PSY10005 COLLABORATE SESSION 3 ASSIGNMENT 1 APA AND REFERENCING - APA Skills & Academic Integrity – Week 4 Notes

Session Overview & Logistics

  • Week 4 Collaborate session for “Introduction to Research Methods”
  • Presenter: Ruby Hamer (OLA for Learning Group 10); chat support: Claire Wilson
  • Microphones muted during lecture; open Q&A at end
  • Agenda:
    • Academic integrity
    • APA standards (format + referencing)
    • Sample APA elements for Assignment 1
    • Where to obtain further APA help
    • Live Q&A
  • Territorial acknowledgement: Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation; students invited to share their Country in chat

Academic Integrity Essentials

  • Definition: Honest presentation of your own work while acknowledging others’ work
  • Good academic practice = responsible use of information, proper citation, paraphrasing, referencing, acknowledgment of all sources
  • Swinburne Online Student Hub resources:
    • Draft‐checking tools
    • Turnitin originality report explanation
    • Library search for peer-reviewed material (preferred over generic Google search)

Why It Matters

  • Breaches may result in: permanent record, unit failure, exclusion from university
  • Ethical obligation to respect intellectual property
  • Enables reader to trace evidence and pursue further reading
  • Strengthens arguments with verifiable sources

Understanding Academic Misconduct

  • Plagiarism: presenting others’ ideas/words as your own
  • Self-plagiarism: reusing your past work without citation
  • Collusion: 2 + people acting together to gain unfair advantage
  • Cheating: deceit (e.g.
    hiring someone to write your paper)
  • Contract cheating / ghost-writing: submitting work written by another person/agency

Generative AI Policy

  • ChatGPT / GenAI NOT permitted unless unit coordinator explicitly approves
  • Using GenAI without permission = likely misconduct
  • Only approved tool: Swinburne’s ELB Assignment Feedback (draft checker)

Turnitin Originality Reports

  • Shows text similarity % against internet/database
  • How to access:
    1. Submission → “Submission details” icon
    2. Grades → similarity icon
  • Interface: colour-coded matches; click number to highlight source text; “All Sources” panel lists percentages
  • High % ≠ automatic plagiarism; must check if material is properly paraphrased/cited
  • Use report iteratively before final submission
  • Technical help: Student Advisers (email & phone)

APA Style Fundamentals (7th ed.)

  • Stands for American Psychological Association style
  • Two domains covered:
    1. Document formatting (title page, margins, font, line spacing)
    2. Citation & reference style (in-text + reference list)
  • Used from first-year essays to professional journal articles; learn early to save time later
  • Beware of old APA 6 templates online—always confirm you are in APA 7

Document Formatting in APA 7

  • Legible serif/sans-serif font (e.g.
    Times New Roman, 12 pt)
  • Double-spaced throughout (incl.
    reference list)
  • 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins
  • Page number top-right header (all pages, inc.
    title page)
  • Indent first line of each paragraph 0.5 inch
  • Reference list uses hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented)
  • No extra line before/after paragraphs (let double-spacing handle spacing)

Title Page Specifications

  • Centre-aligned elements, double-spaced
  • Elements (student version):
    • Paper title (bold, Title Case)
    • Author name
    • Institution
    • Unit code + name
    • Lecturer/OLA
    • Due date
    • Word count (optional but required in this unit)
  • Page number 1 in header, top-right
  • Use template provided on Assignment 1 discussion board to ensure accuracy

APA Headings (Levels 1–5)

LevelFormatExample
1Bold, Title Case, CenteredIntroduction
2Bold, Title Case, Flush-leftMethod
3Bold Italic, Title Case, Flush-leftParticipants
4Bold, Title Case, Indented, period. Text continues.Measures. Text…
5Bold Italic, Title Case, Indented, period. Text continues.Procedure. Text…
  • Do not use a heading literally titled "Introduction"; repeat the paper’s full title as Level 1 heading at start of body text

Referencing & Citations

Why Cite?

  • Acknowledge source (avoid theft)
  • Provide trail for readers
  • Demonstrate research depth
  • Strengthen argument credibility
  • Ethical & professional requirement

In-text Citations

  • General components: Author surname(s) + Year; add page number for direct quotes
  • Two presentation styles:
    1. Narrative: Author in sentence, year in parentheses
      • Example: “Forster and Welland (2025) found…”
    2. Parenthetical: Entire citation in parentheses
      • Example: “TP2 students used APA skillfully ((Forster\ \&\ Welland,\ 2025)).”
  • Ampersand & inside parentheses; spell “and” in narrative
Number of Authors (first & subsequent citations)
AuthorsParentheticalNarrative
1(Smith, 2020)Smith (2020)
2(Smith\ \&\ Jones, 2020)Smith and Jones (2020)
3+(Martin\ et\ al., 2020)Martin et al. (2020)
Group (1st)(National\ Institute\ of\ Mental\ Health\ [NIMH],\ 2020)National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2020)
Group (later)(NIMH, 2020)NIMH (2020)
Long Paraphrases
  • Cite source once at first mention; continue paraphrase across sentences as long as context is clear
  • If you start a new paragraph or switch sources, re-cite
  • When paraphrase mixes multiple works, separate citations with semicolon, alphabetical order:
    \text{…} (Forster\ \&\ Welland,\ 2025; Welland\ \&\ Wilson,\ 2025).

Quoting

  • Short quote (<40 words): incorporate in text with quotation marks, include page number:
    "APA is life" (Smith, 2020, p. 15).
  • Block quote (≥40 words): start separate indented block; omit quotation marks; period before citation
  • Use quotes sparingly—paraphrase to demonstrate comprehension

Reference List Formatting

  • Start on new page titled References (bold, centred)
  • Double-spaced, alphabetical by first author’s surname
  • Hanging indent (0.5 inch)
  • General template for journal article:
    Author,\ A.\ A.,\ Author,\ B.\ B.,\ \&\ Author,\ C.\ C.\ (Year).\ Title\ of\ article:\ Subtitle\ after\ colon.\ Journal\ Title,\ \textit{Volume}(Issue),\ pp\text{–}pp.\ https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
    • Article title = sentence case; journal title & volume in italics
    • Include DOI where available (stable, permanent link)
  • Google Scholar & Library “Cite” buttons may omit/format DOIs incorrectly—always proof-check against APA 7 manual

DOI & URL

  • Digital Object Identifier = unique alphanumeric string that provides permanent internet link
  • Found on article first page near copyright information
  • Format as clickable URL: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
  • If no DOI and online: supply direct URL of article homepage; if print only, omit link

Critical Review Assignment Tips

  • Provided 3 starter articles: one is review focus; other two support critique
  • Strong essays integrate additional scholarly sources (peer-reviewed)
  • Textbooks permissible but less persuasive (secondary source)
  • Ideal reference count: ~5–10 well-used sources within 1000 word limit
  • Title page, headings, reference list not included in word count
  • Use Swinburne APA template posted on Canvas to avoid formatting slips

APA Support & Resources

  • Swinburne Library APA 7 Guide: examples + quick reference
  • APA Publication Manual 7th ed. (print & e-book via library) – comprehensive rules & student paper checklist
  • Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) – free explanations + sample essays
  • “Cite This For Me”, Zotero, EndNote – citation managers (always proof-check)
  • Library database “Cite” button (APA 7), but verify
  • ELB Assignment Feedback Tool – automated draft feedback
  • Discussion boards, OLAs, Student Hub live chat for personalised help
  • Tip: colour-code/highlight citations while drafting, then cross-check each against manual before submission

Semester Assignment Timeline & Collaborate Schedule

  • Assignment 1 (Critical Review)
    • Wk 2 – select focal article
    • Wk 3 – draft Sections 1-2
    • Wk 4 – draft Sections 3-4
    • Wk 5 – proofread (APA, content)
    • Due: Monday 5 pm, Week 6
  • Assignment 2 (Research Proposal)
    • Start Week 6 (choose topic)
    • Wk 7–9 drafting; Wk 10 proofreading
    • Due: Monday 5 pm, Week 10
  • Exam revision Weeks 11–12

Collaborate Sessions

  1. A1 Overview (pre-recorded, 14 July)
  2. A1 Examples (21 July)
  3. APA Formatting (current session)
  4. A1 Q&A (Week 5)
  5. Additional sessions will parallel Assignment 2 milestones

Key Takeaways & Best Practices

  • Treat academic integrity as foundational ethic; AI tools prohibited unless explicitly allowed
  • Use Turnitin proactively; high similarity requires checking paraphrase/ citation quality
  • Master APA 7 basics early: formatting, headings, in-text & reference list conventions
  • Remember special rules: 3 + authors → et al. in every citation; group abbreviations after first mention
  • Reference list alphabetises by first author, but author order inside a citation never changes
  • Incorporate DOIs; verify any auto-generated citation
  • Aim for depth: fewer, well‐integrated sources > many superficial citations
  • Use provided templates & Swinburne guides; cross-check with APA manual or Purdue OWL
  • Allocate final proofreading pass solely for APA compliance—small details (e.g., italics, commas, spacing) affect professionalism and marks