Download Lesson 1: Making meaning of APA format

Exercise 6
Read the text below and fill in the blanks provided with appropriate punctuation. There may be
some places where no punctuation is required. Be sure to refer back to the Punctuation
Summary Tables or APA Manual if you are unsure.
Stating things as clearly as you can is one of the fundamentals of effective writing, noted
in many writing resources. When you begin your graduate training, you may feel tempted
to attest to your "academic prowess" by using long-winded sentences, adding in too
many non-essential phrases or clauses, or stringing independent clauses together. You
will be better able to resist these temptations by focusing on basic rules of grammar,
including appropriate punctuation. There is one general rule of thumb: Keep it simple. A
second rule of thumb is to sacrifice creativity for specificity. Various types of writing fall
at different points on the creativity-specificity continuum. Scientific writing – whether you
like it or not – falls at the specificity end. Most things can be stated in simple, clear, and
concise ways; they can also be presented metaphorically or with words designed to
entertain rather than to provide clarity.
The purpose of scientific writing, including graduate student papers, is to synthesize,
analyze, and clearly articulate professional knowledge. This is very different from writing
an award-winning novel. (An Internet search for resources on creative writing will bear
this out.) The American Psychological Association (APA) provides guidance on scientific
writing in psychology through the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association." There are three principles that form a foundation for scientific writing: (a)
Focus on being clear, concise, and specific; (b) Attend to the meaning of each sentence;
and (c) Select specific structural and grammatical devices to enhance that meaning. A
dash, used selectively and precisely, adds meaning; however, a dash, thrown in willynilly, simply breaks up the flow. Your instructor or course TA will provide as much writing
support as possible, but your success is really up to you.
Writing & APA Lesson 4 Exercise 6 Answers p. 1