Doctoral Support Center

1. Doctoral Support Center Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

2. APA Overview • Why? • Edition • APA Seminar • vs. Thesis and Dissertation Guide

3. Doctoral Support Center Abbreviations Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

4. Abbreviations/Acronyms Identify acronyms with first usage, and then use acronym consistently throughout dissertation (consult your committee chair—some want acronyms identified with first use in each chapter). • Incorrect: The results of the studies of simple reaction time (RT) to a visual target have shown a strong negative relation between reaction time and luminance. • Correct: The results of the studies of simple reaction time (RT) to a visual target have shown a strong negative relation between RT and luminance. (APA, 6th ed. pp. 106-111)

5. (APA, 6th ed. pp. 106-111)

6. Doctoral Support Center Numbers and Symbols Common Problems with Numbers and Symbols Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

7. 4.31 Numbers Expressed in Numerals • Numbers that represent time, dates, ages, scores and points on a scale, exact sums of money and numerals as numerals • Exceptions (APA, 6th ed., pp. 111-112)

8. 4.31 Numbers Expressed in Numerals • Numbers that denote a specific place in a numbered series, parts of books and tables, and each number in a list of four or more numbers • Example • Chapter 5 (of your dissertation) (APA, 6th ed., pp. 111-112)

9. 4.34 Ordinal Numbers • No superscript (2nd) • See 4.31-4.34 for examples (APA, 6th ed., p. 113)

10. 4.32 Numbers expressed as words • Begins a sentence, title or text heading • Common fractions • Universally accepted usage (APA, 6th ed., p. 112)

11. Percents • Use the symbol for percent only when it is preceded by a numeral. Use the word percentage when a number is not given. (APA, 6th ed., p. 118)

12. Numbers (APA, 6th ed., pp.111-114) Percents (APA, 6th ed., p. 118)

13. Doctoral Support Center Secondary Sources Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

14. Secondary Sources • Incorrect • Seidenberg and McClelland’s study (1989) indicates that . . . (Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993). • Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, and Haller (1993) quote Seidenberg and McClelland’s study (1989). . . • Correct • Seidenberg and McClelland’s study (as cited in Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993) . . . • List only the Coltheart, Curtis, Atkins, & Haller, 1993 reference (the secondary source) in the reference pages. (APA 6th ed., p. 178, #6.17)

15. (APA 6th ed., p. 178, #6.17)

16. Doctoral Support Center et al. Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

17. et al. • Latin abbreviation • et al. • Comma after et al. • Parenthetical reference • Follow author when there are multiple authors preceding et al. (6.12) (APA 6th ed., p. 175)

18. et al. • Works of 3-5 authors • List all with first use • Use et al. with all usages afterward • Throughout entire document (view as one document) • See Table 6.1, p. 177 (APA 6th ed., p. 177)

19. et al. • Works of 6+ authors • Use et al. each time – even with first use • Throughout entire document (view as one document) • See Table 6.1, p. 177 • Reference Pages • Up to 7 authors: list all • 7+: list first 6, followed by . . . Last author only (#2 on 198) (APA 6th ed., p. 177, 198)

20. (APA 6th ed., pp. 175-177, 198)

21. Doctoral Support Center Seriation Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

22. Seriation Within a paragraph or sentence, identify elements in a series by lowercase letters (not italicized) in parentheses: The participant’s three choices were (a) working with another participant, (b) working with a team, and (c) working alone. (APA 6th ed., pp. 63-65)

23. Seriation Separate paragraphs in a series, such as itemized conclusions or steps in a procedure, are identified by an Arabic numeral followed by a period but not enclosed in or followed by parentheses: Using the learned helplessness theory, we predicted that the depressed and nondepressed participants would make the following judgments of control: 1. Individuals who . . . 2. Nondepressed persons exposed to . . . 3. Depressed persons exposed to . . . 4. Depressed and nondepressed participants in the no-noise groups . . . • (APA 6th ed., pp. 63-65)

24. Seriation • Notice that with numerical lists, the text is aligned under the text, not under the numbers. Make sure that the numbers are aligned on the decimal (you’ll notice a problem when you go from #9 to #10 since MS Word does not align on the decimal when you go from one digit to two digit numbers). • Bulleted lists are acceptable in the 6th edition of the APA manual . • Refer to pp. 64-65 for rules regarding bulleted lists. (APA 6th ed., pp. 63-65)

25. (APA 6th ed., pp. 63-65)

26. Doctoral Support Center Back to Back Parentheses Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

27. Incorrect: (e.g., defensive pessimism) (Norem & Cantor, 1986) • Correct: (e.g., defensive pessimism; Norem & Cantor, 1986) (APA 6th ed., p. 94)

28. (APA 6th ed., p. 94)

29. Doctoral Support Center Ellipsis Points Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

30. Ellipsis • Use 3 spaced ellipsis points within a sentence to indicate that you have omitted material from the original source. Correct Anchor text “. . . text continues . . . text continues” Incorrect “…text continues…text continues” (APA 6th ed., pp. 172-173)

31. Ellipsis • Use 4 points to indicate omission between sentences Correct Anchor text “beginning text . . . . next sentence.” Incorrect “Beginning text….next sentence.” (APA 6th ed., pp. 172-173)

32. (APA 6th ed., pp. 172-173)

33. Doctoral Support Center Quotations Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

34. Floating Quotations Floating quotes (also called dropped quotes) • Incorrect “The ‘placebo effect’ . . . disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner” (Miele, 1993, p. 276). • Correct She stated, “The ‘placebo effect’ . . . disappeared when behaviors were studied in this manner” (Miele, 1993, p. 276).

35. Block Quotes • A direct quote that contains 40 or more words are placed in a block quote (omit the quotation marks in a block quote). • See last example in 6.03 on pg. 171 of 6th ed.

36. (APA 6th ed., pp. 170-179)

37. Doctoral Support Center Tables (common problems) Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

38. Common Problems • Aligning decimal places • Matching Table Title to text and List of Tables • Title Case • Spacing • Single spacing allowed, but consider readability • Don’t single space just to condense size of table • Table Titles: Italicized at top of table • Continued Tables: (continued) at bottom and top of next page (italicized); Headings are repeated on continued pages

39. Common Problems • Table Notes • Bottom of table • Word Note is italicized and followed by a . • Acronyms are identified • Sequence number of * according to need

40. (APA 6th ed., pp. 128-150)

41. Doctoral Support Center Figures (common problems) Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

42. Common Problems • Picture • Title (Caption) is at bottom of Figure • Figure and Number: italicized and followed by . • Figure 1. • Caption: sentence case. Full caption must be in list of figures.

43. (APA 6th ed., pp. 150-167)

44. Doctoral Support Center Heading/Subheading Levels for Theses and Dissertations (APA 6th) Putting the Formatting Style Pieces Together

47. APA and TDG • Referencing tables and figures/ placement of tables and figures When incorporate tables or figures directly after the paragraph containing the initial reference. • Do not use sentences such as Table 5 illustrates the responses of the two sets of sixth-grade students. • Instead use The responses of the two sets of sixth-grade students varied little (Table 5). • (UWF T&D Guide, “Illustrative Materials”)

48. Thesis and Dissertation Guide