APA Research Paper Format - How to Write Using Sources
Hi, this is David and we're going to take a quick look at a sample essay that uses sources. Our goal is to examine the techniques used by the student author, Jane Doe, to integrate research into her expository essay done in APA style. Let's get started. First, note that in APA style, all major sections have a subtitle on top of them. In this five paragraph essay, the main sections are a single paragraph. So that's where you will see the titles and subtitles. The first paragraph is the introduction paragraph, and you see the repetition of the main title from the title page on top of the intro paragraph. This is standard APA style. Next comes the introduction paragraph itself, which serves several functions. It provides background context for the topic. It generates reader interest. But the primary goal of the introduction paragraph is to introduce the thesis, which should come at or near the end of the paragraph. Let's read Jane's thesis and examine how she led up to it. Thesis. The result is that prison overcrowding is a serious financial burden for Americans. So, this is the overall concept, the controlling idea that the essay will illustrate, corroborate, and hopefully present a convincing case for. Let's return to the beginning of the intro to see how she led up to this thesis. She begins, Something needs to be done about prison overcrowding and the lack of rehabilitation programs. Let's label these green. For they are Jane's thoughts and opinions expressed in her own words. Next, without proper rehabilitation, prisoners become repeat offenders. These are also Jane's words. Next sentence. This means we have to build new facilities just to keep up with the overcrowding. Now, this sentence, the current cost to our nation to incarcerate inmates is $75 billion per year, which is expected to quadruple in the next decade. Crawford 2010. This is clearly statistical information associated with a single source, Crawford, and so must be cited. Notice that Jane chose not to quote from Crawford, but to put the stats in her own sentence.
This is a good choice. Because quotations should be used only when the original wording is important for some reason. Finally, it's easy to see a strong justification for the use of the source's statistics. Jane's subject is the financial burden of the prison system. So it was important for her to establish right away the numbers that support this notion of financial burden. To summarize, in her introduction, Jane used a single source in an effective way, summarized instead of quoted, for an important reason: to provide clarification of what she meant by financial burden. And this in-text citation, Crawford 2010, refers to the full reference citation on the references page at the end of the paper. Let's turn now to Jane's first body paragraph with the APA level one subheading Rehabilitation. Note that in this paragraph, Jane uses the classic formula for a body paragraph in an expository essay. That formula is: State the main point of the paragraph, explain or elaborate on the main point, support the main point, then conclude the paragraph, typically with your own words. Let's read the paragraph's stated main point. First, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because prisoners are not getting enough rehabilitation to transition back to society. So, the point is stated in Jane's own words, colored green, and becomes the point that the paragraph will have to develop and support to a convincing degree: lack of rehabilitation. In the explain/elaborate sentence Jane writes, The responsibility of the Bureau of Prisons is to safely confine its prisoner population; however, another mission of the Bureau is to rehabilitate. But then Jane does something smart. She chooses one of the experts who know about the dual role of the Bureau of Prisons to add the voice of authority to her paragraph. She summarizes the opinion of an expert named Pavis in her first support sentence: We must provide inmates with skills that will aid them in their ability to readjust after being released .
When we check on the reference page citation, we see that Pavis was writing for an academic journal. What you see at this point in Jane's paragraph is another common use of research: To support a point you have just stated in your own words. Doing so shows that what you assert is accepted by experts in this field, and therefore your assertion is given credibility. Now, let's look at Jane's next two sentences. Most inmates come to jail with little or no education at all. Once released, these prisoners are right back where they started from. Again, due to her research and thinking on the topic, Jane has formed some specific opinions. These opinions belong to her and are expressed in her own words. But because this is an academic research essay, Jane also knows that she must add the voices of published authorities to support her assertions. In this case, she chooses an article that Talbot published in 2008. Let's read this quotation, and see if there is justification for using the author's exact words to take up space in Jane's paper. Talbot states, many will be drug abusers who received no treatment for their addiction while on the inside; sex offenders who got no counseling; and illiterate high school dropouts who took no classes and acquired no job skills. That was well written by Talbot and paints a bleak picture of people who are doomed to repeat offenses due to the lack of basic help. One other thing to notice is how Jane set up the Talbot quote with her lead in sentence. Once released, these prisoners are right back where they started from. And then she lets Talbott tell us exactly why that is true. The lack of rehabilitation, the subject of this paragraph, is driven home with Jane's concluding sentence, which should be in your own words, unless there's some compelling reason for it not to be. She concludes: The more prisoners that are rehabilitated, the quicker they can start to contribute to society once they are released.
After the dark picture she has painted, she provides the solution, the same one she opened with at the top of the paragraph: The need for more rehabilitation. Okay, let's quickly review what we've learned about the use of sources. One common knowledge. These are facts and concepts. already known by those who regularly write and research in a given area. You will be acquiring common knowledge as you research. As long as you are sure you have seen this information in the majority of sources you consulted, you do not need to cite it. Two: Your own opinions. As a product of your reading and thinking about the topic, you will synthesize the material to form your own opinions, your own positions and beliefs. These are also yours and don't need to be cited. However, it is a very, very good idea to add the voice of published experts to back up your opinion, especially in the form of quotations. Three, you can only do two things with a source. Summarize information from it in your own phrasing and sentences or quote from it directly. Before choosing which option to use. Be sure to have a good reason to do either one or the other. Four: It's always a good idea to introduce any quote you use with a signal phrase. Quotes shouldn't seem like they just dropped out of the sky and landed in your paper. You should introduce who is speaking and it should be clear how the quote relates to the sentence immediately before it. Follow those four strategies, and you'll be well on your way to using research effectively in your essays.
This is a good choice. Because quotations should be used only when the original wording is important for some reason. Finally, it's easy to see a strong justification for the use of the source's statistics. Jane's subject is the financial burden of the prison system. So it was important for her to establish right away the numbers that support this notion of financial burden. To summarize, in her introduction, Jane used a single source in an effective way, summarized instead of quoted, for an important reason: to provide clarification of what she meant by financial burden. And this in-text citation, Crawford 2010, refers to the full reference citation on the references page at the end of the paper. Let's turn now to Jane's first body paragraph with the APA level one subheading Rehabilitation. Note that in this paragraph, Jane uses the classic formula for a body paragraph in an expository essay. That formula is: State the main point of the paragraph, explain or elaborate on the main point, support the main point, then conclude the paragraph, typically with your own words. Let's read the paragraph's stated main point. First, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because prisoners are not getting enough rehabilitation to transition back to society. So, the point is stated in Jane's own words, colored green, and becomes the point that the paragraph will have to develop and support to a convincing degree: lack of rehabilitation. In the explain/elaborate sentence Jane writes, The responsibility of the Bureau of Prisons is to safely confine its prisoner population; however, another mission of the Bureau is to rehabilitate. But then Jane does something smart. She chooses one of the experts who know about the dual role of the Bureau of Prisons to add the voice of authority to her paragraph. She summarizes the opinion of an expert named Pavis in her first support sentence: We must provide inmates with skills that will aid them in their ability to readjust after being released .
When we check on the reference page citation, we see that Pavis was writing for an academic journal. What you see at this point in Jane's paragraph is another common use of research: To support a point you have just stated in your own words. Doing so shows that what you assert is accepted by experts in this field, and therefore your assertion is given credibility. Now, let's look at Jane's next two sentences. Most inmates come to jail with little or no education at all. Once released, these prisoners are right back where they started from. Again, due to her research and thinking on the topic, Jane has formed some specific opinions. These opinions belong to her and are expressed in her own words. But because this is an academic research essay, Jane also knows that she must add the voices of published authorities to support her assertions. In this case, she chooses an article that Talbot published in 2008. Let's read this quotation, and see if there is justification for using the author's exact words to take up space in Jane's paper. Talbot states, many will be drug abusers who received no treatment for their addiction while on the inside; sex offenders who got no counseling; and illiterate high school dropouts who took no classes and acquired no job skills. That was well written by Talbot and paints a bleak picture of people who are doomed to repeat offenses due to the lack of basic help. One other thing to notice is how Jane set up the Talbot quote with her lead in sentence. Once released, these prisoners are right back where they started from. And then she lets Talbott tell us exactly why that is true. The lack of rehabilitation, the subject of this paragraph, is driven home with Jane's concluding sentence, which should be in your own words, unless there's some compelling reason for it not to be. She concludes: The more prisoners that are rehabilitated, the quicker they can start to contribute to society once they are released.
After the dark picture she has painted, she provides the solution, the same one she opened with at the top of the paragraph: The need for more rehabilitation. Okay, let's quickly review what we've learned about the use of sources. One common knowledge. These are facts and concepts. already known by those who regularly write and research in a given area. You will be acquiring common knowledge as you research. As long as you are sure you have seen this information in the majority of sources you consulted, you do not need to cite it. Two: Your own opinions. As a product of your reading and thinking about the topic, you will synthesize the material to form your own opinions, your own positions and beliefs. These are also yours and don't need to be cited. However, it is a very, very good idea to add the voice of published experts to back up your opinion, especially in the form of quotations. Three, you can only do two things with a source. Summarize information from it in your own phrasing and sentences or quote from it directly. Before choosing which option to use. Be sure to have a good reason to do either one or the other. Four: It's always a good idea to introduce any quote you use with a signal phrase. Quotes shouldn't seem like they just dropped out of the sky and landed in your paper. You should introduce who is speaking and it should be clear how the quote relates to the sentence immediately before it. Follow those four strategies, and you'll be well on your way to using research effectively in your essays.