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Location of this page: http://onlineacademics.org/APA.html If a link doesn't work, show initiative, conduct a key word search, and find explanations on the Internet to help yourself.
The field of Communication Studies emphasizes clear and precise written communication. Part of your learning needs to demonstrate the communication course content, and part of your learning needs to demonstrate that you can communicate effectively through the written context. This field uses the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. Graduate students and Organizational Communication majors will want to own a copy for reference. Please avoid a book that summarizes or teaches APA, and instead use the actual APA manual so the information is correct. APA (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Many online sources I’ve read contain inaccuracies about APA style. If you use an online source instead of the actual manual, use the Purdue University OWL, click here.
ABBREVIATIONS need to be avoided and instead use whole, precise words (e.g., used advertisement instead of ad, television instead of TV). Sometimes you will see a journal article give a complete term, then use an abbreviation in parens, like this: "Virtual Factory Teaching System (VFTS)." Using this kind of abbreviation in a brief report makes reading more difficult. Use the full and correct terms for clarity and ease of reading.
In 100-150 words, explain the purpose of the paper, the method of investigation, and the findings.
Please use an academic style in your core assessment, which means citing peer-reviewed information, using formal writing style, and critical thinking and scientific logic. No opinion. You cannot use first person, so may find you need to use passive voice to avoid reference to yourself. Instead of saying "I studied three Internet social networking communities," you would say "Three Internet social networking communities were studied." If you must refer to yourself, call yourself "this author" or "this researcher." If a point can be argued, you should be able to argue both sides of the argument just as effectively, not just the side of your personal opinion. Academic style is unbiased, so use careful, systematic, and logical procedures within the prescribed method. Here is a helpful site about academic writing, although the site is from the UK, so they use punctuation differences, which is inappropriate in US writing http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/feature/objectiv.htm
ACADEMIC TONE and language used needed. Use precise, formal, written style instead of writing like casual conversation. Here is a website that may help. http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/tone.htm
ACTIVE VOICE
NEEDED.
For active voice sentence
structure, the subject comes first, then the verb. Learn more about active
voice.
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html#11
AGREEMENT
needed
AMERICAN can be interpreted as an ethnocentric term because there are many nations in north, central, and South American countries. Please use US American.
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) style is the required style manual of this course http://www.apastyle.org/ . The style manual in the field of Communication Studies is this publication manual: APA (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. You will want to use correct citations, reference list, and other APA style elements, click here. There are also online sources available to help you, such as http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
ARTIFACT NEEDS TO BE CITED with an APA parenthetical citation the first time you mention the artifact. An artifact is a document under study (e.g., webpage, speech, a series of advertisements in a media campaign). If you have not learned APA parenthetical citation style, see http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html ARTIFACT NEEDS TO BE REFERENCED in correct APA style. APA requires that you cite the artifact. For a webpage, you need all the information required by APA style. You will probably have to look on multiple pages, including "Contact Us." For a film, you can find the information on the DVD box or on the Internet. More information http://www.lib.usm.edu/research/guides/apa.html Here is a quote on the topic: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
ATTACHMENTS in electronic form are probably inappropriate for the report itself because of the potential for a virus, unless you provide a PDF file. You can use the print function in Word to create a PDF file.
BIASED LANGUAGE needs to be removed. APA, for example, says you cannot use the word “interesting” because the word shows opinion. About ethnicity http://www.apastyle.org/race.html Avoid sexist language: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_nonsex.html
Here's a great site recommended for business majors. Take a look http://www.business.umt.edu/faculty/herron/writing_hints.htm
But should be preceded by a comma and never used as first word of a sentence in formal writing.
Capitalization needs to be used correctly. Always capitalize proper nouns. Internet, for example, is a proper noun and capitalized. Capitalize after a colon (the stem before the colon should be a complete thought. Students often make capitalization mistakes in the reference list. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/592/1/
CITE EVERYTHING BORROWED OR QUOTED
Citations
needed more frequently. Cite the source of ALL information in your report. No opinion please. You can cite a large piece of paraphrased information by
saying: According to Neer-- put all the information here--end with date to show
closure (2005). Academic integrity, although another university’s policy, true in any case: http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/chapter5/print5-02.shtml APA citation style, click here.
Clarity of style is needed. See http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/write_cn/style.htm
Comma needs correct use. Here are some cites that will give you information. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/advice/usingcommas.htm http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#2 http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commaint.html
COMMUNICATION AND MASS MEDIA
COMPLETE
Narrow your focus to communication theory. This assignment asks you to write a report in communication. That means you need a highly specific topic and question. A more narrow focus, written in your own words, with clear and specific examples and evidence will help in your next report. Use Communication and Mass Media Complete (EBSCO) database to find sources and make sure the journal article has the word "communication" or a closely related word in the title.
COMPLETE SENTENCES
CONJUNCTIONS
Contractions need to be avoided in formal style. http://myweb.lmu.edu/fjust/THST/WritingTips.htm
A dash is two hyphens. The dash needs to be used correctly. http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/dash.htm
DETAILS
You will want to use a scientific approach to analysis, which uses an objective examination. Within the assignment's length limit, you will want to develop or expand ideas. A narrow, well-developed idea is worth far more than over-generalized, superficial ideas of ideas that fail to fit together. For a short report, you need a clear and specific focal point with adequate explicit evidence to develop your content. Idea development works well when you focus to support your position, provide details, evidence, or examples. You can develop your ideas through proof, analysis, examination, investigation, or scientific scrutiny. Here are three types of idea development.
Here are words that suggest you are developing your ideas: Additionally, also, besides, further, in addition, then. Here is a web sites that may give you ideas about this process of idea development, click here.
DOUBLE-SPACE EVERYTHING Every line of the document needs to be double-spaced to increase the ease of reading and editing. Double-space block direct quotes and the reference list. Additional lines between paragraphs need to be removed. To remove those lines, highlight your document (Ctrl A), then go to Format in the upper left of Microsoft Word, Select Paragraph, use the dropdown menu to go to Spacing. For Before, select zero (0). For After, select zero (0). For Line Spacing, select Double.
Ellipses should be avoided at the beginning and ending of quotations. Use ellipses correctly. There is one space between each period. Quotations need to be integrated into writing style. http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/aro/res_writing_and_preparing/miniapa.htm#Ellipses
ESSAY WRITING Use focus, development, and organization. Use your own words. Be concrete and organize by ideas, not sources cited. See the Park guidelines: http://www.park.edu/Support/basics.asp
ETC.
FOCUS ON HUMAN COMMUNICATION Clearly focus on a narrow aspect of human communication, which is relevant to the content studied in your course.
FORMAT OF ELECTRONIC FILE FOR SUBMISSION TO PROFESSOR You cannot expect your professor to be able to open every format of electronic file. Here are formats typically accepted: Microsoft Office Suite, PDF, txt, rtf. If you are using a different software, simply use your Save or Print function to save the file to a readable format.
FORMAL STYLE
FORMATTING REMOVAL
Sometimes a
file contains strange formatting, which can be particularly serious
if html formatting is in the file. To remove formatting, you can use
the program Notepad.
Get should be avoided. Use a more specific and precise verb and a formal style.
Gender neutral language is needed. APA requires unbiased language, such as "he or she." “Girl” refers to a child. Please reread your APA style manual’s section on avoiding language bias. For example, refer to adult females as women, not as ladies or girls. See http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~opa/pubs/ed_style_guide/language.html
GRAMMAR CHECK
Please clarify your organizational pattern by using headings or titles inside your assignment. By using headings, the reader will immediately know the essence of the writing in each section. Even a very short written people is clarified by the use of headings. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/parts/headings.html
Organization of Proposal or Project (Use the underlined words as headings. Underlined = Italics)
Title Page Use a running head and page number in upper right corner. Doublespace everything. Abstract Introduction This is the background to the problem. A. Research question. 1. A brief history of your interest in the area. 2. Specify unresolved issues, theoretical questions, and/or social concerns. 3. Rationale for the study. B. Review of Literature. For our purposes, this can be quite brief. You can use the same five peer-reviewed journal articles you use for the final exam. You can also use the textbook. C. Problem Statement -- 1. Identify variables (independent or cause and dependent or effect variables). 2. Delineate the research problem to explain the relationships expected among variables (research questions or hypotheses). Method 1. Description of Method a. Describe why the research method is used (e.g., content analysis and observation of online community). b. Description of the groups studied and how studied. 2. SurveyMonkey Instrument a. Operational definitions in your own words (e.g., online community, social networking, Facebook, interpersonal communication). b. Exact wording for email sent out. c. Instrument – rationale for the measure used. 3. Participants and procedures a. Selection of subjects (i.e., who and how to get them -- sampling procedure). b. Explain how materials were distributed. c. Describe how data was collected. d. Describe how data was analyzed. Results Information about the 1-3 online communities you studied. Data or tables from the survey. Only facts. No opinions. Discussion Make inferential leaps. The material you would have put in the analysis papers or reflections should be integrated here. What do the results mean? What are the limitations of your study? What further research is needed? References (APA style. Everything cited in the paper needs to be in reference list and everything in reference list needs to be cited. Include 5 peer-reviewed journal articles. Appendix Appendices may include the survey measure, printout of survey results, screenshot of the webpage of groups studied, or other material that supports your action research project report.
HEDGES
However should be avoided as a sentence beginning and integrated appropriately within the sentence. I and we should be avoided, as any personal pronouns are inappropriate in formal academic writing style.
Because an interview cannot be referenced by the reader, the interview does NOT go in the reference list. Instead, information is given in the text of your writing. "According to interpersonal communication theorist J. T. Wood, standpoint theory . . . (personal conversation, May 17, 2009).
The first and last sentence(s) of your writing needs to be substantive and clear because they are probably the most important sentences of your writing. Make sure they are strong and grammatically correct. Some students mistakenly believe that the introduction and conclusion should be fluff or unnecessary content. The function of the introduction is to orient the reader to your research report. You will want to provide brief background and clearly indicate your thesis or research question. Make your problem statement absolutely clear. The Conclusions or Discussion section is not a typical conclusion. This section contains inferences about the findings of your research and is your opportunity to make sure the reader understood the essence of the ideas and information the reader read. The function of the conclusion is to make sure the reader understands the essence of your report, including the limitations of your research and suggestions for further research.
"It" is a vague pronoun, which should be replaced with a specific noun.
Italics need to be used correctly to indicate a title or identify a specific word. Look up in your APA manual how to use italics. http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/italics.htm
JOURNAL REFERENCE
Language bias needs to be avoided. Please reread that section of your APA manual. See http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~opa/pubs/ed_style_guide/language.html
The method is the exact observational procedures used in the scientific investigation. Describe the research design, including the procedures, participants, artifacts. http://allpsych.com/researchmethods/methods.html
Your professor may be working with dozens of student files for your course, so your file needs a clearly descriptive name, which begins with your last name. Extremely long names can create problems, but the name needs to be descriptive. An example descriptive file name is as follows: AitkenJoanCA514FinProjF08Ver2.doc
Negatives should be avoided (use failed rather than did not, for example).
Objectivity needed in your report. Research suggests that people are highly selective in their communication, a bias we are trying to overcome in this course. Use a scientific, academic approach instead of biased language, personal opinion, or personal perceptions. Research suggests that people selectively pay attention, selectively expose themselves to artifacts, selectively attach meaning, and selectively remember messages in ways that are consistent with their personal points of view, individual experiences, and unique mental constructs. What this selectivity means is that your personal opinion prevents you from effectively processing communication that is different from your point of view. The problem of selectivity is the crux of why the rhetorical critic considers a variety of controversial messages, while using a scientific approach. Unfortunately, people prefer to have their view of reality in balance and generally are unable to analyze rhetoric without simply applying personal bias. Research suggests, for example, that you avoid incongruous messages, people you do not like, and objects that you find offensive.
Use APA style to correctly cite and reference online sources. Cite by author and date (Author, Year), then reference as shown here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/
ORGANIZATION Here is a useful site about coherence in your report. http://www2.marianopolis.edu/styleguide/1.htm This site explains typical overall structure of a report. http://english.montana.edu/wc/info/strategies/report_parts.html
Organize your report according to ideas,
not according to research articles. Here is a site that explains how to write a
review of literature:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/literature_review.html . Notice
the section entitled "Find a Focus."
Commonly used metaphors, phrases, and trite sayings need to be avoided.
When I teach most public relations or business writing, I recommended extremely short paragraphs. In report and academic writing, however, I expect longer, more idea-packed paragraphs. Even if you think your report is too short for headings (less than one page), you will want to have your key ideas in statement form, with each one at the beginning of a paragraph. Each paragraph needs a topic sentence, followed by information clearly relevant to the topic sentence. In the paragraph you will want to explain, clarify, expand, or give evidence. In the last sentence of a paragraph, you may want to provide a connection to the next paragraph. Examine this information on effective paragraphing. http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html#10 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_pgrph2.html http://web.odu.edu/al/wts/parau.htm
PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS NEEDED. You will want to use correct parenthetical citation style throughout your assignment and use a correct reference listing at the end of your assignment, which most instructors consider a basic requirement. The source of all ideas needs to be documented (cited) in your report to avoid plagiarism, whether you paraphrased, directly quoted, or stated generally. If you quote directly, you need quotation marks and a citation. APA uses parenthetical style with the last names of all authors and the year (Avery, Roberts, & Park, 2004). Make sure you give the exact page (p.) or paragraph (para.) for all direct quotations or information paraphrased from a book. In APA, for example, at the end of a general idea, paraphrased idea, or direct quote, you still use an author citation such as this one: (Neer & Shedletsky, 2005, p. 342). You can indicate a large block of information from one source by saying, "According to Neer and Shedletsky . . . " Then at the very end, give the year or page number like this (2005, p. 342).
Conduct your research in EBSCO's Communication and Mass Media Complete http://www.park.edu/library/ You have to have the PDF reader software on your computer, so install Adobe PDF reader. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html This is a free and safe download. The way Adobe works is you download the desired PDF file to your computer, then open Adobe PDF reader, then use the open option from Adobe to open the file from your computer. Do NOT open the file on the Internet.
Provide PDF files to support your report.
Use the following this procedure of attaching
articles to your report. Remember, an attachment can contain a virus, so
I recommend that you never open an attachment on your personal computer.
Use html files whenever possible because you can cut-and-paste them and because
they cannot carry a virus.
Use recent, peer-reviewed journal articles. Avoid articles before 2000, unless they are key, foundational works. For something like the Internet, focus on research no more than a few years old.
A peer-reviewed or scholarly source is one that has been evaluated by several scholars and deemed appropriate for a scholarly journal article.
Reviews and opinion editorials even in a scholarly journal are not scholarly articles. Scholarly articles are based on scientific research. Please read this course information thoroughly http://a.web.umkc.edu/aitkenj/PeerReviewedSources.html
When writing academic or research reports, students lack the scholarly knowledge and experience in scientific methodologies to simply express their opinions. Therefore students need to ground their writing in a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles for each major idea, which are a student’s best chance of finding quality information. By using a minimum of three articles for each major idea, the reader can anticipate some balance in the research presented.
When you use a database search, you must check “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” for each database for that function to work! Peer-reviewed--also called scholarly or refereed—journal articles are required in quality college scholarship (reports, core assessments, speech presentations). Primary sources and peer-reviewed sources are the most acceptable sources. If you do not know what primary and peer-reviewed sources are, please learn about them as soon as possible http://www.suffolk.edu/sawlib/instruction_modules/scholarly_articles/scholarly.htm http://library.csumb.edu/instruction/howto/peerreview.php http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/users/jpfander/primary.html Generally, if there is no author, the article is not peer-reviewed.
You must cite the sources of all information. Use and cite three peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles in each report in this course. By definition, if you fail to cite the sources of all information—including paraphrased information--you are plagiarizing! In order to pass the WCT, each student has to demonstrate that she or he knows how to use parenthetical citation style from APA or a similar method. Avoiding Plagiarism: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/ Academic integrity, although another university’s policy, true in any case: http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/chapter5/print5-02.shtml APA citation style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#Handling%20Quotes%20In%20Your%20Text
POSSESSIVE CASE needs correct use. Possessive means ownership. Do not use an apostrophe just because something is plural. See http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#1 http://grammar.uoregon.edu/case/posscase.html or http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000364.htm POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000023.htm It's = it is possessive case of it = its one's = possessive of one.
Primary sources are valid sources for scholarship, such as the manuscript of a speech a student analyzes in a report. These primary sources must be cited according to the style manual you are using in your course. See http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html or http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/
Explain the communication problem under study. http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/540_lec_problem.html
PRONOUNS
PUNCTUATION INSIDE QUOTATION MARKS Punctuation inside quotation marks according to US writing style is needed. Please read this information http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/quotation.htm
Punctuation needs to be after the parentheses at the end of a sentence. See http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/apa.html “APA documentation uses parenthetical references within the text of your research paper to cite sources (Rosen & Behrens, 1997). (<-- Like that!)”
QUESTIONS The only question in your paper should be your research question. No one knows how people will answer questions designed for thought or stimulus, so avoid them in a research report. Statements are clearer than questions, so make statements in your research report.
Quotations. Use direct quotations only when the author writes more effectively than you do. You will have a clearer and more consistent piece if you write the words. Of course you still need to cite the source of all information, even when paraphrased. Cite the page number for all direct quotations. Block quotations are indented five spaces from the left and still double-spaced. To improve your style, you may want to see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html
Everything in the reference list must be cited by parenthetical citation in the text of the report, outline or PowerPoint slide. The reference list is titled "References," at the top of the page. The list is alphabetical with no numbering. The second line of each is a hanging indent of five spaces or 1/2 inch. If you don't know how to create hanging paragraphs, click here. Scroll down to "Create a hanging indent." Here is the style for the reference list:
JournalAuthor, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article in sentence capitalization style. Title of Periodical in Title Capitalization Style, volume number(issue number), pages.The vast majority of your research should be peer-reviewed journal articles in communication or a clearly relevant field.
BookAuthor, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also begins subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Webpage Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of publication). Title of document in sentence capitalization style. Place of Publication: Publisher. Retrieved month date, year, from http://Web address. Remember, use only Internet sources from high quality government or institutional sources, which you know your professor will approve.
Referent should be used for "this," "these" (e.g., this barrier, these couples). To read more about pronoun referents: http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/WritingGuide/11prnref.htm
Academic reports
are information-packed, with no
unsubstantiated opinion. Reports clearly cite and reference the sources of
all information.
Please start your report with a research question. The research question should guide the entire report so that the report is a coherent whole. Answer the question and only answer the question in your report. Use only one question in your report and make all other statements just that: Statements. The question should have these characteristics: open-ended (cannot be answered with a yes or no), unbiased, focused (specific and concrete), and answerable in a brief report. The research question should enable you to approach the topic with the attitude of an objective scientist. Here is a useful site about productive research questions. http://users.ipfw.edu/blythes/teach/quest.htm
The review of literature shows the key ideas of relevant scientific research. The review is organized by topics and cites the works of various authors. Show how the research body provides a coherent foundation for the topic of study. Make sure the research is recent and clearly relevant to the topic under investigation. Use up-to-date (2000 or more recent), peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles in your your review of literature. Avoid opinion pieces, reviews, Internet sources, magazines, popular books, newspapers, and similar sources. http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/writing_center/grlitreview.html http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL21LIT.HTM
Today, you can use online databases to find top quality, full-text, periodicals. In about a hour using a tutorial or obtaining help from a reference librarian, you can learn to use scholarly databases so that you can research high quality sources. Take the time to learn for this course and this skill will serve you well.
Plagiarism. Everything paraphrased or directly quoted must be cited parenthetically AND contained in the reference list. Give page number of all direct quotes. Failure to credit information is considered plagiarism (see Park policy).
Cite the source of everything in the report—general information, paraphrased information, and direct quotations--using APA style with author, date, and page for all information. You need to cite the source of every piece of information, including the time, date, and network of a speech viewed on television, for example.
With all direct quotations, you need the exact page (p.) or paragraph (para.) in the parenthetical citation. In many cases, paraphrasing the quotation in your own words will improve your writing style.
Since refers to time. For clarity, use because to mean because.
SINGLE SPACE AFTER PERIOD In APA style, a single space is used after each word and at the end of each sentence. Most of us were taught to use two spaces after a period. Remember that publishers want to save space (pages and money), so the logic is to remove extra spaces. You can correct the spacing after you finish your file by using the Edit - Replace function of Word. Put in two spaces in the Find function and put one space in the Replace function.
You need to change
smart quotes (the curly quotations and
apostrophes) to regular quotes. Because Blackboard cannot read the smarts
quotes, question marks appear throughout your report making the report confusing
and difficult to read. Go into your word processor and change all curly quotes
to standard quotes. By using your word processor's "help" function, you can
figure out how to make the change. Microsoft Word automatically changes
straight quotation marks (' or ") to curly (smart or typographer's) quotes ( 1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options, and then click the AutoFormat As You Type tab. 2. Under Replace as you type, select or clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box. Note You can find and replace all instances of single or double curly quotes with straight quotes in your document. To do this, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box on the AutoFormat As You Type tab. On the Edit menu, click Replace. In both the Find what and Replace with boxes, type ' or ", and then click Find Next or Replace All.
As a college student and scholar, you need to use the highest quality sources. Use these sources in your research.
APA uses past or present perfect tense through the beginning portions of the research report and present tense in the Discussion. The idea is that everything has already happened (past tense) or began in the past and continues in the present (present perfect). In the discussion, the intention is to have the reader think through the implications with the author.
I prefer a single open-ended question to guide
a report, but many instructors prefer a thesis statement. You might want to put
"red flags" around your thesis statement, such as one of the following: "The
purpose of this report is . . ." or "The key idea of this report is . . .” or
"The thesis of this report is . . . " There are websites that give advice on
creating a thesis statement. I have provided options in case a website fails to
work. http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/thesistatement.html http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/thesis.htm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_thesis.html
Transitions. Effective transitions help the reader to link ideas. Many instructors like transitions between paragraphs or key ideas. If your paper has three key ideas, you can begin one paragraph saying "First," the next paragraph is "Second." This strategy helps signal the reader that she or he is reading a key point. There are some excellent information sites online about creating effective transitions. http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/transitions.html http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/EffectiveTransitions.html http://writing.colostate.edu/references/processes/organize/pop6a.cfm
Although you may have learned to use sentence variety in your writing, there is one structure that is the strongest: subject then verb. When you use the active voice--subject then verb--the reader is clear who does what. One exception is when you perceive yourself as the subject. Avoid saying "I feel. . . ." If you write the concept, unless you cite the source, the reader assumes that the writer believes what she or he writes. Most instructors want students to write in a formal, academic style that avoids the use of personal pronouns. Remember, specific nouns are always clearer and more precise than pronouns. You will also benefit from using a consistent tense. Because all action happened in the past (past tense) or began in the past (present perfect tense), those two tenses will provide all the tenses you need. Sometimes, to suggest the reader should think along with the author, the present tense is appropriate.
Verb parts are usually kept together in formal style. http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/splitinfinitives
Writing Resources. Here is a useful writing resource http://www.fccj.edu/kentlc/english.htm#websites
"YOU"
NEEDS TO BE AVOIDED
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. http://onlineacademics.org Information taken from APA (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Aitken, J. E. (2008). APA writing and research. Kansas City, MO: OnlineAcademics.Org. Retrieved day, month year from http://onlineacademics.org/APA.html
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