EDG 4376 Integrating Language Arts and Social Sciences: APA style

Why do we "Document" or "Cite" sources?

Whenever you base your ideas on another person's work or quote someone, you must document the source you utilized. Even when you do not quote directly from someone else's work, if reading that source contributed to the ideas presented in your paper, you must give the proper credit to the author.

A properly formatted works cited or references page:

• Shows readers the sources you consulted 
• Gives credit to the authors for their ideas 
• Demonstrates that you have researched a variety of sources 

By following these guidelines included in the resource below, you can avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism is the act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of the author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.

Follow the link below to learn more about APA citation guidelines and other tools to help you document.

Citing Sources

Style Guides and Manuals 

• The American Psychological Association APA

  Frequently asked questions from the publishers the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.  APA style is most often used in the social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, geography, etc.) and the natural sciences and education.

• The Basics of APA Style

         This short video presentation discusses all aspects of APA.

• APA Formatting and Style Guide

  From the Purdue Online Writing Lab. Contains information on paper formatting, in-text citations, and reference list citations.

Listed below are several options for creating your own APA citations.  Many of the databases that you use to locate appropriate research articles also provide APA citations.  Be sure to select the APA format and double check the citation to make sure it has been correctly created.  

Microsoft Word has a built in tool to help you create and manage your citations. You can access the tool through the References tab. 

When you need to include a citation in your paper, follow these steps:

1.  In the Citations & Bibliography group, select the style guide you'll be following. For this class, select APA.

2.  Click on the Insert Citation button and then click on Add New Source.

3.  Fill out the fields in the Create Source menu and click OK. 

Microsoft Word 2010: Citations, Bibliographies and Cross References (video)

Create a Bibliography (Microsoft tutorial)