C. Munzenmaier • Hamilton College • Urbandale, IA

Quick Links
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 ESL Resources
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Resources for APA-Style Documentation

APA FAQs

Avoiding plagiarism

Citation-making software

Model papers

Online tutorials

Quick References 

Online Tutorials
 Online Guides and Cheatsheets
Model Papers
 Free Software
  • BibMe (will autofill citations for books; saves and download reference lists; does not handle sources with no date well)
  • Citation Machine (enter information about your source and get both reference list entries and parenthentical citations; be sure to double-check results) video demo (.swx)
  • Cite Fast (builds citations step-by-step; good for articles on a Web site with sponsor)
  • NoodleBib Express (creates Bluebook citations; free version lets you cut-and-paste; individual subscription allows you to save citations) video demo (.swx)
  • Plagiarism Self-Detection Test (if you're having trouble putting sources into your own words, you might try this tool from Dr. Glatt)

 APA FAQs

Format FAQs

Working with Sources FAQs

Style FAQs

Taking Notes

Avoiding Plagiarism

Working with Quotations

Search Engine Tricks

  • Use a tilde (the ~ symbol on the top left of your keyboard) to get Google to find synonyms for your search term (e.g., a search for ~"lie detector" will return hits for polygraph as well).
  • Use a minus sign or NOT (depending on the search engine) to exclude terms (e.g., spears -Britney).
  • Add intitle to a Google search to restrict your search to Web page titles (e.g., intitle:"obesity epidemic").
  • Restrict Google searches to certain domains with site (e.g.,intitle:forensics site:gov) Useful domains include edu (educational institutions); gov (government), and mil (military).
  • If you're having trouble finding keywords, use a search engine that clusters results, such as Kartoo or Clusty. Use the folder names as keywords. You can also try Ask; its natural language search often comes up with hits that other search engines miss.
  • If you're not getting enough hits, try using a meta-search engine, such as Vivisimo, IxQuick, or Metacrawler.
  • Search within a date range on Google. Find professional and peer-reviewed articles at Scholar Google and Find Articles (which allows you to restrict your search to free articles). Find free articles about business and recreation at MagPortal.com.
  • Two blogging search engines are Technorati.com and Blogpulse.com. If you're researching a cutting-edge topic, blogs might be a good source. However, ask some questions before trusting a blog: What are the blogger's credentials? What do others in the field think about the blogger or the topic? (One hint: if others quote or link to the blog, that adds credibility.)
  • Become a power-searcher by checking the advanced search options, reading Searching the Internet Effectively, or searching for tutorials on your favorite search engine, such as Google Guide.
  • Check Nielsen's search engine ratings.

 

 

 

Copyright in these materials belongs to C. Munzenmaier © 2010.
Teachers are free to reproduce or modify them for nonprofit educational use.

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