Lessons Learned About Writing Style

Beth A. Buser

Liberty University

Author Note

Beth A. Buser, Department of Psychology, Liberty University.

Beth A. Buser is now at the Department of Psychology, Liberty University.

This research was supported by a Pell Grant given by the United States government.

Correspondences concerning this article should be addressed to Beth A. Buser, Department of Psychology, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 24515. E-mail: bbuser1@liberty.edu

Questions and Answers If an individual wants to know where to find the official criteria for proper APA style, the best source to refer to would be the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition. This manual provides in depth information on the proper ways to construct documents in writing which includes the structure, the style, and citing all sources properly in text or via a reference page. The manual also provides numerous examples for each form of documentation as well as detailed examples of structure for publication. There are five levels of headings used in the APA manuscript format. A level one heading is presented by centering the heading in bold face type while using upper and lowercase letters. A level two heading is presented by aligning the heading flush to the left margin and typing the letters in bold face type while using upper and lowercase letters. A level three heading is presented by indenting the heading and typing the letters in bold face type while using a lowercase paragraph format and ending the heading with a period. A level four heading is presented by indenting the heading and typing the letters in bold and italicized lowercase paragraph format and ending the heading with a period. A level five heading is presented by indenting the heading and typing the letter is italicized lowercase paragraph format and ending the heading with a period. Each level heading provides the reader with an easy to follow structure while reading the key aspects of a paper. The abbreviation DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier. This sequence of numbers is given to identify an electronic document. It is important in managing information that can be found online or on an electronic database. The DOI is important for authors because it allows their work to be located at any time. For the same reason, it is equally important for the student. Should a web address change, the DOI allows the student to easily locate the source by using the DOI label. The website to access the EZ Proxy login for off-campus students is accessible by selecting a database or article that is found on the online library. When visiting the online library, upon selecting the database or article, the individual will then be redirected to the EZProxy login page where the user name and password will be requested. After logging in, the term EZProxy will appear in the web address, similar to the address http://www.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/index.cfm?PID=178. The online library for Liberty University, which is available to students and faculty, can be used to locate electronic versions of books, articles, databases, digital commons, and media. It can also be used to locate physical books, journals and archives that can be found in the Jerry Falwell Library. The acronym ILLiad stands for InterLibrary Loan. This service is available for faculty of Liberty University and students, both residential and online. The purpose of ILLiad is to make physical books and articles that are owned by Liberty University available for request when the full text is not available online. In order for a faculty member or student to make a request, an account must first be created. Once an account has been created, the individual will need to login each time a request is made.

References
American Psychological Association. (2015). The basics of APA Style [Presentation slides]. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
American Psychological Association. (2012). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.