APA Style is a standardized writing format, established by the American Psychological Association, which doctoral students need to follow when preparing their dissertation.
If you have questions about APA formatting, look at our APA Style Guide.
You may want to buy a copy of the APA Guide to help you understand APA formatting rules:
Publication Manual (OFFICIAL) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
by
A WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER. The newest official release of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition includes four different formats--spiral-bound and tabbed, paperback, hardcover, and ebook, all of which are in full color. It is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Easy navigation, with topics divided into numbered sections to help users quickly location the information they need Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types, guidelines on citing course materials, and guidance on writing clearly, precisely, and concisely Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards (JARS) that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style Updated chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality Updated chapter on essential style guidelines for scholarly writing, including punctuation, italics, capitalization, abbreviations, and numbers More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, legal resources, and many other document types Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font options
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Learning Commons services for doctoral students:
Here are some FAQs about the dissertation process. For information about the dissertation itself, see the FAQ page of the Guide to Finalizing Your Dissertation:
The library provides access to the APA PsycTests database, which provides information about, and access to, instruments that can be used in research. APA PsycTests provides unpublished tests, test batteries, surveys, and questionnaires.
In addition to the instrument type, you can find the description and purpose of the instrument, along with permissions. APA PsycTests also provides information about the test's reliability, validity, and factor analysis.
APA PsycTests is included in the library's APA PsycNet database. Once you are in APA PsycNet, you can access APA PsycTests either by the browse or search method - see the "Screenshots" tab of this box.
You can apply filters - either on the search screen or from the left side of the results screen. You can use the filters to narrow your search to the type of material you are interested in. For example:
For video tutorials demonstrating how to use APA PsycTests, see the "Video Tutorials" tab of this box.
To access APA PsycTests by browse, use the "browse" link on the top menu and selectd "tests & measures":
Alternately, you can search for a test using the search box on the APA PsycNet home page. Before searching, click on the arrow next to "select databases" and limit your search to just APA PsycTests. You can also limit your search to items you will be able to access through APA PsycTests by selecting the checkbox next to "test available":
The following video demonstrates how to use APA PsycTests:
Here are some links to additional "how to" videos providing instructions on how to use different features of APA PsycTests:
Yes, there may still be a way to freely access articles that are not available in the Library databases. The Library can request articles from other institutions through a service called InterLibrary Loan (or ILL). Use the link below for more information on how to request an article through ILL:
You can use the LibKey Nomad browser plugin to access scholarly articles you find on a publisher/journal website for free using your Franklin University Library account. LibKey does not work on all publisher sites. You can find a list of publishers Libkey supports on their website.
Visit our LibKey Nomad research guide for more information about LibKey Nomad, including how to download/install the required browser plugin.
The library does not provide access to SCOPUS or Web of Science. Google Scholar does provide metrics about publications. The top publications link below shows the top 100 indexed publications. You can put a topic in the "search publications" searchbox on that page (not on the main Google Scholar page) to see top publications on a topic. For further information, see the "Google Scholar Metrics" help page and "Google Scholar Blog" page linked below:
You can find information about establishing your Committee, including a list of eligible faculty on this page of Franklin University's website:
The OAS website provides a research proposal guide and sample research proposal presentations on its website under the guides for doctoral students. There are also research proposal templates under "Doctoral Studies Handbook Documents."
Franklin University Doctoral students must present and orally defend their dissertation to demonstrate their competency and defend the method and implementation of the dissertation project. Some of Franklin University's doctoral candidates have agreed to make their defense recording videos available in the University's Institutional Repository, FUSE, on our Dissertations with Defense Videos page.
