As we begin to start writing our essay assignments it's imperative that we all learn how to properly write using APA format. The first half of today's class was spent going over an APA smaple essay which I believe can be linked through this forum. The Prof. went over each step of this essay to explain and debunk it starting with the Cover Page. Here's how it went..
Cover Page- Our essays need to have an appropriate cover page. Included in this is the Essay Title, Name of course (optional), Name of instructor, the date, and the word count. A special note when doing the date is to use the date of completion rather then the due date. Some teachers might see a due date as indication of a last minute paper. In the top right hand corner of the cover page is a running head. A running head contains the first three words of the essays title followed by the page number. The running head runs consistently through the paper with page number 1 beginning with the cover page.
Abstract- At an undergraduate level abstracts are unnecessary. Derek does not want us to include Abstracts in our essays. However if a teacher requests an abstract it is the second page of an essay and is a short paragraph summary of the essay's content.
Next page the essay is opened up with a Thesis Statement. These are important to have in all essays. This sample essay used subheads to organize the contnet. Although this is a nice way of filing work it is not to be used in our short essays.
Quotes- After the thesis statement this essay used something called a Blocker Display Quote. This is used for longer quotations and uses a page block instead of quotations. The quote is tabbed and citied. The general rule of thumb is to avoid these in short essays. They are to be used sparingly and in good effect. The blocker page quote in this essay is a good example of appropriate utilization. This article had a lot of quotation marks use for hypothetical internal thoughts. Avoid this, and on this note avoid using internal thoughts. A sarcasstic tone is not acceptable in a research paper. Avoid using quotation marks for anything that isn't cited.
Italics- Italics are used for titles and also to lend emphasis to words.
This paper failed to cite numbers and rations. Numbers and rations are what is called Quantitive Information. All quantitive information must be citied.
If one paragraph is using mutiple points from the same source, that source does not have to be citied after each point but rather can be citied one time at the paragraphs end. It is however important that not one source be relied upon too heavily. Multiple sources must be used.
Reference Page- The reference page must be listed in alphabetical order.
When quoting a URL it's important to remember listing the date it was retrieved.
Also a point that was brought up was this, when using the Toronto Public Library (TPL) directly a citation is provided and it's good. If using the TLP from home that citation must have the URL provided from the computer at home with it.
A minor error on this essays reference page was that when using the copy and paste option for references, not all the text matched in font and size. This is a simple error to correct, so double check y'all!
So it's complicated this APA stuff and it's important that we show Derek our work. The TLC is there for grammar and all that jazz. Derek suggests bringing in work paragraph by paragraph to those guys. Get some stuff ready for next week because we will have a bit of a writing lab. We recieved a grading rubric for this essay that is to be stapled to the copy we hand in. This is a great guideline and must be replaced if lost.
In the 2nd half of class we talked about our group APA assignment that was handed in today. We were given marking rubrics that delved into the way our groups worked together. This rubric counted for two marks I believe. It`s recommended that we take the lessons learned from from dynamics in this assignment and walk away remembering the strengths, but more importantly the weaknesses that the group faced so that they can be avoided, noticed, and worked with better next time.
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