Module 10: APA Style and Citation Methods

Table of Contents

Module To-Do List

Module Overview
Citing Sources in Your Academic Writing: The Basics
Why We Cite
What is Academic Integrity?
What is Plagiarism?
What is APA?
Why is APA Important?
APA’s Two Main Parts
1. In-Text Citations
When Do I Cite?
When do I Use Quotations?
Video: Creating APA In-Text Citations
2. References
APA Resources Online
Seneca College Guide to APA
APA Tip Sheet: The Basics
Humber Library Instructional Videos APA 6th Ed.
Purdue OWL Guide to APA
Note-taking for Academic Integrity
Video: Reading and Note-Taking Skills for Deeper Research
Basic Tips for Responsible Note-Taking
Journal Entry #10 (and 10B for “Bonus”): Note-taking for Academic Integrity
Module Wrap-Up
Module To-Do List

❏ Read and work through all module materials, including the videos
❏ Complete and submit journal #10 by the due date

Module Overview

In this module, we will discuss academic integrity and why you should cite the sources
that you use in your own work. At Humber College we use the American Psychological
Association’s system of citation (APA). In this module, you will become familiar with the
principles of APA citation, familiarize yourself with various resources that you can use to
help you cite responsibly in your fact sheet, and practice note-taking practices that will
help you achieve academic integrity in your fact sheet assignment.

Citing Sources in Your Academic Writing: The Basics

Why We Cite

Academic writing is about being able to join into conversations with other writers by
engaging in analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of what others have said. To highlight
the research and the thinking that you have done, it is important to explain where you
got your ideas from and what makes them worth writing about. This is where citation
comes in. It is a quick and easy way to let readers know where you retrieved your
information. Here at Humber, we use a system that comes from the American
Psychological Association (APA). This system makes it very easy for your readers to
identify your sources and to find those sources quickly, so that they can incorporate
those ideas into their own research and writing if they want to. Proper citation also
shows your readers that you have some support to back up what you are claiming.

What is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity means being honest, transparent and responsible in how you
produce your schoolwork. To meet Humber’s standards of academic integrity, you are
expected to produce original work that gives credit to any and all sources that you drew
ideas and information from.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is essentially copying someone else's ideas or words and using them as your
own without giving the original writer any credit. If you plagiarize, you are basically
stealing from someone else, which will result in consequences ranging from 0% on the
assignment/test to a note on your transcript. More than one instance of academic
dishonesty may result in your being removed from your program or even the college.

You are responsible for understanding and following the rules for academic honesty.
Not knowing the rules does not excuse you from academic misconduct, so make sure to
review the material that follows. If you are unsure or concerned about any work that
you submit because of plagiarism, please speak to your professor for clarification.

To familiarize yourself with how Humber defines academic misconduct and dishonesty.
A full description with definitions and examples is posted here in Humber’s statement on
academic misconduct: 17.0 ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT | Humber Academic
Regulations

In order to avoid plagiarism and become a credible writer, you need to learn the
conventions associated with APA documentation style.

What is APA?

APA documentation is a style of citing and referencing that is regularly used in many
academic and professional settings to help individuals maintain their academic integrity.
This system allows writers to use a consistent and familiar style of documentation in
their research papers. It is the most common style of citation used in the Social
Sciences, so you may have already seen APA being used in your textbooks or course
readings.

Why is APA Important?

When using outside sources in your writing, it is important to use a style of citing and
referencing in order to:

● Help readers find and read the sources you used

● Use a consistent format recognized in the Social Sciences
● Achieve credibility as a writer by showcasing your research
● Give credit to your sources, and
● Protect yourself from plagiarism
APA’s Two Main Parts

There are two major components to citing sources in your writing: in-text citation and a
references page.
 1. In-Text Citations

An in-text citation is a marker for identifying a source in the body of your text. Generally,
an in-text citation includes the following information:

 Author's last name/surname

 Year of publication (or n.d. if there is no date)
 Page or paragraph number

When Do I Cite?

If you quote or paraphrase information from another source and use it in your own
writing, then you must cite that source. You do this by providing an in-text citation in the
body of your written assignment, which refers to a more detailed entry on your
references page.

To create your in-text citation, you can use a couple of different formats.

A. One format requires that you include all of the information that must be cited in
brackets.

Example: It is suggested that guns be taught in schools, just like sex education, to
demystify and take the temptation away from using guns (O’Meara, 2000, para.
11).

B. The other format involves splitting the citation information between the body of
your sentence and brackets.

Example: O’Meara (2000) suggests that guns be taught in schools, just like sex
education, to demystify and take the temptation away from using guns (para. 11).

This particular source is a newspaper article that was accessed online which is why
each citation includes a paragraph number (para.).
 When do I Use Quotations?

Don’t forget!

Your fact sheet will not include direct quotations. Instead, you should paraphrase
and summarize key points and details from your sources in your own words.

There will be times, however, you may need to quote directly in your academic or
workplace writing. If you are copying the author's words directly, you need to add
quotation marks around the copied words.

Example: O’Meara (2000) says that “the solution is to address this desire early
on and supply children with the rules of conduct” (para.11).

Video: Creating APA In-Text Citations

To learn more about using in-text citations, including what to do when

you are missing one of the three pieces of required information, watch
this brief Humber Libraries video:

APA in Minutes: In-Text Citations

2. References

The reference list includes full bibliographic information of the sources you have cited in
the body of your fact sheet. The full bibliographic information can help others find the
sources you cited.

The basic formatting rules for your reference list are as follows:

● There’s no need to start a new page for your references list for the fact
sheet.
● The references should appear at the end of your fact sheet.
 ● Title your list References in the center of the page (no bold, no
underlining, no italics, no punctuation)
● List sources in alphabetical order by the author’s last name (or by a
shortened version of the title if the author is unknown)
● Double space your sources
● Hanging indents for the second line, third line, etc.

To build your References page, you’ll need to use a reference source for guidance on
the required information and formatting conventions for different types of sources. The
key to putting together a correct references page is to know where to look for the correct
formats.

APA Resources Online

Here are some of the most user-friendly APA guides available for free
online. Use these to help you format the in-text citations and references
in your fact sheet.

Seneca College Guide to APA

APA 7th ed. Tip Sheet: The Basics
Humber Library Instructional Videos APA 7th Ed.
Purdue OWL Guide to APA

Note-taking for Academic Integrity

At this point in the term, you should be taking detailed notes on your sources to use
when you write your fact sheet. The best way to maintain academic integrity in your
writing is to take good notes at the researching stage.

By recording the information you’ll need to produce in-text citations and a full reference
in the fact sheet, you save yourself the trouble of having to re-find the source of your
information when you compose the fact sheet.

There are many benefits to developing good note-taking skills.

If you take good notes, you will:

● Save time and energy

● Have an easier time writing
● Improve the quality of your final product
● Prevent plagiarism

Video: Reading and Note-Taking Skills for Deeper Research

Now is a good time to review this video, which teaches how to read
effectively and take notes responsibly

Reading and Note-taking Skills for Deeper Research

Basic Tips for Responsible Note-Taking

1. Keep your research questions and goals in mind

Remember your purpose and end goals when you take notes. Take notes only
on vital information that helps you answer your research questions and
develop content for the fact sheet.

2. Record ideas in your own words

Writing notes in your own words helps you ensure that you fully understand
the ideas and saves you time when writing your fact sheet assignment
because your paraphrasing will already be complete!

3. Record page or paragraph numbers for each note

Whether you summarize, paraphrase or quote directly from your sources, you
will need to cite responsibly and include the specific page or paragraph
number where you found the idea or passage. For this reason, make sure to
keep track of this information for each individual note.

4. Include your own ideas

It is a good idea to include your own thoughts, responses, questions and

comments on your research as you record it. This will help you think about
how sources relate to each other (similarities, contrasts, etc.) and how you will
present the information in your fact sheet. Use a different coloured font, pen or
highlighter to distinguish between your own ideas and the source’s.
 Journal Entry #10 (and 10B for “Bonus”): Note-taking for Academic
Integrity

This week’s journal entry focuses on applying the skills from the module on APA citation
and good note-taking.

Take notes on one of your chosen sources, using the guidelines described above.

Bonus Option!

If you’d like to earn a bonus point or make up for a missed journal entry, you may submit
your notes for an extra source, following the same guidelines. You may submit the
second source’s notes in the same file.

Module Wrap-Up

After working through this module, you need to

❏ Complete Journal Entry #10 by the due date

❏ Continue to work towards completing the fact sheet assignment by taking
good notes on all 4-6 of your research sources