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Term Paper(1) Instructions and APA Format

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Term Paper• What is Term Paper = Research Paper• What is the topic = you choose• What is length = 1800 words (around 6-

7 pages)• When is it due = April 23 (rough), May 14

(final)• How many points = 100 (rough), 100 (final)• How many sources = 4 minimum, ideally

more• Where do I find sources =

- The Skeptic Magazine - http://www.skeptic.com/index.html- Skeptical Inquiry - http://www.csicop.org/- James Randi Educational Foundation - http://www.randi.org/- PEST - http://www.scottsdalecc.edu/ricker/pests/- Critical Thinking Community - http://www.criticalthinking.org/- The Skeptics Dictionary - http://skepdic.com/- Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page- Google Scholar - http://scholar.google.com/

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Term Paper• How do I write a Term Paper =

- critically evaluate a single topic in-depth- see handout for possible questions to

ask/answer- develop an outline or structure- use our “Critically Thinking Toolbox”- use APA format

• How will the paper be graded =- see handout

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What is “APA format”• APA style officially refers to The Publication

Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is a style manual of over 430 pages now in its fifth edition.

• It is published by the “American Psychological Association” (APA), which is the main scholarly organization for academic psychologists in the United States.

• With millions of copies sold, it is the style manual for students and professors in psychology, sociology, business, economics, nursing, social work, and justice administration, and other disciplines.

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What do I have to know about “APA format”

• There are 1000s of rules and guidelines described in the APA Publication Manual…

• I will first provide an overview of APA format so that you can learn the basics behind how to use APA format when writing a paper.

• I will then explain what you need to know to write your Term Paper.

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Basic Formatting Rules• There is a common set of formatting for

all pages:• Paper – 8.5 x 11 inches• Margins – 1 inch on all sides• Page numbers – top right • Major Headings – centered, capitalize words• Spacing – double-spaced throughout paper• Font size – 12-point font• Font Type – Time Roman• Indentation – Indent when starting new paragraph

• Here are some websites that provide a concise overview of essential formatting rules:• http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc

_id=796• http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/apa-crib.html• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

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Predetermined order of pages

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Typical sections in an “empirical paper”

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The sections for your Term Paper:

Title Page

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The sections for your Term Paper:

Body of the paper

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The sections for your Term Paper:

Body of the paper (cont.)

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The sections for your Term Paper:

Reference

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• The formatting of a reference is very specific. Here is the format for a Magazine Article

The sections for your Term Paper:

Reference (cont.)

Posner, M.I. (1993, October 29). Seeing the mind. Science, 262, 673-674.

Notice- Name = Last Name, then initials for first name and middle name- When = (year, month day). End with a period.- Title = capitalize only first word. End with a period.- Magazine = italicized- Issue = italicized- Pages = end with a period.

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• The formatting is different for each “type” of reference, such as journal article, book, new article, etc.

• Here are some websites that provide a concise overview of how to format each type of reference• http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/about/instruct/apasty

le.html• http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/apa

.html• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/

• Here is a website that formats the reference for you:• http://citationmachine.net/index.php?

new_style=2&reset=1#here

The sections for your Term Paper:

Reference (cont.)

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Writing Exercise #4• You will use our Critical Thinking

Toolbox to examine an article for your Term Paper.

• 1-3 page double-spaced typed paper that analyzes the arguments for and against the topic of the article

• You must use APA format