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Navigating Research and APA Style in Communication: A Comprehensive Guide

This chapter explores the essential steps for conducting communication research and adhering to APA style guidelines. It outlines five key steps in the research process, including topic identification, research question formulation, locating and evaluating sources, and proper APA citation. It emphasizes the importance of understanding both primary and secondary sources and offers practical tips for organizing information. Additionally, it covers foundational APA formatting requirements for academic research, providing readers with a clear framework to effectively document their findings and ensure academic integrity.

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Navigating Research and APA Style in Communication: A Comprehensive Guide

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  1. Chapter 4: “Searching for previous research and APA style”inQuantitative research methods for communication: A hands-on approachbyJason S. Wrench, Candice Thomas-Maddox, Virginia Peck Richmond, & James C. McCroskey (2008) Adam Webb COMM. 5310.01

  2. What this chapter is about… • Part 1: Understanding the five steps when beginning a research project (pp. 43-67) • Part 2: APA paper formatting (pp. 68-74)

  3. The five steps in the research process • Wrench, Thomas-Maddox, Richmond, & McCroskey (2008) claim “[t]he first step in beginning the communication research project involves choosing a topic or questions about communication to investigate” (Wrench, Thomas-Maddox, Richmond, & McCroskey, p. 43)

  4. The five steps • Step 1: Indentifying a topic • Step 2: Clarifying the research question and generating key terms • Step 3: Locating sources of information • Step 4: Organizing and evaluating information • Step 5: Citing sources of information using the APA format

  5. Step 1: Identifying a source Key points & ideas: • Check previous research • Specific communication context • What kinds of sources? Primary? Secondary? How to go about locating them • The use of the research? • What are the theories being used? Do they apply to your research purposes?

  6. Step 2: Clarifying the research question and generating key terms Key points & ideas: • State your topic in the form of a question • Identify key terms and concepts • Generate a list of synonyms • The “checklist” (p. 47) • Brainstorming (p. 49)

  7. Step 3: Locating sources of information Key points & ideas: • Two types of information sources: -Google and Yahoo examples (possibly as a starting point) -The library (“librarians are our friends”) • Secondary scholarly research articles (please see the list on pp.52-54) • Primary sources (i.e. interviews, surveys, etc.) • Handbooks & encyclopedias • Electronic databases • The Internet & evaluating World Wide Webb sources (the issue of credibility)

  8. Step 4: Organizing and evaluating information Key points & ideas: • Accurately record all of your information from your sources (i.e. what kind of source is it? & what kind of citation elements needed in it, p. 63) • You can possibly locate and use an online citation generator such as Endnote, Noodle Tools, Easybib, & Bibme + others • Microsoft Word 2007 has citation generator for keeping track of the sources you use in your text (word of warning…)

  9. Step 5: Citing sources of information using the APA format Key points & ideas: • Cite all of your sources (the ones you use in your text)! • Build a “reference list” • Direct quotes & paraphrasing both require proper citation in APA • Various types of citations: Block quotes (more than 40 words or four lines or more), paraphrases (“putting in your own words; summarizing), & parenthetical citations (direct quotes taken from another text)

  10. APA paper formatting Writing up your research in APA is more than just putting a cover page on it!

  11. Some of the basics in APA… • When doing academic research for an academic institution or for publication, obtain a recent copy of the American Psychological Association (APA) Manual • There have been some recent changes in APA formatting

  12. What is APA? • Cover page with a running head and specific page margins • An abstract of the study or research • Certain page and in-text citations/paraphrasing requirements, such as: -Titles -Various subtitles -Certain ways non how to use and label charts & figures -Author introductions and citations -A reference page + more

  13. Standout key terms (let us define them together)  • Axiom - • Boolean logic - • Parenthetical citations - • Truncation symbols - My sample APA paper (M.S. thesis in Curriculum & Instruction)

  14. (my questions to the audience) How do you do research? How do you feel about APA? (audience questions to me) What questions do you have for me?

  15. Thank you!  Have a nice night!

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