Evidence

Academic and professional writing often requires writers to support their statements or arguments by providing relevant evidence (numbers, personal stories, statistics, legal documents, results of scientific studies). Incorporating evidence is a responsible task which involves proper citation and formatting skills.

Paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing are the most common ways of incorporating evidence.

Paraphrasing

“In a paraphrase, you use your own words to explain the specific points another writer has made. If the original text refers to an idea or term discussed earlier in the text, your paraphrase may also need to explain or define that idea. You may also need to interpret specific terms made by the writer in the original text”

Source: Excelsior Online Writing Lab

Quotation

You quote a source when you use a word or several sentences the way they are presented in the original source enclosed in quotation marks (University of Michigan, 2021). You can use them to support your point or provide an example; however, do not attempt to substitute your own ideas with quotes. Use them when it is absolutely necessary to preserve the original language to make your point.

Summarizing

Summaries are used to present the main ideas of the reading. Therefore, they are considerably shorter than an original piece. In other words, you present the text in a context and identify its main points (Excelsior Online Writing Lab, n.d.)

Citing Sources in APA

APA stands for the American Psychological Association which originally developed a uniform format for written papers in the field of psychology. However, other disciplines use APA as well. There are several elements, such as a title page, figures, charts, heading, subheading, and references. Watch the video tutorial to find out more about APA style, familiarize yourself with the basics of paper formatting, learn how to cite sources within the body of a written paper, and create a list of references.

In-text citations

There are two types of in-text citations: parenthetical and narrative. They include the following authorial information: the author’s last name and the date. A complete reference entry is included in the list of References which follows the body of your written work. Below is an example of a complete reference entry and two types of in-text citations:

Complete reference entry	Alexander, P.A. (2018). Past as prologue: Educational psychology’s legacy and progeny. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(2), 147-162. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000200
Parenthetical citation	(Alexander, 2018)
Narrative citation	Alexander (2018)

Source: APA Style

Here are examples of how parenthetical and narrative citations appear in a written text.

Parenthetical citation	Among journalists, plagiarism has become a well known issue. In fact, to a certain extent, “Every journalist lives in fear of inadvertent plagiarism” (Renzetti, 2010, para.8).
Narrative citation	Renzetti (2010) attributes the rise in inadvertent plagiarism to a number of key developments. First, they claim that the widespread availability of technology has created a “mash-up generation” that everything is free game (para.3). In addition, they state that…

Source: Sheridan Library

Reference List

The list of References includes all the sources that have been used to conduct your research. APA style implies a set of requirements in terms of the content and the formatting of reference entries. The video tutorial provides a sample reference list and practical suggestions on how to create one.

A lot of information to process? Yes, it is! However, the more you use APA style, the better you get.
“When you practice, you get better. It’s very simple” –Unknown author

Resources:

Academic Writer. (2021). Reference list. Academic Writer. https://academicwriter-apa-org.library.sheridanc.on.ca/learn/browse/QG-57

Academic Writer. (2021). Citing references in text. Academic Writer. https://academicwriter-apa-org.library.sheridanc.on.ca/learn/browse/QG-29

American Psychological Association. (2019). APA Style. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle-apa-org.library.sheridanc.on.ca/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles

Gayle Morris Sweetland Centre for Writing. (2021). How do I effectively integrate textual evidence? University of Michigan. https://lsa-umich-edu.library.sheridanc.on.ca/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-effectively-integrate-textual-evidence-.html

Excelsior Writing Lab. (n.d.). APA style. Excelsior College. https://owl.excelsior.edu/citation-and-documentation/apa-style/

Sheridan Library and Learning Services. (2021). APA style (7th ed). Sheridan College. https://sheridancollege.libguides.com/apa