Orientation Tutorial

APA Manual

Published by the American Psychological Association (APA), it is officially titled Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Fifth Edition, 2001). The APA Manual is the guide most often followed for writing and formatting scholarly research papers in the social sciences, including the field of education. The faculty strongly encourage M.Ed. candidates to purchase and use the APA Manual throughout their studies. Online versions are not reliable.

The primary purpose of the APA Manual is to ensure consistent style and formatting in all of the books and periodicals published by the APA. Therefore, most of the book describes how authors are to prepare manuscripts submitted for publication. This means that some information in the APA Manual may not apply to your EDCI 590 proposal or project report, since your work will most likely not be published by the APA.

Citations
Provide information about the original source of the ideas discussed in your paper. Citations appear in parentheses in the body of your paper. In addition to naming the source, the citation contains the year when the resource was copyrighted.

Example of citation in APA style

Research has suggested that self-reflective capacities enable students to manage and express the social and emotional aspects of life (Cohen, 1999).

Citation contains author.

References

Provide detailed information about the works identified in citations. References appear in a list at the end of the paper. Each entry in the reference list corresponds to one or more citations in the body of your paper.

APA Style - This term is used two different ways. In common usage it refers to the the way citations and references are formatted according to the APA Manual. Technically, however, the term refers to all aspects of formatting and mechanics required in the Manual, including capitalization, punctuation, spacing, headings, tables, etc., as well as citations and references.

Example of part of a reference list in APA style

Authors' names and years match information in corresponding citation.

References

Ater, R. (1998). Mental health issues of resettled refugees. University of Washington. Retrieved March 13, 2006, from http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/clin_topics/mental_health.html

Cohen, J. (1999). Educating minds and hearts: Social emotional learning and the passage into adolescence. New York: Teachers College Press.

Doll, B., Zuckerman, S. & Brehm, K. (2004). Resilient classrooms: Creating healthy environments for learning. New York: The Guilford Press.

Gutknecht, B. A. & Gutknecht, C. D. (1997). Challenging at-risk/resilient learners: Alternatives to minimal level literacy instruction. Reading Improvement, 34(1), 8-21.

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Take Quiz for APA Style: Orientation

Purpose of Citations and References

Citations and references comprise the information in your paper that informs readers of the original sources of the ideas and research findings that are not your own. Whenever you state ideas that are not your own, you should give a citation and corresponding entry in the list of references. Information about the sources of the ideas in your paper is important for the following reasons:

1. To give credit to originators of ideas
One of the requirements of EDCI 590 is that in your writing you should make “appropriate use of quotations and attributions to the ideas of others” (Track II Handbook, 2007, p. 28). The attributions are provided by citations and references. By attributing ideas and research findings to those who developed them, you demonstrate respect for the work of other scholars.

2. To avoid the appearance of plagiarism
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional reporting of another’s ideas as if they were your own. It is a violation of the UMW Honor Code. Providing citations and references is the best way to make it clear that you are not trying to claim others’ ideas as your own.

3. To give your readers confidence in your work
By providing the sources of the ideas expressed in your paper, you give the faculty and other readers confidence that you have carefully studied the information you are discussing. The care is demonstrated through wise selection of resources and reporting of theory and research from leading scholars.

4. To satisfy the curiosity of readers
Occasionally a reader of your work may want to learn more about the ideas you have discussed. The citations and references enable the curious reader to find the source of those ideas and study them further.

5. To provide information for evaluators
Citations and references are key pieces of information used by the faculty in deciding whether to approve your EDCI 590 proposal and in grading your final project. In evaluating your proposal, the faculty look for “evidence of sufficient background knowledge about the topic and research methodology to conduct thorough, objective research,” including “references to scholarly research” (Track II Handbook, 2007, p. 23). In grading your final research project, your project advisor will evaluate the depth of your background research and the extent of your understanding of your topic, as evidenced in large part by the citations and references.