APA Style 6th edition

Be thoughtful. Before submitting your work, have a colleague or classmate read it to look for omissions, irrelevant material, abruptness, contradictions, and inconsistencies. Other methods to improve your writing:

1. Work from an outline
2. Write a draft; then set aside the draft for a few days, then read again with fresh eyes.
3. Read the work aloud to catch problems

Be yourself. Don't get giddy with the thesaurus. Use terminology that you understand and that your reader will understand. If most people in your profession (or in your classes) understand a term you do not need to explain it. If only a few people in your field know the term, do explain the term.

Be precise when using this/that/these/those - using this or that alone in writing is too vague. Instead, be precise. For example:

• this survey
• that response
• these participants
• those research studies

Be coherent. "Short words and short sentences are easier to comprehend than are long ones" (p. 67); however, many short sentences together can be choppy and abrupt, so mix in shorter sentences with longer sentences. Make sure what you say can be understood.

Write (mostly) in the third person. In academic writing, use mostly third person; use first person (sparingly) when referring to yourself or co-authors. Do not use second person in academic writing.

Be consistent in verb tense:

• Literature Review & Methodology - use past tense or present perfect tense (but be consistent in which one you use):
  • Smith and Jones demonstrated ... (past tense)
  • Smith and Jones have demonstrated ... (present perfect tense)
• Results - use past tense
• Implications / Discussion - use present tense
• Conclusions - use present tense

Be non-judgmental. For instance, when describing a research study in the literature review:

• Good: Statler and Waldorf did not address...
• Not Good: Statler and Waldorf completely ignored...

Gender

Biased Writing

• An economics major generally enrolls in statistical courses in his junior year.

Fixes

• An economics major generally enrolls in statistical courses in the junior year.
• An economics major generally enrolls in statistical courses in his or her junior year.
• In the junior year, an economics major will generally enroll in statistical courses.

Biased Writing

• The female anesthesiologist administered Fluothane (halothane) to the patient before the surgical procedure.

Fix

• The anesthesiologist administered Fluothane (halothane) to the patient before the surgical procedure. (Only specify sex if it is somehow necessary to the understanding of the point you are trying to make.)

Grammatically Incorrect Fix to Biased Writing (Singular Matched to Plural) - Authors sometimes try to write without bias but end up writing grammatically incorrect sentences. 

• An economics major generally enrolls in statistical courses in their junior year.

Fix

• Economics majors generally enroll in statistical courses in their junior years.

Sexual Orientation
(avoid using the term homosexual)

Biased Writing

• The study included data from 1,277 homosexual women.

Fix

• The study included data from 1,277 lesbian women.

Biased Writing

• This mixed-methods study included 12 homosexual couples.

Fix

• This mixed methods study included 12 same-sex couples (seven gay male couples and five lesbian female couples).

Race & Ethnicity
(watch out for pejorative terms)

Biased Writing

• During the two months the survey was open to participants, 124 Pacific Island Americans submitted answers.

Fixes

• During the two months the survey was open to participants, 124 Pacific Island Americans (52 Native Hawaiians, 21 Samoan-Americans, 20 Chamorros-Americans, 18 Fijian-Americans, 10 Marshallese-Americans, and three Tonga-Americans) submitted answers.
• During the two months the survey was open to participants, 52 Native Hawaiians, 21 Samoan-Americans, 20 Chamorros-Americans, 18 Fijian-Americans, 10 Marshallese-Americans, and three Tonga-Americans submitted answers.

Biased Writing

• A total of 22 Greenlandic Eskimos* were interviewed for this qualitative study.

Fix

• ​A total of 22 Greenlandic Inuit were interviewed for this qualitative study.

*The term Eskimo is sometimes viewed as pejorative by native peoples as it was a term assigned by non-native colonizers. Use the word Inuit instead. 

Disabilities
(always put the person first)

Biased Writing

• One interview was conducted with a mentally ill man.

Fix

• One interview was conducted with a person who suffers from paranoia.

Biased Writing

• Using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) the impaired girl was asked to form sentences using symbols and pictures.

Fix

• Using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) the adolescent diagnosed with non-verbal autism was asked to form sentences using symbols and pictures.