Peer Review

APA Style Citations

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Reviewed:: Feb 19, 2024 by Library and Information Services

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The textbook covers why it is important to use citations, elements of common source types, and how to create reference and in-text citations based on the 7th edition APA guidelines. This tutorial can also be used as a reference resource.

Type of Material:

Open (Access) Textbook

Recommended Uses:

Homework, tutorial, individual, refresher

Technical Requirements:

Web browser. If offline viewing is desired, a PDF or EPUB reader is also necessary. To use the interactive features (enabled by H5P), the book must be accessed online through a browser.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

After completing this tutorial, users will be able to:

Explain why using citations is important
Recognize cues within sources to identify their source type
Create and format reference list and in-text citations in APA Style
Access resources to help you with APA Style citation

Target Student Population:

High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

A basic understanding of academic writing and computer skills.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This book has strong content and provides an excellent introduction to APA style and format. It is written in clear and concise language and gives appropriate examples. The core concepts are presented understandably and the reasons why we cite sources are clearly explained. The citation styles are up to date using the latest 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual. The quizzes and activities are effective and engaging.
Concerns:: Some concepts could have been expounded upon (such as corporate authorship) and others were not addressed (pagination).

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: Overall, this resource's effectiveness as a teaching tool is strong. The book is outstanding at explaining the concepts behind scholarly citations and why we use citations. It demonstrates the relationships between in text and reference list APA citations very clearly. The examples cover the many different types of APA citations that a student would encounter while working on their assignments.
Concerns:: The textbook is mostly text-based and may be difficult for users with nontraditional learning styles.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: Textbook is easy to navigate and contains learning goals for each section. The information was presented in a way that was engaging and was easy to follow. The online quiz was well constructed and the questions were challenging and well thought out. It provides feedback on quizzes, and allows for the user to download it for further use.
Concerns:: Images do not contain alt tags, which may be disorienting for users requiring screen readers.

Italics are difficult to discern at times.

Overall accessibility of the interactive features may be problematic. The downloaded pdf version notes where interactive elements are missing and offers links to view them online, but whether someone with particular disabilities would be able to use them would probably require further testing.

Other Issues and Comments:: Content of resource might be too much to assign as a tutorial for some groups, and would be better served split up into 2 or 3 sections. Nonetheless, this is a useful and effective introduction to the APA formatting style.
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