shortcut for apa formatting
October 26, 2007 3:12 PM Subscribe
Another APA formatting question. I'm working on a little team paper that includes about two pages of information, mostly from the course textbook, with the exception of like two paragraphs. I'd really hate to invade the text with unnecesary references to the same author/book over and over again. In order to avoid this, would it be ok (or completely wrong) to make some sort of note for this in the introduction to this part of the paper, sort of like this:
"In the following section, we explain bla bla bla. All mentions and explanations of the theories come from the book "x", autor "y", with exception of the topics "z" and "n", which are referenced in the text."
We have to use APA formatting for this paper, but I think we could get away with this small shortcut. But, I ask you, is it ok or very wrong?
"In the following section, we explain bla bla bla. All mentions and explanations of the theories come from the book "x", autor "y", with exception of the topics "z" and "n", which are referenced in the text."
We have to use APA formatting for this paper, but I think we could get away with this small shortcut. But, I ask you, is it ok or very wrong?
Response by poster: Yeah, there's a reason. The paper's due date is on sunday, by email. I just thought of this question today, and most tutors never answer emails during the weekend. I tried calling her but she didn't answer, so I took that as a sign that she was already out of the office.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 3:58 PM on October 26, 2007
posted by CrazyLemonade at 3:58 PM on October 26, 2007
It's honest, but after that it really depends on your audience. Most profs I know in my field (linguistics) would be OK with it, but linguists are somewhat known for recognizing somehow that there are multiple fully equivalent ways to communicate the same thing, with no moral hierarchy among them. If your audience (i.e., your prof) is more of the Rules Must Be Followed, For They Are the Rules type, you will plummet instantly to the icy seventh circle of Improper Formatting Hell. When in doubt, go find out.
I think it's kind of weird to assign a paper that can be answered from the textbook anyway. If it's regurgitating the book that's in question, give a freakin' machine-scorable multiple-choice test; and if it's ability to understand and synthesize, why not require real research (primary sources, I mean)?
Anyway, I'll tell you how I'd make the call if you'll tell me more about the assignment and the class: What is the subject, is it general-ed or in your major, is it lower or upper division, is it a survey or a narrow exploration, and how many students are there? What is the assignment to be about, and what are the standards it will be graded on? Most importantly, will it be graded by a real professor, or by some TA somewhere?
posted by eritain at 4:07 PM on October 26, 2007
I think it's kind of weird to assign a paper that can be answered from the textbook anyway. If it's regurgitating the book that's in question, give a freakin' machine-scorable multiple-choice test; and if it's ability to understand and synthesize, why not require real research (primary sources, I mean)?
Anyway, I'll tell you how I'd make the call if you'll tell me more about the assignment and the class: What is the subject, is it general-ed or in your major, is it lower or upper division, is it a survey or a narrow exploration, and how many students are there? What is the assignment to be about, and what are the standards it will be graded on? Most importantly, will it be graded by a real professor, or by some TA somewhere?
posted by eritain at 4:07 PM on October 26, 2007
Best answer: If you're being required to use APA formatting specifically for this assignment, then... use APA formatting for this assignment.
posted by occhiblu at 4:17 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by occhiblu at 4:17 PM on October 26, 2007 [1 favorite]
When in doubt, cite. I have cited the primary textbook for a course 8 times in single paper before.
posted by 517 at 4:25 PM on October 26, 2007
posted by 517 at 4:25 PM on October 26, 2007
Response by poster: This is the report of an activity for an online masters in Education course. We had to design an activity using constructivist theories, and we had to explain which theories were used, and where. So most of the theories come from the textbook (Piaget, Vygotsky etc), but others (Gardner's Multiple Intelligences) were not.
Like I said, we could probably get away with this, seeing how not many of my classmates are very good at using APA formatting, and the professors and tutors are sort of flexible when it comes to the format.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:27 PM on October 26, 2007
Like I said, we could probably get away with this, seeing how not many of my classmates are very good at using APA formatting, and the professors and tutors are sort of flexible when it comes to the format.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:27 PM on October 26, 2007
Seconding what occhiblu said. No one says it has to be pretty.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:46 PM on October 26, 2007
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:46 PM on October 26, 2007
Since this work is for a masters level course (going from your description) you should treat it as if it were going to be published and read by a wide audience of professionals, not just your TA or whoever is grading the thing.
As such, I wouldn't invent some odd ball citation method. Go with whatever the APA says. If that means you put "(Author, Page #)" at the end of ever paragraph or step or whatever then do it.
We have to use APA formatting for this paper, but I think we could get away with this small shortcut.
You're not taking a shortcut - you're taking a risk. And you're probably not even saving that much time...
posted by wfrgms at 4:55 PM on October 26, 2007
As such, I wouldn't invent some odd ball citation method. Go with whatever the APA says. If that means you put "(Author, Page #)" at the end of ever paragraph or step or whatever then do it.
We have to use APA formatting for this paper, but I think we could get away with this small shortcut.
You're not taking a shortcut - you're taking a risk. And you're probably not even saving that much time...
posted by wfrgms at 4:55 PM on October 26, 2007
Best answer: It seems fairly simple: Would a reader be able to find the source for your statement?
Remember, you're writing for the busy reader. The busy reader doesn't want to have to deconstruct every paragraph: "Is it from x? No, this is topic z (I think), so maybe it comes from something referenced elsewhere." If I were a casual reader, I'd give up. If I were a serious reader, I'd think you're hiding something.
Cite your sources as you use them. There is nothing wrong with being repetitiously repetitive with your cites. If, however, you keep using the same reference, are your really digging deep into the literature?
posted by GarageWine at 5:02 PM on October 26, 2007
Remember, you're writing for the busy reader. The busy reader doesn't want to have to deconstruct every paragraph: "Is it from x? No, this is topic z (I think), so maybe it comes from something referenced elsewhere." If I were a casual reader, I'd give up. If I were a serious reader, I'd think you're hiding something.
Cite your sources as you use them. There is nothing wrong with being repetitiously repetitive with your cites. If, however, you keep using the same reference, are your really digging deep into the literature?
posted by GarageWine at 5:02 PM on October 26, 2007
Best answer: On preview, what GarageWine said.
I do see in peer-reviewed, published articles things like, 'This account follows Eichenkopfer (1990) except as otherwise cited.' Only in the review of prior work, and only when the current work builds substantially right on top of it. But then, that's basically what you're doing. And I have done it myself, in a similar situation with a bachelor's thesis which I successfully defended—and it was not challenged by the hard-core style guru for whose writing class I composed it, nor by two linguistics and one other English prof who sat on the committee. Moreover, I've just gone through several APA style guides online and not found any sort of ruling, or any guidelines even, on how often you must cite a work in an extended discussion from it.
That said, honesty and clarity conspire to insist that you remind us periodically where your discussion is coming from, so we don't have to wonder if this is still the textbook or if this is you again. Think of it as a radio station identification break. Besides, if the tutors are sitting there going, 'We gotta make sure they all know how to use APA,' and you don't appear to have enough parentheses in your paper, you're a goner. And in any case, you're well-advised to give specific page ranges for specific theories, so the material can be located.
So if I were you, I'd make sure to have at least one citation per paragraph. If the whole content of the paragraph comes, uninterrupted, from one source, you'll probably be just fine with, 'As discussed in Berk (1999, pp. N-(N+5)), Vygotsky centered his pedagogical approach on the notion of the zone of proximal development. This zone is the region of performance wherein blah blah blah ...' If the content is partly from textbook and partly your own thoughts/expansion/application, you're going to have to cite every time to make it clear what is yours and what isn't—otherwise, you're looking at the ominously named plagiarism mosaic. But your real problem is that if you have multiple entire paragraphs coming from a single source, your paper is going to be duller than anything.
I feel your pain, really, because academic citation systems are optimized for citing multiple journal articles and single-topic books in order to back up an original line of argument, and they start behaving awkwardly when pressed into other service, whether it's because you're trying to cite another kind of source or because you're reinventing the wheel to satisfy a course requirement. It gets better, I promise.
posted by eritain at 5:13 PM on October 26, 2007
I do see in peer-reviewed, published articles things like, 'This account follows Eichenkopfer (1990) except as otherwise cited.' Only in the review of prior work, and only when the current work builds substantially right on top of it. But then, that's basically what you're doing. And I have done it myself, in a similar situation with a bachelor's thesis which I successfully defended—and it was not challenged by the hard-core style guru for whose writing class I composed it, nor by two linguistics and one other English prof who sat on the committee. Moreover, I've just gone through several APA style guides online and not found any sort of ruling, or any guidelines even, on how often you must cite a work in an extended discussion from it.
That said, honesty and clarity conspire to insist that you remind us periodically where your discussion is coming from, so we don't have to wonder if this is still the textbook or if this is you again. Think of it as a radio station identification break. Besides, if the tutors are sitting there going, 'We gotta make sure they all know how to use APA,' and you don't appear to have enough parentheses in your paper, you're a goner. And in any case, you're well-advised to give specific page ranges for specific theories, so the material can be located.
So if I were you, I'd make sure to have at least one citation per paragraph. If the whole content of the paragraph comes, uninterrupted, from one source, you'll probably be just fine with, 'As discussed in Berk (1999, pp. N-(N+5)), Vygotsky centered his pedagogical approach on the notion of the zone of proximal development. This zone is the region of performance wherein blah blah blah ...' If the content is partly from textbook and partly your own thoughts/expansion/application, you're going to have to cite every time to make it clear what is yours and what isn't—otherwise, you're looking at the ominously named plagiarism mosaic. But your real problem is that if you have multiple entire paragraphs coming from a single source, your paper is going to be duller than anything.
I feel your pain, really, because academic citation systems are optimized for citing multiple journal articles and single-topic books in order to back up an original line of argument, and they start behaving awkwardly when pressed into other service, whether it's because you're trying to cite another kind of source or because you're reinventing the wheel to satisfy a course requirement. It gets better, I promise.
posted by eritain at 5:13 PM on October 26, 2007
Response by poster: Ok people, thanks. I get everyone's point and I'll take it into consideration. I guess I have a little more work to do tomorrow (since this part of the paper wasn't done by me, so I have to go back to the book, see where everything's from).
I think in the end I was trying to get out of having to correct someone else's poor work...
Oh and those preoccupied with:
I think it's kind of weird to assign a paper that can be answered from the textbook anyway.
and
are you really digging deep into the literature
...I see what you're saying, but it doesn't really apply here. Thanks for your concern.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 5:16 PM on October 26, 2007
I think in the end I was trying to get out of having to correct someone else's poor work...
Oh and those preoccupied with:
I think it's kind of weird to assign a paper that can be answered from the textbook anyway.
and
are you really digging deep into the literature
...I see what you're saying, but it doesn't really apply here. Thanks for your concern.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 5:16 PM on October 26, 2007
I think in the end I was trying to get out of having to correct someone else's poor work...
Yeah, the only times I've been tempted to shortcut these things has been in group projects, too. They tend to suck for just this reason.
posted by occhiblu at 5:27 PM on October 26, 2007
Yeah, the only times I've been tempted to shortcut these things has been in group projects, too. They tend to suck for just this reason.
posted by occhiblu at 5:27 PM on October 26, 2007
occhiblue says:
Yeah, the only times I've been tempted to shortcut these things has been in group projects, too. They tend to suck for just this reason.
I know this is threadjacking and I apologize. However, group projects are precisely the time in which the truly excellent must rise above temptation and take control.
The only times I've been burn in the "real world" have been when I've turned over a 99% finished draft to someone else for the remaining 1%. It is astounding how much damage can be done by one person in so little time.
If you plan and lead a bank heist, would you hand the bags of money to someone else as you're walking out the bank doors?
posted by GarageWine at 7:45 PM on October 26, 2007
Yeah, the only times I've been tempted to shortcut these things has been in group projects, too. They tend to suck for just this reason.
I know this is threadjacking and I apologize. However, group projects are precisely the time in which the truly excellent must rise above temptation and take control.
The only times I've been burn in the "real world" have been when I've turned over a 99% finished draft to someone else for the remaining 1%. It is astounding how much damage can be done by one person in so little time.
If you plan and lead a bank heist, would you hand the bags of money to someone else as you're walking out the bank doors?
posted by GarageWine at 7:45 PM on October 26, 2007
However, group projects are precisely the time in which the truly excellent must rise above temptation and take control.
Ha! Yeah, I agree with you. The issue for me has always been that everyone else hands me plagiarized, poorly written shit and I have to turn it into something presentable, and my inner voices start screaming "This isn't fair! Why do I have to do everyone else's work!"
On the other hand, I always specifically volunteer to compile everyone's work specifically in order to keep those slackards from ruining my own work, so... yeah.
posted by occhiblu at 9:01 PM on October 26, 2007
Ha! Yeah, I agree with you. The issue for me has always been that everyone else hands me plagiarized, poorly written shit and I have to turn it into something presentable, and my inner voices start screaming "This isn't fair! Why do I have to do everyone else's work!"
On the other hand, I always specifically volunteer to compile everyone's work specifically in order to keep those slackards from ruining my own work, so... yeah.
posted by occhiblu at 9:01 PM on October 26, 2007
Wow, what a course! Your team member could not be bothered to read original literature, you cannot be bothered to write the citations as asked, you doubt if the staff will bother to apply the criteria they set. It is an Education course, and none of you seem to have given any consideration to the large amount of existing good practice in group work and its assessment, to make it more effective in promoting learning opportunities for all group members, and in rewarding individual effort fairly.
My advice is the obvious:
Read some of the original literature for the education of your own mind, and then cite that rather than the text book. Do the citations according to the standard, for the exercise. Institute a dialogue with staff about the proper conduct of group work.
I think the wider advice is that doing things properly is only a little more work than doing them badly, but is a lot more rewarding. I obviously think your course is of dubious quality, but if you can't switch then add a little extra yourself to take away a high-quality education. I do not mean polishing every last word of work to be graded -- there is certainly a law of diminishing returns there -- but reading around, trying things out, discussing ideas....
posted by Idcoytco at 3:45 AM on October 27, 2007
My advice is the obvious:
Read some of the original literature for the education of your own mind, and then cite that rather than the text book. Do the citations according to the standard, for the exercise. Institute a dialogue with staff about the proper conduct of group work.
I think the wider advice is that doing things properly is only a little more work than doing them badly, but is a lot more rewarding. I obviously think your course is of dubious quality, but if you can't switch then add a little extra yourself to take away a high-quality education. I do not mean polishing every last word of work to be graded -- there is certainly a law of diminishing returns there -- but reading around, trying things out, discussing ideas....
posted by Idcoytco at 3:45 AM on October 27, 2007
Response by poster: Idcoytco, I really just want to call you out for jumping to conclusions so quickly about the "dubious quality" of my course, but I don't really think this is the place to justify my studies to you.
Read some of the original literature for the education of your own mind, and then cite that rather than the text book.
The whole point of an online master's program is that they're usually meant to be part-time, for people too busy (or with not enough money) for a full-time masters. So yeah, you're right in saying that I could add a little extra myself, but taking this masters *is* adding a little extra to my education, since I can't do the full time thing right now. I'd love to go to a university abroad that has a library full of original works and full of bright, dilligent people to study with, and spending my whole day "reading around, trying things out, discussing ideas...", but that's just not a posibility for everyone.
So yes, to clarify, I did go back and correct my teammate's lack of references. Thanks to everyone for your input.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:32 PM on October 27, 2007
Read some of the original literature for the education of your own mind, and then cite that rather than the text book.
The whole point of an online master's program is that they're usually meant to be part-time, for people too busy (or with not enough money) for a full-time masters. So yeah, you're right in saying that I could add a little extra myself, but taking this masters *is* adding a little extra to my education, since I can't do the full time thing right now. I'd love to go to a university abroad that has a library full of original works and full of bright, dilligent people to study with, and spending my whole day "reading around, trying things out, discussing ideas...", but that's just not a posibility for everyone.
So yes, to clarify, I did go back and correct my teammate's lack of references. Thanks to everyone for your input.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:32 PM on October 27, 2007
I do legal research and writing, and I fight with citations all the time. Though not APA formatting, per se, the same rules really apply across the board: can your reader find what you are talking about. Of course, each system interprets that differently.
When I've got a wonky source that I have to cite, I tend to be very clear in a footnote what I am doing so that it doesn't violate the integrity of the paragraph, while also providing certain useful citation notes within the paragraph. It works pretty well. Furthermore, I don't know if Id. or Ibid. are permitted or used in APA, but they might just be the answer to most of your problem.
posted by greekphilosophy at 7:09 AM on October 29, 2007
When I've got a wonky source that I have to cite, I tend to be very clear in a footnote what I am doing so that it doesn't violate the integrity of the paragraph, while also providing certain useful citation notes within the paragraph. It works pretty well. Furthermore, I don't know if Id. or Ibid. are permitted or used in APA, but they might just be the answer to most of your problem.
posted by greekphilosophy at 7:09 AM on October 29, 2007
LOL, CrazyLemonade, don't we all wish for a course like that, but do they really exist? Certainly having struggled to get the odd couple of hours in random UK university libraries when I was doing a distance-learning course, I found them universally disappointing. Thousands of books, but only half a small shelf on whatever you are actually interested in. Thank heavens for the Internet.
One of the advantages of doing courses part-time is that you can bounce ideas off colleagues with real-world experience. And if you are not in that sort of job, almost everyone has real-world experience of being on the receiving end of Education.
Good luck with the course
posted by Idcoytco at 12:43 PM on October 29, 2007
One of the advantages of doing courses part-time is that you can bounce ideas off colleagues with real-world experience. And if you are not in that sort of job, almost everyone has real-world experience of being on the receiving end of Education.
Good luck with the course
posted by Idcoytco at 12:43 PM on October 29, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Rallon at 3:42 PM on October 26, 2007