Most U.S. nursing schools require students to write course assignment papers, theses, and dissertations in the writing style specified by the American Psychological Association. The core reference for APA Style is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition (PMAPA).

PMAPA is available in two versions: a first printing, which contains numerous errors, and a second, corrected printing (all versions printed after October 2009). All PMAPA printings beginning in October 2009 are of the corrected version. (Amazon.com now sells only the corrected version of this book. Amazon’s current price for this book, new copy, is $21.34)

Note: The Amazon.com book prices listed in this Resource Materials list are for new copies; in most cases these books can also be purchased as used copies for a substantial cost saving. 

Useful Websites

APA Style  — Official American Psychological Association site; includes FAQs about APA Style

Citation Machine — Provides an interactive tool to help create reference citations (but it’s not perfect).

APA Formatting and Style Guide  (OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab)

APA Style: The Social Sciences (Diana Hacker, Research and Documentation Online)

CSU Sacramento Guide: APA Style Guide, 6th ed. 

Citation Software

Endnote

Student’s note: In earlier versions of Endnote, sometimes Endpoint created incorrectly formatted references and/or citations. This problem appears to have been rectified with the newest version of Endnote.

Reference Point

Reference Point Software’s templates make it easy to format your papers in APA style. With just a few clicks of the mouse, your document will have the proper margins, with the header and page numbers in exactly the right places.

http://www.referencepointsoftware.net/apatemplate.htm

Student’s note: Reference Point is a helpful tool, except for the fact that references are not transferable to other papers.

StyleEase

StyleEase works within Microsoft Word to automate your paper and citation formatting, and includes a powerful and editable reference entry database, so you never need to enter the same reference information twice.

http://www.styleease.com/APAPage1.html?gclid=CJuOks29xqMCFRJNagodCxbtYQ 

Dr. Paper

Dr. Paper makes it easy to format documents and references in APA Style (5th or 6th edition). Recommended by teachers, librarians, and fellow students to help you focus on the content of your paper. http://thewritedirection.net/drpaper/?gclid=CPOK7um9xqMCFQQBbAod_RB5Xw 

Microsoft Office APA

Microsoft Office APA style format for college level type research papers

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/apa-style-TC030000052.aspx

PERRLA

PERRLA is a software program that works within Microsoft Word to correctly format your entire paper in either APA (6th Edition and 5th Edition) or MLA style including:

http://www.perrla.com/

WriteCite

REFERENCE LISTS ONLY: WriteCite automatically formats APA style reference lists for student assignments as you type citation information.

http://www.writecite.com/students/apa/home.php

Typing Software – Free Downloads 

Note: I (Bruce Smith) have not tried to use the typing software listed below. If you download and use any of these programs, I’d appreciate hearing your feedback on your experience.

KeyBlaze Typing Tutor

http://www.nchsoftware.com/typingtutor/index.html 

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 Deluxe

http://download.cnet.com/Mavis-Beacon-Teaches-Typing-17-Deluxe/3000-2051_4-10441764.html

From C-Net.com: The multimedia-rich Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 Deluxe can turn even the most recalcitrant hunt-and-peck artist into a skillful touch typist. But first you’ll have to download the behemoth 400MB installer and suffer through the sluggish setup process. Persevere. Once you get it running, Mavis Bacon is memory-intensive but quite fast. The unusual interface depicts a classroom; you click on various objects to select tasks (for instance, a computer to enter the Lesson Area). Mavis Bacon provides not only lessons and drills, but also videos and text advice on proper typing posture. It also allows you to build custom lessons, play special typing games, and check the ergonomics at your workplace. All in all, it’s a feature-rich typing tutor with a good-looking interface and lots of useful extras.

Read more: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 Deluxe – Free software downloads and software reviews – CNET Download.com http://download.cnet.com/Mavis-Beacon-Teaches-Typing-17-Deluxe/3000-2051_4-10441764.html#ixzz1ayGI0F8S

Rapid Typing Zone

http://www.rapidtyping.com/downloads.html

Online Touch Typing Software Applications

http://typingsoft.com/all_typing_tutors.htm

APA Style References

• Mastering APA Style—Student’s Workbook and Training Guide, Sixth Edition, by the American Psychological Association; ($23.12 from Amazon.com)
• Online tutorial: The Basics of APA Style. For those with little or no previous knowledge of APA style; at http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm
• Online tutorial: Mastering the Sixth Edition; for those with previous knowledge of APA style; at apastyle.org/learn/courses/4210700.aspx.
• Note: Concise Rules of APA Style is a bit more expensive and generally less useful than the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (PMAPA). The rules contents of the Concise Rules are word-for-word identical to the Publication Manual—with the same rules, subrules, explanations, and examples in both books (i.e., Concise Rules does not have fewer rules and/or subrules). Also, Concise Rules does not contain Chapters 1, 2, and 8 of PMAPA—chapters that are useful to a nursing professional who intends to publish papers. In addition, Concise Rules does not contain the display pages of sample papers that are included in PMAPA (pages 41–59); many authors find these sample pages quite helpful.

Other Academic Writing Reference Books

• Academic Writing for Graduate Students—Essential Tasks and Skills, Second Edition, by John M. Swales and Christine B. Feak. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. ($17.24 from Amazon.com)
• Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses, by Cynthia Saver. (2011). Published by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. ($31.45 from Amazon.com)
• The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citation, 19th Edition. By Columbia Law Review, Harvard Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review. (2005). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Law Review Association. ($169.87 from Amazon.com)
• Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, Second Edition, by Mimi Zeiger; ($51.11 from Amazon.com)
• From Research to Manuscript, Second Edition, by Michael Jay Katz (Paperback – Jan 29, 2009; $17.78 from Amazon.com)
• How to Read a Paper—The Basics of Evidence-based Medicine, Fourth Edition. By Trisha Greenhalgh. 2010. London: Wiley–Blackwell; ($40.45 from Amazon.com)
• Presenting Your Findings: A Practical Guide for Creating Tables – Adelheid A. M. Nicol and Penny M. Pexman. (1999). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; ($4.71 from Amazon.com)

Dissertation Reference Books

The following dissertation composition references are recommended by staff at the American Psychological Association.

• Dissertations and Theses From Start to Finish: Psychology and Related Fields (2nd ed., 2006), by John D. Cone and Sharon L. Foster. The authors guide you on how to define your topics, select a faculty adviser, schedule time to accommodate the project, and conduct, analyze, write, present, and publish research. You’ll find answers to questions you may never have considered before, even after taking academic research courses.
• Finish Your Dissertation Once and for All! How to Overcome Psychological Barriers, Get Results, and Move on With Your Life (2008), by Alison B. Miller. Combining psychological support with a project management approach that breaks tasks into small, manageable chunks, Miller shows you how to overcome negativity and Get. It. Done.
• How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (2007), by Paul J. Silvia, puts readers firmly on course by deconstructing and flogging the behaviors that keep readers from achieving that goal. Silvia also shares detailed advice on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles, how to improve writing quality, and how to write and publish academic work.

You can order all of these dissertation-related publications directly from the APA website (http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/) or the usual retailers (Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.).

Usage References

• Merriam–Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, by Merriam–Webster, Inc. (1994). Springfield, MA: Author.  ($19.95 from Amazon.com)
• Fowler’s Modern English Usage, by R. W. Burchfield. New York: Oxford University Press. ($25.95 from Amazon.com)
• Garner’s Modern American Usage, Third Edition, by Bryan Garner. (2009). Oxford: Oxford University Press; ($29.70 from Amazon.com)
• Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day. A good FREE resource for building vocabulary, delivered daily to your email address. Sign up by clicking on Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day under DAILY & WEEKLY NEWSLETTERS at http://www.us.oup.com/us/subscriptions/subscribe/
• com at http://www.differencebetween.com/

General Purpose Writing Reference Books

You may find the following useful for general writing purposes:

• The Sense of Structure: Writing from the Reader’s Perspective, by George D. Gopen. (2004). New York: Pearson Longman. ($62.49 from Amazon.com)   Excellent resource.
• The Chicago Manual of Style, Sixteenth Edition, by University of Chicago Press Staff. (2010). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ($40.95 from Amazon.com)

For more information with regard to writing references or to forward your comments and recommendations for this Academic Writing Bibliography, contact Bruce Smith at (415) 215-7535 or rbruce108@yahoo.com.