APA Basics, Part One

This blog post is the first of a two-part series that will cover some basic rules of APA (American Psychological Association) documentation style; I’ll call it APA 101.

Introduction

     The American Psychological Association’s APA style website defines APA style as “the editorial style that many of the social and behavioral sciences have adopted to present written material in the field” (“About APA Style,” para. 3). APA style includes many rules. The Thesis Office divides these into rules covering formatting, or how things look on the page, and rules about style, or the method of giving credit to sources (system of acknowledgment). APA also provides rules regarding some language or wording best practices—I’ll cover those aspects in the second part of this series.

Note of Caution for NIU Thesis/Dissertation Writers

     The Thesis Office has adopted APA as the Graduate School’s default documentation style, though different disciplines will require different documentation styles. All formatting, however, regardless of any documentation style’s rules, must conform to the Thesis Office’s specifications, which do deviate somewhat from other styles. For example, while APA style calls for double-spaced entries on the reference list, the NIU thesis or dissertation formatting rules do not. In addition, the NIU rules for headings are different than what you see in this post, which follows APA format. (See the appropriate Format Guidelines on our website for more information.)

Differences Between Reference List and Body Text

     APA style is intricate, especially in that its rules apply differently depending on whether a source is attributed in the run of the text, in a parenthetical citation, or on the reference list only. (Reminder: a reference list is different than a bibliography. Reference lists contain all sources cited in the body of the paper, and only those sources, while a bibliography includes sources cited as well as consulted.) For instance, source titles, such as journal articles, books, news articles, and web pages, should be typed using sentence-style capitalization on the reference list. Sentence-style capitalizes only the first word of the item and any proper nouns, just like writing a sentence. The first word following a colon is capitalized too. Here is one example of how an article title looks on an APA reference list:

           Gaze patterns when looking at emotional pictures: Motivationally biased attention.

Note the absence of quotation marks.

     However, if any source title is mentioned in-text, it takes title-style capitalization, or the use of upper case letters for all main words. However, most citations in the body of an APA document will not include the title at all, as APA calls for concise signal phrases, with only the author or authors’ last name/s followed by the year of publication in parentheses. If used in-text, article and other shorter work titles are enclosed in quotation marks; book and journal titles are italicized.

On the reference list, large work titles are still italicized; but shorter works, such as articles and essays, are no longer enclosed in quotation marks, as shown above. One other tidbit about journals: ONLY journal titles take title-style capitalization on a reference list. In addition, the journal’s volume number is italicized, but not its issue number.

  
Stick with me. We’ll talk about authors now, an important topic!

Rules Concerning Authors

     Authors are mentioned in-text by last name only, but reference lists always include author’s last name followed by first initial, and these are always in inverted name order, such as the following: Roosevelt, T.

     Many sources have more than one author, and there are rules for those situations, too. All author names up to and including a seventh author are listed on the references page, and each is separated by a comma. If there are more than seven authors, though, the first six are listed, separated by commas, followed by three ellipses before the last author’s name, in inverted name order.

     The rules for citing coauthored works involve the word “and” and its shorthand symbol, the ampersand (&).  The ampersand should never be used in ordinary text, only in parenthetical citations and on the reference list. In the run of the text, always write out “and.” See the following (fictional) examples:

     In the body of the text:

Juarez and Johns (2012) have argued that textbooks are outdated for use in the classroom.

            The authors claimed that textbook use is no longer relevant (Juarez & Johns, 2012).

     Reference list entry:  

Juarez, M., & Johns, P. J. (2012). Books are outdated. New York, NY: Ross.

Best Sources of Help

     The best resource to have on hand is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th edition), of course, but you’ll find helpful information, including frequently asked questions and an introductory tutorial, on the APA Style website.

Coming soon: APA 102! Don’t forget—you can subscribe to this blog and never miss a post.

Upcoming Workshop for Engineering Students

The Graduate School is excited to announce an upcoming workshop specifically designed to provide support for thesis writers in the following field: College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

When? Tuesday May 19 & Wednesday May 20
What time? 2pm to 4pm
Where? Founders Library, room 297

Each session will be conducted by staff from the Graduate School Thesis Office and will cover a wide range of issues that thesis writers find most troublesome including:

• Documentation style
• References
• Specific Graduate School format requirements

All workshop attendees are encouraged to bring an electronic copy of your thesis regardless of where you are at in the writing process. Time will be allotted to work with each of you on your thesis as our workshops offer you guidance, support, and individualized attention free of charge! 

Space is limited. Students who are expected to graduate summer 2015 will be given priority.
In order to register, visit the NIU Thesis and Dissertation Office homepage (click here). 

Keep in mind: This two day workshop will NOT be addressing the electronic submission process that every graduate student will go through once their thesis is ready to be submitted for final approval by our office. Submission guidelines will be addressed in a separate workshop that is meeting Thursday May 21 in Founders Library, room 297. Registration for this separate workshop is not required. All are welcome to attend.

Be sure to keep your eye on the NIU Thesis Office webpage, our Facebook group, and the blog for announcements on future workshops!

Freelancers for Hire!

If you read our last blog post, you know that the University Writing Center (UWC) is offering a free summer Dissertation Bootcamp for doctoral students to learn what, exactly, is expected of a dissertation. These sessions demystify the process and product, and, of course, the UWC offers extensive writing help to all NIU students and faculty every semester.

But dissertation and thesis writers still have a huge feat: they must write a lengthy, formal, scholarly work that follows conventions of scholarly style, formatting, and documentation.  Some may not have the time or proclivity to master all the conventions; some may need to focus all available energy on the content of the work. Some may have the added difficulty of being English language learners. For those and other reasons, the Thesis and Dissertation Office maintains a list of Freelance Formatters and Editors who can help with a thesis or dissertation’s grammar, mechanics, and/or layout … for a fee.

If you go to our Thesis and Dissertation webpage, you’ll find a group of links at bottom under “Additional Support.” The first link takes you to our list of Freelance Formatters and Editors. These professionals offer different services with different fee schedules. However, the important thing to remember when considering a freelancer is, like anything else in grad school, to plan ahead.

Carol Abrahamson, who has been working with NIU students for seven years, told a little about the process as she sees it. She says a typical experience starts with students contacting a few freelancers early in the semester prior to their expected graduation semester. Students should round up fee rates (some freelancers charge by the page and some by the hour), contract or payment requirements, and available timetables for completion. Abrahamson advises students to make a decision in that penultimate semester and get on the freelancer’s schedule. Abrahamson blocks out week/s as necessary for a student’s work, and she cautions students to allow enough time, especially if they need extensive editing work.

Editing, for Abrahamson, consists of pointing out errors according to the appropriate style guidelines in terms of “idea flow, typos, grammar, punctuation, academic language, and consistency of expression,” as well as cross-checking citations and reference entries for accuracy, while formatting consists of “altering people’s documents in Word” to meet NIU regulations, again including citation checks for accuracy, and is a much faster activity. Abrahamson cautions that hourly rates cannot be equally assessed without determining an editor or formatter’s pace, and she prefers to work on some pages of text before estimating the project total, as every writing is different. The student pays for her initial work and receives valuable editing and feedback in exchange, even if an agreement isn’t reached.

Carolyn Law often quips that many working graduate students have more money than time. Not everyone’s schedule allows them to master all the editing and formatting rules. As Abrahamson says, “A great many students are surprised there are dozens of APA rules to worry about besides those that apply to reference list entries and citations[, such as] which title words to capitalize; which numbers to write in words and which in digits; when to use a colon, semicolon, and dash; the many prefixes that APA says should not be followed by a hyphen; when to say "that" and when to say "which"; the tense to use when discussing research completed by others …”

If these ideas are making your head spin, check out our freelancer list and make some calls! Otherwise, get the latest edition of the appropriate style guide for your discipline, and definitely read NIU’s Format Guidelines for a thesis or dissertation, posted on our website. Good luck!

Dissertation Boot Camp

Attention dissertation writers!

Planning to work on your dissertation over the summer but having trouble scheduling the time to do so? Look no farther than the NIU Writing Center’s Dissertation Boot Camp.

Dissertate in Eight!

This is a free eight-week camp structured to support graduate students working on some aspect of their dissertation.

The camp will meet every Wednesday afternoon of the 2015 summer session (June 15, 2015 – August 7, 2015) from 1pm to 4:30pm in the Writing Center Classroom, located in Stevenson Tower B. Computers are provided, or feel free to work on your laptop.

Each session will include about an hour and a half of information related to the dissertation process including: tips on how to organize your time in a realistic fashion, discussing what a dissertation looks like, talking about components common to all dissertations across all fields of study, how to collect and organize qualitative and quantitative research, and how to synthesize this data into the dissertation while still maintaining an original voice. Boot camp attendees also will receive advice on how to pick a committee, how to negotiate work strategies with the committee, and how to work with the committee.

Recent PhD alumni have been asked to speak at the boot camp. They will share their perspective on the dissertation experience and be able to walk everyone through the process. Also, Carolyn Law, head of the Thesis and Dissertation office, will be in attendance in order to explain the reading process.

Students are free to attend information sessions that are most applicable to them.

Ultimately, the boot camp is time set aside for students who need peace and quiet in order to write.

Registration for the camp has already started and will close June 1. 

But don't worry. There still is room available.

Additional information about the Dissertation Boot Camp can be found at the following link:http://www.niu.edu/uwc/dissertationbootcamp/index.shtml

Dissertate in Eight! 

Writing an Abstract

You’ve done the work (or almost have); your thesis or dissertation is pretty much finished! So now, you take another look at the Guidelines for Preparing a Thesis or Dissertation at NIU to see if there’s anything left to do. Oh, yes, write the abstract.

Your abstract should be the last thing you write because it is a summary—a very condensed one—of your entire thesis or dissertation. But how do you summarize all of that work? You probably have 100 – 300 pages of great ideas that, according to most sources, should be summed up in fewer than 350 words. NIU’s Thesis Office does not restrict your abstract’s word limit, but we do recommend that you stick to the 350-word maximum. To follow are some ideas that may help.

The Writing Center at University of North Carolina offers detailed tips. First, they distinguish between writing a descriptive or an informative abstract, saying that a descriptive abstract explains the work without assessing it and is very brief, virtually an outline. The UNC Writing Center tells that an informative abstract, the type most of us will write, does “more than describe” the work. This abstract stands in for one’s entire project and includes “purpose, methods, and scope,” like a descriptive one, but also has “results and conclusions” as well as “recommendations of the author.” According to UNC, “Abstracts allow readers … to quickly decide whether it is worth their time to read [a longer piece],” and we know how helpful these summations are from our own research.

The UNC site gives specific tips as to what to include for different types of abstracts and how to go about writing one. They say that all abstracts should consider the following questions: Why should a reader be interested in this work? What is the scope of the problem? What evidence or methods of study did this project utilize? What are the findings or results? And, how does this study add to the existing conversation? Check out their page for more tips, and scroll to the bottom for help in abstracting one’s own work. (FYI: at the end of that last sentence, this blog post reached 350 words in length!)

A beneficial thing to do when learning to write in any genre is to read examples. You can find all types of abstracts at Proquest Digital Dissertations (located under “Dissertation Abstracts” in the NIU Library’s list of A–Z Databases). Search any subject area, or type in a keyword and start reading abstracts!

Finally, advisors at University of Queensland in Australia offer a unique take on abstracts: they say that we should actually write abstracts as we work, calling this interim process a “useful tool” towards keeping ideas organized as well as “focusing thoughts” and “forging links” that ultimately will “unify” the final product. And don’t forget that you can come to NIU’s Thesis Office or The Writing Center at NIU for help with any part of the thesis/dissertation writing process!

Being a Non-traditional Student

To my surprise, many years ago I was accepted into the doctoral program in the English department. I am what is called a non-traditional student. This means that I have a couple of gap years between undergraduate and graduate school. Also, it means that I am a lot older than many of my classmates.
When I first started, my biggest concern was that I hadn't set foot in a classroom as a student in a long time. Would my experience out of school be an asset or a liability? Would I be able to balance school and work, much less school and my responsibilities as a father?
Once I overcame this initial discomfort, I had the idea that I would double my workload and finish my doctorate in five years. And why not? All I had to do was:

1. Pass my course work
2. Teach a few classes
3. Fulfill my language requirement by showing proficiency in two foreign languages
4. Pass two field exams
5. Choose a dissertation topic
6. Put together a dissertation committee
7. Write and defend a prospectus
8. Research and write my dissertation
9. Defend my dissertation and, finally,
10. Submit my dissertation

Along the way I realized that it might be helpful to earn some money so that I could pay some bills, put dinner on the table, put clothes on my daughters’ backs, and start working off my school loans. This meant that I had to work. Many non-traditional students have families and full-time jobs while completing their degrees.

But then I found myself spending less and less time on my dissertation. I had to make lesson plans, unit plans, help review textbook selections, attend staff meetings, hold conferences with students, read and grade essays, and spend a lot of time in my car driving from job to job. I kept to a schedule. But you know what doesn’t keep to a schedule? Kids. I was responsible for raising two daughters, in addition to my teaching load, and attending night classes.

Somewhere along the way, my five-year plan turned into a six-year plan, and then a seven-year plan. At this point, I don’t even want to think about how long I’ve been working on my dissertation.

In March of 2008, the Ph.D. Completion Project published a report by Robert Sowell (click here to review his data) in which he revealed that of the students who successfully completed their degrees: 57% of graduate students took at least ten years to finish their doctorate; 49% of which were earning their degree in the humanities; and 47% of them were male. So, according to the data, the odds are in my favor. On the other hand, the data for the attrition rates was rather disheartening: 31% of students dropped out after ten years; 32% of which were studying the humanities.  (If you are interested in reading about the reasons behind doctoral student attrition, check out the following article by Melonie Fullick: “War of Attrition – Asking Why PhD Students Leave”).

Reviewing this data made me wonder: What is the key ingredient that makes all the difference between failure and success for doctoral students?

Thus far, research indicates only one thing: support. Support from your professors; support from your classmates; support from your writing group; support from your committee chair; and support from your department. I would add: support from your boss (if you are employed while working on your graduate degree); support from your partner/spouse; and support from your family. Graduate students – especially, non-traditional graduate students – need support.

If you’re reading this entry, ask yourself: Are you receiving the support you need in order to successfully complete your graduate degree? If not, from whom do you need this support? How can you go about getting this support?

If you have any comments or feedback about being a non-traditional student or how to get the right kind of support, please feel free to share your thoughts on our blog or our office Facebook page.
Also, please know that you will find support at the Thesis & Dissertation Office.

The Impostor Syndrome

Diane von Furstenberg, creator of the wrap dress, recently wrote of her semi-retirement and subsequent career. She says that after some time off, she knew she needed to return to fashion. But she was scared, having been absent awhile. Her fears were that “the fashion world would not take [her] seriously, or that a second attempt would fall flat [making her] early success seem like a happy coincidence” (Chicago Tribune, Business page 5, March 1, 2015). This, from the woman on the cover of Newsweek in 1976!

Furstenberg’s fears correspond with those of the Imposter Syndrome (IS), something that up to 70% of us experience at least once in a lifetime (Warrell, Forbes). IS entails having negative thoughts, particularly that others will “find out” how inadequate we really are, even as we accomplish much. Historically, the syndrome has affected more women than men, but now, nearly as many men are affected.

(slide found at flickr - part of presentation by Julie Pagano at Open Source Bridge 2014)

This condition often afflicts college students. Carolyn Law, NIU’s Thesis Advisor, felt such fears herself while attending graduate school. She looked for a book on the subject but could not find one. So she created one called This Fine Place So Far From Home: Voices of Academics from the Working Class (Temple UP, 1995). Many who undergo IS are first-generation college students, but the syndrome can affect anyone.

I, too, have faced IS. When I began my English graduate studies, I offered to help a colleague move. Another graduate student, in process of writing his dissertation, also helped. When I asked him about his work, he replied: “[Insert esoteric language here] … Emerson.” My immediate thought was, “Emerson? Of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer? (the band) Boy, I don’t belong here.” That was the beginning of my experience of IS, and for those who feel or have ever felt likewise, we have found some tips.

First, let’s remember that this condition only happens to effective people. Caltech’s counseling center says that the “syndrome is associated with highly achieving, highly successful people.” Kyle Eschenroeder, in a blog on this topic, points out that many “famous people” have suffered similar thoughts, and he lists 21 steps to overcoming this syndrome. But some of us may be in danger of having these thoughts inhibit our degree completion, so let’s think through this condition further.

Caltech tells readers to question such negative “automatic thoughts” and come up with a more balanced assessment of abilities. Warrell advises us to “reset” the bar to a more realistic level. She cautions people not to be so highly driven as to be “forever striving [and] feeling inadequate,” saying not everyone is the “Einstein” of his or her field.

These are good tips for those of us writing a thesis or dissertation. We don’t have to author THE BEST study that ever existed. And we are competent scholars, so we can do this! Remember that others are or have been in the same position, and contact our office anytime for help. If anyone has ideas to offer, please feel free to comment below!