Writing and Citing
You will do a lot of writing and research for your courses, leading up to your Senior Thesis (a 35-40 page paper). The resources on this page will give you a brief overview of how to cite your sources, how to approach research and where to get help with your writing.
APA Citation
What is APA Citation Style?
APA stands for the American Psychological Association. APA Citation Style is used in the social sciences, it is a set of rules and guidelines for formatting your paper and citing your sources. It is incredibly detailed and very specific. The following is a very brief overview of APA, for an in-depth overview of APA, check out the library's online guide for APA Citation Style.
In-Text Citation
Within your writing anytime you use the ideas or words of others you need to refer to the source using the Author-Date format. Use only the author's last name and year of publication, no need to titles. See examples below for how to cite with one author, two authors and three or more.
Direct Quotes
You need the author's last name, the year of publication and page or paragraph number where the quote is.
According to Brown (2019), "Direct quote" (p. 101).
Padilla et. al. (2022) found that "Direct quote" (para 21).
Research has shown that "Direct quote" (Tejero & Smith, 2021, p. 40).
Paraphrase or Summarizing
You only need the author's last name and year of publication.
According to Brown (2019).....
Padilla et. al. (2022) found that.....
Summary of source (Tejero & Smith, 2021).
References List
At the end of every paper you need to list all the sources you cited in a Reference List. What you include is based on the type of source (book, webpage, etc.) but the following is a general template with a few examples.
Template
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of the work. Source where you can retrieve the work. URL or DOI if available
Examples
Book: Schmidt, N. A., & Brown, J. M. (2017). Evidence-based practice for nurses: Appraisal and application of research (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Webpage: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, August 22). Preventing HPV-associated cancers. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/basic_info/prevention.htm/
Journal Article: Ashing‐Giwa, K. T., Padilla, G., Tejero, J., Kraemer, J., Wright, K., Coscarelli, A., Clayton, S., Williams, I., & Hills, D. (2004). Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. Psycho‐Oncology, 13(6), 408-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.750
Help with Writing
- CSUM TutoringOur very own tutoring center has a ton of resources available to you, including fellow students. Check out their website for tips on writing and how to meet with someone in-person or online to get help.
The Political Science Student Writer's Manual and Reader's Guide by Call Number: JA86.S39 2017ISBN: 9781442267091Publication Date: 2016Basics of grammar, style, formats and source citation, and then introduces students to a variety of rich information resources.
The Literature Review by Call Number: LB1047.3.M33 2022ISBN: 9781071852903Publication Date: 2022Using the six-step model, you'll work seamlessly to narrow your research topic, focus your literature search, negotiate the myriad of sources and write the review.
Mastering Academic Writing by Call Number: LB2369.S26 2019ISBN: 9781446299661Publication Date: 2019Provides the skills, tips, and tricks you need to move beyond the basics of academic writing.
Critical Writing by Call Number: LB2369.N68 2022ISBN: 9781538140901Publication Date: 2021Offers students with a set of robust, integrated critical concepts and processes that will allow to them think through and write about a topic.
Thesis Preparation
Your Senior Thesis will probably be one of the most difficult things you'll do here at Cal Maritime.
