July 2013
StFX
Master of
Education
Faculty of Education, July 2013
1
Academic Writing Style
Concise
Correct
Complete
Coherent
Consistent
Clear
Faculty of Education, July 2013
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APA Style
APA 6th Edition (2010)
See www.apa.org
MEd Student Handbook
Available online (Blackboard & C&DE)
Other sources may have different guidelines; please use our recommended resources
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The Mechanics
 Page margins = 1in (2.54cm). Check your defaults.
 Font is Times New Roman, 12pt
 Double-space the document (including quotations 40 words or
more and the References pages)
 Long quotations are paragraph indented 0.5in (1.27cm)
 One space after colons (:) semi-colons (;), and after a period at
the end of a sentence
 Use serial commas (… government officials, school administrators, and
classroom teachers attended … )
 References are hanging indented 0.5in (Do not use the TAB key
or spacebar)
 See Slide 11 for heading level examples in a “paper”
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How do I present an author’s name?
 No author first name (i.e., gender-neutral)
In your text:
Although the text is dated, Dryden’s (1995) contention that educational
reform tends to reflect the needs of the children “who are doing just
adequately or worse” (p. 279) holds true today. The author’s rationale
for…
In your references:
Dryden, K. (1995). In school: Our kids, our teachers, our
classrooms. Toronto, Canada: McClelland & Stewart.
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How do I present an author’s name?
 No author first name (i.e., gender-neutral)
Mix it up a bit!
Brown (2006) argued that the growing prevalence of community-based
activism is a response to…
In 2006, Brown argued that the growing prevalence of community-based
activism is a response to …
The growing prevalence of community-based activism is a response to
… (Brown, 2006).
In your references:
Brown, C. (2006). The rise of activism. The Journal of Communities,
75(4), 33−45.
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Tense?
 Be consistent in use of tense. In a literature review and
description of procedures, use either:
 Past tense
Smith and Renquist (2005) showed …
 Present perfect tense
Smith and Renquist (2005) have shown…
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Still tense?
 When presenting results use past tense:
In three interviews, participants mentioned …
 When discussing results and presenting
conclusions use present tense
The results from an analysis of participant
conversations indicate an underlying theme of…
Based on the findings, it is evident a disconnect exists
between …
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What about spelling and grammar?
 Canadian spelling (exception to the APA-preferred American spelling):
Examples: behaviours
neighbourhood
analyze
centre
 Active voice, not passive voice:
Passive: The interview was conducted in a public space.
Active: I conducted the interview in a public space.
YES… you can use “I” and “we”
 No contractions, unless contained in a direct
quotation:
it’s = it is
Faculty of Education, July 2013
don’t = do not
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Heading Levels
Faculty of Education, July 2013
10
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How do I write numbers?
 There are many rules, depending on how the number is
used
 Below 10
In the literature, seven authors …
 10 and above: use digits
12 items
In the 1990s, many…
BUT … and there are LOTS of buts …
 Comparisons: 3 of 21 analyzes
 Dates, time, sample size, specific numbers of participants:
Each class lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes
Approximately three years ago
6 participants
Chapter 2
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How do I include a direct quotation?
Direct quotation, reference in text, ellipses:
Miele (1993) noted, “The ‘placebo effect’ . . .
disappeared when behaviors were studied in this
manner” (p. 276), but does not clarify which
behaviours were studied.
Note the following:
Commas
Quotation marks
Ellipsis points
Page reference
Verb tense
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Citing an Interview or Personal
Communications
An interview or a conversation is not considered
recoverable data, so no reference to it is provided in the
reference list. You may, however, cite the material within
the text as a personal communication.
Examples:
(J. Smith, personal communication, April 15, 2010)
In an interview, J. Smith mentioned the prevalence of …. (personal
communication, April 15, 2010)
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How do I cite someone else’s
information from the document I have?
Tough’s studies of self-directed learning
projects reveal that “it is common for adults to
spend 700 hours per year engaged in
learning projects” (as cited in Brown & Baxter,
1975, p. 129).
Only Brown and Baxter’s (1975) work
appears in your References.
Limit secondary sources.
Find the original.
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How do I reference:
Entire book, two authors, an edition?
Mitchell, T. R., & Larson, J. R. (1987). People in
organizations: An introduction to
organizational behavior (3rd ed.). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill.
Note the following:
Spaces between initials
Use of italics
Capitalization
No superscript on ordinals
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How do I reference:
A chapter in an edited book?
Huber, J., Graham, D., Murray-Orr, A., & Reid, N. (2010).
Literature conversations for inquiring into the influence of
family stories on teacher identities. In M. M. Marsh & T. T.
Vorbeck (Eds.), (Mis) Understanding families: Learning
from real families in our schools (pp. 79–94). New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.
Note the following:
Use of “In”
Position of editor initials
Comma
Page range using en dash
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How do I reference:
New Directions for Adult and Continuing
Education (Jossey-Bass Series)?
Wilson, A. L. (2000b). Professional practice in the modern
world. In V. W. Mott & B. J. Daley (Eds.), Charting a
course for continuing professional education: Reframing
professional practice (pp. 71–79). New Directions for Adult
and Continuing Education, No. 86. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
Note the following:
Use of “b”
(You have used another reference from
Wilson, also published in 2000)
Use of italics
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How do I reference:
An ERIC document?
Bangser, M. (2008). Preparing high school
students for successful transitions to
postsecondary education and employment.
Issue brief. Retrieved from ERIC database.
(ED502596)
Note the following:
Punctuation
A journal article from
ERIC does not need
the EJ portion of the
reference
Skelton, C. (2009). Failing to get men into primary teaching: A
feminist critique. Journal of Education Policy, 24(1), 39–54.
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How do I reference:
Published conference proceedings, available
online?
Proulx, J. (2008, June). Secondary mathematics teacher education:
Seeing school mathematics as a key to the rejuvenation of
teachers’ professional ways of knowing and practicing
mathematics. Proceedings of the CSSE Congress 2008.
Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia. Retrieved
from http://ocs.sfu.ca/fedcan/index.php/csse/csse2008
/schedConf/presentations
Note the following:
URL (hyperlink removed)
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How do I reference:
Paper presented at a conference, available
online?
Young, D. C., Kraglund-Gauthier, W. L., & Foran, A. (2009,
October). Legal literacy in teacher education programs:
Conceptualizing relevance and constructing pedagogy.
Paper presented at EDGE 2009: Inspiration and Innovation
in Teaching and Teacher Education. Annual International
Conference, St. John’s, NF. Retrieved from
www.mun.ca/edge2009/displaypapers.php?id=44
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How do I reference:
Journal article, two authors, without a DOI?
Meyer, M. J., & Mitchell, C. (2011). Contested
practices of social justice. Journal of Educational
Administration and Foundations, 21(1), 1–22.
Note the following:
Comma
En dash for page range
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How do I reference:
A journal article with a DOI?
Kraglund-Gauthier, W. L., Folinsbee, S., Quigley, B. A.,
& Grégoire, H. (2009). Re-conceptualizing health and
learning in terms of community resilience and
enterprise. Journal of Enterprising Communities:
People and Places in the Global Economy, 3(4),
405–414. doi: 10.1108/17506200910999147
DOIs refer only to electronic sources; some
may not have DOIs. DOIs are not the same
as Document ID numbers (i.e., from
ProQuest). Do not use document IDs.
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How do I reference:
Journal article found online without a DOI?
Kearns, L.-L. (2011). High-stakes standardized
testing and marginalized youth: An examination of
the impact on those who fail. Canadian Journal of
Education, 34(2), 112–130. Retrieved from
http://ojs.vre.upei.ca/index.php/cje-rce
You have the option to include the web address if it
will ease the reader’s retrieval of the document (i.e.,
available openly on the Internet rather than in a
subscriber-only database)
Faculty of Education, July 2013
Note the following:
No retrieval date (stable link)
URL (open access site)
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How do I reference:
An electronic book?
Montgomery, L. M. (1908/2008). Anne of Green
Gables. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45/45-h/45-h.htm
Note the following:
Original date + Electronic date
URL (open access site)
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How do I reference:
A Master’s thesis retrieved from a database?
Campbell-Higgins, C. (2000). The educative
process as a contributor to self-efficacy in adult
education graduate students (Master’s thesis).
Available from Library and Archives Canada.
(AMICUS No. 25078157)
Note the following:
“Available from” signifies a
jump-off point where the
document can be obtained
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How do I reference:
A corporate website?
Nova Scotia Teachers Union. (2011). US attack
on teacher rights. Retrieved June 16, 2011,
from http://www.nstu.ca
/default.asp?mn=1.56.190.192&sfield=content.i
d&search=148
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How do I reference:
A government document written and
published by the same?
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2009).
Department of Education response to Report
and Recommendations of the Education
Professional Development Committee. Halifax,
Canada: Author.
Note the following:
The word “Author” is used
when the author and the
publisher is the same.
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How do I reference:
A curriculum document, available online?
Nova Scotia Department of Education. (2001).
Physical education safety guidelines: Grades
primary–12. Halifax, Canada: Author. Retrieved
July 12, 2013, from http://www.ednet.ns.ca
/pdfdocs/curriculum/Physed-Safety-Web.pdf
Note the following:
If there is no date on the document, use (n.d.)
in the Year spot
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How do I reference:
A technical or research report, available
online?
Rose, D. H., Gravel, J. W., & Domings, Y. M.
(2010). UDL unplugged: The role of technology
in UDL. Retrieved July 12, 2013, from
http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files
/notech_final2.pdf
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Blogs, VBlogs, discussion groups,
and electronic mailing lists
Blog (Weblog)
Molland, J. (2011, May 3). Who’s to blame? Parents, or kids [Web log message]? Retrieved
June 2, 2011, from http://www.care2.com/causes/education/blog/whos-to-blameparents-or-kids/
Video Blog Post
TEDtalksDirector. (2007, January 6). Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity [Video
file]? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Discussion Group Post
Rampersad, T. (2005, June 8). Re: Traditional knowledge and traditional cultural
expressions [online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int
/roller/comments/ipisforum/Weblog/theme_eight_how_can_cultural#comments
Electronic Mailing List
Smith, S. (2006, January 5). Re: Disputed estimates of IQ [Electronic mailing list message].
Retrieved from http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group /ForensicNetwork/message/670
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What is a wiki and
what do I do with it?
A wiki is a website in which the content uploading
and editing is done by its own users.
Please note wikis (like Wikipedia, for example)
are collaborative projects which cannot guarantee
the verifiability or expertise of their entries. A wiki
site may be an effective place to start thinking
about an idea and understanding concepts, but it
should not be considered an academic source.
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Deep Cleansing Breaths!
Learning APA takes time.
Start now, “dog-ear” your APA manual,
learn from your errors, and
do not let the tiny details consume you!
Remember you can also access the services of the
StFX Writing Centre. See their website at
http://www.sites.stfx.ca/writingcentre/
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