http://www.wilmu.edu/index.aspx

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.