Visit the Writing Center website; the Getting Started page is a good first step!

Send the tutors your writing and APA questions at writingsupport@mail.waldenu.edu; we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Click the image below, which will take you to a brief video introducing Kayla.

Analyze: to break a text or topic down and examine its different parts

Compare/contrast: to examine two different elements to discover similarities and differences

Evaluate: to determine the significance or value of something by examining it closely

Reflect: to think about an issue deeply and consider its impact

Paraphrase: to express the main idea of a text in your own words and in a different form

Citing in Text

• Parenthetical citations come at the end of a sentence in the (Author, year) form: APA citing can be tricky (Skarbakka, 2012).
  
• In-text citations occur when the author's name forms part of the sentence in the Author (year) form: Skarbakka (2012) noted that APA citing can be tricky.
  

Include either form of citation in your sentences - but not both! For more information, check out our guide to how and when to cite.

Reference list

• Book: Author, A. A. (year). Title of book. City, State: Publisher.

• Journal article: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (year). Title of article. Name of Journal, V(i), pp-pp. doi: xxxxxx

• Website: Author, A. A. (year). Title of website. Retrieved from http://xxx.xxxx
  

For more reference list help, check out our common reference list examples. 

Formatting

• Use the APA course paper template to help with your formatting
• Trouble with Microsoft Word? See our resources here
  

Scholarly Tone

• Be mindful of your point of view in scholarly writing
• Avoid bias in your discussion posts and papers

Organization and Cohesion

• Include an introduction and conclusion for each paper
  
• Try outlining to help organize the flow of ideas in your papers
  
• Strengthen your paragraphs by using topic sentences and the MEAL plan
• Incorporate evidence seamlessly in your papers by introducing, integrating, and explaining it
  

Week 1: Make the most of your discussion posts throughout this course! Check out our guide to successful discussion posts for tips. Also, as a scholar and steward of your discipline, you are required to follow APA writing form and style. For APA writing guidelines beyond the information offered in this course reading guide, check out the Common APA and Walden Writing Guidelines document attached at the bottom of this Weekly Writing Tips box. This document contains additional important tips on formatting, punctuation, grammar, citations, and references. Try printing out this document and placing it beside your computer for an easy cheat sheet as you write. You can also use this document as a checklist as you proofread and revise your writing.

 

Week 2: You'll be submitting your work to Turnitin (TII) throughout this course and future courses, and if you're like most students, you probably have some questions about this service. Check out our guide to TII, which includes information on interpreting your results. This guide also describes how to access the Writing Center's TII drop boxes, which provide a "safe" place to check for possible plagiarism before submitting your work to your course TII drop box. Finally, Writing Specialist Hillary offers some additional tips on interpreting your TII score in her blog post.

 

Week 3: During Module 2, you'll be taking the Walden Writing Assessment. During this assessment, try to make your writing as simple and concise as possible; no need to try to sound scholarly. Remember that strong ideas, not long words or complicated sentences, are the best way to express your great ideas. You will, though, want to be sure that you are picking your words carefully, so skim through our list of commonly confused words before starting the assessment. You can also brush up your grammar and punctuation skills by taking our interactive quizzes and exercises.

 

Week 4: Need to cite the Walden website in your PDP? Here's how you'd cite the Vision and Mission Statements page:

Walden University. (2012). Vision and mission statements. Retrieved from http://www.waldenu.edu/About-Us/33598.htm

The Writing Center also has plenty of additional resources on citing websites, including how to cite the Walden course catalog.

Finally, in your reference list, be sure to use a hanging indent for all your references and double space within and between entries.

 

Week 5: This week you will complete your SWOT analysis table based on the Richardson article. Use the Draw a Table tool in Microsoft Word to create a table with two rows and two columns.

In addition, for help with Microsoft Word formatting functions such as running heads, margins, and hanging indents, check out the guides and videos on our Microsoft Writing Resources page. If you have additional formatting questions or concerns, try browsing the Microsoft Help website.

 

Week 6: Do yourself a huge favor by reading the Jazvac-Martek article with a critical eye. Getting in the habit of reading your texts actively will serve you well throughout your program.

 

Week 7: Perplexed about plagiarism? You're not alone. Our webinar Using and Crediting Sources is a great resource to help you ensure that you're always citing your sources properly. In addition, if you ever have any questions about APA or academic integrity, let us know! We always love to hear from students at writingsupport@mail.waldenu.edu.

 

Week 8: Ever get the writing blues? You know more or less what you want to say but just can't figure out how to say it. Don't fret! See if you can get those juices flowing with prewriting exercises, or see if any of these tips can help you cure that writer's block. When you are ready to write, organize your writing using APA headings for your sections. For more heading form and style tips, see the APA and Walden Writing Guidelines document at the bottom of this Weekly Writint Tips box or refer to the APA Manual 6th edition, page 62.

 

Week 9:  Here's a paraphrasing tip: read the text you want to paraphrase several times, then shut the book (or dim your screen) and try describing what you've read out loud - to a friend or family member, a pet, or even just to yourself! Expressing ideas out loud can be a great way to help you break away from the text's original wording. For more paraphrasing tips, check out our guide here. 

 

Week 10: Confused about how to cite the great resources in your classroom? We've got you covered! Check out our guides for citing course media (such as webcasts) and course materials (such as course notes or handouts).

 

Week 11: As you near the end of this course, take a minute to reflect on your writing and plan how you might strengthen your future work.

 

Week 12: Congratulations - you've come to the end of this course! Don't check out early, though; be sure to review your final PDP draft before you submit to make sure you're incorporating all the writing and APA skills you've honed over the last weeks.