Table 2 Contents: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition Chapter 1: Content and Organization of a Manuscript (pp. 3-30). This is a chapter about the content of a research paper as distinct from its presentation. Chapter 2: Expressing Ideas and Reducing Bias in Language (pp. 31-76). The section on Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language is excellent, but again deals with content, not presentation. Chapter 3: APA Editorial Style [Text Rules] (pp. 77-214). Text rules govern how you present text on the page, word-by-word and line-by-line. Chapter subheadings include: Punctuation, Capitalization, Abbreviations; Headings and Series, Quotations, Numbers, and Statistical and Mathematical Copy. The sections on Tables and Figures are covered under page formatting in APA101; the section on Reference Citations in Text is covered under documentation. Chapter 4: Reference List [Documentation] (pp. 215-282). This is always the most heavily thumbed chapter in any used copy of the APA Manual. The chapter presents sample references, 95 in all, for documenting almost any source. This is the heart of APA style, and the manner of presenting references is unique to the style. Chapter 5: Manuscript Preparation [Page Formatting] and Sample Papers ... for Publication (pp. 283-320). This chapter explains how to format a page of text for publication--what margins to set, how to number pages, what typeface (font) to use, how to format headings and subheadings, and so on. If you are drafting a paper for class use or a thesis, these instructions must be revised. The revisions are (mostly) covered in the next chapter. Page formatting is an essential part of presenting a paper in APA style. Chapter 6: Material Other Than Journal Articles (pp. 321-330). This is a very important chapter for students preparing papers for classes or seminars, or writing a thesis or dissertation. The APA Publication Manual is focused on that, that is, publication. If you are not writing for publication then a number of things change. This course, APA101, is focused on class papers as instructed in this chapter. Chapter 7: Manuscript Acceptance and Production (pp. 331-344). Your paper has been accepted for publication. This chapter outlines the bureaucratic gauntlet you must run to get in print. This chapter has nothing to do with APA style. Chapter 8: Journals Program of the American Psychological Association (pp. 345-362). This is another chapter on procedural issues in the publication of APA journals. This chapter has nothing to do with APA style. Chapter 9: Bibliography (pp. 363-377). If you peruse this brief chapter the most notable thing is how old many of the references are, often dating to the 1970s and 1980s. Appendixes A-E: Instructions/Checklists-Ethical Standards-Legal Citations (pp. 379-412). The checklists may be of some interest when a paper is finally ready for submission. The References to Legal Materials appendix belongs with chapter four.

The first two chapters focus on the content and organization of a paper, on the expression of ideas. There is nothing in these chapters that is unique to APA psychology as distinct from research in education or sociology. Chapters 7 and 8 are unique to APA psychology, but have nothing to do with APA style since they are focused on the administrative process of publication. The bibliography and appendixes (Note: APA writes appendixes not appendices) also are not central to APA style, although Appendix D: References to Legal Material really belongs with chapter 4, since offers instructions of formatting references to legal materials. Presentation chapters. Most of the material concerning the APA style of presentation is found in chapters 3 (text rules), 4 (references), and 5 (page formatting). These chapters amount to a little more than half the content of the APA Manual. However, chapter 4 often restates rules that are part of the English language, for example, how to use commas. APA style complements the language, it does not generally contradict it. The Boundaries of Style: Language Rules vs. APA Rules Conventional?  APA style is quite conventional. That is, APA style has rules for the same issues as other styles. For example, in APA style you are instructed to write out numbers below 10 as words unless they are precise measurements (APA, 2001, sec. 3.43). In contrast, the MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook for Writers of Research Papers instructs authors to write out numbers when they can be expressed in one or two words (Gibaldi, 2003, sec. 3.5.2). These are different rules for the same question, when do you use numerals for numbers, and when do you use words? It is possible to pose the same question for other styles and get different rules. The English language presents no decisive rule for using numerals versus words. Therefore, style guides make their own. But when the language does offer definite rules, style guides often repeat them, and this can cause problems. APA Style or English Language?  An example of a rule that belongs to the language, as distinct from a particular style, is the requirement to capitalize proper nouns--words that name specific places, persons, or events. European languages other than English often leave these words lowercased. The APA Manual restates the common rules followed in English (APA, 2001, sec. 3.14). While this is simply an aid to the reader, many of these rules have become second nature and may not be readily articulated. For example, all style guides caution against beginning a sentence with numerals, for example, "439 numbered pages comprise the APA Manual." We have all been taught to write this sentence: "The APA Manual is comprised of 439 pages." When was the last time you saw a complete sentence begin with a numeral? Have you ever seen a sentence that began with a numeral? (Advertising copy and newspaper headlines might begin with numerals, but examples in print are so uncommon I could not find one for this lesson.) Much of our understanding of the language is known intuitively. When conventions are violated the usage feels awkward, although we may not be able to explain exactly what's wrong. For example, "Laughing, John at Betty's joke is." What's wrong with this? How do you know? How would you rewrite it? Can you articulate the grammatical rules it offends? Some things you just know. This sounds like something Yoda in Star Wars might say. (Some languages put the verb at the end of a sentence.) There is no point to studying what you already know. APA101 will not ask you to do so.

1.2.  Problem Areas in Using APA Style Irritated Readers!  A study reported in the American Psychologist surveyed 210 journal editors to determine the importance of adhering to APA style in research papers (Brewer, Scherzer, Van Raalte, Petitpas, & Andersen, 2001). An astounding 39% of the editors reported having rejected a paper for failing to follow APA style. Most editors reported that "(a) adherence to APA style has no bearing on the editorial decision [to review a paper]; (b) where deviations from APA style exist, the content of the manuscript far outweighs style in importance; and (c) the journals will work with authors of high quality manuscripts to ensure conformity with APA style." (Brewer et al., 2001, p. 267). Still about a fifth of the editors placed a heavy emphasis on APA style as a factor in evaluating a paper. The actions of these editors may explain why APA style has such a fierce reputation. Get it right, or get it back! Problem areas.  The editors also reported the major problem areas and their influence on editorial decisions. This is important. The foreword of the fourth edition of the APA Manual reported that the 24 journals published by the APA (at that time) received nearly 6,000 papers a year (APA, 1993, p. xxi). Only 1,400 of these (about 23%) were published. The rest were rejected. The journal editors in the study reported above cautioned that reviewers may be negatively influenced when papers fail to meet the requirements of APA style. Don't give your readers an excuse to reject your paper!

 

Table 3 Problems in Using APA Style: A Survey of Journal Editors

Problem Area

Frequency

Influence

References (Documentation)	3.23	2.27
Tables & Figures (Graphics)	3.00	2.23
Mathematics & Statistics	2.81	2.31

Note. Values are the mean of reported scores on a 5-point scale (1 = none, 5 = a lot). A frequency score of 3 indicates a fairly common occurrence; an influence score of 2 indicates some influence on the decision to accept or reject a paper. Adapted from "The Elements of (APA) Style: A Survey of Psychology Journal Editors," by B. W. Brewer, C. B. Scherzer, J. L. Van Raalte, A. J. Petitpas, and M. B. Andersen, 2001, American Psychologist, 56, p. 266.

The results indicate notable problems with references, tables and figures, and the use of mathematics and statistics. There is no mention of problems with capitalization, spelling, or the use of abbreviations, all suborned under the heading Text Rules in APA101. In contrast, the problem areas are all with the presentation of the more complex elements of APA style. The APA Manual is very specific about the format of references to 95 different sources, to the presentation of tables and figures, and to the presentation of numbers, statistics, and mathematical formulas. Two lessons in APA101 are devoted to references, and one each to tables and figures, and numbers and statistics. Comments by the editors' also revealed problems with page formatting. The study reported "that deviations in . . . title page and abstract and (document format were . . . observed most frequently and that deviations from APA style in (document) format were among those noted as having the strongest adverse impact on editorial decisions" (Brewer et al., 2001, p. 266).

1.3.  Chapter 6: Final Manuscripts vs. Copy Manuscripts APA Warning!  "The Publication Manual is not intended to cover scientific writing at an undergraduate level. . . Instructions to students to 'use the Publication Manual' should be accompanied by specific guidelines for its use" (APA, 2001, sec. 6.01). Chapter 6, "Material Other Than Journal Articles," of the APA Manual draws the distinction between copy manuscripts and final manuscripts. Copy manuscripts are what the APA Manual is all about. These are papers submitted journal editors for review and publication. They are not designed to mimic their final form, but to make is easier to typeset and format the manuscript for print. Final manuscripts, on the other hand, are meant to be read by their intended audience. "A number of variations from the requirements described in the Publication Manual are not only permissable but also desirable in the preparation of final manuscripts" (APA, 2001, sec. 6.01). Student papers are final manuscripts. APA101 is an introduction to using APA style for preparing final manuscripts. Specifically, it is focused on preparing papers of 10-20 pages in length, about 2,500 to 5,000 words, that is, the typical undergraduate paper--the counterpart to a paper prepared for publication. Many of the features presented in the course and in the guides available on the www.docstyles.com website have no specific expression in the APA Manual. They represent an interpretation of APA style to present a compact and professional paper. This interpretation affects only the organization of the manuscript and page formatting. Standard APA documentation and text rules are unchanged. You should understand the differences. Organization of the Manuscript Copy manuscripts are strange documents. First, the are intended for anonymous peer review. Therefore, there are two title pages. The first has the title, the author's name, and their affiliation; the second, the abstract. The title page with the author's name is torn off before the manuscript is sent to the reviewers. Different people typeset the text, tables, and figures included in a paper. Therefore, tables and figures are not included in the text, but appended to the end on the text with each table or figure on a separate page, even the caption or legend for figures go on separate pages. These are the instructions found in the APA Manual (APA, 2001, chap. 5).. Final manuscripts are meant to be read by their final audience, not editors, reviewers, and typesetters. Therefore, it makes sense to consolidate the abstract with the title page, dispense with the running head (which is only used for publication), and embed tables and figures in the document. This is the organization of the manuscript featured in APA101. Line Spacing & Pagination Every line of a copy manuscript is double spaced. This includes titles, headings, tables, references, quotations, and the captions for figures. But for final manuscripts, the APA Manual advises that "when single-spacing would improve readability . . . it is usually encouraged. Single-spacing can be used to table titles and headings, figure captions, references (but double-spacing is required between references), footnotes, and long [block] quotations" (APA, 2001, sec. 6.03). These are the instructions followed in APA101. Every page has a page number. For copy manuscript the page number on every page goes at the top right of the page. There are no exceptions. However, the APA Manual suggest altering the placement of page numbers on titles pages of final manuscripts, and even skipping the page number (but not the numbering sequence) to achieve a desired appearance. APA101 does not go that far. Every page is numbered, but the page number is relocated on the title page to the bottom center position. Cold Turkey? These changes are minor, but would be devilishly difficult to figure out if you came to the APA Manual "cold turkey," that is, without forewarning about what the Manual recommends and where in its 465 pages the instructions are found. But is your instructor on the same page? If this is a relevant question you might check with your instructor. APA101 is not improvising. It is following the instructions given in the APA Manual for papers of the kind you might be writing.

APA101: Review Questions for This Lesson

The review questions ask you to restate the basic ideas presented in the lesson. The intent of this lesson is to place APA style in perspective and context, introduce the APA Manual, and identify those parts of the Manual and style that are the focus of the course and explain why they merit that attention. Q1.  How does the APA Manual compare with other style manuals in the amount of content? Q2.  Style can refer to a mode of expression, or a mode of presentation. What is the difference and why is it relevant? Q3.  A style (as a mode of presentation) can be organized around three topics. What are these topics and what sort of things do they cover? Q4.  APA style complements, but does not replace, the rules of usage in the English language. What does this mean and why is it relevant? Q5.  Journal editors have identified three areas of difficulty in using APA style. What are they? Q6.  The APA Manual draws a distinction between copy manuscripts and final manuscripts. What is this distinction and why is it relevant?

Required & Recommended Readings

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Required: Chapter 6, "Material Other Than Journal Articles" (9 pp.). This chapter is new in the fifth edition. It explains how to go about formatting a paper for other than publication. While all these instructions are part of APA101 and the various guides on this website, it is helpful if you read this chapter for yourself. The APA Manual presents a sample paper (Chapter 5), but it is formatted for publication. There is nothing in the Manual other than chapter 6 (and this website) to guide you through a class paper. Browse the rest of the Manual while you are at it. The IMRAD structure (Introduction, Method, Results, Analysis, Discussion) is basic to research papers (IMRD in APA style), see chapter 1. Required: Chapter 2, "Guidelines to Reduce Bias in Language" (9 pp.). Prejudice is embedded in everyday language. For example, "We studied 50 disabled American Indians." The APA would have you write this: "we studied 50 American Indians (12 Jicarilla Apache, 32 Navajo, and 6 Zuni) with disabilities." Persons are not diseased or disabled, they are people afflicted by disease or disability. American Indians comprise over 500 ethnic communities; the term alone is not specific enough to be meaningful. If you are writing in APA style these are mistakes that reveal your ignorance. Brewer, B. W., Scherzer, C. B., Van Raalte, J. L., Petitpas, A. J., & Andersen, M. B. (2001). The elements of (APA) style: A survey of psychology journal editors. American Psychologist, 56, 266-267. Required. This is the paper cited in the section on "Problem Areas in Using APA Style." It is well written, in IMRD format (but without the headings), and illustrates a variety of style features, most of which will be covered in this course. It is the focus of the exercise in lesson 4, and central to the review in lesson 8. Gopen, G. D., & Swan, J. A. (1990, November-December). The science of scientific writing [Electronic version]. American Scientist. Available from the American Scientist Online Web site, http://www.americanscientist.org Recommended. This article is about style as expression. The catch phrase: "If the reader is to grasp what the writer means, the writer must understand what the reader needs." Read how to compose clear scientific English. There is nothing better. About 10 pages.

References

American Psychological Association. (1994). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Brewer, B. W., Scherzer, C. B., Van Raalte, J. L., Petitpas, A. J., & Andersen, M. B. (2001). The elements of (APA) style: A survey of psychology journal editors. American Psychologist, 56, 266-267. Gibaldi, J. (2003). MLA handbook for writers of research papers (6th ed.). New York: MLA. Iverson, C. Flanagin, A. Fontanarosa, P. B., Glass, R. M., Glitman, P., Lantz, J. C., et al. (1997). American Medical Association manual of style (9th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. University of Chicago Press. (2003). The Chicago manual of style (15th ed.). Chicago: Author.

Required Text for APA101

Amazon.com

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. New prices: $33.95 spiral bound, and $26.95 paperback (free shipping, no taxes). Fifth Edition.   The APA Publication Manual is the commanding guide in psychology, and found in other fields ranging from education to literature. The new edition shows how to format papers (40 pp., 15 with diagrams), expands coverage of tables and figures (50 pp.), adds Web sources to the 95 references sources covered (75 pp.), and refines the best section on avoiding bias found anywhere (15 pp.). The spiral bound edition lies open to the page you select, not a trivial convenience!

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