Throughout our first quarter at Midwestern University we wrote multiple papers, all of which were required to adhere to proper APA style. APA encompasses a very precise writing technique that includes strict rules for grammar, formatting, and style. Having come into this program straight from an undergraduate psychology program, I felt comfortable writing in APA style. That being said, I quickly found out I had plenty of room for improvement. This essay will describe several strengths, as well as several weaknesses I discovered about my APA writing skills. In addition, it will outline several behavioral strategies to improve those shortcomings in the future.
One strength in my writing are the introductions and conclusions. I believe …show more content…
First of all, this paper showed me that laziness is a common denominator throughout all of my writing issues. If I would have spent more time reviewing my title pages, then I might have noticed the running head fonts were not consistent with the rest of my paper. If I would have spent a bit more time consulting the APA manual and reviewing my references, then I would have cut down on my citation errors. Again, if I would have spent more time consulting the APA manual and reviewing my papers, then I would have picked up on the inconsistencies within my paper. Therefore, one major change I have already been doing is forcing myself to spend more time reviewing my papers for these issues. Along with the extra reviewing time, I developed a working checklist that highlights my common mistakes. Before I turn in each paper I review each item on my checklist and make sure I have not committed the specific error in whatever paper I am working on. Another way I have forced myself to improve on my errors is that I always have the APA manual with me. Over the last several weeks I haven’t sat down to write a paper without the APA manual sitting beside my computer. I believe my allocating more time to review my papers, consulting my checklist, and ensuring my APA manual is with me at all times will continue to significantly improve my
One strength in my writing are the introductions and conclusions. I believe …show more content…
First of all, this paper showed me that laziness is a common denominator throughout all of my writing issues. If I would have spent more time reviewing my title pages, then I might have noticed the running head fonts were not consistent with the rest of my paper. If I would have spent a bit more time consulting the APA manual and reviewing my references, then I would have cut down on my citation errors. Again, if I would have spent more time consulting the APA manual and reviewing my papers, then I would have picked up on the inconsistencies within my paper. Therefore, one major change I have already been doing is forcing myself to spend more time reviewing my papers for these issues. Along with the extra reviewing time, I developed a working checklist that highlights my common mistakes. Before I turn in each paper I review each item on my checklist and make sure I have not committed the specific error in whatever paper I am working on. Another way I have forced myself to improve on my errors is that I always have the APA manual with me. Over the last several weeks I haven’t sat down to write a paper without the APA manual sitting beside my computer. I believe my allocating more time to review my papers, consulting my checklist, and ensuring my APA manual is with me at all times will continue to significantly improve my