Physics Internal Assessment: Home

General Rules

• Databases do not answer questions. Do not phrase your search as a question. 
• Think of keywords or phrases that best describe your search.
  • For example: Ddo not write: How does the weight of a car effect fuel consumption?
• Brainstorm search terms. Choose different terms for different results.  
  • For example: car, automobile, weight, fuel, gas, mileage, structure.
• Use the ADVANCED Search. This allows you to focus your results.
• Use citation tools to create a citation for your source.
  • Make sure the citation you are using from the database is the correct style. Many times databases cite in more than one citation style.

APA Basics

• The reference list page is on a separate sheet of paper at the end of the document.
• Arrange the items alphabetically by author or by title if there is no author.
• Use only the initials of the author’s first (and middle) name.
• For edited books, place the editors’ names in the author position and enclose the abbreviated Ed. or EDs. in parentheses after the last editor’s name.
• Indent the second and following lines 5 spaces.
• Capitalize only the first word of a title or subtitle that are part of a title.
• Use an ampersand (&) instead of the word "and" when listing multiple authors of a single work.
• Titles are italicized.
• Websites: if the date the page was created is not given, use (n.d.).

Book with one author:

• Format:   Author, A.A. (Published date). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
• Example: Rollin, B. E. (2006). Science and ethics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Article in a reference book or an entry in an encyclopedia: 

If the article is signed, include the author's name; if unsigned, begin with the title of the article.

• Format:    Author, A.A. (Published date). Title of the article (Volume number, page number). Title of work. Location: Publisher.
• Example:  Red Scare. (1998). In  Encyclopedia of propaganda (Vol. 1, pp. 87-90). New York:  Penquin.

Citing a website can be difficult because not all citation information is always given. Use as much information as you can find.

• Format: Author, A.A.  (Published date).  Article Name. Name of webpage. Retrieved month, day, year, from http://web address.
• Example:  Kraizer, S. (2005). Safe child. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.safechild.org/

Journals with an issue number

• Format:   Author, A.A. (Published date). Title of the article.  Title of work, volume number (issue  number), page number.
• Example: Swedin, E. G.  (2006, May/June). Designing babies: A eugenics race with China? The Futurist, 40, 18-21.

Journal or Magazine Article without an issue number.

• Format:   Author, A.A. (Published date). Title of the article.  Title of work, volume number, page number.
• Example: Georges, J.  (2000, June). The Human Gene? Science, 29 (12), 18-21.

Databases will cite an article for you. Look on the page for a link to Cite your document. Many databases default to MLA style. Make sure you choose the APA Citation style.