We included some sample papers to illustrate where all the basic rules pertain to writing. We believe by using the sample papers, you will be less likely to overlook the different aspects of APA Style commonly omitted when first learning this type of writing. We also believe that reviewing the most common errors that we have seen over the years (Chapter 20) will help you focus on the content of your writing rather than the minutiae of APA Style and format. The visual table of contents (Chapter 2) and the visual illustrations in the sample paper (Chapter 21) are unique, illustrating the details not to forget and where in the paper these details apply.
How to Use This Book
In this EasyGuide, we have eliminated the search for the basics that can be somewhat time consuming and confusing. We believe that using this book will save you a significant amount of time, allowing you to focus on writing your paper rather than searching for what you need to know about presenting it in APA Style. Here, you will be able to easily find the information you need, with examples presented visually as well as in the text. We illustrate not only how to write using APA Style but also what APA Style really looks like when your paper is complete. The sample paper used in the visual table of contents (Chapter 2) lets you see within an actual paper the details you will need to consider when writing in APA Style, and the sample indicates where in this book you can find the information needed to learn those details. In addition, that same sample paper is included in Chapter 21, where you’ll see the research paper with the details accentuated, this time with the style and format details explained.
Although we organized the EasyGuide in a way that will help you learn the basics in an order we believe makes sense, it is important to remember that each chapter stands alone, and you can choose to read the book in whatever order suits your needs best. This may not be the type of book you read cover to cover but, rather, one you keep next to you as a reference source while writing APA-Style papers throughout your undergraduate career.
We end the book with a chapter that reviews the most common mistakes we see students make when first learning APA Style. You can test your knowledge by trying to answer the multiple-choice questions on those common mistakes. We also include a sample paper (with APA errors purposely embedded) so you can test your knowledge. After you have read the book and when you want to make sure you are comfortable writing without constantly reaching for the guide, test yourself using the error-filled paper and see if you can find the errors. After all, it is hard to know what you need to know if you do not know what you know or if what you know is right—a little metacognitive self-test as it were. Up for the challenge? Go ahead. Also, to encourage you to use this book while writing and in hopes of making the writing process easier for you, a lay-flat spine was purposely used—have this book open next to you while working on your laptop or desktop. Trying to figure out how to format something in Microsoft Word—that’s what the screenshots are for in Chapter 16. It is what the EasyGuide is all about—use this book!
Acknowledgments
A number of individuals made valuable contributions during the development, writing, and editing of this book. We appreciate the learned expertise of our colleagues who helped us shape this book at all steps along the way:
Brian A. Johnson, The University of Tennessee–Martin
Dennis J. Kirchen, Dominican University
Jennifer E. Lape, Chatham University
Stephen Linenberger, Bellevue University
Teresa Martinelli, University of La Verne
Carole A. Pepa, Valparaiso University
When working on any manuscript, family support is crucial, and we all thank our families for helping us maintain our sanity in the midst of deadlines, rewrites, e-mails, and other responsibilities in our lives. Finally, we thank all the students (past, present, and future) who learn to write in APA Style and format. The idea for this book came about as we struggled to teach what some consider a foreign language without an appropriate student-friendly resource. Our colleagues in each of our home departments and in the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (www.teachpsych.org) supported us as we worked to create this resource; we are grateful for their support. We hope this EasyGuide minimizes or eliminates struggles for faculty and students.
Now, a message from the SAGE Legal Department. In a few chapters of this book, we include screenshots of Microsoft Word 2016 so we can show you what to do, in addition to telling you how to do it. Protecting intellectual property rights is important, and failure to do so is akin to plagiarism. So be sure to remember the following:
This book includes screenshots of Microsoft Word 2016 to illustrate the methods and procedures described in this book. Microsoft Word 2016 is a product of the Microsoft Corporation.
We invite you to share the wisdom of your experience with us. We welcome your suggestions for how to make learning APA Style even easier, and we welcome your comments as well as suggestions for the fourth edition of this book. Feel free to e-mail any of us: Beth ([email protected]), Eric ([email protected]), or Regan ([email protected]).
• About the Authors •
Beth M. Schwartzis the provost and professor of psychology at Endicott College. Previously she served as vice president for academic affairs and provost and professor of psychology at Heidelberg University, in Tiffin, Ohio. Dr. Schwartz started her career on the faculty at Randolph College (founded as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College) in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she served for 24 years. At Randolph she was the William E. and Catherine Ehrman Thoresen ’23 Professor of Psychology and assistant dean of the college. She received a BA at Colby College (Maine) and a PhD in cognitive psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her scholarship focuses on teaching and learning/pedagogical research, in particular the issues surrounding academic integrity and honor systems. In addition to giving numerous professional presentations at conferences, she has published many book chapters and articles in a variety of scholarly journals, including the Journal of Higher Education, Ethics and Behavior, Law and Human Behavior, and Applied Developmental Science. She has also edited and coauthored books, including Child Abuse: A Global View (Greenwood, 2000), Optimizing Teaching and Learning (Blackwell, 2009), and Evidence-Based Teaching for Higher Education (Schwartz & Gurung, 2012). She is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society and is a fellow of Division 2 of APA (Society for the Teaching of Psychology). She was an award-winning teacher at Randolph College, where she taught Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods, Cognitive Psychology, and the capstone course. She received the Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring from the American Psych-Law Society, the Gillie A. Larew Award for Distinguished Teaching at Randolph College, the Katherine Graves Davidson Excellence in Scholarship Award from Randolph College, and the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Certificate from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.R. Eric Landrumis a professor and chair in the Department of Psychological Science at Boise State University. He received his PhD in cognitive psychology from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale. He is a research generalist, broadly addressing the improvement of teaching and learning, including the long-term retention of introductory psychology content, skills assessment, improvement of help-seeking behavior, innovations in advising, understanding of student career paths, the psychology workforce, successful graduate school applications, and more. Eric has made more than 425 presentations, written 23 books, and