APA question (please, I'm tired)

Nursing Students General Students

Published

I know I can probably look this up but I have not found the answer so far. Please help me out with this simple question. I am to the point of almost being done with the paper and I'm tired. Have some sympathy. ;)

I'm talking about a nursing theorist (our favorite topic, right?) and analyzing it to death.

Which of these is correct?

A) Smith's (1999) Theory of Tiredness states, "Blah blah blah" (p. 1).

* this one seems awkward with the apostrophe s and then the parenthesis

B) Smith's Theory of Tiredness (1999) states, "Blah blah blah" (p. 1).

* this one seems wrong because the date is too far after the author's name.

C) Smith's Theory of Tiredness states, "Blah blah blah" (1999, p. 1).

* this one just looks wrong but flows the best.

Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

Download PERRLA. It will drop your reference right in with the correct format and save you time and headache reduction.

I will not do a research paper without it.

The first one, I think

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/

Thanks! My brain is empty right now. LOL!

Download PERRLA. It will drop your reference right in with the correct format and save you time and headache reduction.

I will not do a research paper without it.

I have a Mac and when I tried to get PERRLA they didn't have it for Macs. I found a cheaper tool that works for Macs that at least makes a great reference page.

Specializes in Hospice Nursing.
I have a Mac and when I tried to get PERRLA they didn't have it for Macs. I found a cheaper tool that works for Macs that at least makes a great reference page.

I had to purchase Word for Mac in order to download PERRLA. Great investment!

Specializes in Mental Health, Emergency, Surgical.

Seconding that it is the 1st one.

(This are totally made-up examples, so don't go searching for them :) )

From an article:

In the body of the text:

Blah blah blah (Waters, 2011).

Waters (2011) states that blah blah blah.

In the Bib/References at the end:

Waters, CM (2011) Understanding and supporting patients with a life-threatening diagnosis. American Journal of Thanatology, 12(3), 245-248

From a resource quoted in a website:

"..and now the old boy's in command of the fleet / Cuz he went and married Lidia!" (Arlen and Harburg, 1939)

Reference: Arlen and Harburg (1939), "Lidia the Tattooed Lady," www.clownministry.com, retrieved 1/21/11

Used with permission.

or

..The best wickets in the world...”

(WorldWide Wicket Company, 1955)

Reference:

WorldWide Wicket Company (1956) http://tinyurl.com/2e8c38, retrieved 1/21/11

I had to purchase Word for Mac in order to download PERRLA. Great investment!

I have Open Office for free already and remember thinking that Word for Mac was a luxury. But if this continues I may have to invest in something better. I only have another year of BSN so I'm trying to hold out.

(This are totally made-up examples, so don't go searching for them :) )

From an article:

In the body of the text:

Blah blah blah (Waters, 2011).

Waters (2011) states that blah blah blah.

In the Bib/References at the end:

Waters, CM (2011) Understanding and supporting patients with a life-threatening diagnosis. American Journal of Thanatology, 12(3), 245-248

From a resource quoted in a website:

"..and now the old boy's in command of the fleet / Cuz he went and married Lidia!" (Arlen and Harburg, 1939)

Reference: Arlen and Harburg (1939), "Lidia the Tattooed Lady," www.clownministry.com, retrieved 1/21/11

Used with permission.

or

..The best wickets in the world...”

(WorldWide Wicket Company, 1955)

Reference:

WorldWide Wicket Company (1956) http://tinyurl.com/2e8c38, retrieved 1/21/11

Thanks!

Specializes in High-risk OB.

It's the first one, but I don't believe you capitalize the name of the theory.

For example….Erikson's (date) theory of psychosocial development states that….

I struggled with this for a paper I had to write last year, but learned that you don't capitalize theories, laws, models, etc. in APA format.

Good luck on your paper!

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