Term Paper (1) Instructions and APA Format

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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/in
  dex.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_Pa
  ge
• - 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.as
  px?doc_id796
• 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 PaperTitle Page
10
The sections for your Term PaperBody of the
paper
11
The sections for your Term PaperBody of the
paper (cont.)
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The sections for your Term PaperReference
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The sections for your Term PaperReference
(cont.)

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

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 sections for your Term PaperReference
(cont.)

• 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/apas
  tyle.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_style2r
  eset1here

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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