APA Editorial Guidelines

The Department of Workforce Education and Development has adopted the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as the required style manual for undergraduate students writing term papers and graduate students writing research papers, theses, and dissertations. The APA Publication Manual is a comprehensive, and often sophisticated, resource prepared for authors of journal article manuscripts. Much of the contents of this manual, therefore, are beyond the needs of a typical undergraduate or graduate student. The purpose of this unit is to familiarize students with the nature of the fifth edition of the APA Publication Manual (2001) and introduce them to basic guidelines required to complete a research report. As a prerequisite to the unit, students are expected to know how to prepare an academic paper and be competent in the skills of writing and grammar usage.

1. Understands application of APA editorial style guidelines to the development of academic term papers, research papers, theses, and dissertations.
Objectives	Assignments
1.1 Discusses the purpose of the APA Publication Manual. 1.2 Recognizes the difference between a “copy” manuscript and a “final” manuscript. 1.3 Explains what is meant by “editorial style.”	1. Read “APA Style Guidelines” and Manual pages XIX-XXVIII re Objectives 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 (see Note 1).
1.4 Identifies types of writing tools useful in preparing reports.	2. Read “Writing Tools” re Objective 1.4.
1.5 Summarizes style rules regarding each of the manuscript elements (see Note 2): a. Verb tense	3. Read Manual pages 32-34 (2.02) re Objective 1.5a refer to accompanying pages “Verb Tense” and “Use of Verb Tense.”
b. Active voice	4. Read Manual pages 41-44 (2.06) re Objective 1.5b.
c. Bias in language	5. Read Manual pages 61-76 (2.13-2.17) re Objective 1.5c particular attention to the “preferred” terms and phrases in Table 2.1.
d. Levels of heading	6. Read Manual pages 113-115 (3.31-3.32) re Objective 1.5d Most student research reports will use two or three headings.
e. Seriation	7. Read Manual pages 115-117 (3.33) re Objective 1.5e.
f. Short and long quotations	8. Read Manual pages 117-118 (3.34) re Objective 1.5f.
g. Fair use	9. Read Manual pages 121-122 (3.41) re Objective 1.5g refer to the accompanying “Doctrine of Fair Use.”
h. Tables and figures	10. Read Manual pages 147-176 (3.62-3.74) and pages 176 201 (3.75-3.86) re Objective 1.5h. Note that any type illustration other than a table is called a figure, which includes graphs charts, diagrams, drawings, maps, and photographs 176). Also refer to the accompanying “Sample Table” and “Sample Figure.”
i. Reference citations in text	11. Read Manual pages 207-214 (3.94-3.103) re Objective 1.5i Study this section carefully, as the author-date citation is one of the distinguishing characteristics of editorial style. Also complete "Exercise A."
j. Reference list	12. Read Manual pages 215-281 (4.01-4.16) re Objective 1.5j Pay particular attention to pp. 222-232 in which the elements of APA reference style are explained. Also note section “Electronic Media” (pp. 268-281) regarding to cite Internet, e-mail, CD-ROM and similar documents. Complete "Exercise B."
1.6 Follows WED faculty approved guidelines for preparation research reports.	13. Read accompanying "WED Policy and Guidelines" Objective 1.6.

Note 1: All page numbers in the assignment column above refer to the fifth edition of the APA Publication Manual. [Return to Assignment 1]

Note 2: The APA Publication Manual contains hundreds of specific rules regarding correct application of editorial and writing elements. The purpose of Objective 1.5 is to identify major style elements with which students need to be familiar. This deals with elements for the majority of errors that students commit in writing research reports. Students should master Objective 1.5 and then use the APA Publication Manual as a reference tool to answer questions regarding other topics and needs. [Return to Objective 1.5]