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APA Stylistics or
Editorial Style Presentation by Michael Scanlon, Sheryl Scanlon,
and Kate Cottle
Conventions… …Where grammar examples are given
• Subjects are underlined once
• Verbs are underlined with a dotted line
• Correct sentences are in white
• Incorrect Sentences are in orange
Avoiding Wordiness
▪ The aim of APA editorial style is to write well, using words efficiently and for maximum impact – Clear: be specific in descriptions and explanations
Incorrect: a lot of attendees
Correct: 67% of all attendees
– Concise: condense information when you can
Incorrect: the students in the 6thth grade with learning challenges
Correct: the 6th grade, learning-challenged students
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011b; and Perrin, 2012)
Avoiding Wordiness
– Jargon: Avoid using words that people outside your profession would not understand.
Incorrect: sponge activities for the classroom
Correct: short activities for students who finish lessons quickly
– Noun Clusters: a bunch of nouns grouped together to modify another noun can be confusing ▪ Either rewrite as phrases or use the abbreviation, once correctly
noted
Incorrect: state urban traffic pattern analysis center
Correct: state center for analyzing urban traffic patterns
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011b; and Perrin, 2012)
Avoiding Wordiness
– Colloquialisms: avoid slang.
▪ Use formal and standard English.
Incorrect: The group of kids at the mall looked totally emo.
Correct: The adolescents observed were between the ages of 14-18; they wore black clothes, hair, make-up and accessories.
– Plain: use simple, descriptive adjectives and minimize the figurative language
Incorrect: The mice had a plethora of fur colors, like the tiniest terriers ever seen.
Correct: The mice had brown, black and white fur.
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011b; and Perrin, 2012)
Avoiding Wordiness
– Use: abbreviations only as needed
▪ The first time you use the word to be abbreviated, spell it out completely the first time, followed immediately by the abbreviation
▪ Some abbreviations are always acceptable. They are detailed in the APA Publication Manual, 6th ed. on pp. 107-109
Incorrect: The NCTE is the academic body for ELA teachers.
Correct: The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is the academic body for English Language Arts (ELA) teachers.
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011b; and Perrin, 2012)
Avoiding Bias
▪ Avoid using words that label people – Racism, ageism, xenophobia, etc.
Incorrect: Old people do not know how to use technology.
Correct: The participants of this study, aged 65-80, experienced greater difficulties when programming a TV remote.
▪ Avoid making generalizations
Incorrect: Young people do not read and are less literate as a result.
Correct: When the participants in the study, aged 18-24, listed their favorite leisure time activity, 15% listed reading.
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011a; and Perrin, 2012)
Avoiding Bias
▪ Avoid language that points out gender
Incorrect: Every nurse has to pass her anatomy and physiology tests before moving onto more specialized classes.
Correct: Every nurse has to pass anatomy and physiology tests before moving onto more specialized classes.
▪ Always choose the most specific language possible in order to avoid generalizations and wordiness
Incorrect: I was feeling some kind of way seeing those test results.
Correct: The test results were very positive.
(APA, 2009; Paiz, et al., 2011a; and Perrin, 2012)
References
American Psychological Association. (2009.) Publication manual of the American
\Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Paiz, J.M., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund,
L., Brizee, A., & Keck, R. (2011). APA stylistics: Avoiding Bias. Retrieved
from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/14/
Paiz, J.M., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund,
L., Brizee, A., & Keck, R. (2011). APA stylistics: Basics. Retrieved from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/15/
Perrin, R. (2012). Pocket guide to APA style (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
