Thank You for the APA tips

When I attended the APA presentation put on by Genevieve, I was not sure how much information I would retain, if any at all. But, I just wanted to let everyone know that it did pay off. In obtaining my degrees, like many others, I was mostly required to use MLA for research. The first time I worked with a student that was required to use APA, I looked for the handbook and ended up asking Genevieve for assistance, because I knew she was more familiar with it than I was. However, after attending Genevieve's presentation, the next time a student came in with an APA paper, I was not overwhelmed whatsoever. I realized that I had learned some key points. For example, I remembered that the year comes right after the author's name, which is so different than what I'm used to with MLA. Also, I am more confident looking things up in the handbook we have, having been so familiarized by the presentation. Therefore, I am offering thanks to all who had a part in the workshop. Thank you.

Welcome to Writing

Hello to all! I started working at the Writing Center yesterday morning, bright and early. I'm not much of a morning person, but I was in a good mood all day. I'd forgotten how much I like to help people with writing. It's such a big part of me, I suppose I take it for granted that I know how to write a good essay, I'm familiar with formatting, syntax, and basic grammar. I was even reminded that I know how to chart sentences when I watched someone helping a student with his grammar homework. I also created a google account, abandoning my desire to keep my accounts and blogs to a minimum...but there's something different about being a part of a bigger blog. Hearing a student say, "Thank you so much, you really helped me. I feel much better about my essay," is beautiful. I may not want to be an English teacher, but I'm excited about being able to connect with people over something so important to my life - and their grades. I wanted to also extend a thank you to all the wonderful tutors I've met since I began working here - you've already made me feel welcome. I'm looking forward to meeting more of you. With warm weather in mind, Irene =)

APA language... Many Teachers Speak It Differently

During my years at the writing center and in class, I have learned that determining what the professor wants/expects is extremely important to consider while writing. I specifically want to focus on APA style and what is expected according to the APA manual versus what the teacher expects. I have found many inconsistencies between the two that lead to confused students and sometimes confused consultants. First, it is important to understand the fundamentals of APA in order to address the specific requests of an instructor. I have encountered many teachers that want the student to include the year after each time a reference is mentioned within the paragraph, even though on pp. 208 in the APA manual (2001) it states "... you need not include the year in subsequent references to a study as long as the study cannot be confused with other studies cited in the article..." This is just one example. I recall specific sessions when many students visited the writing center and had a specific sentence they needed to use in their paper that was a) grammatically incorrect and b) insensitive to APA language. According to the students, the professor demanded that the beginning of the sentence was written to assist the students in learning how to write in APA as well as to identify the results of the study within the paper. Such cases that may not be limited to APA style are unfortunate, but need to be done in order to get the "grade". Those are just a few examples where the rules of APA are thrown out by the professors and the students have to follow their lead. It can be confusing because they do not even know what the thrown out rule was or why it is changed. I always try and ask for a syllabus when working with students with APA questions because I want them to follow the guidelines set by the teacher. For APA reference, I would suggest to those who are still unfamiliar with APA to use the Keys for Writers guidebook or the OWL website. These resources are user friendly and less intimidating than the APA Publication manual (note: this resource is for those looking to publish research. Aka, very intimidating to some). In the next post I want to discuss some key points to help students establish appropriate language use and style suggested by the APA manual.