Skip to Main Content

BIOL 2420 Microbiology for Non-Science Majors (SE)

This guide includes general study resources and information to help you complete your class project.

APA Resources

Why Use APA?

Multiple citation styles have been developed based on the priorities of different research areas. Science research tends to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation style because it places a strong emphasis on dates and currency of resources. APA is the most frequently used citation style, with 73% of bachelor's degrees using it in some way. 

If you are new to APA, the TCC Writing Centers can help you with citation questions. The Writing Centers offer live chat and asynchronous (email) options for help with formatting your citations. They also host multiple APA workshops you can attend for free. 

A note on secondary sources: If you need to cite a resource you did not read, e.g., an older article mentioned in an article you did read, there is a specific procedure:

  1. In the references, create a citation for the resource you actually read.
  2. In the text of your paper, refer to the original source. Ex: (Carrier, 2010, as cited in Coppola et al., 2022)

For more help, see the APA's guidance for secondary sources. 

APA Help Resources

Plagiarism: Don't Do It and How to Avoid It

Plagiarism: Don't Do It and How to Avoid It 

According to the TCC Student Code of Conduct, plagiarism is the use of work or ideas without proper acknowledgment of the source. Prohibited behaviors include, but are not limited to:

  1. Partial or incomplete citation of work or ideas.
  2. Improperly paraphrasing by acknowledging the source but failing to present the material in one’s own words.
  3. Paraphrasing without acknowledgment of the source.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same or substantially the same academic work for academic credit.
  5. Copying, partially or entirely, any material without acknowledgment of the source

 

Plagiarism and its consequences are easy to avoid!

  1. Do your own work.
  2. Acknowledge other people's work by citing it.

The APA Plagiarism Tutorial will teach you how to properly cite and paraphrase information. If you have any questions or concerns, ask your instructor, a librarian, or a writing tutor for help.

More Resources