Lessons Learned About Writing Style

Formatting for Personal Communication 

The proper format for personal communication is found in chapter six, page 179 of the American Psychological Association (APA) publication manual. Personal communication could be memos, letters, telephone conversations, personal interviews and electronic correspondence such as email or messages from nonarchived bulletin boards or discussion groups. Personal communications do not give recoverable data therefore; they are not added in the reference list. 

Personal communications are cited in-text only. While citing it is important to indicate the initials and surname of the speaker, additionally an exact date should be provided. For instance; J. B. Aniston, (personal Communication, January 28, 2018). A researcher should utilize his/her judgment to cite other forms of personal communication. Online platforms provide casual forums for communication however, what the researcher cites must have scholarly importance. Some types of personal communication are retrievable and should be referenced as archival materials. 

American Psychological Association (APA) Levels of Headings 

A researcher is required to employ an appropriate organizational structure to ensure, precise, clear and comprehendible communication. Using headings helps the researcher to organize ideas effectively within a document; additionally, headings highlight significant points within sections. Clear headings aid the reader foresees main points and monitor the progress of an argument. The new heading styles in the APA publication manual make planning a simpler process for the researcher and the articles more accessible for the readers. The headings are classified according to topics of equal importance throughout the document. 

The heading style endorsed by APA includes five formatting arrangements depending on the number of levels. Level one heading is centered utilizes uppercase and lowercase letters and is boldfaced. Level two headings are formatted flush left, boldfaced, use uppercase, and lowercase letters. Level three headings are indented, boldfaced and use lowercase words and end with a period. Level four headings are boldfaced, italicized, indented and use lowercase words ending with a period. Level five headings use lowercase words, they are italicized, indented and end with a period. 

The Importance of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) 

Digital object identifiers are distinct alphanumeric strings designated by an agency to distinguish content and give a constant link of its location online. Publishers give DOIs when a researcher’s article publishes and appears on the internet. CrossRef is an example of a registration agency that assigns DOIs; the agency’s mission statement indicates that they enhance ease of identification and use of reliable electronic content by enhancing the integrative development and utilization of sustainable infrastructure. Digital object identifiers begin with the number 10 and contain a prefix, which is a distinct number of four or more digits conferred to organizations. Additionally the DOI contains a suffix designated by a publisher and is created to be adjustable according to publisher identification ideals. 

Digital object identifiers are important for researchers since they act as article identifiers and links to content. The DOI is unique to every article hence they help researchers access content and additionally it gives a constant link for its location on the internet. Easy accessibility and identification of documents is beneficial to researchers. DOIs have a linking function to the content a researcher is referencing. Researchers can access the articles by clicking on the DOI button to purchase the content or view an abstract. Locating articles using DOIs gives a researcher access to additional archives related to the document. 

Jerry Falwell Online Library Resources 

The Jerry Falwell Library is a good source to locate journal articles, peer-reviewed articles, e-books, books, media and other sources. 

Alternative Methods of Acquiring Sources 

If a source is unavailable on the Jerry Falwell online library, a researcher could use the InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database (IILIAD) system to request for an item through Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary loan enables a researcher to access textbooks and material inconsistent with Liberty University policies. if I needed a source that is not available on the Jerry Falwell Library I would utilize the resources at a local library near me. Internet sources such as Google Scholar, EBSCO Quick Search and Proquest can be used to derive sources such as scholarly journals. 

Publication Manual Index 

An Edited Book 

Formatting information for an edited book appears on page 184 of the APA publication manual. The general format includes the Author’s Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Title of the chapter. In Editor’s First Initial. Last Name (Ed.), Title of the book . Place of publication: Publishing Company. The in-text citation will be the (Author’s last name, Year). For an edited book with no authors, the editors’ names appear in the author’s position. 

Your Introduction to Research Textbook 

Formatting information for a book appears on page 202 of the APA publication manual. The format includes Author’s last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year of Publishing). Title of the book. Location: Publisher. The in-text citation is (Author’s last name, year of publication). Ray, C. (2017). Introduction to Research: Less Fright, More Insight: Designed Specifically for Ray Crawford, Ph.D. at Liberty University PAK (2 nd ed.). Lynchburg, Virginia: Kendall Hunt Publishing. In-text citation (Ray, 2017) 

An Unpublished Manuscript Such As a Graduate Student’s Thesis at a University 

The format for an unpublished thesis is found in page 207 of the publication manual. A researcher could use the following template: Author, First initial. Middle Initial. (Year of publication). Title of the thesis (Unpublished graduate thesis). Name of institution, Location. The in-text citation is (Author’s last name, year of publication). 

The APA Publication Manual Itself 

The format for the manual is found in page 204. It appears on the reference page as: American Psychological Association. (2010).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.) . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. The in-text citation is (American Psychological Association, 2010). 

A scholarly journal article with a DOI 

Scholarly journal article with a DOI is found in page 198 of the publication manual. For instance; Author’s last name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of the article. Name of the journal, Volume of the journal, page numbers. DOI number. The in-text citation is (Author’s last name, year of publication) 

References  

American Psychological Association. (2010).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.) . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association 

Ray, C. (2017). Introduction to Research: Less Fright, More Insight: Designed Specifically for Ray Crawford, Ph.D. at Liberty University PAK (2 nd ed.). Lynchburg, Virginia: Kendall Hunt Publishing.