A quick refresher on APA referencing

The end of the year is nigh (…yes, regardless of the wintery weather!…), and those scary submission deadlines for final assignments are also creeping dangerously close.

With so much research to complete and writing to do, APA referencing seems like a minor thing to be worried about. But don’t be fooled by the APA’s apparent insignificance; in some cases, the correct referencing can “make or break” your final mark, contributing to either “fail” or “pass”.

The Ara APA Referencing guide….an invaluable resource

So, let us recap one of the main rules of efficient referencing: as you are doing your research, don’t forget to make notes about the sources of your information. It does not matter whether or not those facts, figures or ideas are going to make it to the “final cut” of your assignment; but it is absolutely crucial that you have instant access to all your sources the moment you need to provide a reference. These notes may save you hours of precious time and oodles of unnecessary stress.

Remember to keep notes on your sources of information…

You don’t even need that much information for your in-text referencing: just keep in mind the golden rule of (Who, When, Where) – Author, Year and (in some cases) Page/Paragraph number, and you are sorted!

If in doubt, you can check out the APA resources or drop by one of the many workshops and Q&A clinics offered by Learning Services. Copies of the Ara APA Referencing Guide for students are available at the Library Service Desk.

Good luck with your assignments! 😊

Nataliya Oryshchuk, Learning Services Advisor

Minor changes to the APA guide – Ask at the Library for the new pages to add to your current APA guide.

Two minor changes have been made to APA Referencing: a guide for Ara Institute of Canterbury Students

1. When referencing a typical web page, there is no need to include the format description [Website] after the web page title.  This is because the 6th edition of the APA manual  states that the format description is to be used only when the format is not ordinary e.g. [Video blog post]. This change has been reflected on pages 36-37 of the APA guide.
2. Ebook Library (EBL) has been replaced by ProQuest Ebook Central.  therefore the retrieval statement for ebooks from Proquest Ebook Central is “Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central”. This change has been made on pages 19-20 of the APA guide.

If you recently purchased this year’s APA guide then come to the Service Desk in the Library at City and Timaru campuses and we will supply the pages you need to insert into your current guide and help you unbind and rebind your guide if needed.

 

 

APA made easy! Really? Yes Really!

(Graphic above supplied by Leonard in Learning Services! )

1. Find this tool on the Learning Services website on their Referencing page under Useful online referencing tools or copy and paste this URL into your web browser’s address bar –  http://www.noodletools.com/login.php 

2. Once you’ve clicked the link select APA to begin

3. Then select the type of resource you are referencing or “citation type” and click “Create citation”

4. Fill in the areas as applicable

For example here is part of the entry for a chapter in a book

5. Then click on Submit:

6. Your reference is created.

For example:

 Now you can:

a. Copy and paste your citation into your reference list.

b. Click a  “parenthetical (in-text) reference” to see how to write your in text citation for this reference.

c. Start another citation for your reference list.

7. Once you’ve created your Reference List it’s a good idea to check your entries against the  CPIT APA Referencing guide  or …

8. … you are welcome to ring or email or drop in to Learning Services upstairs in the Library to make an appointment with a Learning Advisor to check over your reference list for extra assurance!

9. Their contact details are below:

 

 

Want to sharpen up on your study skills or APA referencing?

Make time this semester to get to one  of Learning Services FREE lunchtime seminars focusing on either Study and Learning techniques (from note-taking through to exam preparation) or  APA Referencing (Why and how to acknowledge the information you use in your assignments). 

Here is the link on Facebook for all these seminars or you can download the timetables below :

• Here is the timetable for Study and learning seminars
• Here is the timetable for APA seminars

Best of luck with your studies in 2013!

Tohea, tohea, ko te tohe i te kai.

Keep on striving as one strives for food. (From Brougham, A.E & Reed, A.W. (1963) Māori proverbs)

Library Apps – EasyBib

The Library has recently acquired a couple of iPads and  I have been exploring apps which could be useful to you when you are studying.

One of the first apps I tried was EasyBib, available for Android, iPhone and iPad. It does a pretty good job of creating a reference list for you, which you can then adapt for use in your assignment.

All you have to do is use the camera on your tablet or phone, and take a picture of the publishers barcode on the back of any book you have been using for your assignment. The app looks up the details and formats a reference in either MLA, APA or Chicago style.

Most schools at CPIT use APA referencing and you should get yourself a copy of our APA referencing guide ($5 from the Library Service Desk), and make sure you understand what referencing is and why it is important to get it right.

You will always have to check and correct the references produced by the EasyBib app as they may not conform exactly to the CPIT requirements. In the example I have shown you will see that EasyBib has produced the correct details and layout, but has not included an edition statement. 

The downside to the app is that it doesn’t work with e-books, journal articles, or websites – only print books, so this is not an alternative to learning about referencing, but it does reduce the effort involved in keeping track of the print resources you have used.

I didn’t notice much difference in the performance between my phone (an android) and the iPad, but I can’t help but think the phone would be a lot handier. If you would like  help with referencing, and understanding APA, please ask at the Library Service Desk or make an appointment with Learning Services.

If you have a chance to try it out, why not let me know what you think?

Need to use APA referencing but don’t know where to start?

 Come along to one of our FREE lunchtime seminars focusing on APA Referencing (Why and how to acknowledge the information you use in your assignments). 

Thursday August 2, Saturday August 4, or Thursday August 9, 12.05-1 pm, in L202 (upstairs in the Atrium). Bring your lunch, your questions and your classmates!

How can I save the items I have found using Primo Library Search? Tips for using e-Shelf

  

Why?

e-Shelf is a good place to store items found using Primo Library Search because it is   easy to refer back to your resources if you need the details to complete your APA referencing.

  How?

1. This tutorial begins at http://library.cpit.ac.nz/ or Google CPIT Library and choose the first link.

2. Enter your search terms e.g. news broadcasting

3. Select GO or press Enter on your keyboard to activate your search.

4.  Sign in in the top right corner.

5. Use your normal username and password to login.

6. Click inside the star beside the title of the item you want to save to your e-Shelf.

In this example I have selected the first three titles which turned each star  orange.

7. Now view your e-shelf by selecting e-shelf in the top right of your screen.

8.

Now you can:

 a. Click on the new folder icon

b. Name and save this folder

c. Tick next to your preferred titles  and drag and drop these into your new folder.

d. Add a note if needed for each title by clicking the note icon.

e. Email your ticked items to yourself

f. Print out your ticked items

9. Why is e-shelf useful to me?

• It keeps a record of all the resources you have used for your assignments
• Each item in your e-shelf contains all the necessary details for your APA references.
• This information is printable and able to be emailed.
• You can access this on campus at CPIT or from home 24/7 with your username and password.

10. Remember to Sign out in the top right corner when you have finished.

11. For a printable copy of this tutorial click  on Using e-shelf  – PDF

 For further assistance with using Primo Library Search – e-shelf

• ring (03 9408089)
•  email: Library@cpit.ac.nz
• visit the Learning Resource Centre Service Desk

Still have another question? Try our How do I …?  guide.

New to tertiary study? Want better grades? Come to these FREE Lunchtime Seminars

• Taking Notes in Class: strategies for taking notes that make sense
• Reading Strategies: tips for reading articles and books
• APA Referencing: how to acknowledge the information you use your assignments
• Tests and Exams: strategies for preparation and on-the-day survival

Seminars are 12-1pm on various weekdays and Saturdays, starting Thursday, March 8.

They are held in L202/203 (upstairs in the Atrium).

Just come along! No need to book.

See the Semester One timetable http://library.cpit.ac.nz/learning_services/study_and_learning_seminars