Ms. Gibeau's Exercise Science Class
Citations in APA format & how to do research the right way!
The Task
When To Cite: A Checklist
Be Wise and Don't Plagiarize
I now know when to cite my work....but how do I do it?
I now know when to cite my work.....but how do I do it?
Depending on the course that you are in, how you cite your work may vary. For example, MLA is generally used for literary research (i.e. English, History, Geography, etc) as well as academic papers in the humanities field. APA is used for scientific papers, laboratory reports, psychology, education and other social sciences. There are significant differences between MLA and APA citations so we are going to explore how to cite our work in APA format.
APA Citations - The Sixth Edition
Embedded Citations - APA Format
Research - Completing Your References Page in APA format
You can also use the databases to help you complete your references page by clicking on SourceIt. This database is Peel Board approved in terms of being a great tool to help you.
One of the easiest tools to use when creating a references page is Citation Machine. If you go to www.citationmachine.net , you can input your book, magazine, website, film or other resource and the citation will be created for you! Please keep in mind that if some parts of the citation are missing, you can easily fill them in using Citation Machine.
Finally, many of the databases create the citation for you! When you are in a database and you are looking at an article, look to the top or the left of the article to find a citation tools like (in some databases it will look like a check mark). If you click on that link and select APA formatting, the citation will be created for you and then you can copy and paste it into your references page.
When completing your references page, there are a few key things to remember:
- It should be in alphabetical by author's last name. If there is no author, then it should be in alphabetical order by whatever letter comes first in the citation.
- The second line should be indented. You can do this by pressing "Enter" and then "Tab".
- You do not have to number your citations.
- You do not have to put your list of citations into categories (i.e. books, magazines, websites, etc.).
- You should only include resources that you actually used in your research. If you looked at it, but did not use it, it should not be included in your references.
References Page EXAMPLE – APA FORMAT
References
Atwood, M. (2003). Oryx and Crake. London: Bloomsbury.
Harris, J. (2002). Five quarters of an orange. Boston, MA: Harper.
Packer, A. (2003). The dive from Clausen's Pier. New York: Vintage Books.
Policy.ca. (2000-2006). Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://www.policy.ca.
Westerfeld, S. (2005). Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse.
Let's Practice! Citing your work in APA format
Research - The Library Catalogue
- Go to the applications page and click on the "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour"
- Go to www.peelschools.org. Click on the pink BYOD link. Click on the teal library circular icon. The green library catalogue icon will be at the top of the page.
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We may not have books for some of the topics that you are looking for, but this is a good place to start!
Finding the Databases
- Go to the applications page and click on "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour". Then click on Library eResources. Click on eResources. Click on Intermediate/Secondary. Then you will find all of our databases.
- Go to www.peelschools.org. Click on the pink BYOD link. Click on the teal library circular icon. The intermediate/secondary library databases will be listed below.
Boolean Search Operators
The Research - Databases
Once you have found the databases you will need to start searching for your topic. When conducting your search, you will need to narrow down your topic. "performance enhancing drugs" is far too broad as a topic search as many different items will come up if you only search for the word "performance enhancing drugs". However, you can narrow down your search to "performance enhancing drugs" and include a specific group or subject (i.e. women, teenagers, men, etc.). The following are a list of potential databases that may be helpful with conducting your research for your exercise science class.
- Britannica Online School Edition - this database is great for getting background information about many topics.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - also a great source for background information but from a Canadian perspective
- Canadian Points of View - this is an excellent database for finding relevant, Canadian content
- Health and Wellness - exercise science looks at many issues regarding human health and wellness. This would be a great database for your research.
- Science in Context - this database contains a wealth of scientific information.
- Points of View - excellent database(s) for getting different perspectives on a variety of topics
- Science Reference Center - this database is similar to science in context and also contains a great deal of science information.
All of the databases are great sources of information. Although these have been recommended as places to start, you can try other databases if you are not finding the information you need. They are better than a random search on a website because you can find a lot of information here that has been written by experts in the field. Many of the databases are specific to certain topics! Below are some examples of what the database icons look like. You cannot access the databases from here! But you can access the databases from the Secondary eResources link just below!
Note Taking and the Databases
Be a Fact Finder - Watch Out for Fake News!!
Evaluating Your Sources
Practice Time - The Assignment
1. one non-fiction book
2. one fiction book
3. three database sources (please make sure that they are academic journal sources only)
4. one website (from a reputable source)
Your references page should be about an Exercise Science topic that interests you. Please use the skills that you have learned to put together a perfect references page!