One of the primary objectives of this class is to teach you how to write in APA style. I have found that many students have difficulty writing an APA paper or essay correctly. If you write well, you do not need to follow this model or approach. However, if you have difficulty, I would urge you to use this approach to develop and write your essays.
Rule 1: In order to avoid plagiarism, you must learn the art of paraphrasing or rewriting referenced material in your own prose.
Rule 2: In order to write a paper or an essay, you need information. The more sources you have, the easier it is to write the paper. For example, if you are required to write a 5 page paper, you need 8-10 sources on the topic. If you have one or two books, all you will do is copy the material.
Rule 3: You must give credit to your sources. Whether you are directly quoting or using the ideas expressed by your sources, you must cite the sources.
Rule 4: Use the format below to develop your paper. The Objectives Sentence will be the guide to your presentation.
The introductory paragraph should have a minimum of five sentences, one of each of the following type: (1) Topic or Thesis Sentence(s), (2) Data Support Sentence(s), (3)Summary-Support Sentence(s), (4) Summary-Opposition Sentence(s), and (5) the Objectives Sentence
General Structured Approach to Writing an APA Paper.
General, when you are required to write an APA formatted paper for a behavioral science class, i.e., social work, sociology, psychology, etc., you are being asked to review the literature. In some cases, you may be asked to evaluate critically or you may be asked to give your opinion. In either case, the approach should be the same. You should write in the third-person or objective case and not the first person. Second, if you are to give your opinion, you should use your sources to support your opinion. Following is a format that I developed based on my reading of hundreds of papers while a graduate student. There is a template that most authors follow.
I. Topic or thesis sentence(s)
You should have one, two or three well-developed sentences that outline the thesis or topic of paper. How many sentences depend on the complexity of the subject or topic. However, at the end of the the(se) (one, two or three sentences), you should have citations.
II. Data Support Sentence(s): Note: What you will found is that for any of the current major issues, there are lots of data to support your topic sentence. Find sources to support your introductory statements and cite this support.
If the topic sentence could be supported with statistical data, you should include it at this point.
Examples: Many supporters of welfare reform claimed that Temporary Assistance for Needed Families Act (TANF) has been a major success (Lastname1, 2010; Lastname2, 2009). As reported by Shief and Erikson (1999), A…there has been a 52% decrease in the welfare roll since 1996 when the law was passed@ (p. 110). However, critics of TANF claimed that this success is an illusion (Jenet, 2009; Muss, 2006; Milford and Jones, 2001).
III. Summary-Support Sentences
For any topic you choose, you will find studies that either support or oppose the particular issue. In whatever order you like, you should give a summary of some of the support and opposition and cite these sources.
Proponents of affirmative action rejected these claims, citing the study by the Department of Labor which found that reverse discrimination was rare in employment (Struss and Jabcoby, 2001). Others have shown that White women have benefited more from affirmative action policies and programs than any other protected group (Department of Labor, 2003; Smith and Larson, 2001).
IV. Summary-Opposition Sentences
There have been many criticisms of affirmative action policies and programs (Herrnstein and Murray, 1996; DeKlerk, 1999; Jensen, 2001). Among these criticisms is the charge that affirmative action is reversed discrimination, that is, unqualified African-Americans were employed while better qualified Whites were rejected (Thomas, 1997; Sowell, 1997; Herrnstein and Murray, 1996).
V. Objectives Sentence
The last sentence of the introductory paragraph should be a statement of the purposes or objectives of the paper. It should be developed as an outline of the presentation that follows. For example:
The objectives of this paper are (1) to define affirmative action, (2) to present arguments in favor of affirmative action, (3) to present arguments in opposition to affirmative action, and to (4) to present my personal conclusions and opinions.
(Paragraph Assign.) Is the first introduction paragraph I did for this assigment so please use it and work on the rest from that.
