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Commas are punctuation marks with a variety of uses. The following constructions require commas:
Example: This KAM consists of Breadth, Depth, and Application.
Example: Walden University, established in 1970, offers many degree programs.
Example: Smith (2001) conducted the research, and Heller (2008) commented on the results.
Example of introductory clause: If you are using this sentence structure, place a comma after the dependent clause. Example of introductory phrase: Before completing the interviews, I must obtain Walden University approval. Example of introductory word: Therefore, I created three research questions. Example of introductory word: However, further research is needed.
Example: The hospital's pursuit of Magnet status was successful (R. Jones, personal communication, September 18, 2009).
Example: The research was "inconclusive in its implications" (Sanders, 2009, p. 45).
Example: Freud (1900) claimed, "the dreamer...assumes that the dream--even if it does not come from another world--has at all events transported the dreamer into another world" (p. 5).
The following constructions do not require commas:
Example: I conducted the study in June 2003.
Example: Smith (2001) found that the results were consistent although some details in the approaches differed.
Example: Freud (1900) claimed that "the dreamer...assumes that the dream--even if it does not come from another world--has at all events transported the dreamer into another world" (p. 5).
Example: Jessica and I went to the movies, we had a good time.
There are many ways to correct the sentence above. Review the information on run-on sentences for examples of correctly joining independent clauses.
Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.
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