Using this guide
Imagine you have to write a school paper or a project, and your teacher wants you to follow a certain set of rules to make it look neat and organized. This guide can help with that. It's all about a set of rules called the APA style. APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and they made a manual that tells you how to format, cite (give credit for information you use), and make a list of all the sources you used.
The guide can help you with this. It's the 7th edition, which means it's the latest set of rules they've come up with.
When you use different sources like books, articles, or YouTube videos in your paper, this guide tells you exactly how to write down information about them – things like the author's name, the title, and where you found it. But if you're ever stuck and need an example or a template (a pre-made format), you can look in the Help database. Just type in the type of source you're using, like a book or a YouTube video, and they'll show you exactly how to write it down the right way.
In short, this guide is for making sure your school papers look professional and you give credit to all the sources you used!
Writing help
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Drop-in support at the library (second floor North Campus) between 10 and 2 on Monday - Friday and Saturday at 10 - 12 and 1-3.
Drop-in support is also at the Writing Centre, room N266, Monday - Friday from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm.
APA Help
Visit our Help page for answers to all of your APA questions. Type your question into the search bar to find an answer.
What is APA Style?
American Psychological Association (APA) Style is a set of rules for how to:
• format your assignments
• write in an academic setting
• credit the sources you use
Why give credit?
Imagine you're building a treehouse, and you want to make it sturdy and reliable. In your college assignments, it's a bit like building that treehouse. Your ideas are the structure of the treehouse, and the evidence you use is like the strong wood you gather.
When you're gathering materials for your treehouse, you want to make sure they're good and reliable. In your college assignments, these materials are like the information you use to support your ideas. This information can be from books, articles, websites, and other sources.
However, just like you wouldn't take someone else's wood without asking or giving them credit, in your assignments, you need to give credit to the people who came up with the ideas or information you're using. This is important for a few reasons:
1. Avoiding Plagiarism: Plagiarism is taking someone else's work and pretending it's yours. It's not good, and your teachers want to see your own ideas. Giving credit is like saying, "I got this wood from that tree over there," and it shows that you respect the original creators.
2. Backing Up Your Ideas: Just as you need strong branches to support your treehouse, your ideas need support too. When you use evidence from reliable sources, it makes your arguments stronger and more convincing.
3. Connecting with Your Readers: Imagine if someone admires your treehouse and asks where you got the materials. You'd happily share, right? In your assignments, when you give credit, it's showing your readers where they can find more information. It helps them understand your ideas better and explore further if they want.
Just like building a great treehouse requires good materials and giving credit to those who helped, making a strong college assignment involves using reliable sources and acknowledging the original creators.
Where do I give credit?
When you use information from a source, you need to give credit in two places:
All of the sources you use to support your assignment must have both a citation and a reference.