or see page 17 in the APA Help Guide.
Corporate or group author
When referring to a corporate resource, the corporate or group owner of the copyright can be considered the author if an individual isn’t named in the
Example: (Royal Roads University, n.d., para. X). Name corporate/group author
Search WriteAnswers for “corporate author” or see page 14 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 16
resource.No date available If there isn’t a
publication/copyright date available for the resource, “n.d.” (no date) can be used (APA, 2010, p. 185).
Example: People who are considering a career in emergency response might be interested to know that, “the MA in Disaster and Emergency Management program is a two-year interdisciplinary degree dedicated to educating both aspiring and existing disaster and emergency management professionals” (Royal Roads University, n.d., para. 1). According to Royal Roads University (n.d.), “in the second year of studies students conduct an applied research project on a topic of personal interest” (para. 1).
Use n.d. for “no date” Search WriteAnswers for “no date” or see page 185 in the APA Style manual.
No listed author If the work the student has referenced does not name an author, the student can instead use the first few words of the title in the citation (APA, 2010, p. 176). Enclose the title of an article or chapter in double quotation marks, and italicize the title of all other resource types (p. 176).
Example: For example, “the current reservoir capacity is insufficient for the water use needs of the community” (Raise the Dam, 1988, p. 12).
Use the title instead of the author’s last name for a resource that doesn’t have a listed author.
Search WriteAnswers for “no author” or see page 17 in the APA Help Guide.
Paraphrased text Paraphrased text is information from another source expressed in the author’s own words. Since the paraphrased text isn’t a direct quotation, quotation marks aren’t necessary. Paraphrased text should be notably different than the original. The APA (2010) doesn’t require a page number in citations to paraphrased text; however, authors “are
Example: Quotation: The APA (2010) doesn’t require a page number in citations to paraphrased text; however, authors “are encouraged to provide a page or paragraph number, especially when it would help an interested reader locate the relevant passage in a long or complex text” (p. 171).
Paraphrase: When citing paraphrased text, include a page or paragraph number in the citation to help the reader find the information in the original text (APA, 2010, p. 171).
Check paraphrasing rules
Search WriteAnswers for “paraphrase” or see #3 in the “APA Style citations checklist ” . For more information on paraphrasing, see http://libguides.royalroads.ca/sumpara.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 17
encouraged to provide a page or paragraph number, especially when it would help an interested reader locate the relevant passage in a long or complex text” (p. 171).
Past or present perfect tense when quoting or paraphrasing material
When referring to another author’s published ideas, the student should use the past tense (e.g., Johnson (2010) noted) or the present perfect tense (e.g., researchers have shown) (APA, 2010, pp. 65-66).
Incorrect: In her research, Smith (2010) demonstrates that apples are better than oranges (p. 4).
Correct: In her research, Smith (2010) demonstrated that apples are better than oranges (p. 4).
Incorrect tense Search WriteAnswers for “verb tense” or see pages 65-66 in the APA Style manual.
Personal communication
Personal communication (e.g., a phone call, conversation, interview, email, lecture, non-archived discussion group posting) does not provide recoverable data; therefore, the resource is only cited within the text but not in the reference list (APA, 2010, p. 179).
Example: An important factor to consider is that, “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing” (J. Greenwood, personal communication, January 15, 2004).
Example: J. Greenwood (personal communication, January 15, 2004) noted that lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing.
Personal communication
Search WriteAnswers for “personal communication”, see #8 in the “APA Style citations checklist ” , or see page 18 in the APA Help Guide.
Placement of citation
The necessary citation information can be presented in brackets following the quoted/paraphrased text, or in combination with information provided within the sentence text.
Example: The researchers demonstrated that, “quoted material” (Johnson, 2010, p. 4). Furthermore, Johnson (2010) noted that, “quoted material” (p. 4).
Incorrect citation format
Search WriteAnswers for “citation placement”, see #2 in the “APA Style citations checklist ” , or see page 13 in the APA Help Guide.
Quotations Quotations of 39 words or fewer should be presented inline with double quotation marks around the quoted text
Inline quotation: For example, “I quoted this text” (Author, year, p. 4).
Block quotation:
Quotation is 39 words or less and should run inline with the rest of the text.
Search WriteAnswers for “block quotation” or see pages 11 and 12 in the APA Help Guide , and http://libguides.royalroads.ca/Blockquot
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 18
and the citation coming before the closing punctuation (APA, 2010, p. 170).
Quotations of 40+ words should start on a new line, no quotation marks are necessary, all text is left-aligned (not justified) but the text begins 1 tab space from the left margin, and the citation appears after the closing punctuation (APA, 2010, p. 171).
All quotations must have the page number included in the citation for the text (APA, 2010, p. 170).
If the quotation comprises 40 or more words,
display it in a freestanding block of text and omit
the quotation marks. Start such a block quotation
on a new line and indent the block about a half
inch from the left margin (in the same position as
a new paragraph. . . .Double space the entire
quotation. At the end of a block quotation, cite the
quoted source and the page or paraphraph number
in parentheses after the final punctuation mark.
(APA, 2010, p. 171)
Quotation is 40+ words so should be formatted as a block quotation.
e.
Resources with the same author and publication years in in-text citations and references.
If the paper contains citations to two or more resources by the same author published in the same year, lower-case alphabetical letters should be added after the year to distinguish between the resources (e.g., 2001a, 2001b) (APA, 2010, p. 182). This formatting should be matched in the in-text citations and references in order for the reader to find the source in the references.
Incorrect:(Johnson, 2010, p. X) and (Johnson, 2010, p. X), referring to two different resources.
Correct:(Johnson, 2010a, p. X) and (Johnson, 2010b, p. X)
Distinguish between resources by the same author and published in the same year with lower-case alphabetical letters after the year of publication/copyright.
Search WriteAnswers for “same author” or see page 16 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 19
Secondary source citations
Whenever possible, authors should use primary sources as research. However, if the primary source isn’t available, an author should name the text where he or she found the information (APA, 2010, p. 178). For example, if an author quoted Souper from of Green’s book, the author should reference Green’s book because that’s the book the author read.
Example: Souper (as cited in Green, 2010) noted that… (p. X).
Reference:
Green, A. (2010). Name of resource. Retrieved from
URL
Use primary sources
Incorrect citation format for a secondary source citation.
Search WriteAnswers for “secondary source”, see #9 in the “APA Style citations checklist ” , or see page 17 in the APA Help Guide.
Year of publication When the author is named in the sentence, the year of publication must immediately follow in parentheses (APA, 2010, p. 174).
Incorrect: Johnson noted that, “quoted material” (2010, p.4).
Correct: Johnson (2010) noted that, “quoted material” (p. 4).
Year placement Search WriteAnswers for “publication year” or see #2 in the “APA Style citations checklist ” .
APA Style: References
The references should only include resources from which the author has quoted or paraphrased material in the paper (APA, 2010, p. 180).
See page 19 in http://supp.apa.org/style/PM6E-Corrected-Sample-Papers.pdf for a sample references page, as well as: References (11:33 section of the “Introduction to APA Style” video; also available via APA Style) Pages 19-21 in the APA Help Guide Search WriteAnswers by keyword Pages 180-183 in the APA Style manual
Alphabetical order References should be listed alphabetically according to the first listed author’s last name (APA, 2010, p. 181).
Example:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association
Incorrect ordering Search WriteAnswers for “reference order” or see page 20 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 20
(6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Lee, C. (2009, September 15). APA style blog: How do I
cite a Kindle? Retrieved from
http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2009/09/how-do-i-
cite-a-kindle.html
Anonymous author If the resource is “signed ‘Anonymous,’ begin the entry with the word Anonymous spelled out, and alphabetize the entry as if Anonymous were a true name” (APA, 2010, p. 183).
Example:
Anonymous. (year). Title of resource. City, State
abbreviation: Publisher.
Use Anonymous as the author’s name
Search WriteAnswers for “anonymous” or see page 183 in the APA Style manual.
Distinguishing between resources with the same author and publication years
If the paper contains citations to two or more resources by the same author published in the same year, lower-case alphabetical letters should be added after the year to distinguish between the resources (e.g., 2001a, 2001b, n.d.-a, n.d.-b) (APA, 2010, p. 182). This formatting should be used and matched in the in-text citations and references in order for the reader to find the source in the references.
See “Ordering resources with
Example:
Royal Roads University. (n.d.-a). Education &
technology. Retrieved
from http://www.royalroads.ca/prospective-
students/programs/education-technology
Royal Roads University. (n.d.-b). Humanitarian studies.
Retrieved
from http://www.royalroads.ca/prospective-
students/programs/humanitarian-studies
In-text citations: (Royal Roads University, n.d.-a, para.
Distinguish between resources published by the same author in the same year using lower-case alphabetical letters
Search WriteAnswers for “same author” or see page 16 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 21
the same author and publication years” for how to order the references with the same author and year of publication. Then, assign the first reference in the grouping “a”, the second resource in the group is “b”, etc.
X) and (Royal Roads University, n.d.-b, para. X)
Hanging indent The second and subsequent lines of every reference should have a .5”/1.25 cm hanging indent (APA, 2010, p. 180).
Example:
Cuddy, C. (2002). Demystifying APA style. Orthopaedic
Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved from the Academic
Search Premier database.
Missing hanging indent
Search WriteAnswers for “indent” or see #4 in the “APA Style references checklist ” or page 19 in the APA Help Guide.
No listed author “If there is no author, move the title to the author position, and alphabetize the entry by the first significant word of the title” (APA, 2010, p. 183).
Example:
Heuristic. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary
(11th ed.). Retrieved from
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/heuristic
Use name of resource if author’s name isn’t available
Search WriteAnswers for “no author” or see page 183 in the APA Style manual.
No publication or copyright date available
If there is no publication/copyright date available, use (n.d.) (APA, 2010, p. 185).
Example:
Royal Roads University. (n.d.). Strategic research
themes. Retrieved from
http://research.royalroads.ca/strategic-research-
themes
Use n.d. when date isn’t available
Search WriteAnswers for “no date” or see page 185 in the APA Style manual.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 22
Ordering multiple resources with same author, published in different year
Multiple resources by the same author but published in different years should be ordered by the year of publication with the earliest publication first (APA, 2010, p. 182).
Example:
Johnson, J. (2003). …
Johnson, J. (2005). …
Incorrect ordering See page 182 in the APA Style manual.
Ordering resources with the same author and publication years
Resources by the same author and published in the same year should be ordered alphabetically by title (excluding “a” or “the”) (APA, 2010, p. 182).
Example:
Johnson, J. (2003). First I wrote a book. New York, NY:
Publisher.
Johnson, J. (2003). Next came the journal article. New
York, NY: Publisher.
Incorrect ordering Search WriteAnswers for “same author same year” or see page 182 in the APA Style manual.
Organizational names
Organizational names should be spelled out in full in the references (APA, 2010, p. 183).
Incorrect: RRUCorrect: Royal Roads University
Spell out organizational names in full in the references
See page 183 in the APA Style manual.
References line spacing
References should be double-spaced (APA, 2010, p. 180).
Double-spaced:
Cuddy, C. (2002). Demystifying APA style. Orthopaedic
Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved from the
Academic Search Premier database.
Line spacing Search WriteAnswers for “format references” or see #3 in the “APA Style references checklist ” or page 9 in the APA Help Guide.
References page title
The references should begin on a new page with the title References capitalized and centred (no bolding) (APA,
Example:References
References should start on a separate page
Search WriteAnswers for “format references” or see #2 in the “APA Style references checklist ” or page 37 in the APA Style manual.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 23
2010, p. 37). Centred title should be References (no additional formatting)
APA Style: Reference examples
See: References (11:33 section of the “Introduction to APA Style” video; also available via APA Style) Pages 22-29 in the APA Help Guide Search WriteAnswers by keyword (e.g., ebook, journal article) for reference examples. Pages 193-215 in the APA Style manual
Blog posting Bort, J. (2012, November 26). How companies are managing the explosion of mobile
devices [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-
companies-are-managing-the-explosion-of-mobile-devices
In-text citation: (Bort, 2012, para. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “blog” or see “How to Cite Something You Found on a Website in APA Style ” .
Ebook chapter Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, &
C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher. doi:xxxxxxx OR
database name.
In-text citation: (Author & Author, year, p. X).
Search WriteAnswers for “ebook chapter” or see page 25 in the APA Help Guide .
See “How Do You Cite an E-Book (e.g., Kindle Book)? ” and “How to Cite Part of a Work ” for instructions on how to cite an ebook without page numbers.
Ebook (no DOI) Rozakis, L. (2000). The complete idiot’s guide to writing well. Retrieved from
http://www.proquest.com/products-services/ebooks/ebooks-main.html
OR
Rozakis, L. (2000). The complete idiot’s guide to writing well. Retrieved from the ebrary
Search WriteAnswers for “ebook” or see pages 24-25 in the APA Help Guide.
See “How Do You Cite an E-Book (e.g., Kindle Book)? ” and “How to Cite Part of a Work ” for instructions on how to cite an ebook without page numbers.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 24
database.
In-text citation: See information in the “Ebook with DOI” entry re: formatting in-text
citations.
Ebook with DOI Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Title of chapter or entry. In A. Editor, B. Editor, &
C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher. doi:xxxxxxx OR
http://dx.doi.org/xxxxx
In-text citations for ebooks:
For in-text citations of paraphrased material, provide the author and date, as for any APA Style reference. To cite a direct quotation, also provide page numbers if the e-book has page numbers. If there are no page numbers, you can include any of the following in the text to cite the quotation (see section 6.05 of the Publication Manual, pp. 171–172): a paragraph number, if provided; alternatively, you can count paragraphs down from
the beginning of the document; an overarching heading plus a paragraph number within that section; or an abbreviated heading (or the first few words of the heading) in quotation marks, in
cases in which the heading is too unwieldy to cite in full. (Lee, 2009, In-text citations, para. 1)
Search WriteAnswers for “ebook” or see page 25 in the APA Help Guide.
See “How Do You Cite an E-Book (e.g., Kindle Book)? ” and “How to Cite Part of a Work ” for instructions on how to cite an ebook without page numbers.
Journal article, retrieved from an electronic database (no DOI)
The APA rules instruct authors to provide the home page URL of the electronic database (APA, 2010, p. 191); however, the APA rules also permit authors to name the database where the material was retrieved (APA, 2009, p. 1). Since RRU students usually access online databases via the Library’s subscription, versus accessing the database directly through the database’s home page URL, providing the home page URL requires an extra step of research for students to locate the URL. Therefore, students can provide either the home page URL for the database or the database name.
References to materials retrieved from an electronic database should never give the direct URL for the resource because the RRU Library’s databases are password-protected, which
Search WriteAnswers for “journal article” or see pages 23-24 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 25
means that the URL won’t work for anyone outside the RRU community. By providing the name of the database, the student is giving the reader sufficient information to find his/her own way to the appropriate database and then locate the resource.
Cuddy, C. (2002). Demystifying APA Style. Orthopaedic Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved
from https://www.ebscohost.com/academic/academic-search-premier
OR
Cuddy, C. (2002). Demystifying APA style. Orthopaedic Nursing, 21(5), 35-42. Retrieved
from the Academic Search Premier database.
In-text citation: (Cuddy, 2002, p. X)
Journal article, retrieved from an electronic database, with DOI
Godfrey, D. (2005). Adapting historical citations to APA style. Journal of Broadcasting &
Electronic Media, 49(4), 544-547. doi: 10.1207/s15506878jobem4904_15
In-text citation: (Godfrey, 2005, p. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “journal article DOI” or see page 23 in the APA Help Guide.
Online newspaper article
Brody, J. E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
In-text citation: (Brody, 2007, para. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “online newspaper” or see page 24 in APA Help Guide.
Online video (e.g., YouTube video)
Poster, A. A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from http://xxxxx
In-text citation: (Lastname, year, timestamp)
Search WriteAnswers for “online video”, “YouTube” or “TedTalk”, see pages 28 and 29 in the APA Help Guide , or see “How to Create a Reference for a YouTube Video”.
See “Timestamps for Audiovisual Materials in APA Style ” to create an in-text citation that provides a timestamp.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 26
Print book American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
In-text citation: (American Psychological Association, 2010, p. X).
Search WriteAnswers for “book” , or see page 25 in the APA Help Guide for general formatting for citing books and an example of a reference to a print book.
Print book chapter Maasing, X. (1982). Foreign affairs in Canada. In J. D. Sampson & M.M. Millstone (Eds.),
International trade Canada (pp. 1009-1020). Boston, MA: Oxford University Press.
In-text citation: (Maasing, 1982, p. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “book chapter” or see page 25 in the APA Help Guide.
Report from a private organization, retrieved from the organization’s website
Imperial Oil Limited. (2006). Energy leadership: Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Retrieved
from http://www.esso.ca/Canada-English/Files/Investors/2006_AR.pdf
In-text citation: (Imperial Oil Limited, 2006, para. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “report” or see pages 27 and 28 in the APA Help Guide.
Specific section of a website (e.g., web page)
Royal Roads University. (n.d.). Strategic research themes. Retrieved from
http://research.royalroads.ca/strategic-research-themes
In-text citation: (Royal Roads University, n.d., para. X)
Search WriteAnswers for “web page” or see page 27 in the APA Help Guide.
HELP GUIDE TO GIVING FEEDBACK 27
References
American Psychological Association. (2009). DOI and URL flowchart. Retrieved from http://blog.apastyle.org/files/doi-and-url-flowchart-8.pdf
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Lee, C. (2011, June 3). How do you cite an e-book (e.g., Kindle Book)? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/06/how-do-you-cite-an-e-book.html
Royal Roads University. (2012). APA help guide. Retrieved from http://library.royalroads.ca/writing-centre/writing/citing-resources/apa-style-6th-edition/introduction-apa-style/apa-help-
guide