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Tips for Writing APA
Style Research Papers (Page 3 of 3)
General Advice: References and Common
Misspelled or Misused Words |
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Reference List |
| The
reference list is placed at the end of your paper in place of the
bibliography. The references are placed in alphabetical order and only
listed once. |
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format used is author last name, initials, date, title, and publications
facts. See reference examples for more detail. |
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Capitalize only the first letter of the first word, proper nouns, and the
first letter of the first word following a colon in titles of books,
chapters, articles, etc. |
| Indent
the first line of each entry one-half inch (about 5 spaces), the same as a
paragraph in text. Reference examples |
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Book--one author: |
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INCOMPLETE |
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Book--two authors |
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Commonly Misspelled or Misused Words |
| In
matters of spelling and use, look in the dictionary when in doubt. Words
that sound alike or look alike are often misspelled or misused, as in the
following examples: |
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accept (to receive) |
except
(other than) |
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there (at or in that place)
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their
(possessive of them) |
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complement (to make complete)
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compliment (praise) |
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who’s (contraction of who is)
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whose (possessive of who)
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its (possessive of it) |
it’s (contraction of it is)
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your (possessive of you)
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you’re (contraction of you are)
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affect
(to have an impact on [verb] or an
emotion [noun]) |
effect
(to cause [verb] or a result [noun]) |
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| Do not
depend on your spelling checker to distinguish between these words. Spelling
checkers will accept a word that is spelled properly, but used incorrectly.
Other words or phrases frequently misspelled are listed below: |
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accommodation |
judgment |
receive |
| a lot |
knowledge |
questionnaire |
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aggression |
maintenance |
recommendation |
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cannot |
obsessive |
separate |
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commitment |
occurred |
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independent |
occurrence |
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| Note
that: The word “data” is plural. For example, data were gathered in three
sessions of 15 subjects per session. It is incorrect to say “data is.” |
| When
referring to humans, use the pronouns “who” or “whom;” when referring to
animals or inanimate objects, use “that” or “which.” For example,
individuals who were late for the experiment were not allowed to
participate. In addition, people are not subjects in an experiment, they are
participants. The “rule of thumb” is that people are participants; animals
are subjects. |
| Note
that statistically one can never “prove” anything (alternative theories may
also predict the results obtained in your study, or your results may have
been obtained by chance). Be very careful in using this term. I would
suggest banishing it from your vocabulary. |
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Writing Tips, 1:
Formatting, Punctuation, Numbers, and Unbiased Language |
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Writing Tips, 2:
Abbreviations, Quotations, and Citations |
