Practices Good and Bad
I. Technological Hostage:
Your word processing software may suggest Roman numeral, alphabetical or symbolic footnote or endnote symbols. You are not a hostage to your software. You may have to learn how to change your options, but, with extremely rare exception, the correct footnote symbol is a superscript Arabic numeral. When using APA style, a few brief text endnotes may be appropriate. Footnotes are not.
II. Citation punctuation: It isn’t hard.
Example:
Page numbers are required for quotes or paraphrases. Some styles may require page numbers more often. Style guides may or may not require "p." and "pp." before page numbers, or your instructor may make these optional. If unsure, ask your instructor. If you use them, use them correctly.
IV. Repeat citations
Repeat citations to the same work are not a problem with APA in line citation. If you use full bibliographical citations following, for example, Chicago guidance, that guidance tells you how and when to abbreviate the citation. Plagiarism software will likely mark incorrect full bibliographical citations as potentially plagiarized.
V. URLs (web links starting with "http:\\" "https:\\" or "www")
URLs should not appear as an alternative to correct citations. If they appear in your text, it should be because they serve as an appropriate noun in a sentence.
VI. Don’t split your citation.
A split citation puts part of a citation in one part of the sentence and another part elsewhere in the sentence. Sometimes it repeats part of the citation to appear correct.
Examples:
VII. Wordy Citations:
Wordy citations include some or all of the bibliography in the text of the paper.
Example:
VIII. Misattributed Citations:
Misattributed citations use part of the bibliography to misattribute the material. Two common forms are to attribute the citation to the institution when the author of the publication is available or to attribute the citation to the editor of a collection, rather than the author of the particular article or chapter.
Examples:
Mark and cite each item as you write the paper. This is easiest if you use citation software. If you do not use citation software, you may want to keep your bibliography list in a separate document as you write your paper and format everything using http://www.citationmachine.net/apa
o Indentation and closed form (no double spacing) for quotes 6 lines or longer.
X. Inappropriate Practices
XI. A Practice that May Substantially Affect the Evaluation of Your Work
Excessive quotation – Quotation is not a substitute for writing your paper. Instructors’ opinions may vary, but unless instructed otherwise no paper should have anything near 50% quotation. Many instructors will consider 20% excessive. The author of these guides considers 10% or less likely appropriate.
XII. The Most Dangerous Practice
If you use copy/paste from any source there is a good chance that you will accidentally plagiarize material. Accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism. There are several ways to minimize (but not eliminate) this risk:
Your word processing software may suggest Roman numeral, alphabetical or symbolic footnote or endnote symbols. You are not a hostage to your software. You may have to learn how to change your options, but, with extremely rare exception, the correct footnote symbol is a superscript Arabic numeral. When using APA style, a few brief text endnotes may be appropriate. Footnotes are not.
II. Citation punctuation: It isn’t hard.
Example:
- RIGHT: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
- WRONG: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed.” (Blau, 1956, 56).
- ALSO WRONG: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed (Blau, 1956, 56).”
- ALSO WRONG: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed.” (Blau, 1956, 56)
Page numbers are required for quotes or paraphrases. Some styles may require page numbers more often. Style guides may or may not require "p." and "pp." before page numbers, or your instructor may make these optional. If unsure, ask your instructor. If you use them, use them correctly.
IV. Repeat citations
Repeat citations to the same work are not a problem with APA in line citation. If you use full bibliographical citations following, for example, Chicago guidance, that guidance tells you how and when to abbreviate the citation. Plagiarism software will likely mark incorrect full bibliographical citations as potentially plagiarized.
V. URLs (web links starting with "http:\\" "https:\\" or "www")
URLs should not appear as an alternative to correct citations. If they appear in your text, it should be because they serve as an appropriate noun in a sentence.
VI. Don’t split your citation.
A split citation puts part of a citation in one part of the sentence and another part elsewhere in the sentence. Sometimes it repeats part of the citation to appear correct.
Examples:
- WRONG: Peter Blau said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
- ALSO WRONG: Peter Blau said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (1956, 56).
- ALSO WRONG: Peter Blau (Blau, 1956, 56) said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed.”
- RIGHT: Peter Blau (1956, 56) said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed.”
- RIGHT: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
VII. Wordy Citations:
Wordy citations include some or all of the bibliography in the text of the paper.
Example:
- WRONG: In Bureaucracy in America, Dr. Peter Blau of the University of Chicago said, “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed.”
- RIGHT: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
VIII. Misattributed Citations:
Misattributed citations use part of the bibliography to misattribute the material. Two common forms are to attribute the citation to the institution when the author of the publication is available or to attribute the citation to the editor of a collection, rather than the author of the particular article or chapter.
Examples:
- WRONG: A University of Chicago study found that people are incorrect in their thinking about bureaucracy.
- RIGHT: “Bureaucracies are not such rigid structures as is popularly assumed” (Blau, 1956, 56).
- WRONG: “The second major element of program budgeting is its analytical process” (Novick, 1969, 310). [Novick is the editor.]
- RIGHT: “The second major element of program budgeting is its analytical process” (Steiner, 1969, 310). [Steiner is the author.]
Mark and cite each item as you write the paper. This is easiest if you use citation software. If you do not use citation software, you may want to keep your bibliography list in a separate document as you write your paper and format everything using http://www.citationmachine.net/apa
- Mark the beginning and end of every quote as you include it in your paper, never plan to go back and mark it later.
- Use correct quotation marking format:
o Indentation and closed form (no double spacing) for quotes 6 lines or longer.
- Convert double quotes in sources to single quotes for quotations within quotations.
- Never innovate in quotation marking.
- Always cite as you write.
- If you “copy and paste” to quote, cite the exact source of the copy immediately after copying.
- Never copy more than you plan to quote.
- Include every source of a citation in your bibliography.
- Never include anything else in your bibliography.
X. Inappropriate Practices
- Including any copy/paste material in your paper to be edited down.
- Failing to mark any quote.
- Failing to provide the citation including page number or other location information (if any is available) for any quote or significant paraphrase.
- Failing to include any citation source in your bibliography or including uncited material.
- Innovating in citation or quotation methods; or bibliography labeling, format or punctuation.
XI. A Practice that May Substantially Affect the Evaluation of Your Work
Excessive quotation – Quotation is not a substitute for writing your paper. Instructors’ opinions may vary, but unless instructed otherwise no paper should have anything near 50% quotation. Many instructors will consider 20% excessive. The author of these guides considers 10% or less likely appropriate.
XII. The Most Dangerous Practice
If you use copy/paste from any source there is a good chance that you will accidentally plagiarize material. Accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism. There are several ways to minimize (but not eliminate) this risk:
- Enter the citation into your draft document BEFORE you copy the material.
- Place quotation marks, " ", in your draft BEFORE you copy material.
- Select a location within the quotation marks to paste the material.
- Copy ONLY the material you intend to quote.
- Paste the material within the quote marks.