Both in the Reference List and in the in-text citations, the principal purpose of all referencing in an academic paper is to enable the reader to easily locate source material and check not only its accuracy but also its context; in the best of all cases, this becomes the basis for further research as your readers build on the work you have done.

With the exponential growth of online sources in recent years, the ways of dealing with web-based resources have received a great deal of attention in the newest version of the APA Manual. In some cases, this has meant a reversal of earlier APA policies, as time and experience have shown that there are better ways to handle these resources than what had been prescribed in APA-5.

Such is the case with the policy on retrieval dates (called “access dates” in Chicago, Turabian, and MLA styles). This is the date on which a particular resource was consulted by the author, with the recognition that online resources can change over time. The 5^th edition of the APA Manual required that retrieval dates be provided for online sources, and it built this information into the format of all Reference List entries for online material. In stark contrast, APA-6 now eschews the provision of retrieval (access) dates, except in very specific circumstances:

For those who write in multiple styles, it may be worth noting that, in this regard, APA-5 was more like MLA style than like Chicago/Turabian style, and APA-6 is more like Chicago/Turabian style than like MLA style.

ALBERT—Read more about this editor

If you’ve been working in APA-5 and now must switch to using APA-6, certainly one of the most obvious changes will be the formatting of headers. Both editions of the APA Manual of Style provide for up to five levels of headings and subheadings, and both direct that numbers and letters should not be used. But the details of each of those levels have changed.

APA-6 boasts a more streamlined explanation of the formatting of headings, replacing the four separate sections provided in APA-5 (one for each scenario: articles with two levels of headings, articles with three levels of headings, articles with four levels of headings, and articles with five levels of headings). In APA-6, the same material is handled with a simple description:

Regardless of the number of levels of subheading within a section, the heading structure for all sections follows the same top-down progression. Each section starts with the highest level of heading, even if one section may have fewer levels of subheading than another section.

-APA-6, §3.03

As with the earlier edition, APA-6 directs that the label “Introduction” should not be used at the beginning of the manuscript, as it is presumed that the first part of the manuscript is an introduction.

While not as important to the substance of documents as some of the other new features of APA-6, the changes in heading format will likely produce the most readily apparent differences from documents written in APA-5 style. Get this part wrong, therefore, and it will be pretty clear that you didn’t follow the newest version of the APA Manual of Style. That alone makes it a change worth mastering!

ALBERT—Read more about this editor

If you’re old enough to have learned to type on an actual typewriter, as I did, then you undoubtedly learned to use two character spaces (i.e., two taps of the space bar) in between sentences. There was a reason for this: Typewriter type was not proportionally spaced. Since all letters occupied the same amount of space on the page (i.e., an “i” took just as much space as a “w”), placing an extra space after the final punctuation in sentences made the breaks between sentences more readily apparent.

Then came computers—and with them, proportionally spaced type. With the advent of proportional type, extra space between sentences is automatic, making the old double-character-space rule obsolete. And with fully justified texts, the old rule becomes completely irrelevant, since flexible spacing between sentences is one of the vehicles for achieving right justification. Most major style sheets—including APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian—took the position that one space (not two) should be used after final punctuation in sentences.

Until now.

THE NEW RULE IN APA-6 IS

TWO SPACES BETWEEN SENTENCES IN DRAFT MANUSCRIPTS.

Making it clear that this change of rules applies to “draft manuscripts,” the new edition of the APA Manual of Style does not intend to suggest rules for typesetters of journals and books. What about writers of dissertations, theses, and academic papers? Technically, such documents are in final form, not draft. Of course, the best advice is to seek direction from the institution, program, or individual instructor. If these specify APA as the style sheet of choice, though, you should return to the old practice of using two spaces between sentences.

Using the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (16) or the MLA Handbook (7)? Then you’ll likely be sticking with the practice of one space between sentences … But more on that in future posts.

ALBERT—Read more about this editor

Although originally conceived for the use of the Psychology community, APA is now the style sheet of choice for a number of disciplines, including Education, Social Work, Nursing, and Business. Many of our clients, therefore, are using APA style in their academic writing. Since the Fall of 2009, when APA released the 6^th edition of its Manual of Style, EME clients have been asking us “WHAT’S NEW?”

APA-6 is the result of a thorough re-working of the widely used style manual. The entire structure of the book has been reorganized with the intention of more closely following the process writers actually follow in their writing. Since the last edition, online research has grown by leaps and bounds, and changes in both computer technology and the publication process have had profound effects on academic writing. With modifications of the guidelines in earlier versions, and with the addition of entirely new sections, APA-6 addresses these changes.

To help users navigate the modifications and new additions in APA-6, the American Psychological Association has prepared a helpful tutorial, available at http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/whatsnew/index.htm. So that our clients will have a convenient listing of these changes, we have summarized them here, drawing them from the APA tutorial. What follows here is simply a summary of the changes as presented in the APA tutorial. In the weeks ahead, we will examine some of the more significant changes to the APA Manual of Style with new blog articles devoted to each of these topics.

In the meantime, if you have questions about APA-6 or want to share some of the insights you’ve garnered through your own use of the new edition, please feel free to post them as comments to this blog. We’d love to hear from you!

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

·         CHAPTER 1: Ethical Issues

o   NEW: Data retention and sharing (1.08)

o   NEW: Self-plagiarism (1.10)

o   NEW: Publication credit (1.13)

o   NEW: Protecting the rights of research participants (1.11)

o   EXPANDED: Duplicate and piecemeal publication (1.09)

o   EXPANDED: Confidentiality of research participants (1.11)

o   EXPANDED: Conflict of interest (1.12)

·         CHAPTER 2: Journal Article Reporting Standards

o   JARS in the Abstract (2.04)

o   JARS in the Method section (2.06)

o   JARS in the Results section (2.07)

o   JARS in the Discussion section (2.08)

o   NEW: Meta-analyses (2.10)

o   NEW: Using supplemental materials in online supplemental archives (2.13)

o   NEW: Sample papers using the revised rules of style

·         CHAPTER 3: Headings and Reducing Bias in Language

o   MODIFIED: Five levels of headings, simplified (3.02-3.03)

o   NEW: Using heading levels consecutively (3.02-3.03)

o   NEW: historical language that is no longer appropriate (3.17)

o   MODIFIED: Gender (3.12)

o   MODIFIED: Sexual orientation (3.13)

o   MODIFIED: Racial and ethnic identity (3.14)

o   MODIFIED: Disabilities (3.15)

o   MODIFIED: Age (3.16)

o   NEW: Table of recommended changes to language usage available at www.apastyle.org

o    

·         CHAPTER 4: Mechanics of Style

o   MODIFIED: Two spaces instead of one after periods in draft manuscripts (4.01)

o   NEW: Numbers expressing approximate lengths of time written as words (4.31-4.32)

o   NEW: When to use a zero before a decimal fraction (4.35)

o   NEW: Reporting p values to two or three decimal places (4.35)

o   NEW: Reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals with statistics (4.44)

o   NEW: Format for reporting confidence levels (4.44)

·         CHAPTER 5: Displaying Results

o   NEW: Determining the purpose of data displays and designing tables (5.01)

o   NEW: Guidelines on reporting statistical significance in tables (5.15)

o   NEW: New tables, structured according to the kinds of data being displayed

o   NEW: New table examples to illustrate hierarchical multiple regression and multilevel models

o   NEW: Principles of figure use and construction (5.20)

o   NEW:  Presenting electrophysiological, radiological, and biological data (5.26-5.29)

o   NEW: Ethical ramifications of manipulating data in photographic images (5.29)

·         CHAPTER 6: Crediting Sources

o   Definition of “plagiarism” (6.01)

o   Rules for direct quotation of material in text (6.03)

o   Guidance on getting permission to reprint or adapt (6.10)

o   How to construct in-text citations (6.11-6.21)

o   How to construct the reference list

o   NEW: What to cite and recommended level of citation (6.01)

o   NEW: Citing passages from electronic text with no page numbers (6.05)

o   NEW: Citing the archival version or version of record (6.24)

o   EXPANDED: Electronic sources and locator information, with expanded emphasis on DOI (6.31)

o   NEW: What to include as publication information, with focus on electronic sources (6.32)

·         CHAPTER 7: Reference Examples (NEW: Showing electronic and print formats side-by-side within each category of source material, and drawing examples from a wide range of fields)

o   NEW: Data sets and software (7.08)

o   NEW: Internet message boards (7.11)

o   NEW: Archival documents and collections (7.10)

o   NEW: Podcasts (7.07)

·         CHAPTER 8: Publication Process

o   NEW: Peer review (8.01)

o   NEW: Editorial decision-making (8.02)

o   NEW: Getting assistance with scientific writing in English (8.03)

o   CONDENSED: Complying with ethical, legal, and policy requirements (8.04)

This is a brief overview of what’s new in APA-6. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for new posts offering detailed discussions of many of the key changes.

ALBERT—Read more about this editor

In a few days I will be on a panel with several talented agents and authors at the annual AWP Conference and Bookfair in Washington DC. This pilgrimage of writers, litmags, small presses and MFA programs consists of 4 packed days of workshops, discussions and opportunities to meet those who could help turn your writing into a chance at publication or an opportunity to refine your craft. This is one of those events that, if you’re serious about becoming a writer, you should find a way to attend.

But for those of you who will not be able make it, I’ll share with you what I plan on covering in our panel, Love at First Query: Agents and Authors Share Strategies for Falling in Literary Love.

So, what are you looking for?

I say right on my website that I seek “to establish involved, long term working relationships with talented and dedicated authors of many genres.” Essentially, I’m in it for the long run. Although when I offer a contract it is only for that one project, I would like to then see your follow-up book as well. Though it is usually a contractual obligation to do so with your publisher, it is common courtesy to do so with your agent, and I’d like the opportunity to have a hand in helping a relatively new author establish and maintain a strong writing career.

But that’s not all of it, right?

Correct. I am specific in requesting “talented and dedicated” authors. You must have those two qualities, and here are a few tips on achieving and presenting them:

TALENTED:

It’s easy to say “Do your homework, hone your craft, revise, revise, revise,” but for the sake of this post, I will assume that you are already brilliant writers with equally brilliant manuscripts.

So, what else is there?

I turn down easily 95% of the books pitched to me without even reading a single page. And yes, I am sure that some of them are just as brilliant as yours. Plenty of talented authors slip through the cracks because they simply do not articulate their skill and the brilliance of their manuscript in a well-crafted query letter. Having a knockout query is essential to getting your book published. There are plenty of resources, such as Writer’s Market and various industry magazines that provide examples of proper query letters, but to further help you, I will be offering an in-depth series of blogs from an agent’s perspective on how to craft a query that will maximize your chances of getting a request. Look for that in the near future.

DEDICATED:

To me, just as important as knowing you can write is knowing I can work with you. I have had to let go clients with promising manuscripts simply because they are not a good personality match. And by this, I don’t mean we have to like the same kind of music. I am referring to the writer’s ability to communicate, provide me with the information that I require, and make the changes that I ask for. A few key points to keep in mind:

• I realize that we all have our own lives and associated demands, but when I contact you, you should try your best to contact me in a timely fashion. Out of necessity, agents and their clients communicate a LOT throughout the editing, preparation, pitching, and even after the manuscript is sold. I need to know that I can rely on your presence each step of the way.

• Please do not make me communicate solely with an intermediary. This is both for the reason of the previous point and also to ensure that we are both getting accurate information. Bringing in a third party, besides being completely unnecessary, also shows a lack of trust on your part. For this to work, we need to have complete trust in each other.

• If I ask you for something, it is for a good reason. For example: when I request a fiction manuscript, I will generally ask for 4 things: the manuscript, a synopsis, your author bio and your marketing plan. I have had potential clients blow up at me for asking for a marketing plan, and at that point, I know how they would treat our working relationship and I then turn them down without reading a page. I have also received responses that just include 3 of the 4 elements with the statement, “Here is everything you requested.” That shows me that either they aren’t paying complete attention or they are trying to pull one over on me, both of which are big red flags. If you try to manipulate or ignore a simple request, I know that making the necessary edits on your manuscript will be an absolute chore. One example comes to mind. As a first time author, we got her a deal at a house that, frankly, she should not have been able to get. When she then tried to pull a fast one on the publisher during the editing process, they dropped her, voided her contract, and ended up not publishing her book or paying her (and therefore us) a cent. Although requesting additional material sometimes acts as a gauge of character, my primary goal is to find out how well you know your manuscript, what your resources are and how educated you are on something that will ultimately fall largely on your shoulders. But we can talk about marketing at a later date.

• If you don’t know, ask questions. Many writers hesitate to do so out of a crippling fear of coming across as an idiot. Don’t worry. This business can be a bit confusing at times, and it is changing all of the time. I will appreciate your honesty and your desire for knowledge. It shows that you are active, responsible and not one to sweep potential problems under the rug in hopes that we won’t trip on the lump and break our necks.

• And finally, be yourself. Sure, you want to be respectful and appropriate, but you don’t want to get locked into a situation where you feel like you have to act like someone you aren’t. It bears repeating, you and your agent will be communicating a lot. Your perfect agent match should be someone you can talk to, someone who makes you feel comfortable and taken care of. That’s really why we’re here, to take care of you.

That’s it for now. I hope to see you in DC!

GORDON—Read more about this editor