Student Portal: APA Research Paper Guide
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Plagiarism Checker:
Your APA Research paper must have less than a 10% unoriginal score otherwise you will receive a zero for a grade since plagiarism is against the law! This will show you if you copied some else's work from your sources, even if by accident. Remember to put information into your own words and then use a citation. You can only check one page of your research paper at a time. After you check each page, add up all the percents for each page to be sure you fall under 10%. Click the link below to begin and follow the directions:
APA Formatting Guidelines:
All APA papers have the same guidelines. ALWAYS
write in third person, do not use the words “I”, “we” or “us”. The cover page,
abstract page and reference page DO NOT count in your assigned papers page
requirements. Do not use quotations at all, use or modify in your own words and
use PLENTY of citations based upon your reference page.
The basic principals are listed as follows:
All pages:(including cover and reference page) have the page number to the right and the
title of your paper, in bold font to the left. Example:
The
Mysteries of Eastern Philosophy 1
All pages are also double spaced, use times new
roman font at a size of 12. Indent all paragraphs correctly except for all your
subtitles, which should be flush left. Nothing should be in bold font unless
otherwise noted.
Cover page:Entire cover page should be in bold font, double spaced. First line is the
title of your paper (note, the title of your paper should be unique, something
you feel fits your type of writing and what you write about, it should not
include the course name. The same title should also be in your header on each
single page). Second line is the name of the course. Third line is the
student’s full name. Forth line is the school’s name. Fifth line is the date;
day, month, then full year (12 February 2012). This is all that should be on
your cover page, nothing more.
All other pages except reference page: Double space. First will come your introductory paragraph with no citations.
This is your first subcategory, and the title of this sub category is the same
as the title of your paper, which should be in bold and centered. You are
expressing what you will be writing about. Include a very brief statement of
all your subcategories and do not forget to express the main idea of the paper
as a whole. This is known as your thesis statement. This paragraph is about 10
to 15 sentences long. It is only 1 paragraph.
Next will come all your subcategories: Each
subcategory has a minimum of 2 paragraphs with 8 to 10 sentences minimum. Each
subcategory needs its own, special title which is always in bold flush left.
The number of total subcategories varies depending upon the number of answers
to questions your teacher gives you, or to fully explain and develop your main
ideas. Each subcategory will have a main idea that is consistent to your
thesis, and each paragraph also needs a main idea that is consistent to your
subcategory. In this area, known as the “body” of your paper, your minimum
assigned amount of research pages should be completed. The cover and reference
page, even though they are numbered, are not counted towards this
accomplishment.
During the typing of the body of your paper, you
will need to express citations. This states where you received your information
from. There should be plenty of citations listed in your body. No quotes are
used in APA format. Anything you find, read, listen to or experience must have
a citation. Of course, there are also going to be sentences where you explain
your own observations, feelings and so forth which do not always need
citations. There should not be a citation for every single sentence. For every
citation you use, there should be a reference for it on your reference page.
Use parenthesis, authors last name, comma, and year. Here is an example of a
citation: (Kafferly, 2011). Always insert the citation at the end of your
sentence and put the period at the end of the citation outside of the
parenthesis.
Reference page:The title of our reference page, centered, is “Bibliography”. Your references
should be in alphabetical order by author’s last name and scholarly. Double
space between references only. The reference page will correlate to every
citation you have in your paper. Wikipedia and Ask.com is not a reliable source
for a reference and should never be used. The use of this inaccurate website
will give you a grade of zero/F.
1.) For books, movies, DVD’s and Videos, the reference
is as follows: Authors last name, first initial, year it was published in
parenthesis, title of book (or movie or DVD) in italics, then jump down one
space (without double spacing!) and then city of publisher and state abbreviation,
colon, name of publisher. Here is an example:
Kafferly,
K. (2011) The great teacher 4
ed.
Jacksonville,
FL: Aslan High School
citation
in paper: (Kafferly, 2011)
2.) For
interviews, the reference is as follows: Interviewee’s last name, first initial,
job title, year interview took place in parenthesis, the words “Personal
Communication”. Here is an example:
Daniels,
D., Teacher (2011) Personal Communication
citation
in paper: (Daniels, 2011)
3.) For
webpages, the reference is as follows: Author of webpage (or corporate author),
semicolon Name of the website, name of webpage in italics, year the webpage was
published in parenthesis, then jump down one space (without double spacing!),
the words “Retrieved” with a colon, URL. Here is an example:
Avalon
Light Therapy; LED therapy and you
(2009)
citation
in paper: (Avalon Light Therapy, 2009)
Trusted & Proper Primary Sources to Use:
*This is also a sample of a proper APA paper with only one source, and also without the headers, paragraph indention, and page numbers. In your paper, you MUST double space everything.
Cover Page:
Sources
EDU626:
Research Design and Methodology
Todd Davenport
Ashford
University
10
June 2010
First Page:
Sources
There are many
valid and invalid sources of research available for literature review writers.
They key is to find valid information in a reasonable amount of time while
still gaining the most benefits of knowledge. Using reputable online databases
and libraries is the best start for most writers. However, there are mounds of
information available on just about every topic. Therefore, a write needs to
start with generalized sources that help point to the main source of research.
After this is completed, items such as abstracts of work need to be read for validity
and the article itself should be skimmed at the introductory and discussion
levels. After it is determined the source is good, then study can commence.
Assessing the material and understanding the interpretation of key words is
valuable. Understanding what sources are, how to read, use them appropriately,
using citations, and how to evaluate and then apply the knowledge of sources is
the goal of learning.
ERIC
The Education
Resources Information Center, or “ERIC”, is governed and managed by the institute
of Education Sciences and the Federal Department of Education. The database
houses twenty different broad subject areas such as adult, vocational and
career education, junior colleges, and United States-Japan as a few examples (Charles & Mertler, 2011). ERIC makes most
widely used indexes for finding indexes which give abstracts and citations. By
using ERIC, and other databases such as PsycINFO, DAI, and Social Science
Citation Index, researchers have the advantages to save time, locate primary
sources. These databases cover massive quantities of information quickly and
limits searches by user selected key phrases which allows for speed and better
accuracy of primary sources pertaining to the topic (Charles & Mertler, 2011).
The disadvantage of
ERIC specifically is that it only logs information back to the year nineteen
eighty-one (Charles & Mertler, 2011). While it is of most
importance to use the most up to date sources and information, primary
resources for some topics will not be located on the database. In this case,
going to a physical library and looking for journal articles in bound volumes
or microfiche would be more effective and prudent (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Another
disadvantage is that a researcher would need access to the internet. However,
this isn’t typically a big problem in this day and age of technology.
Article Abstracts
Abstracts are
simply a prelude into research. These are known as basic summaries of original,
primary works (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Abstracts have no
evaluations or commentaries, just the primary glimpse of information available
in the article in order to help a researcher decide if the article deserves
more scrutiny (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Being that article
abstracts are just summaries, it is most important to delve deeper into the
article itself after determining it is the information a researcher desires. It
is the article, or work published, itself that holds the key information along
with facts, conclusions, and experiments. Although some abstracts, such as the
Dissertation Abstracts International, are complete and discuss what the researcher
explored, procedures sued and the results, there are still missing pieces
involved that warrant further investigation by reading and evaluating the
entire article or journal (Charles & Mertler, 2011).
Secondary and Primary Sources
Secondary sources
do not give firsthand knowledge or information. Primary sources are of original
works, firsthand. Secondary sources are a great start to research because they
include expert analyses and interpretations of original works (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Secondary sources
also show trends, and generalized conclusions. Examples of profitable secondary
sources include reference books, research reviews, scholarly publications, and
magazine articles (Charles & Mertler, 2011). The secondary
sources help point a researcher to primary sources by way of the information
provided and references of the secondary source. This narrows the search
parameters of finding primary sources. Secondary Sources can be found online
and in books such as encyclopedias. It should be noted that some secondary
sources such as Wikipedia are not usually whole or trustworthy as anyone can
change the information or references listed. College students who write APA
standard research papers can be used as a secondary source.
Primary sources
are the original works with more current information than can be found in
referencing works (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Primary sources can
be easily found in annotated bibliographies, abstracts and reviews of the
primary source (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Unlike secondary
sources, which are commentaries, primary sources are the end result of finding
relevant information. Primary sources in libraries are found in abstracts,
reviews, but best found in specialized indexes (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Primary sources can also include websites with .edu, .gov, and .org.
Assessment of Sources
To assess the vast
amount of sources and information when doing research and having material at
hand, a researcher must make a valid assessment of the information at hand and
identify and determine what information is relevant and needed for the topic. A
researcher needs to skim through abstracts and reviews quickly to determine the
information at hand (Charles & Mertler, 2011). This helps a
research to identify and gather relevant information quickly. Determining what
the information is about is the next logical step and can be done by reviewing the
title and introduction to see what the information is about (Charles & Mertler, 2011). By looking at the
end of the published article, or book, a researcher should read the
“Discussion” or sometimes called “Conclusion” (Charles & Mertler, 2011).
Through skimming,
reading the introduction and discussion, a research then has a good idea of
what this research is about and how it pertains to their topic. This enables a
research to plan a strategy or outline of how to go about gather information on
their topic and writing their own essay report which is an interpretation of
information and knowledge acquired. The assessment of sources determines what
has been done, enables a researcher to learn about the procedures and people
that were used and shown to be effective, and form a basis for writing a review
(Charles & Mertler, 2011). Of course, in
research review or essay writing, paraphrasing the information found and
written, with citations, and strictly avoiding plagiarism is of the most
importance.
Interpretation
During research
and reading, people will come across particular statistical terms which have
great bearing on the information provided. An understanding of these terms is
crucial for researchers to interpret the meanings. Words such as “status”,
“comparisons”, and “covarying relationships” are examples of special phrases
for the economy of language (Charles & Mertler, 2011). Status reports are
qualitative and describe conditions and trends. Raw scores, such as mean,
median, and mode, indicate numbers of people, or scores on tests. Correlation
reports are relationships between performances on two, or more, measures and
are of interesting discoveries (Charles & Mertler, 2011).
Discussion
When beginning a
literature review essay of research, a writer must be able to know how and
where to locate information. Through the use of databases such as ERIC and
online libraries, as well as physical libraries, one can find vast amounts of
information on their topic. Secondary sources are a great start and lead to
primary sources, which is where the research began and concluded. Understanding
that most abstracts are preludes to the real research and information is
critical. By use of skimming, a writer can find that the abstracts that
pertains to the topic and then dive into the actual article or report. A writer
must also know and understand the economic use of language is research reports.
That is the special terminology and interpretation of key words always found in
research. Other primary sources include websites that end in .edu, .gov., and .org.
Separate and final page:
References
Charles, C., & Mertler, C. A. (2011). Introduction
to Educational Research 7/e. Boston, MA.: Pearson Education, Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When assigned a Bibliography, you find sources you plan to use in an APA paper. You reference the source first, and then give a 150-250 word abstract, or summary, of the source and how it relates to the APA research assignment you will be doing. Bibliographies must have a cover page and a reference page, but not an abstract page. It is also formatted differently than an APA paper. All references and abstracts are flushed to the left, and single spaced. See the sample below to learn how to format and create a bibliography.
Sample Bibliography:
Cover Page:
Higher
Education Bibliography
EDU626:
Research Design and Methodology
Cary
G. Price
Aslan
High School
07
June 2013
First Page:
Higher
Education Bibliography
Armstrong, D., Henson, K., & Savage, T. (2009). Teaching
today, an introduction to education 8/e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
To begin any type of instruction,
an educator needs a solid introduction. This is true for school and higher
education educators. This introduction touches on every subject and standpoint
of teaching. It involves many opportunities to reflect and analyze information
absorbed. The book also covers current trends and true realities of teaching,
students, learning orientations, and education as whole. It also includes
diverse learners, and delivery of quality instruction to students. One of the
chapters of this book covers delivery of instruction for adult learners and
another chapter introduces the learning orientations for all learners. Adult
Basic Education which is high school for adult learners is also covered since
it differs from higher education learning in various ways.
Diploma Guide. (2013). Thirty of the best
educational tools for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. Retrieved
from http://diplomaguide.com/articles/30_of_the_Best_Educational_Tools_for_Auditory_Visual_and_Kinesthetic_Learners.html
This website provides adult
learners and higher education educators’ plethora of many resources for
students who learn best by one of the three main learning orientations;
auditory, kinesthetic and visual. The guide offers a short interlude into what
each resource can do for each type of learner. Each tool has its own reference
and webpage link listed in this guide. This is most effective for educators to
learn and use the tools offered when integrating lesson and instruction to
higher education students. This offers valuable information of how to
incorporate technology with delivering instruction and serving all learning
orientations. Some of the tools offered are vital for lesson planning and not
all the tools must be done online.
Gregory, G. (2008). Differentiated instructional
stratagies in practice: training, implementation, and supervision 2/e.
Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press.
Adult learners learn in various
different ways. This book provides many strategies to implement differentiated
instruction to diverse students. Job-embedded professional development is also
explained and teaches educators how to incorporate those adults who have job to
incorporate their experiences in the classroom. This source also includes a
"one size doesn’t fit all" approach when teaching adults, especially
for faculty meetings and leadership. There are activities and training
strategies, information about how to implement change with support, and suggestions
for observations, coaching and supervision. There are also tips on how to
implement proper evaluation tools and assessments for adult learners. The book
covers an individual, a small group and large groups when it comes to all of
the information and tools it gives for differentiated instruction.
Imel, S. (1998). Technology and instruction: current
perspectives. ERIC clearinghouse on adult , career, and vocational education,
digest 197.
In this digest, the role of
technology with education and adult learners is explored. Technology can be used in several ways such
as a curriculum, instructional delivery mechanic, or as a tool. The source
guides educators on how to effectively incorporate technology and learning
without diminishing the educational experience. The digest continues on about
how it is important to keep the focus on the educational material that
technology delivers and not the technology itself. Practices in educational
technology, curriculum and educator roles are also discussed. The different roles of technology to serve
adult learners doesn’t stop at the computer, but also gives information about
how to use it on cell phones, iPads, and iPods. Different software and online
resources such as VoiceThread and Power Points are also discussed.
Institute of education services. (n.d.). National
center of adult literacy. Retrieved from National center of educational
statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
The website offers percentages and
statistics on adults who are literate and illiterate. Breakdowns of prose,
document, and quantative reading scores are collected and organized in a graph
for easy referencing. It also shows demographics of age, race and education.
Assessments, design and development, and data files help to back up the
information. This gives an insight into how the information was compiled. The site also breaks down the three most
important aspects of literacy. The website gives additional links to other
reputable and government approved websites to help educators teach reading
literacy in all three forms to their adult students.
Kajitani, A., Lehew, E., Lopez, D., Wahab, N., &
Walton, N. (2012). The final step a capstone in education. San Diego,
CA.: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
In this book, the authors pull all
facets of education together. Reviews over general education, adult basic
education, learning orientations, lesson planning and serving differentiated
learners is put into detail with extra information. Different teaching
strategies and philosophies are discussed with valid and proven examples. A
history of higher education is discussed towards the end with a finale in
educator guidance and serving English language learners in sheltered
instruction.
Kerka, S. (1997). Constructivism, workplace
learning, and vocational education, ERIC digest number 181. Retrieved from
ERIC digests: http://www.eric.ed.gov/pdfs/ed407573.pdf
Constructivism is heavily applied
in this digest. This enables the transfer of learning in school to a career or
job. Educators are engaged in active inquiry, guide adult learners to make
inferences, and coach them. This involves self-discovery learning. Teaching
adults how to learn which in turn makes them more successful. The digest also
explains the pitfalls of job-embedded learning such as inappropriate knowledge,
lack of activities and lack of experts to be involved in training. This type of
learning takes place tech prep, school to work, vocational schools and
integrated academic schools. Situated learning is also discussed.
Stallons, J. (2011). Philosophy of education.
New York, NY: Bridgepoint Education.
The five main philosophies of
education, perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism
are highly discussed and exemplified in this book. These philosophies are typically based upon
society's view and what society thinks is important. Political beliefs also
have a place in educational philosophy to an extent. The book explains that a
combination of these philosophies has more impact than just one. There are
different types of courses, schools and students every time and so in many
cases, different philosophies, or combinations, change. Educators must know and
understand these five basic philosophies and be willing and able to change with
what is needed at the time. Being locked into just one philosophy will make the
world seem smaller and hampers the ability to have consistency with change.
Taylor, K., Marienau, C., & Fiddler, M. (2000). Strategies
for teachers and trainers developing adult learners. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
This publication is a primary
source for learning orientations and educating adult learners. The first part
of the book gives an encouraging framework for educators of adult learners.
Characteristics of adult learners, learning and development, and theories of
adult learners are heavily described. Part two of the book has exciting
activities that are each primarily focused on one on one strategy such as
collaborating, experimenting, reflection, assessment, and imagining. Part three
focuses in on the educator's role in adult learning. Educator development and
the importance of practice and reflection are given in studied and proven
examples. The finale of the publication examines the change and growth in
adults.
Wynne,
R. (n.d.). Learner centered methodologies: overview of course design and
planning process. Retrieved from Assesst Project:
http://www.assetproject.info/learner_methodologies/before/overview.htm
The
website offers great information and guidance for educators to design courses
and plan for adult learners. Understand the characteristics, anxieties and
motivating factors of adults begin the process. Learning how to create a
friendly environment, teaching strategies, facilitation, role-playing, and
group work are explored in further topics. The site also engages in assessments
and evaluations of what adults learned and grasped from the educator. The
website wraps up with a self evaluation and management review of the adult educator. The website also emphasizes recognition of prior learning for adults
and how this needs to be respect and used throughout a course. One of the
essential teachings is for an educator to learn and heavily apply problem-based
learning as this mimics real world experiences in a safe zone.
Final Page:
References
Armstrong, D., Henson, K., & Savage, T. (2009). Teaching
today, an introducion to education 8/e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Diploma Guide. (2012). Thirty of the best
educational tools for auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners.
Retrieved from
http://diplomaguide.com/articles/30_of_the_Best_Educational_Tools_for_Auditory_Visual_and_Kinesthetic_Learners.html
Gregory, G. (2008). Differentiated instructional
stratagies in practice: training, implementation, and supervision 2/e.
Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press.
Imel, S. (1998). Technology and instruction: current
perspectives. ERIC clearinghosue on adult , career, and vocational
education, digest 197.
Institute of education services. (n.d.). National
center of adult literacy. Retrieved from National center of educational
statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
Kajitani, A., Lehew, E., Lopez, D., Wahab, N., &
Walton, N. (2012). The final step a capstone in education. San Diego,
CA.: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Kerka, S. (1997). Constructivism, workplace
learning, and vocational education, ERIC digest number 181. Retrieved from
ERIC digests: http://www.eric.ed.gov/pdfs/ed407573.pdf
Stallons, J. (2011). Philosophy of education.
New York, NY: Bridgepoint Education.
Taylor, K., Marienau, C., & Fiddler, M. (2000). Strategies
for teachers and trainers developing adult learners. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Wynne, R. (n.d.). Learner centered methodologies:
overview of course design and planning process. Retrieved from Assesst
Project: http://www.assetproject.info/learner_methodologies/before/overview.htm
