To help you get started on class papers, there is a handy worksheet entitled Preparation for Research (MS Word).
The Library has a Sample Style Sheet for APA Bibliographic Citations (PDF). There are also many books to help you write and format your papers. The best known is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition, BF76.7.P83 2001. Copies are available for use in the library at these locations: first floor Reference Desk and Reference Room shelves, fourth floor Reserve Desk and Reserve Room shelves. Other useful books include:
- Concise rules of APA style BF76.7 .C66 2005 Reference Desk. This easy-to-use pocket guide, at $26.95, is less expensive than the big manual http://www.apastyle.org/
- How to prepare a research article in APA style BF76.7.A54 2002 Reference Room
- Pocket guide to APA style BF76.7 .P426 2004 Reference Desk
- The world's easiest guide to using the APA BF76.7.A52 2002 Reference Room
Note: As a researcher and writer, you must comply with copyright laws and CSUN's plagiarism policy. Plagiarism is defined as "intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or work of another as one's own in any academic exercise." Read the Library's webpage Why cite? Avoiding plagiarism.
APA Style
- Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (print version)
- Sample Style Sheet for APA Bibliographic Citatons (PDF) by Dr. Karin Durán
- Sample APA-Style Annotated Bibliography (PDF) by Dr. Karin Durán
- APA Style Guide (PDF) by Eric Garcia
- APA - Frequently Asked Questions
- Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association.
- APA Style Resources
What is Plagiarism?
To plagiarize means to:
- Steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own;
- Use (another's production) without crediting the source;
- Commit literary theft;
- Present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition of "plagiarize," retrieved June 20, 2005)