Can anyone one help with APAstyle,formatting,referencing and brainstorming techniques?

Answer 1

There are a variety of essay formats that are appropriate for writing an essay.

Two of the more common include the Five-Paragraph Essay and the Thesis/Support Essay. Either of these formats is appropriate for this course.

Five Paragraph Essay: The five paragraph essay is a classic essay format which, as a model, can be used effectively throughout this course. In the five-paragraph essay you are responsible for creating an introductory and concluding paragraph along with three supporting or body paragraphs that advance the position you articulate in your introduction. For more information on writing the five-paragraph essay click on the following links:

The Five-Paragraph Essay available at http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/five_par.htm

This link takes you to a document in The Guide to Grammar and Writing explaining the elements of the five-paragraph essay complete with an example.

The Five Paragraph Essay Handout available at http://www.studygs.net/5paragraph_edit.htm

This link provides access to a handout, produced by Joe Landberger of St. Thomas University, on constructing the five paragraph essay.

Thesis/Support Essay: A thesis/support essay is also an extremely effective essay format (and one that can be written as a five-paragraph essay, but can also be more extensive or less extensive). It is one in which you advance a thesis or proposition statement and support it clearly and concisely. They are useful for short essays because they “open up and expand upon a single main point” (Gifford, 1996). The basic components and requirements of the thesis/support essay can be retrieved by clicking on the following link:

Writing an Essay with a Thesis Statement available at http://www.cmsu.edu/writingcenter/stand87.htm

This link provides access to a very brief document provided by Central Missouri State University on the components and processes involved in the thesis/support essay.


Citing Your Sources

If you use supporting evidence from outside resources you should cite these references using the guidelines established in the APA style guide.

For more information on using the APA style guide simply click on the links below.

Using APA

Guide For Writing Research Papers Based on Styles Recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA)
http://wwwold.ccc.commnet.edu/apa/
This is a rich site from Capital Community College providing information on using APA style.

Landmark’s Citation Machine
http://citationmachine.net/

Citation machine is an interactive tool from Landmark that is designed to assist you in formatting citations properly.

Using APA Format
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html

From the Purdue University Online Writing Lab, this page provides links to numerous handouts and resources on using APA style.

Answer 2

APA style refers to the documentation, formatting, and referencing techniques approved by the American Psychological Association for use in research publications. It is commonly used in graduate and some undergraduate studies in psychology, education, and other social sciences.

The current APA manual of style is available for purchase through bookstores. Afaik, there is no online version.

[wife is a Professor of Education and supervises dissertations]

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As to brainstorming ... if the project or task does not require solo activity, there is long documented history that small groups produce better quality ideas and more of them.

The number of people should be limited to between three and five unless you have special training in group techniques.

You'll want everyone to be interested in and engaged with the subject. A time limit is usually helpful as sessions longer than a couple of hours seem anti-productive.


There are numerous well documented techniques to get you generating ideas ... I advise trying everything you see or can think of in these small groups -- you can't know what will spark someone's creative idea.

Be certain sure to record somehow the notions that come up -- forgotten ideas are about as useful as ones that were never thought.


GL

Answer 3

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