5. What is APA?
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The American Psychological Association (APA) citation
style is the most commonly used format for manuscripts
in the social sciences.
APA regulates:
• Stylistics
• In-text citations
• References
6. APA Style: Language
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• clear: be specific in descriptions and explanations
• concise: condense information when you can
• plain: use simple, descriptive adjectives and
minimize figurative language
Language in an APA paper should be:
7. APA style: Basics
the third person point of view rather than
using the first person point of view
The study showed that…,
NOT I found out that….
the active voice rather than passive voice
The participants responded…,
NOT The participants have been asked…
Use:
8. General Format
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Title page
Your research paper/article should at
least include four major sections:
Abstract
Main Body
References
11. General Format
An empirical research paper/article:
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussions
• List of references
• Appendices, tables, and figures
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1
13. In-text Citations: Basics
The author’s name and the year of publication
Scott (2006) stressed that HEIs will not be able to bring
about the substantial improvements that are needed
unless changes are made.
For quotations and close paraphrases, provide a
page number as well
(Author, year, page)
In-text citations help readers locate the cited source in the
References section of the paper.
15. In-text Citations
Caruth (1996) states that a traumatic response frequently entails a
“delayed, uncontrolled repetitive appearance of hallucinations
and other intrusive phenomena” (p.11).
Blended learning has been referred to as the ‘‘third generation’’
(Phipps & Merisotis, 1999, p. 26) of distance education systems.
When quoting, introduce the quotation with a signal phrase. Make sure
to include the author’s name, the year of publication, the page number,
but keep the citation brief—do not repeat the whole information.
16. In-text Citations
Provide the author’s last name and the year of
publication in parenthesis after a summary or
a paraphrase:
Scott (2006) claims that the persistence of the underperformance in
achieving social inclusion targets in HEIs is due to the traditional
educational structures and approaches that still prevail in the sector.
A simple combination of hardware and software will not make
integration naturally follow (Earle, 2002).
17. In-text Citations:
A work with two authors
When citing a work with two authors, use “and”
in between authors’ name in the signal phrase
yet “&” between their names in parenthesis:
The interface design of a computer program ought to focus on
ease of learning, ease of use and aesthetics (Wang & Cheung,
2003).
Vrasidas and McIsaac (2009), however, argued that an
increased structure for collaborative tasks led to active
dialogue and interaction among learners.
18. In-text Citations:
A work with 3 to 5 authors
When citing a work with three to five authors
First citation:
An educational system is a unique combination of
pedagogical, social, and technological components
(Kirschner, Strijbos, Kreijns, & Beers, 2004).
Kirschner, Strijbos, Kreijns and Beers (2004) argued that….
19. In-text Citations:
A work with 3 to 5 authors
Subsequent citations:
It should also involve using various learning resources
and activities that support students’ learning, and allow
teachers to facilitate learning (Kirschner et al., 2004).
Kirschner et al. (2004) argued that a useful system
should meet two primary conditions: necessary utility
and high usability.
20. In-text Citations:
a work with 6 and more authors
When citing a work with six and more authors,
identify the first author’s name followed
by “et al.”:
Smith et al. (2006) argued that….
(Smith et al., 2006)
23. Example: List of references
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3
Angeli, C., N. Valanides, & C. Bonk. (2003). Communication in a Web-based
conferencing system: The quality of computer-mediated interactions.
British Journal of Educational Technology, 34 (1), 31–43.
Beatty, K., & Nunan, D. (2004). Computer-mediated collaborative learning.
System, 32(2), 165-183.
Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Segall, M. H., & Dasen, P. R. (2002). Cross-
cultural psychology: Research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Jonassen, D.H., & Kwon, H.I. (2001). Communication patterns in computer
mediated and face-to-face group problem solving. Educational Technology
Research & Development, 49 (1), 35-51.
Kirschner, P., Strijbos, J.W., Kreijns, K., & Beers, P.J. (2004). Designing
electronic collaborative learning environments. Educational Technology:
Research and Development, 52(3), 47–66.
26. More online resources
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APA Style Basics Tutorial:
http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm
APA Reference list:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/
APA General Format:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
27. More online resources
• http://content.easybib.com/citation-guides/apa-
format/
• APA Style guides for citations.
• Links to the most popular and helpful guides
so that you can get started on citing your
research
