Academic Writing and APA Style Dafina-Lazarus (D-L) Stewart Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs Bowling Green State University Fall 2015 With thanks over the years to Christina Lunceford, Maureen Wilson, Mike Dannells, Denise Davidson, & Barb Toth About Writing Read Chapter 3 of the APA Manual  And consider purchasing a copy of one of the following: Zinnser’s On Writing Well  Strunk’s The Elements of Style  Your Friend, the APA Manual American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Tip: Purchase the spiral bound version if possible, so you can lay it flat on the desk next to you while you write.  Characteristics of Scholarly Writing Precise and concise – specific and brief  Clear – makes intended meaning comprehensible to reader  Logical and well organized – uses effective transitions and  headings to guide effective flow; conveys one idea per sentence Formal – avoids contractions, colloquialisms, figures of speech,  and clichés Proofread – free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors  Writing and Thinking Ambiguous, poorly organized, and sloppy writing  undermines effective communication of ideas Poor writing usually obscures good thinking  Poor writing can reflect inadequate thought and  attention Few of us are such gifted writers that we can write a  good scholarly paper without multiple drafts An Example of Rewriting Original: Not carefully following the assignment (particularly in exams) is a problem. First Revision: Not following directions on assignments, particularly in exams, is important to avoid. Second Revision: It is important to follow directions on assignments and exams. Common Writing Errors (known to annoy many HESA faculty) Subject-verb disagreement (pp. 78-79)  Noun-pronoun disagreement (p. 79)  Affect vs. Effect  Incorrect possessives (students, student’s, students’)  Misspelling a source’s name (Coombs vs. Coomes)  Using “myself” when “me” will do  Using prepositions to end a sentence  Using “which” when “that” will do (pp. 79, 83)  Using “while” when “although” is intended (p. 84)  Using “data is” instead of “data are”  Using passive voice (pp. 73, 77, 81)  APA Formatting and Style Preparing a Paper (p. 228-230) See pages 41-59 for sample papers  – Title page (p. 229; ask if required) – Abstracts are rarely required for assignments – Double space everything (p. 229; don’t let Word add space before or after paragraphs) – Use 1” margins all around (p. 229) – Indent first line of each paragraph ½” (p. 229) – Use left justification for text (not full) (p. 229) – Use page numbers and running head (p. 230) – Set format to avoid widows and orphans ¶ Use headings in bold face and keep (pp. 62-63)  headings with the text In a string of 3 or more items, use a comma  before “and,” “or,” or “but” (p. 88) Use spell-check AND proofread  (p. 230) – Also ask someone known to be a good editor to read and provide feedback See Word Options or Preferences to select  options for proofing