APA Style
Obtain a copy of the APA Style Manual or Concise Manual
of APA Style, or use online APA style resources (e.g., APA
Style Helper at www.apastyle.org or the various resources
that can be obtained from
www.emunix.emich.edu/~ehoffman/apahelp.html )
Some search engines (e.g., Refworks, EBSCOhost) can be
set to produce references in APA format, but double-check
for yourself.
Review your papers using my Common APA Formatting
Errors checklist before you hand it in.
Make sure you budget enough time to check for APA style
issues when you are planning out your paper
APA Style Tips (cont.)
Some specific tips:
•
APA style specifies a single space after the period in a
sentence. Use find > replace all to quickly convert
existing documents.
•
Superscripting is not normally permitted (with statistical
notation being a possible exception). Undo / remove
automatic superscripting: format > font > “uncheck” the
superscript box
•
Ensure proper spacing in statistical notation (e.g., R2 =
.03, not R2=.03)
•
Be aware that different types of references require
different citation formats
Formatting Tables
General guidelines for the format and required content of
different kinds of tables can be found on pages 147-176 of
the APA manual with checklist on p. 175.
If you are comfortable with manipulating table content
within SPSS, consider using it (Raw SPSS output does not
conform to requirements of APA style).
In MSWord, use “insert table” and “table properties”
functions of to construct your tables: Do not use the
“draw” function to manually draw lines on the page.
Tables require titles, to be inserted above the table itself,
on the same page.
Formatting Tables (cont.)
Specific tips, instructions and examples for how to
construct different kinds of tables can be down-loaded
from the National Council on Family Relations web-site:
http://oregonstate.edu/~acock/tables/
In particular, pay attention to the column alignment article,
for how to get your column numbers to align according to
the decimal point (a requirement of APA).
Tables require titles, to be inserted above the table itself,
on the same page.
Formatting Figures
There are fewer limitations on the format and content of
figures than for tables (requirements on pages 176 - 201 of
APA manual; checklist on p. 201).
Generally, line graphs are the preferred way to graph
information (bar graphs, pie charts very rarely used).
SPSS has a graph / figure editor. However, for basic line
graphs (e.g., to graph group means or interaction effects), it
may be simpler to enter the data into an excel spreadsheet,
and use it’s graphing features.
Figure legends need to go on the same page as the figure
itself, but captions are on a separate page. No separate title
is needed, beyond the caption.
SSHRC / CIHR CGS Scholarship
If your GPA in the past 2 years was > 3.8 consider applying
for a Canada Graduate Scholarship (either CIHR or SSHRC,
but not both).
Additional Criteria:
• Landed immigrant / Canadian citizen
• Research-based master’s program (thesis track)
• First graduate degree, and must have completed less
than 9 months when you take up the award (must
specify May, not September, award date)
Deadline: SSHRC = Jan. 8; CIHR = Jan. 16
Contact Diane Beaton (OGS) for details about the
administration of the award.
SSHRC / CIHR CGS Scholarship
Some specific tips:
•
Start preparing early- do not leave things (esp. letters of
reference) until the end of the semester
•
Register & download instructions before you begin
SSHRC: www.sshrc.ca/web/apply/students_e.asp CIHR:
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/20335.html/
•
Work with CPSY faculty to put together your application,
especially the Program of Research part
•
The study you propose does not have to be what you
actually do in your thesis
•
At least one letter of reference should be a current CPSY
professor (preferably a thesis supervisor who you have
already begun to discuss things with)