Chapter 6: Material Other Than Journal Articles

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Chapter 6 Material Other Than Journal Articles

• Discussion by
• Diana Piccolo
• EDCI 628
• Fall 2005

2
Objectives of this chapter

• 6.01 To explain some of the differences between
  preparing journal articles for publication using
  APA guidelines and
• Theses, dissertations, and student papers (pp.
  321-328)
• Papers for oral presentations (pp. 329-330)
• Papers published in abbreviated form (p. 330).

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Manuscript differences

• Thesis, dissertations or student papers
• 1. Submitted to a thesis office or graduate
  school for review.
• 2. Variations from the APA Publications Manual
  may be used if they are requirements of your
  institution or thesis office.
• 3. Refer to the TAMU Thesis Manual.

• Journal articles
• 1.Submitted to a specific journal for review.
• 2. Most journal articles must follow APA
  guidelines without much variation.

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Content requirements 6.02

• Journal articles
• Abstract
• Maximum length for a journal abstract is 120
  words.
• Introduction
• Should address and
• answer the four questions
• on page 16, section 1.08.

• Theses, dissertation or student papers
• Abstract
• Maximum length for a
• dissertation abstract is 350
• words.
• Introduction
• Length of the introduction
• is usually more developed
• in order to show
• familiarity with the
• research literature.

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Content requirements, cont.

• Journal articles
• Methods
• Similar to thesis
• dissertations and student
• papers.
• Summary
• Must follow APA
• guidelines.

• Thesis, dissertations
• and student papers
• Methodology
• This section describes
• how your study was conducted
• or researched explains your
• results and presents your
• interpretation of the results.
• Refer to sections 1.09,
• 1.10, and 1.11.
• Summary
• In some psychology
• dissertations, the abstract
• may be substituted for
• the summary.

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Content requirements, cont.

• Theses, dissertations and student papers
• References
• Usually, only references
• cited in text are included.
• However, exceptions
• include creating a
• bibliography that sites a
• broader number of
• references.

• Journal articles
• References
• Only references cited in
• the text are included.

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Content requirements, cont.

• Theses, dissertations and student papers
• Appendix may include
• verbatim instructions to
• participants,
• questionnaires,
• sign-up sheets or
• informed consents,
• statistical calculations,
• instrument used in data
• collection.

• Journal articles
• Appendix may include
• large tables,
• lists of words,
• sample of a
• questionnaire
• survey instrument
• computer program
• Refer to pg. 205, section
• 3.90.

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Manuscript Preparation Requirements (6.03)

• The purpose of thesis requirements is to instill
  consistency of manuscript creation in various
  departments and disciplines. Not all disciplines
  use APA format.
• Laboratory reports may have different
  requirements.
• Any modifications from the APA format are
  implemented to help ensure the appearance and
  readability of the final document. Refer to TAMU
  Thesis Manual.

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Manuscript Preparation requirements cont.

• Margins
• 1.4 (left margin), 1.15 (right margin) 1.25
  (top and bottom margins)
• Five Chapters
• Introduction, Theory and Literature Review,
  Methodology, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion
• Figures, tables, and footnotes
• May be included in the text where they would help
  explain the meaning.
• Type size may vary.
• Type Size
• Text is between 10-12 point
• Major headings-maximum is 14 point

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Manuscript Preparation requirements cont.

• Spacing
• Double or one one-half spaced. (but dont mix
  them).
• Single spacing can be used for table titles,
  headings, figure captions, footnotes, references,
  and long quotations. Indent long quotations five
  spaces (1/2 inches).
• Triple or quadruple spacing can be used after
  chapter titles, before major subheadings, before
  footnotes, and before and after tables and
  figures in the text.

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Manuscript preparation requirements, cont.

• Page numbers
• Every page must be numbered (including appendix)
  except title page and approval page.
• Location of page numbers should be in the upper
  right corner, approx. .5 from the top edge and
  1 from the right edge.
• Headings
• Must be located at the top of a new page,
  centered and in all capital letters.
• Use bold type, not italics.
• Consistency in point size and bold type should be
  used throughout document.
• Use same spacing as text if heading is more than
  one line.

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Factors to consider when converting your
dissertation into a journal article (p. 326)

• Trimming the length (6.04)
• Narrow your focus to a specific topic
• Include only the most significant results
• Avoid presentation pitfalls. See Carver (1984)
  for a list of these pitfalls
• Select most significant references.
• Writing Style (6.05)
• Use clarity, get rid of unnecessary words, avoid
  repetition, use active voice, and correct
  grammar.

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Converting a Dissertation into a Journal, cont.

• The APA Research Manual (2001) states that
  compared with a dissertation, a journal paper
  requires
• A tighter theoretical framework,
• A more succinct review of the literature,
• A more controlled presentation of methodology,
• And a more restrained discussion of results (p.
  329).

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Points to discuss in an oral presentation (p.
329)

• Explain what you have studied and why.
• Provide an overview of how you gathered your
  research and results.
• Explain the implications of your results.

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When in doubt

• Tell your audience
• what you are going to say (intro),
• Say it (body)
• And then tell them again what you have said
  (conclusion).

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Material Published in Abbreviated Form (p. 330)

• Material, such as brief reports or limited
  importance studies should
• Only be one to three pages long.
• Summarize the procedures and results of your
  study.
• Follow the APA guidelines of the journal.