PAPER WRITING GUIDELINES AND TIPS
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paper topic
paper outline
paper sources
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sample paper
GENERAL
GUIDELINES
If you are uncertain whether or not you should cite the author(s) - do it.
If you directly
quote another article, you need to specify the page in which it appeared (Patchin,
2004:112).
You do
not need to state the name of the article or journal in the text.
Include
a title page with the title of the paper, author name, course name/section,
and date.
Left justify.
Double
space.
Type
two spaces after periods (APA requires 1 space, but whatever you do be consistent).
Page
numbers should be included on all pages except the title page.
Use subject headings to structure your paper (Introduction, Literature Review,
Analysis, Discussion, Conclusion, etc.).
Use APA format for parenthetical citations.
Summarize the work of others in your own words.
If you have any questions, consult the APA Manual or the instructor.
APA
STYLE
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th
edition) provides guidelines to authors that specify the organization and
structure of a paper that is most conducive to the effective communication
of an argument. In short, the APA guidelines help to make your paper easy
to read and understand. While the Manual provides specific recommendations
regarding content and organization of your paper, the Manual is most helpful
in assisting with citation style. Because plagiarism is among the gravest
of academic dishonesties, careful consideration of the APA guidelines is essential
to ensure proper recognition of the work of others.
Here is some helpful information regarding formatting from the UW-Eau Claire Library website. Remember, in the social sciences we use APA format.
Here is some succinct info regarding APA format from the University of Indiana website.
CITING
IN TEXT
Citing the work of others is an essential building block of developing
a strong argument. Consider the following sentence: "Crime has increased
dramatically in the last five years." If left uncited, the reader does
not know on what the author is basing this assertion. A better sentence would
be: "According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (2004), crime has increased
dramatically in the last five years."
WORKS
CITED (or REFERENCE) PAGE
This is how you should structure your works cited page:
For
journal articles:
Style: AuthorLastName, FirstInitial. MiddleInitial. (YEAR). Title of the article.
Title of the Journal, Volume(Issue), pages.
Example: Patchin, J. W. (2004). Paper writing skills for criminal justice
students. Journal of Criminal Justice Nonsense, 10(1), 1-31.
For
books:
Style: AuthorLastName, FirstInitial. MiddleInitial. (YEAR). Title of the
Book. City:Publisher.
Example: Patchin, J. W. (2004). Writing for Criminal Justice Dummies.
East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press.