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SOCW330: Social Service: Theory and Practice: APA

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APA Style Frequently Asked Questions

Plagiarism, Paraphrasing and Quotation

Tips for Avoiding Accidental Plagiarism

  • Take complete notes that mark where the information is coming from and any words or phrases taken directly from source material.
  • Keep citations as you go.
  • Always use quotation marks when using unique words or phrases found in your source material
  • Plagiarism includes the use of someone else's words or idea without giving proper credit and citations.
  • To avoid using another author's words, a student may paraphrase by putting an idea into their own words, but the idea must still be credited to the original author in a citation.
  • Any exact words or unique phrases taken from a source must be indicated by the use of quotation marks.
  • Phrases contained within quotation marks must be exactly as they appear in the original text.

From Purdue OWL:

"Why use quotations, paraphrases, and summaries?  Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them to . . .

  • Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
  • Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
  • Give examples of several points of view on a subject
  • Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with
  • Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the original
  • Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the words are not your own
  • Expand the breadth or depth of your writing"

DOI or URL?

A  DOI or Digital Object Identifier is a string of numbers and letters that identifies a published journal article and provides a persistent link to the article online.  All DOIs begin with the number 10.  Using a DOI resolver from the International DOI Foundation, you can locate the article on the Internet. 

When citing a journal article from a website or database, use the DOI assigned by the article publisher.  If a DOI was not assigned to the article, use a persistent URL. Some databases will generate the permenant URL for users.

Use the guide below to find a DOI and for further advice about when to use it.

Print Guides to APA Style

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