APA style and citations for dummies - Joe Giampalmi 2021

Student publishing: your goal as a serious writer
Updating and debugging: APA seventh edition
Conforming to standards: APA and the academic environment

The day I finished my last college course before graduation, I walked out of Wolfgram Memorial Library on the campus of Widener University (Chester, Pennsylvania), pumped my right fist into the air, and said aloud, “I’m going to write a book.” The first book, 15 years after graduation, was followed by a second book, third book, and this book — with more to follow. Between books, I wrote a twice-monthly newspaper column for 34 years, never missing a deadline. I graduated from college determined to write (with a day job).

“If you can dream it, you can do it,” said Walt Disney. We can all dream, but we don’t all “do.” If you dream with a plan, you increase your chances of achieving that plan. Research shows that you increase your chances of reaching goals if you write them on a piece of paper and carry them with you.

Writing chose me to publish, and if you have the inspiration, you can commit the perspiration. Seeing your writing published is like celebrating your 21st birthday, again, and again, and again. If writing doesn’t motivate you, discover another dream and pursue it. Your dream ends only when you stop pursuing it. But dream responsibly.

The APA manual provides guidelines for professional scholars to publish their scholarly works (see the nearby sidebar for more information). A number of high school and college students also published their writing while earning their degrees; they also continue to dream.

Propose an article (that you have thought about) on a topic you have experienced, or talk and read about regularly: a hobby, travel, music, sports, gaming, and so forth. Also consider topics relevant to college life: budgeting, time management, career planning, finance, socializing, volunteering, test taking, and so forth. Tell the editor you can deliver a 700-word article in four days.

You can find the basics of writing skills throughout this book: audience, purpose, focus, tone, transitions, and so forth. But your college audience expects more than the information-centered writing you submit to your professors. Your college audience also wants to be entertained and surprised, skills you can search online for “how writers entertain and surprise.” After you celebrate your first publication, ask if you can write a regular column for the remainder of the semester.

Chapter 9 surveys opportunities to publish online. If you’re serious about writing, which complements any career, write regularly and be persistent in publishing your writing. Published writers relentlessly pursue their writing goals. Your library has a copy of Writer’s Market, a resource listing hundreds of writing markets, magazines, and publishers who buy articles and other content. You have limitless opportunities to publish your writing. And you have no limits on how often you can celebrate your 21st birthday.

Asking questions before you start writing

To clarify your understanding of seventh edition upgrades and your professor’s preferences, ask your professor the following questions related to APA’s seventh edition:

· What edition of APA are you requiring?

· Which APA edition samples are you providing for class? For example, do samples have seventh edition updated requirements such as lack of running heads on the title page, use of singular “they,” and current formatting requirements for the annotated bibliography?

· Do you recommend any resources for learning APA and the seventh edition?