Fall semester is in full swing, which means my academic editing workload is ramping up and will keep me busy until the holidays. Even though I work with students across the country, earning degrees in different fields and writing under different school guidelines and style guides, I see some common mistakes that are fairly consistent from paper to paper.
So, let’s review them to learn how to eliminate them from your next academic manuscript.
1. Capitalizing model and theory names
Per APA Style, model and theory names are not capitalized, with the exception of proper nouns such as the researcher’s last name. Most of my clients capitalize the theory name, but stick with lowercase.
Example: Purnell model for cultural competence, not Purnell Model for Cultural Competence
2. Capitalizing themes
On a similar note, themes that your research may have generated, while important, do not require capitalization. You may opt to italicize the themes so that they stand out in your results section.
3. Presenting Likert scales
If you’re writing an academic paper, it’s likely you will discuss research that was measured on a Likert scale. Often, some style missteps can occur in the discussion of the scale. Here are a few reminders:
Capitalize Likert
Use numerals to describe the points on the scale
Italicize descriptors of the scale
For example: A 5-point Likert scale where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree
4. Presenting journal titles
The journal titles seem to be the part of the citation that confuses many clients. However, it shouldn’t because it’s fairly straightforward. Just follow your style guide of choice:
APA: Full journal title, title case, italicized (New England Journal of Medicine)