The APA format (American Psychological Association) is the format used for the College of Education at CalState San Bernardino. There are numerous sites on the internet which provide instruction and help for the writer who has not mastered this particular format. A good search engine to use to locate such sites would be http://www.google.com.
Evidences
1. Investigation: The internet investigation provided excellent sources and instruction that enabled this page to
be done. The main sites used were located on www.google.com. They include the three
listed above:
http://www.apsu.edu/~lesterj/CYBER4.HTM
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
http://www.thewritesource.com/APA/APA.HTM
These sites provided examples that were easy to understand and use as well as giving
information as to how to set up various sections of an APA paper. From these sites, I was
able to write examples for each section that is included in this web page using about the APA
format.
2. Engagement: The web sites that have information, examples, and instruction for using the APA format has
provided valuable information that I will use in writing my own thesis. However, the most
important aspect of this assignment has been reviewing various web sites for quality of
information. Each of the sites listed above provided excellent examples that could be adapted
to my own use for this assignment as well as for future reference. Each section of this
assignment required research and study and the examples that I have developed are simple,
clear, and easy to use. Furthermore, each example provides evidence of engagement in this
task so that anyone can look at them and know what they represent. Not only did I
investigate sites on the internet for information for this assignment, I also used reference
books when I had questions that I could not find answers to on the internet, i.e., some sites
required a membership registration and a fee to access the information. The two reference
books I reviewed are: A Writer's Reference, Fifth Edition, by Diana Hacker, and Mastering
APA Style, by Harold Gelfand & Charles J. Walker. Both proved invaluable as a reference
source for this assignment.
3. Reflection: Each stage of the development of this assignment has provided me with a clear understanding of
the differences between the APA format and the MLA Style which I have used as an English
teacher for 20 years. Not only can I use what I learned as I continue to write my thesis for my
master's degree, but I can easily help my own students develop skills in both APA and MLA so
that as they leave high school and enter college, they will have a basic foundation in both
formats. Students, high school and college, need the versatility that comes from mastering two
writing styles. Practice using both will provide an ability to move back and forth between them
and not confuse the differing elements. Since colleges are putting pressure on high schools to
ensure that incoming freshmen know how to write, i.e., do research, compose text, and use
writing styles, this assignment has made me reconsider the practices I use when teaching the
research paper. What will come of this reflection on my own teaching methods remains
unknown but it does open up new avenues to be considered before embarking on teaching the
research paper this year.